OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 22

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Erratic weather conditions have prevailed during the past three weeks typical of the season. A fair amount of moisture has fallen, but not sufficient to penetrate grass land to allow deep ploughing being easily carried out. During May 17 frosts, ra'nging from sdeg to lsdeg, were recorded. The ranges are covered with a fair amount cf snow, and feed is diminishing as a result of the heavy frosts and assuming 8 brown colour. The cold, bleak weather is causing stock io lose a good deal of condition, but, notwithstanding this, fairly large numbers continue to be brought to the freezing worlds, which are all fairly busy. There is plenty of rough feed, and stock is not likely to suffer any great hardship during the winter. The fat sheep and lamb marke' last week showed an unexpected rise, and prices were the best obtained during the >eason, both skeqp and lambs being fully Js per head better than on the previous Week. The competition among export buyers and keen dealing leads one to believe that private advice had been received from Home to purchase freely for future export purposes. The store sheep market is without animation, and there is absolutely no sale at reduced prices. The fat cattle market is good, but that Jox* stores is on the wane. There is a movement for the better in the. oat market, but for wheat there is no *ale, and- the market is declining. Fairly large stocks of wheat are still in thai hands of farmers, but for the most part it $s all damaged by weather. are pi opinion that the market will rise fcbo.rtly as rapidly as it declined, and polders are not prepared to sell on a falling; market. » Potatoes are on the upward grade, and Supplies put on the market are faulty, the Jesuit of blight. I A large area of land is now sown in !wheat, some of which is coming through the ground. Small bird® are proving very destructive in pulling up the grain. The grass grub is still proving very harmful to crops, and some farmers have actually had to' sow a second time owing to the crops being more or less demolished. • The average rainfall for May was less than two inches. During the past few l Hays heavy fogs have prevailed. ■■' Labour ffi fairly good in Mid-Canterbury, imt in the larger centres the unemployed is beginning to assert itself, and before winter is over matters are likely to get considerably worse, and the Government and local bodies will no doubt have Jto face the question of providing relief fcorlrs. * W, A fairly large acreage of land that has ioeen in a native state for years in the lying under the hills is being prepared for cropping, anrd there is a prospect of a large area being jputf in root and cereal crops during the coming • season. '(All things considered, the season so far fcas been fairly good, and farmers are Confidently looking forward to a continuSfcnce of. prosperous times.