HAWKE'S BAY FARM AND RURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 8

HAWKE'S BAY FARM AND RURAL NOTES.

(FSOK OVZ OVW COEHESPOKDENT.)

Some little time ago I wanted some tarpaulins, and the high prices Tarpaulins quoted gave me rather a for the Farmer, surprise. It struck me then that it might be possible to get some old railway tarpaulins, of which I was prepared to take five at £1 each. On making inquiries I found that the regulations allowed of nothing of the kind, ard that all ' condemned tarpaulins were burnt. There must be thousands' of them burnt e\ery year. Stringent regulations are no doubt necessary to prevent stealing, but there must be some way of doing away with such a sinful waste. The Government might paint some kind of a sale mark on them by which there could be no mistaking the sold from the unsold. As a suggestion for a sale mark, red, white, and blue lines runnine from end to end in threes, 12in apart, ought to be sufficient ; in addition to which the number of the tarpaulin could be entered in a book. The condemned tarpaulins would be most useful to farmers, carriers, and others, as a covering for stacks and grain at thrashing time, and for many other uses. Supposing the Government sold them at 20s apiece the farmers would buy them fast enough, while the Government would pocket a. nice little sum annually. If representations were made by the Farmers' Union, something might be done in the matter.

liffncf conJmues to sell well, and though

properties are not. changing land hands so freely as they were Sales. a short time back, still it mu6t be a fine thing to be a land agent. A few weeks ago part of Mr Sydney Johnston's Oruawharo estate was offerea O3 suburban sections. Every section was 6old under the hammer, at prices far in excess of the reserves, the sale concluding with an unsatisfied demand. According to "the man in the street," every second run in Hawke's Bay is to be cut up. Doubtless the Government intend to continue their cutting-up policy, which Las

been the making of the country, and has increased the values of all holdings, both big anrl small. It is worthy of note that it is, generally speaking, the small farmers, who teach the big ones how to farm, o-nd not the big ones that teach the little. For instance, when Hatuma was cut up, the almost universal opinion among the lunholders was that the rents were too high to make more than the barest of' livings. But the settlers have shown a good many how to set to work to make things pay, and have opened a good many eyes as to what can be done with a fair piece of land. Still, I am afraid that by their own policy the- Government have raised the values of land to such an extent, and will in future hay& to pay so heavily for acquired land, that by the rime it 16 open for settlement the price will be out of reason.

During the past three weeks the weather has been all that could be The desired, and Ihe grass, while Weather. still growing well, has hardened fast. This is just what was wanted to get the hoggets into fettle before the winter, and they nave improved at a great rate lately. The nights are beginning to get cold now, but only light frosts have been experienced so far. The ground is as dry as. it has been at any time during the summer, and when the ground is dry the frosts do not cheok growth a great deal. Generally speaking, the sheep will start the winter in good condition, and the majority of cattle will do the same, though there are some very poor lots being driven from sale to sale — mostly dealers' lots, whose owners have not yet realised that they must take what they can get and not what they want when soiling cattle now. HEPERE.