OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 19

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(From Odh Own Correspondent.) ASHBURTON, July 11. THE WEATHER. The weather during the past week has been well nigh ideal, and, with the exception of a couple of dull, misty days, springlike conditions have reigned. Frost has been recorded each night, but bright sunny da,ys have followed. The amount of frost varies in different parts of the province, but nowhere does it appear so great as in MidCanterbury, Ashburton County, for example. At the latter place this week lOgdeg to 12deg were registered on two successive nights. The highest frost this year was 13£dcg,.and, compared with last winter, when 17deg were recorded on two or three occasions, the season is much milder. The rainfall last month (June) totalled 1.02 in, as against .71in for the corresponding month last year, and 2.61 in for June, 1912. AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL.

Naturally agriculturists have taken full advantage of the fine spell, and farming operations throughout Canterbury are very well forward. The weather has been most favourable for working land, and the sowing, of winter wheat has been carried through without a stoppage. Pastures are bearing up nicely, and during a run through a number of districts your correspondent found sheep to be looking in tip-top condition. Generally speaking, there is no real scarcity of feed, and it is surprising to see how some paddocks specially those on the light lands, have held out. There was a great flush of grass in January, so much so that a fair amount of it was left uneaten by the stock, and is now coming in as useful dry rough feed. The sheep seem to do well on it, too, provided they have, access to water. New facts in favour of the assumption that a great many farmers in the province are going in for sheep-breeding in preference to the less profitable industry of grain-grow-ing, are constantly being brought under notice. Speaking to a prominent district farmer this week, I touched on this question, and the farmer said that both himself and some of his neighbours had very little choice between grain-growing and sheep-breeding. He stated that in his district (in the Ashburton County) a much loss area than formerly had been sown down for grain crop. “We simply cannot get the necessary amount of labour for grain-growing just when it is urgently needed,’’ ho said, “and we are compelled to go in move for sheepbreeding and fattening than we did a while back.” In the same connection a Pendarves farmer is reported to have said that since he has gone in for fat sheep-breeding he has done away with four of his hands. Despite the fact that the season is now rapidly drawing to a close, the freezing works in the province are ' kept steadily ■going. Prices have been all that one cou’d desire, and at the Addington live stock market on Wednesday last, towards the close of the sale, they ruled at an exceptionally high value. For one complete row of pens, containing 480 sheep, the average price was 24s I'Od. The lowest was 23s Id and the highest 275. This is claimed by some to bo a record for the Addington yards. The season has not been a highly profitable one for the butchers engaged at the works, more particularly those at the Fairfield Works. The fact is that a number of those who started as novices during the time of tho last slaughtermen’s strike have gone on the “board” again this season, and they comprise fully half tho number employed. As many old slaughtermen also applied for hooks the “board” has been full for tho whole season. The consequence is that, although the number of sheep put through the works is not less than during the last or

any previous season, the sheep have had to be fairly apportioned, which had lowered the tallies generally. During the whole run at the works the fortnightly cheques have not exceeded £l4 or £ls, which is considered small.

-the dairying industry still shows signs ol increasing in the Canterbury district, and although cream is not corning into factories in largo quantities, factories have not been compelled to close down temporarily, as is the case with many in the North Island. Mr John Grigg, of the famous Longbeach Estate, has sold from his well-known Holstein herd of 19 head a line comprising 14 cows and five calves, to Mr George Gardner, Medbury. The calves, about eight months old, are by King Domino, a splendid son of the champion cow Domino IJL, No. 312, Holstein-Fnesian Herd Bock. This cow’s record for the season 1911-12 was a wonderful performance—2l,722lb of milk, containing 739.541 b of butter-fat; over £3O in cash for the season. Domino 111 was owned by the New Zealand Government when she put up this record at the Weraroa Farm, having been purchased from Mr Grigg two years previously, and a son of hers was sold at auction for 249 guineas as a yearling*. Ailsa, one of the 14 cows, is another wonderful animal, as for the season 1912-13 she ga.vc 15,01110 ox nude, containing 571.381 b of butter-fat. Primrose YIII is a beautiful heifer for the show ring, and is under official test at the present time and doing well, considering she is not three years old/untii next September. GENERAL. At the last monthly meeting of fhe Ashburton County Council a motion, introduced by Cr W. T. Lill, who is also a prominent member of the Farmers’ Union and the Ashburton A. and P. Association, gave rise to aif" important discussion regarding the provision of suitable house accommodation in country districts for farm workers. The motion was to the effect that the council should advertise to ascertain whether there were any workers in the district who would like the council to build workers’ dwellings, in accordance with “The Counties Amendment Act, 1913,” the applicants to state in what locality they would w '■ '’’v'l l ncfa root d. The mover pointed out the necessity of providing suitable acc~ lot married men with families, in order to induce them to settle in the country districts, and in order that farmers should, have an adequate amount of labour when it was required. At present it was often most difficult to get a sufficient amount of suitable labour when it was most urgently required, and inducements were wanted to encourage the people to settle more in the country than was at present the case. The motion was seconded by Cr John Studholme, and, after experiencing some opposition, was carried. The following are among the remits forwarded by the Ashburton A. and P. Association for consideration at the forthcoming Agricultural Conference,;—(l) That, in view of the risk of the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease into the Dominion, the Government be asked if any means can bo devised of dealing with the possibility of germs being imported in straw used in packing cases, (2) That the Government be asked to reconsider the conditions of cowtesting to see if the country is getting the best value for the money expended. (3) That all A. and P. Associations be asked to insist that all entries in purebred stock sections at agricultural shows be entered, or be eligible for entry, in a recognised stud book of their breed. As showing the marvellous manner in which land has increased in value of late years, the following may be of interest:—A farm in the Elgin district of the Ashburton County, which was passed in at auction less than 20 years ago at £6 17s per acre, changed hands last week at £26 per acre. The reason is undoubtedly duo to the present high price of fat lambs compared with that of a decade ago (the rise being caused by the establishment of freezing works and the opening thereby of the frozen lamb and sheep export trade! and the rise in the price of wool and mutton, etc. One begins to wondei where it is going to end, for, despite the high value of land at the present time, farmers still seem to make a very good living. In some parts of the province large consignments of fruit and shelter trees arc arriving, and apple trees in particular are being planted in great numbers. The prevailing mild weather has caused some trees to commence budding. It is interesting to note that many farmers are planting several species of English forest trees foxshelter _ belts, and are not making use of pinus insignis to the same extent as formerly. BUTTER AND CHEESE MARKET. VANCOUVER, July 6. New Zealand butter (best) is quoted at 3s lid per 31b. ] I LOCAL AND ENGLISH. Mr J. R. Scott, secretary of the South Island Dairy Association, states that choose is short on th° le'-i 1 m ■- , —+. fU-,., p~'.nrr far loss in the country than usual owing to the larger factories, which used to turn out cheese, having put in butter plants, to

b 3 worked in the winter time, reserving their dporations in cheese making from September to the,, end of May. Mr Scott says that local prices are very firm, and that there may be a shortage before the new season’s cheese comes in.

Mr Scott went on to say that the London market has risen considerably, his latest cablegram, dated July 3, stating: “ Mai'ket firmer. White cheese 645, coloured 655.” These figures represent an advance of 5s per ton on the London values ruling at the end of May. This increase is almost similar to that which took place ever the similar period last year. Mr Scott says that the indications for satisfactory prices for the opening of the new cheese season arc very promising.