SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3102, 27 August 1913, Page 19

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Tho week which ended on Saturday was in every respect an ideal one as regards weather. Beautifully mild days, with warm sunshine, and frost overnight prevailed for a period of eight days. Vegetation made perceptible growth, and the land dried up wonderfully well, considering that there was almost an entire absence of wind. Of course, it is yet too early to expect the strong winds which are a notable feature of spring weather, but; it only required a nor’-wester for a few hours_ to have had a wonderful effect in this respect. As it is, practically no grain has yet been sown, but the preparation of the ground has been well advanced. All the so preparations have perforce come to a termination for the time being, as rain, which commenced to fall at midnight on Saturday, continued without interruption until Sunday evening. At times it was exceedingly heavy, and the ground and roads are in a sodden condition. Lambs are making their appearance in some d stricts, but paddock-lambing will not bo genera] until well on in September.

The Weather an l ths Farm.

Tlio live stock market is in a very healthy condition, the demand for all classes of stock having in no way diminished. The advent of mild weather having stimulated the growth of the grass, as a result there is not such a keen demand for turnips, and the areas of these which have not been touched have taken on a spring-like appearance. It docs not follow by any moans that turnips will not be required, as it is yet early in the season, and the weather, which, has lirokcn, might yet revert into wintry conditions. Stock generally are in poor condition, and, even providing good, open weather is experienced, it will bo months before they are in normal order. Inquiries are still being received from the north for store sheep, but local competition is so keen that prices arc now about on a par with those ruling elsewhere, conse quently little or no outside business is being done. The demand for young ewes is particularly keen, but, owing to the near approach of the lambing season, there are veryfew on the market. Good hoggets are hard to procure, and, although they do not compare in quality with those offering last year at this period, they are better woollod. Inquiry for all classes of cattle continues good, and young sorts are offering in fairly largo numbers, and anything well grown and well bred is readily snapped up. During the present week a good many clearing sales of dairy herds will take place, and in .view of a continuation of the high prices ruling for cheese throughout the Dominion, it is expected that big prices will be realised. The market for all classes of produce is very dull as regards oats. North Island merchants are fulfilling requirements by supplies from Canterbury, where the price ruling is about 2d per bushel less than is being quoted bv merchants in Southland. Some holders, however, have faith in the future of the market, and are storing in anticipation of an advance tdcrtg place. The bottom has completely fallen out of the potato market. During the past throe weeks some 29.000 seeks have hee n consigned from Bluff to Auckland, the spring-like conditions prevailing having made farmers annrehensive of th" future of the market. Shipments have been made from both Panul:n and Bluff to Australia, but. as Melbourne and Sydney nro already fully sun-,-,l,’ed. consignments for this nuarter are only * ik'dy to have a st'll further denrociative effect on th" markets thm-m The best price offered loeallv is from 30s to 32s 6d but merchants arc not keen on doing business, oven at these low figures.

With Imm and ruling t '-rrs^nf h : gh n’ %: c"s h cpf.ro tliat pig-Kimcding. a’though not receiving anv Croat attontion at present. con’d well ho taken mere seriously by the farmer. In Anril, 1911. bacon was worth only 7|d to BJ.d per lb. whilst at this time last year bacon commanded 9d per lb find ham 9Ad to lOd. Conducted on sound business lines, p’g-raising should surely he more profitable to-day than it has been for years past, and the fact that the local stirmly is hardly equal to the demand should tempt more farmers to embark seriously on tins branch of industry. Like every branch of farming, many people appear to thmk that anyone can breed and raise nics without anv special knowledge or attent'on. hut the pi"-, like the dairy cow. only yields top returns to the man who gives special care /md attention tf> him. Cleanliness is one of the first essentials, and this, accompanied by trood. hut studied and economical, feedinc, should produce handsome returns to the farmer as tlimes now stand. Too often the niff is f he most neglected animal on the farm. The ouarters are filthy, the food is more or less shisJh. and then the farmer wonders why Irs niggerv does not contribute a fair t-h.are towards lifting the mortgage. Tf the piewere properly handled and cared for. instead of being.treated as a poor sort of side line, the farmer would doubtless soon recognise that he received a good return for labour put in about the piggery. Dairy farming makes three-fold returns —returns from the neoduct. re. irns hv larger crons as the 36"1t of sob improvements, nd returns through the increased value of the land. The benefits derived from the dairy cow are more constant and more uniform throughout the year than those from any other branch of agriculture. Mo=t farm crops are harvested once a year. Fat stock reouiro to he on the farm for a considerable time before they can be marketed. The monthly factory cheano is also an important factor in favour of dairying. Again, the dairy business can be started profitably on a small basis by

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the man of small moans. The man with little or no money cannot, afford to buy cattle by the hundred; the dairy cow makes it possible for him to start on a scale consistent with his limited means. Lack of capital need, therefore, not stand in the way of any farmer from profiting by the many and lasting benefits which the dairy cow offers. Experience is showing that the small herd, well managed, is capable of giving a larger profit per head than the one of, say, a hundred cows. The coming season in Southland will see a largo number of small herds established, and given a good year as regards weather, the return should bo a good one.