WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2782, 10 July 1907, Page 20

WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(Faou Ott» Own Cobkespondzht.) We have been having both winter and spring weather during the The past week. Up -to the Weather. first of the month it was

intensely cold, but since Monday one could imagine we had jumped right into September weather. Both nights and days were quite mild, although there has been light rain falling most of the time. To show how mild it is, I may mention that in the room where I am writing there ha? been no fire all day, yet the thermometer is standing at 68deg. Manawatu weather is, as the Yankee traveller expressed it. "largely made up of samples." To-mor-row it may take some good rata logs to keep the temperature up to the same degree. Owing to the heavy rain last week and the constant drizzle since, the land i 3 in a very sloppy state, and altogether unworkable. Farmers have therefore had plenty of time to discuss the doings at the annual colonial (nippose it will be '"Dominion" next year) conference of the Farmers' Union, and what Parliament is likely to do for or with them in the way of taxation and land leg-Hat ion. Mr J. G. W il=on. the president of the Farmers' Union, gave a most interesting review of the past \ear with regard to the farming interest^. In one paragraph Mr Wilson says : '' In some parts, of the colony there is a distinct ehortage of feed, and stock have been rushed into the market.' This does not apjjly to any extent to the \Ve^>t Coast, there being abundance of feed generally, and stock, both >heep and dairy cows, are in real good fettle for midwinter. Referring to the blight attacking the turnip crop, he says : "In tho=o crops I have seen the purple-top Aberdeen was the most affected, the preen top Aberdeen less so, and the swedes not at all, though in the Wairarapa it is said the swedes were badly affected. It was al*o noticed that the Imperial green globe turnip was almost immune. The general opinon is that the blight is caused by the season, and with a more equal rainfall, which is usual in New Zealand, the crops may not be affected another year to the same extent." This expression of opinion should be very encouraging to farmers, e<9pecially to those of the North Island. Mr Wilson is recognised as one of the best authorities on matters agricultural in the district, having been farming for over 30 years and having made a careful study of the most profitable fodder plants to grow and what manuies to apply to obtain the be.<-"T results. With respect to blight on swedes. I ha\e been told of a crop being

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badly affected up at Kiwitea, but there are no great complaints, and there is likely to be abundance of feed unless vie have a very protracted winter.

The Sandon branch of the Farmers' Union

set up a committee at thtir

PriTtf* last meeting to inaugurate Experimental an experimental plot under Farm. the direotion of the De-

partment ;of Agriculture, the land being provided and worked by the members of the branch. They have lost no time, as last night the committee decided to hold the experiments in Mr J. Perrett's stubble paddock, half a mile from the township, with rape, turnip, and swede seeds. Mr Clifton was kind enough to agree to appoint an expert to conduct the experiments and record the results. At the meeting last night the chief chemist of the Department of Agrioulture wrote stating that he regretted not being able to visit the district on account of pressing business, but suggested that a sample <>f the soil be -sent down to him for analysis. The committee decided to act on the suggestion and send down a sample of soil with a list of manures being used in the district At the present time. This experimental plot should be of great benefit to a large number of farmers on what I term the downs country, which extends from Mount Stewart to Turakina, nearly 30 miles, with an average width of 15 miles —nearly 300,000 acres. This tract of country is auite different from any other lands on the "coast, which were either swamp or heavy bush, whereas this down country, in its primitive state, was covered with light scrub and some places fern. The soil is shallow, overlying a- stiff clay. Around &andon and Marton a larare proportion "of the area has been under" cultivation for the last 25 years, and has produced good crops of oats, not " much wheat being grown. Of late years turnips have been grown with the aid of manure with fairly good results, but there has always been a suspicion that the best method of cultivation or manure used might be imeadod. Personally, I consider the crops have greatly improved of late years, and last year saw some really good crops of both rape and turnips (I have not been in the district lately). The grass is certainly a great deal better than formerly. Some attribute the improvement to the advent of some southern farmers, but the best crop of turnips seen was on a farm that had been in possession by the same man for 30 years. Still there is neveT a top m farming, and the Sandon men are to be complimented in initiating this new system of education in a measure • independent of State aid. and it is to be hoped that other branches of the union will follow the example set.

Owing to the state of the land and weather many of the flaxmills have Flax. closed down, and, as one miller said the other day, " he would have been in pocket if he had closed down two months ago." This miller is also a large agriculturist, and the green flax, having to be carted over cultivated land, made an awful mess, and must have done incalculable damage, besides the impossibility of turning out a' good sample of fibre even with the greatly added expense in paddocking in wet weather. The price of flax has been falling, but when we hear of a difference of £5 a ton between April and June output the unsatisfactory condition of the fibre must be accountable for the drop in value. Like all other land, flax country has been boomed to such an extent that it is doubtful if there is any margin for profit at the prices being paid. As is usual when a boom takes place in any article, men without experience or knowledge have rushed into the trade, with the inevitable result that they soon found themselves in trouble through" having agreed to pay too much for the land. No one has any great sympathy for those "know-alls," although they may have been taken in by the seller. Whenever there is a land boom, be it in town, agricultural, pastoral, or flax land, the man who understands his business seldom suffers, knowing pretty nearly what he can take off such land by way of profit. It is as a rule tradespeople in towns who are the cause of disaster when the balloon bursts, having made themselves responsible for more than they can pay for, thereby causing disaster all romul. To some extent the bubble has already burst in the Manuwatu, the exploiters being now wiser though sadder men.

I again refer to the sheep market on account of the result or last Stor« week's Feilding sale. For Sheep Market. & numiber of years past farmers who grow turnips for the wintering of hoggets have considered that ji the turnips held out until the month of August there was every hope of a ready sale ait remunerative prices, for the turnip hoggers generally take a sharp rise about that time, owing, mainly, to the demand of graziers north of Wanganui for stocking up in tho spring. Ever since weaning there has been a steady demand for breeding ewes to go north. But it is quite an unusual thing- to find that over 3000 had been trucked from Feilding northward for the fortnight ending Ist July, which is the case. This, I think, points to high prices for store cheep when spring weaither is assured. At present rates ewes in lamb of anj tiling like good character must cost, landed, say at Hawera, from 20s to 2ss a head. 'For the Feilding sale (Friday) thore are o\er 8000 sheep advertised, 800 of which are wethers, rather an unusually large number, the balance being ewes in lamb and hoggets (I now term them hoggets although still advertised as lambs), with a few small pens of empty ewes. There was no forward movement at Palmersion to day (Thursday)), but the yardings were small, and Palmerston is seldom much of a guide to what Ferlding may be the following day. The Stock Department so far has not issued the sheep returns taken on the Ist May, and it is impossible to form any estimate of what number of sheep there are in the Norbh Island. The lambing was exceptionally „ good last year, but the exports have been correspondingly heavy, so I hardly think the number will reach the million mark. Another factor that makes for a shortage in sheep is the large area m die Poverty Bay and Auckland districts that has been brought into gra.ss during the year ending Ist March, l? 07; bo that if even sheep do stand a-t a. million there nxust be still room for a good many thousand more. Taking all factors into considera-, tion, those now holding hoggets should get veil paid for their turnips — nothing like viiat is reported as being realised in *i"»

south, but £3 an acre is considered goo«l money for turnips up here. Those who should know tell us that mutton is likely to be' scarce and dear should- the winter b* a long and severe one. So far there » no excitement, and I heard an offer made to supply a butcher for the next th*e» months at 17s July." 18s August, 19s Septenrber; ewes, 601b. But a great deal depends on the -skins, and the above is not a bargain. I would care to make ■without seeing the sheep.

There have been no sales of heavy draught horses of late, but there oaa Horses. be no doubt they are considerably cheaper than «.t this time last year. Lighter sorts are. also cheaper. One North Island dealer shipped a mob to Melbourne last week, mostly spring-van and buggy sorts. It is strange "how, with, $he wide extent of country admirably, adapted for horse J breeding, Australia can take over horses from New Zealand at a profit. I have come to the conclusion that horse-breeding is something- like pig-breeding : when one man starts breeding everyone follows, and vice versa, there being no stability in either industry. No one can gainsay the fact that bicycles ana motor cars have had the effect of putting large numbers of light horses off the roads on this coast — that is, where there are> roads. Of course, the poor unfortunate horse Js the only animal or machine that can negotiate the sloughs of despond termed tracks in the roadless -g*^ QVI3>