WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2902, 27 October 1909, Page 19

WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

" Changeable, with too much rain," sums up the state of the -weather. The Which has prevented conl Weather. tinuous work either on th* lan-d or with stock. Des-pite tho good winter we enjoyed work is there1 fore very backward. Ip the agricultural* districts a considerable area of land, in^ tended for oats is stilt utisowh. Some who ought to know estimate that 25 per oenc les3 grain will be harvested in the district this yeax than last, owing- tc the inability to sow in decent time. I It is reported that the agricultural staI tistios are not to be colAffrinltar&L leeted, as they cost £400 C, Returns: and farmers cay they are useless.- In a measure, the farmer i% correct, yet there is no' reason why they should not be of great benefit. 'According to Act of Parliament, the statistic? must be taken, before November 1 in each' year, and this has previously been done, only that they- were seldom available to the public before March or April. The harvest is over in ihe North Island and frequently the grain has been sold bsforc that time. • Surely the statistics could be compiled and- the results made known by January 1. It seems a pity, after 'having be^n takeai regularly for so many years, that 1909-10 will be a blank U statisticians- Every county now recognise that the statistics concjrntng the land .are a necessity, more particularly about grain, so that probably nex year the collecting of the agricultural statistics will be resumed. * A fortnight ago, tUkd referring to the slate of the weather, 1 Uarkcts. wrote: "There is no tellirg what the future of the market may be, so thai where, land cannot be sown with oats in time with a fair prospecfc of a harvest, sheep feed may prove to be the most profitable." . Although I have always considered the slump in meat temporary, I' hardly expected there would be much of a revival before next year, and whan told that cables announced a. rise of a penny, I had to go and find the paper for myself, and even then doubted t>uch good luck until the news was confirmed next day. A penny a Ib means to the farmer 5s the 601b wether and 3a a head on lamb. Buyers wiil try to discount the rite as much as possible so as to repay the losses some of them sustained during the later part of last season. However, there will not ba much meat before Doc-ember, which is an advantage, as by tliat time tt will be seen whether this sharp advance can be sustained or even improved on. Flioc-e who had the foresight and courage to buy and ship during tho past three- months will gat a good return, there ha\ing been a considerable number bought for shipping lately. This has helped to relieve the district market, which "*as been somewhat congested. U the local sales at Palmcrston and Feilding larst Friday, competiWooJ tion was very keen for all Market. descriptions of both wool and skins. Mr Hugh, Roberts, Feilding, reports : —Fleece, up to

A boon io dairy farmer?. Any contrivance which does away with the drudgery connected with tho working of a dairy farm is an unqualified bleseing. The labour problem ;n its many different phases presents almost insurmountable difficulties. A' 'Lawrence-Kennedy-Gilliee" Milking Machine, however, 6olves the whole question, [t will do the milking as well as expert milkers, but in a shorter time and at less jxpense. It has no ill effects on the cows, md M-essre Greenway Bros., Puniho, voice he experience of all users when they say ; 'We find the quantity and richness of tho nilk arc fully maintained with the mach/ne nilking." Prices and all particulars on implication to J. B. MacEwan. and Co., Sole Agente, Dunedin.

»H; dead, 7£d to 3d; skins 7d to B^butchers' skins 5s 6d to 3S3 S M.' Hides we* ateo in demand at s^l to over 6d. I J eorry to see a new ifc em entered at Fe-ild ing-namely, rabbit skins If I mistake 2* *? * the v fi«t time on reeorT a£ if proof if such were wanting, that there are rabbits -,n th' district. Bettei Oalgety and Co s Palmerston report.aomewhat on the'same- lines, and then ai*o had rabbit skin to sell— worse luck. fSesides the auction sale, there is anxious inquiry for private buying of clips, and one of ..he largest sheep-owners has sold his clip right out at lid, which is bi<* •noney, the wool being yet on the sheen's backs. I suppose it is one of the best clips in the district, and probably has been bought for Boston, for which it is admirably suited, being clean, well-grown Homney. The majority of our wool is in •/act getting to be near" purebred Romney. lne question is asked daily whether to accept the prices now offered privately or chance the sales in Wellington, or consign to" England, and the amice tendered -3:— Don't attempt to beat the speculator, as he has to live, and at your expense. At times the loses, T>ut taken over a series of years he has the best of the bargain. Therefore, to 6a ve worry and regret^ die producer's best policy is to decide to sell in the Dominion or ship, but stick to dne market, when, if a balance couh" be drawn up, it would be found you are better off than those who have Tiir<] to gauge the market. Ten years •tiro,, if asked whether the colony or London was th® safest market, the answer would have been London. But conditions are now quite altered. Representatives of ufers of wool attend wool sales in the Dominion from, it may be said, all parts of the world, although little of New Zealand wool has gone io the East, as that quarter can get supplied nearer home, in Australia. It is o-nJy of late years that European and American buyers have got here, in force, and have made our markets as cosmopolitan as London.. Besides, no wool is used ir London, so that is has to bear, the freight from there t/. the factory, be it Bradford, the Continent, America, or - elsewhere, whereas, when sold here, it is aant direct, so that the saving in freight alone mus'. be a big item. It haa always to b* remembered that the producer has to pay all freight and other charges until in the hands of the user ; so that to-day the advantages are in favour of selling in the- Dominion. Australians rave come to £h.at conclusion, the great "bulk of their clip being now cold in the Commonwealth. Everyone seems to bo" waiting for fine weather, to sh?a.r, before Store falling, co that the yards Sheep. . are very sparsely filledEven Feilding has had to be content with 5000 or 6000 a wt>"l; lately. , Pricey socm to ,nave anticipat?f' the advance in mutJon, but gra-e beiner plentiful I' expect there will be a further aldarrce to-day. Cattle also are improving in value, good sorts, fattening bullocks, solling Si £6 and upwards, with a good demend. Dairy heifsrs are eagerly sought. after all the way up thp coast, so that dairymen who re-framed from slaughtering calve » are now getting \fell paid. , " y At the monthly meeting of the General Comm.itte£, bfk 1 last FriFeildln* 'lay. the vexed quet-tion (at A. and P. 'cast locally) of (he incluAfsociatfon. Slon of flo<k rams in the schedule for nex' > ear's show wa B di=vCU;S^-d at length, but no'hing new was «aid on the -'übject. The president (Mr Hugh BurivJ) said ho was going to vote that the flock rams be reinstated. H^ diil not see any c erious objection to the flock ram classes. Thoy j had Jfco cater for all owners of stock in the i district, rich ami poor. The grade stock j was ,a necessary and useful cla*** in the district. Eventually, on the motion of Mr Campbell, it »-as "decided that the flonc rams be reinstated, aixl that She whole question be di«eu*sed at tlip annual meet- - ing. The question of privil <re-= was di.>cussed, but was referred io iho Executive Committee for report Perhaps this mattea of privilege? '= 'the greatest worrj show committee 5 have to deal with. Haw ke's Bay oporrxl t.h*> show f«a?on this week, and from ieport= to Shows, hand it appears the West Coast has held its own against the Ba*t. M. G F. Moorp /KiaTwi* carrying oft the championships ior both bull and cow in Herefords, Ales-irs S!aok Bros, the sam in. Ayrshire*. Mr O. I/Ovelock for Hoist-em Friesian bull, and Mv New tor King for caw. Jn .Romney pfaoej Mi Ernest Short olainre-d the two champion prize* md also points prize, -while- in piga 3Jessr. Slack Bros, and' Mrs Slack book the bulk of the honours. By the Rimutaka, which arrivec n Wellington on Wednesday, some Importations, high-class Clydesdales were fande to the order of Mr F. Short. ' Ehej comprise the stallion Hoyal Treasure, five years old ; a four-year-old bay mare, and a two-year-old bay mare, all fron Messrs A. a-nd . Montgomery, Kirkcudbright : also the Clyde**«V.e mare. Silloth Lady, with filly foa.l, uc n Mr .lolin Ken-. R«^d Hall, Wigton. Horsey men in the district expect to see 'mvethinisr »cry h%h c)a?s in th-is shipment, . •-, M*t Hocken (who is tow a -iesiden+ in ! Iwitrland) ;«5; «5 considered one o[ ,he be-;t j ndjes \\*p evei had in t.he Manawat-u, and i \I -Short I^-ft him a fr«-° hand abou< what ,o purchase, only stipulating that they :.iu-t be of .ho best. It is to be hoped -111! Roya! Trea^uie «ill nick well with i <;rand mares Mi Short recently !x)UTlit •i the south, and that Paro>an,gi will -h^-tly be a.s filmed for Clydesdale hor<ics , Romney sheep. j Although iittle support wa<? ?iven to the J proposal for n^w fre^zinir ' Anptlier r»^ works tha.t emanated from ' Fr«7inc the Bast Coast— --which could Company. hard!} be. expected unless ( the freezing works \v«iv on -neufcraJ ground — namely. Wolling-lon. there is a eeotior of farmers .vho consider it would be to their interest to have additional works on this side of the rang-e. About throe weeks ago about 100 farmers intended a meeting at Palmerston North ' t for the purpose cf c-onvlderiTg he advis- I ability of erectirg a; farmers' freezing works ' J Manawatu. T'ho meetini? was addressed by Mes.sr.s BaJsillie ar;d Win.ga.te, who mipresded on tho-ve present the advantages •*f having thvir own worka, as had been

: proved in the case of the Poverty Bay 3 farmers. Mi Wing-ate said he had already 3 got premises of £80C worth of shares It - was decided to hold another meeting on the | following Thursday, the 14th inst., which ' duly tool place. Aftei further discussion, 5 a provisional directorate wju- appointed— ■ . namely, .Messrs G. Balsillie. G. Winsrate, - sen., G. Morrison, P T Fair. A Mathie- > ■ son, D. Rowlands, fl. T. Flyer H ; Bowates, M. Wordsworth, and C. Mann. The .' idea now "s not o build new works, but . to purchase the Longburn factory and runit on co-operative lines. It will be reanean- | bered that Loragburr Freezing Works were ; ; built by the farmers, but fell on evil times, , j and were, take* over by the mortgagee, by whorr they Jiave be-en worked f ot some yea rs, ' and have, no doubt, been profitable to him. If it were possible to raise sufficient cash tc buy the Long-burn works and start free : of d-ebt and work them on co-operative line', J the same as a dairy company, I hero i.s the ( solution of the question in agrea/ neasure of securing to the f armo. the full value for his meat. But whether the directorate will find sufficient support or nor is very , problematical. In the first place farmers 1 in the district have lost faith in themselves awing to the failure- of f ormer companies started bj them. There is w eased .why this should be so. seeing the suc1 oess of co-operative dairy companies. The opportunity is hei\» of. Manawatu nakdng a name for their' meat, e=peciallj lamb, on the London oi any other market, and there.bj securing the highes. price. But ad- . . hesiveness, is wanting, md until chat liffi- j ' culity is overcome there is noi much chance j of their bettering .hemselves as they might. j Co-operative companips tnat have be-en i established in the pas/ by ' Co-operaHre ohe aid oi outside capital j Companies. in the form of share?, and ' I . have been paying suppliers ! j big money tor their cream, do not seem < i to realise the responsibility that rests on I them to pay interest ;>n the money «unphed wher they were In need. There are ; dairy companies that could never have bean | started only that business men and neighj bouring farmers, who were not going to milk, took shares in the venture, and went or the directorate foi the purpose of financing thi- cheme While the factory was struggling io one expected' anj dividend, • btv* sineo hlie supp.iers have been reoeiv-*! ing 9<' and lOd for butter-fat on< would expect they would recognise their indebted- ' ness and pay at least some interest to non- . suppliers. Th*» reason pu forward why j they do not pay is that indirectly business I men and £rade«men are being paid b3 increased turnover, and* that the value* of the non-supplying farmers' land has bsen ■' incr-sa&9'd. This >s io argumsnt. I'hissta.te of things has. b>jen going, on f or /cars, and non-supplieis »vere beginning to ihink bhey had no it9<nv>dy. But jiieh'ca, often dow, ' vet generally hure, •' causing iftxiety up in Tanana.'ci. Owinpr to good times many dairymen have lately r-e.tired, but held on to the shares of the company they were connected with, and the feair is being expressed that non-suppliers will po & ss the majority of the shares, which s\ ill give them command of ths directorate. However, ;*he object of thi« paragraph i not so much U air th<^ grievance of non-sup-pliers a-= to point out how such injustices on the parr of established co-operative x>mpanies are hinder in? the stnig^ling in (he bacl:-block«. whim they tn to ?*art a factory. Seeing the M-ay non-supplying shareholder* have been treated in rhe Rast (not by all companies, to their eredi be it said, as fail inters \s paid b,> some) few care to take shares in Tew ver.ituros of the kind, thereby handicapping the struggling. , AXTIQUA OVIS. j