AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 21

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

A start, has now been made in South Canterbury with harvesting-operations, one. or two good-looking crops of ripe oats, having been cut last week in . Waitohi district: Killing operations for this season started at the Timaru freezing works on Friday last.

The following items from the Ashburton, -Mail of the 4th "inst. i — As. a result of the early approach -of the harvest this ,year, farmers are inquiring: for j harvest hands, who have not been equal to [ the demand during the past week. The' holidays now being over, men are coming into the town daily, and during the coming week should be available in abundance' for harvest work and for staffing the threshing mills'. Despite the dry weather''experienced, practical men state that where \*fee avMtage total threshing*-' tallies-* -last: . year wife less than 30,000 bushels, they will be fully 50,000 this year.— Grass-seed ' threshing is now being carried on in the /Wakanuiv and surrounding districts, and it is understood that the yields are above expectations, while' the sample is said to be- plump and bright. - {Earlyi ' '<?at threshing -will also" shortly commence _on^ th> lighter lands; where -the crops have been cut- for , some little time.' It is safe to assume, however, that- with a continuance of the present weather' the sample of cereal grain — although better than '-that of last'- year—' will not be up to the standard of an ordinary year.-- Eoot crops throughout the whole- county * are suffering "much ( owing co j insufficient moisture.'^ . I

Harvesting , has begun in the Pleasant Point district, and a good many paddocks of oats are now in stock. Beyond Cave, with very few exceptions, the crops are still green and looking well. In some- of the paddocks that have been reaped the stooks are far apart, the crops having- been very thin. Feed is generally plentiful where paddocks' have not been overstocked, but rain would be welcome to freshen up the pastures and the turnips. The " Eyttelfcon Times of the - 4th in<3t. reports, as follows on^the local gran and produce market : — Business in, " all departI ments continues unusually _ restricted, the j linos of wheat passing being confined 'to I small lines for local consumption. No lines of any importance have been placed on offer, and buyers have shown no disposition to .make purchases- at prices asked by' vendors. The lines sold have been on a basis of 4s 9d at country stations, but mer- j chants state that they are not prepared to go on purchasing at that price,' their' pre-^ sent stocks being deemed sufficient to carry on until the_ now season's crop is placed on the market. Few oat 6 have come forward, and as there ■is no demand no sales have taken place. 'A few xubbed-out samples have been placed on offer, and it is expected .that the opening .price will be from 2s 4d to 2s Bd. New, season's potatoes are now fairly numerous, and it is anticipated that the crop wjll bei quite up to the average. The current year's crop of perennial ryegrass is now being placed on j the market, and several lots from the Lees- ' ton district have changed hands at "prices ranging from 33 "to 3s 5d per bushel. Generally speaking, the 6eed is muchsupe- ' rior to that of N last season. Kalian rye- i grass is also being, harvested down south, I and the yield in moist cases is above "the average. It ,13 proposed to establish freezing works at Mount Gambier, South Australia, and ,

ioi ßß^ —sa >^ BBniB j^ -i]iaa— a _B. i combine with them electric light works foa lighting the «towh, .from" which latter it it anticipated a profit could '-be made. Tfta freezing works would freeze , sheep and lamb's, -which, would then be placed in insu« lafced cars and' railed., to Adelaide for ex- ' port, j There is a- change:. in the, railway ' gauge,- but/it. appears the bodies'of.the car* are detachable from the under-carriage, so that they can be lifted from the narrow gauge, line and placed on under-carriagos suifedMo^fche wider gauge line. If, as "averred, ;the -caterpillar destroys succulent vegetation, then from indications in this district (says the Eketahuna Express) the- life of ragwort must be nearing its end, for the plants of this noxious weed are) at present literally covered with cater* pillars.