FARM AND STATION. (Continued from page 9.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 20

FARM AND STATION. (Continued from page 9.)

LOCAL A. JLND P. SEWSA meeting of members of the Otago Farmers' Union Mutual Fire Insurance Association was held at the office of the secretary (Mr Hugh Mitchell) yesterday afternoon. There was a good attendance of directors, Mr Wm. Grey presiding. Before proceeding with the business of the meeting the chairman made feeling reference to the sudden death of Mr H. Buckland, who was one of the directors of the association. The following resolution, a copy of which .the secretary was instructed to forward to Mrs Buckland, was passed unanimously: — "That this meeting of the Otago Farmers' Union Mutual Fire Insurance Association, on> behalf of itself and all the members of the association, tenders its sympathy to Mrs Buckland and family in their great sorrow caused by the loss of a husband and father, and deeply regrete the loss of one of the promoters of the association and a director whose place it will be hard to fill, feeling that they have lost a great worker and sincere friend." The Secretary reported an increase in the business since the last monthly meeting of £2475. The following further appointments aa agents were made: — Robert Walker (Hampden), R. G. Foster (Kelso), W. D. Harkness (Richmond, Nelson), Malcolm and Tomlinson (Balclutha), D. M'Leod (Palmerston South), and N. O. Potts (Lawrence). Our Cromwell correspondent writes: — " The weather during the last three weeks has been exceptionally hot, and consequently the country i 6 looking very dry. The crops at Hawea Flat are now about ripe, being much earlier than usual. The yield will not be quite as good as was expected a month ago, but still they will be good. The visit of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Lands is being looked forward to, and deputations will be to the fore asking for the railway to be pushed on, also for the cutting up of the pastoral leases falling in shortly." Barley, oat, and wheat crops are being harvested in the Duntroon and Otiake districts, the grain having ripened rapidly in the hist week or so. If the warm, weather continues harvest will be general in a. week or so. Farms on the once-despised Morton. Maine Estate have recently been changing hands (says the Gore Standard) at £8 and £9 an acre. Ten years ago the Block was purchased _at 25s or 30s an acre ; but when settled closely a marvellous change was effected in its productiveness. A generous use of lime has made the Morton Main 3 land excellent grazing country. Mr R. M'Corkindale (president) occupied the chair at the monthly meeting of the Waitahuna Farmers' Club. Letters from Mr Jae. Bennet, M.P., and Mr F. W. Knight, Waipori, were read enclosing cheques for £1 Is each in aid of the show prize fund; and wiehing the club every success; also from Messrs Turnbull end Jones, Dunedin, and the secretary of the Dunedin Merchants' Association, enclosing cheques for the late show. — Received witn thanks. The President, in referring to the late show, said that the success which bad attended their twenty-seventh annual . show must be very gratifying to all who had the" welfare of the club at heart. He thanked the judges and attending members most sincerely for the attentive and able manner in which they had discharged their duties, and his special thanks were due to the secretary, under whose experienced supervision the show details had been carried out. The secretary gave an ipproximate estimate of ihe financial re- g

suit, which showed the receipts to be £119 ! Is 6d, expenditure £105 12a 6d, credit ! balance £13 9s. The treasurer was em- • powered to pay all cash prizes awarded. The sum of £6 was voted to the Waitahuna Brass Band. Accounts amounting to £19 Is were passed for payment. In closing the President thanked members for their attendance, and hoped they would all roll up for next meeting, • when he expected a deputation from- the Tuapeka Farmers' Union to be present to disouss_ several matters affecting the farming interests; At a meeting of the directors of the Clutha Veterinary Association on the 3rd . inst. it was decided', on the motion of the president, Mr Robert Houliston, and Mr T. A. Johnston, that Principal Dewar, of the Royal Dick Veterinary College, Edinburgh, be tendered a memento in acknowledgment of his services in obtaining a vet. for the association, the Dost not , exceed £5 ss. The secretary was instructed j to collect all outstanding subscriptions f t 1 once. It was decided to accept two members located at Table Hil l^ outside the association's district, on condition that they would agree to drive the vet. from, and to Milton at their own expense. The secretary was instructed to call a public meeting re increased telephone facilities. - The secretary reix>rted that Mr Dunskin, V.S., was on board tb.9 Paparoa, due at Wellington on January 21, and it was decided -that the director.* accord him a welcome on his arrival in Balclutha. j The ordinary monthly meetinp-^of. "the i North Otago A. and P. Association was I .held on Wednesday last, Mr C. W. Reid" (president) in the chair. There was a large attendance of members. The Railway Traffic Manager (Dunedin) wrote in reply to the association's complaint in respect to the railage of stock exhibited at the late show that he would inquire into the matter, and advise the association of the result of his investigation. The Finance Committee reported recommending accounts for payment to the amount of £68 16s 9d. The architect for the new grand stand forwarded a certificate for payment for £235 7s to the contractor (Mr D. Sinclair), and a recommendation of the Finance Committee that the matter be submitted to a sub -committee consisting of Messrs Orbell and Brownlee for further consideration was adopted. This was a fourth payment, making a total of £1095 7s to date. The bank t book showed a debit balance of £988 13s, Id. Messrs Macpherson, Orbell, and Muir, the sub-committee appointed, reported having laid the new show ring, and forwarded a plan. The new fence would be 1020 ft long, and would necessitate about 275 ft of new fencing Additional soil would* be required to bufid the mound for a length of 275 ft. The Chairman mentioned l that although tenders had been advertised for the carrying out of the alterations, none had been received. — It was decided, on the motion of Messrs Tavlor and Christie, that the matter be left to the Ground Committee to take any favourable opportunity to 6ee the work done ; the matter to come up- again at the March meeting unless an opportunity occur in the meantime bo get the work done by tender. Mr T. S. T/ittle moved that an estimate be got for shifting the grandstand 'back 60ft. A mistake had, he said, been made, and he thought the mattor should be grappled with. The motion on being put was parried, and Mr Forrester was asked to give the estimate. The Ground Committee recommended that the 10-acre paddock east of the railway line be sold to the best advantage.— Messrs O-rbell and Seth-Smith objected to the sale of the ground, and Mr Orbell moved that it be not sold. — Mr T. S. Little seconded — Mr W. Gardiner supported' the sale of the ground, which he considered wouM never bo of any advantage to the society.— Mr Gardiner, as an amendment, moved that the recommendations of the Ground Committee be given effect to. — After further consideration the motion that the reconvmendation be given effect to was put and carried. The next meeting of the association was fixed for Wednesday, March 11. A Garston correspondent writes as follows ;n; n the liake Wakatipu Mail:— Like other portions of the Wakatipu district, we are having splendid weather. It is, if anything, too dry for some of the crops. In some instances the latter are hard^to'beat. Mr A. M'Gaughan has got some crop in in maiden ground near the river, and it is exceptionally healthy looking, although somewhat heavy. He also haa a certain amount of ground put down in turnips, and these are also in splendid fettle. The crops at the Nokomai are looking very well, but the hot weather is telling on them. Shearing is in full swing at all the, stations just now. The clips this year promise well, but the price is down at present — a drop of 3d for crossbred sheep. One runholder who got £3000 for last year's clip, would only get £2000 for the same amount of wool this year — that is, if he sells it at the present time. No doubt the town brokers will buy up al£ the wool' they can in the hopes of a rise, which js almost sure to come later on. Talking about shearing, Mr Cameron has had his recently-installed machines in full action, and I understand that they have been working very well. When the operators get accustomed to them they will turn over a great many more sheep in a given time and with practically no harm to the animals. The Mataura. Ensign of the 9th met. reports that the indications for the coming season so far as it affects the man on the land are fairly satisfactory. The turnip crops throughout the district have been brought on wonderfully by the copious showers that felL before Christmas/ and it is certain that this crop will be a decided success in nearly all cases. The cereal crops growing on light coil are rather short in the etraw- and have come to ear prematurely. In many instances it is"~ reported that- severe loss has been sustained through the depredations of the small bird pest. The crops on heavier lands are longer in the straw, and show a satieactory evenness of growth. A yield well up to the average of past years, if not exceeding it, is confidently looked foe. Crops in the Waimumu district are looking especially healthy and vigorous, and this remark also applies to the land under cereals in the Brydone and EHendal© districts. Says the Clutha Leader of Friday last: — The continued dry weather is' bringing the . crops on very quickly, and harvest should •be in full 6wing early 'in. February. Mr W. J. Keys, of • Toiro, has already made a. start cutting a crop of autumn-sown, oats — a very fair crop. Mr Keys seems to have quite got the upper hand of the Canadians in thia paddock. Persistent cultivation has done it, and it has paid him well. Generally 6peaking the crops are -very fair, and promise good yields. I The following harvest notes appear in

the Mount Ida Chronicle of the lOtfir inst. : — The weather has been very hot and sultry for the past week or two. A shower of rain is badly needed for the crops, which, are beginning to show the effects of the dry weather. The turnip crop, which looked so promising a couple of weeks ago, is going back rapidly. At Kyeburn some of tho early-spwn crops of both wheat and oats have already been cut, and other paddocks are ready for the machine. The yields are somewhat light, but the later sown crops look better.. "

We (Clutha Free Press) are informed that some Hillend growers have been offered Zi 9d a bushel for oats for March delivery. It is probable, however, that this price is for small lines of seed oats. The price slateu is about equivalent to that now ruling in Dunedin, which can hardly be expected to nold good after harvest. The following items are from last week's Winton Record : — The small bird pest ia go ; ng to be very bad this summer in Southland, and already the wheat crops da Strathmore and Bayswater farms are beginning to r be threshed by the birds. — Mr Thomas Kennedy, of Drummond, has sold his well-known farm to a, northern .buyer.-r-The country in- the Wairio-Nigßtcaps district is sorely in need of rain; in many places the ground hae opened up in wide cracks. On some of the farms on the oldT Waicola estate very nice - crops -of grass seed are in stbok, and excellent crops, ot both turnips and .oats may be seen growing. The majority of the latter crops, however, will be short, and 24- hours of good heavy rain just now would make a tremendous improvement in them.

The Tuapeka Times of Saturday last .reports that the weather during the past twf weeks has been of a scorching discription, _ and vegetation of all kinds is beginning to show a rjarched appearance. Fortunately the cereal crops throughout the district are beyond that stage when they are likely to' suffer fronr N the effects of drought, but the exceptionally hot weather _ will have tho effect of ripening them quickly. The turnip crops were, in the majority of cases< in early, and consequently have a good ( start. A good soaking rain would, how^ ever, prove of immense benefit to them, and also to the grass. Crops on the Steward Settlement (say* the North Otago Times) are doing remarkably well in spite of the past few weeks of, dry weather. Had they been quite parched up as a result of the winds it would not have been a matter for surprise, but we are informed that the crops have stoodwell, and that a good return should be obtained.

The Fairfax correspondent of the Western Star writes: — The long spell of dry weather we are having may well Be termed a> heat wavo Rivers were seldom or never seen so low, and above all other parts of ther Dominion Southland cannot do without an. occasional shower of 'rain,; yet more suitabld grass harvest weather could not be desired ;i and seldom have such heavy crops of grae* been seen 'Now that the binder is" at work.' in another week the grass harvest will be a£ thing of the past for this- year ; Not only" are grass paddocks looking their best, _ but oat crops are all that should be desired^ and no doubt through the bountiful harvests, prices may be expected to recede con- 4 siderabjy. With such heavy crops farmers, can the lesser price on account of the increase per acre. Shearing is practically over for another year; and if the price- /o£ wool is not exactly what the farmer -wishes-, • yet the fleece is in weight equal to his--greatest desires, so that weight will make good the deficiency in price ; and together with the Eat lamb at 15b, the farmers' banking account may not suffer much on.'" balancing day. Swedes are being thinned; and. in common with rape and grass, ar9suffering much from the- want of rain.. Grass paddocks are assuming a parched, apnearance. and on all up lands eteJr are" suffering through the want of water whV-e guUies and' swamps are completely _ dried up. Tho windmills are a great acquisit'on where water can be struck, and save many farmers the trouble of driving stock ;miles to water: and yet with all the district never looked to better advantage.