OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3098, 30 July 1913, Page 20

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

THE WEATHER AND GENERAL. Notwithstanding the fact that the weather during the past two weeks has been somewhat changeable, it has been very seasonable: indeed, during the past few days it has been more like spring in daytime, but cold at night. About an inch of rain fell for the fortnight on two separate occasions, and there was also a slight fall of snow on the high country, and frosts ranging from 4dcg to ICldeg have been recorded in MidCanterbury every night. Tho days, however are drawing out most perceptibly, and for a few hours each day the sun is quite warm, betokening the approach of spring--tho time of gladness. In the centre and northern end of tho province willow trees and shrubs are beginning to burst out in leaf, while in sunny and sheltered places early varieties of stone fruit, such as apricots and early plums, show signs of soon bursting out into bloom. Early-sown oat and wheat crops are thriving vigorously, while paddocks that were sown down last summer and autumn, are beginning to look quite green. There is still a good amount of snow on the ranges, and while this remains fairly heavy frosts are bound to occur, and thus, to some extent, chock tho growth of vegetation. The heavy rain that fell at the beginning of this week had the effect of causing a temporary delay of farm work. In so fur as it refers to drilling, farmers were not seriously concerned, as they have their work well advanced. Already a large acreage has been sown in spring cereals, but tho hulk of this work has still to be carried out. The effect of the continuous heavy frosts is that the soil is being worked down with a minimum amount of labour, and the crops have been sown in a particularly good seedbed. Although there arc no grass grubs to bo seen in slid or North Canterbury, I learn that this post has made its appearance in parts of the southern end of the province. In the course of another week tho Freezing Works intend to close down for the season, but there is still an abundant sunply of turnips on every hand, which will bo utilised for the breeding flocks, and if ludiciouslv fed off in this way, ewes thrive fairly well on this class of feed. It is always wise, however, to cart the turnips out into c. grass paddock some time before lambing commences, otherwise the stock becomes too fat, which is always prejudicial to lambing. A few da vs ago I noticed about 270

lambs on tbo farm of Mr Walter Frarnpton, of Hinds (Ashburton County), and those had been dropped at least a fortnight. Generally speaking, however, there are comparatively h w lambs dropped so far, and it will be well on in the next month before this season is at its height At the northern end of the province and on Banks Peninsula lambing, of course, will commence somewhat earlier. The ewes have been well wintered; they are in good condition, and in these circumstances the prospects of a successful lambing season are bright. Since last writing the bulk of the surplus fat stock on the farms has been sent forward to the Freezing Works, and, owing to this, fat stock are becoming somewhat scarce, and the quality of those that are available is only medium. Although prices received for fat, sheep and lambs at last week's sale were lower than those riding four weeks ago, this must not. be taken as an indication that there has been any slackening of the market. Tbo fall in prices is mainly due to the deterioration in quality of the stock submitted for sale. Very little business has been done of late in regard to land sales, and although agents occasionally publish lists of propert'es sold, it will be found that the bulk of these properties have been “sold” on the exchange system. During the past few weeks the sale for farm horses has been uncommonly dull, and the class of animal offered is very inferior. At several fairs held recently in Mid-Can-torburv three parts of the entry was passed in. Breeders of horses appear to find a more profitable market in Australia. MISCELLANEOUS. The drovers throughout (South Canterbury are asking an advance in wages from 15s to £1 per day. It should bo mentioned that men are not kept constantly at work, and, all things considered, they are a class who have to work hard and suffer much inconivonce and expense in the pursuit of their vocation. It is stated that several men engaged in trapping small birds in the Rakaia and Methven (Mid-Canterbury) districts are making the business highly remunerative, earning as much as £4 and £5 per week. The number of heads that are being received at the County Council’s depots is reported to he large, and it would thus appear that the poisoned wheat that is being distributed is proving very effective. Now that the natural food of birds is scarce, and when they are beginning to mate, the present season of the year is considered the best time to catch these feathered pests. It will be found that by setting a trap over the site of a grain stack good results will invariably be obtained. It is also wise to feed

the birds for a few days before commencing to trap. Apropos of the high current price of butter, a representative of a largo dairy factory company doing business in Christchurch informed me a few days ago that supplies of factory-made butter wore almost exhausted in Christchurch. One of the chief • ■auses of the shortage was that unusually large consignments of butter had been made direct to the London market last season by dairy companies, which thereby hoped to make a larger profit than by storing supplies in the Dominion. He went on to xplain that the price of butter in the Dominion was also considerably affected on recount of several factories that formerly uade butter having decided this year to make cheese. The retail price of factory butter in the province at present is Is 5d Per lb. At a similar period last year Is 3d per lb was being charged. Speaking on the ouestion of procuring hoy labour for New Zealand farmers from the agricultural districts of Great Britain, Mr G. W. Leadloy, of Ashburton, suggested that they should get into touch with those in authority in the Boy Scout movement, and if they were willing to send hoys out let them do so. Youths were real'y better than men. The men coining out had so much to unlearn—our methods were so different from those to which they had been used. There were at Homo large numbers of hoys available for immigration ; and it may lie added “ that a largo proportion of these ho vs who have already arrived in the Dominion are absolutely useless on the farm. 'The principle of securing boys to do men’s work has not much to commend it.” There appears to ho a strong upward inovt merit just now in the cheese market at Akaroa. which for some months past has been very dull. Several Peninsula factories have been offered 6d per lb free on board at Lyttelton for their coming season’s output, but so far no sales have been effected. Mr C. S. Branigan, the Agricultural Department's inspector, residing at Ashburton, who has just returned from a visit to the back country, states that, considering the time of the year, ihere is very little snow on the ranges. The Cameron and Arrowsmith Glaciers are but lightly covered. Peed, he says, is splendid, and the ewes, which received somewhat of a chock in Maylast when there was a spell of had weather, are now doing well. Since Mr Branigan visited the back country there has been an additional fall of snow there. A few days ago 1 received a, letter from a friend at Richmond, Nelson province. He savs that raspberry-growing promises to establish itself on extensive lines in the Richmond and Motueka districts, and large areas arc being planted in raspberry canes

this season. An Auckland firm, he save, has guaranteed growers 2|d per lb for the fruit, and ae up to three tone of berries were picked per acre from canes last season, it will bo recognised that the industry is undoubtedly a highly remunerative one. Speaking of agriculture, he says that the email-bird pest in the districts around Nelson was a great drawback to successful farming, and ho adds that the birds levy such a heavy toll on the cereal plants when they are bursting through the surface that farmers arc compelled to sow four bushels per acre, so that there might remain a sufficient growth of plants to warrant a profitable, return. In conclusion, the correspondent referred to says that the hillside plough had completely revolutionised farming in the Nelson province, as with this implement it was practicable to plough any land where it was possible for horses to walk. When the motor car was first introduced it was looked upon as a luxury, obtainable by only the wealthy. At the present time six farmers out of 10 are in possession of a car, and the general uses which they are brought to are yearly increasing—indeed, without a motor car one is behind the times. During lambing season it is not uncommon to see farmers attending to their flocks in a motor car. On Thursday last a resident ot Staveley, in a car, drove 25 head of cattle from that centre to Methven and thence to Lyndhurst, a distance of about 20 miles. may be said, with a largo degree of accuracy, that the motor car is rapidly superseding the horse.