DUE CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3215, 27 October 1915, Page 13

DUE CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(Froii Oxje Own- Correspondent.) MORE RAIN WANTED. The rains that set in some three weeks ago have done an immense amount of good. The country has been transformed in appearance, particularly in the grain-growing areas. There the crops have come away splendidly since the 6th inst., particularly the autumn and winter sowings. The change in the spring stuff has not been so rapid; but it, too, has made a good growth, and is in a fair way of doing. During the last 10 days the weather has been veryvariable. Dull, showery weather has alternated with hot, sunny days, and cold ram and snow storms have been followed byparching nor’-west winds. At the time of writing a very drying nor’-wester is sweeping over the plains, and the grass is, in consequence, going off again to a considerable extent. Sharp frosts have been experienced, and those have done a good deal of injury in the gardens and the paddocks. They have checked the grass and nipped off potato tops and other tender growths. Walnut trees have suffered, and it is feared that some of the orchards will be found to be touched. More rain is urgently required, followed by warm weather. _ There is no reserve of moisture in the soil, and the slight rains we have had soon disappear at this time of the year when that is the case. The water-courses have not had any water put in thorn by the showers, and water-carting is still engaged in. The house supply is, in most cases, assured for some time to come, but stock has to be attended to in the same way as before the change in the weather. Wells have been sunk and windmills erected on many farms, but oven the underground streams are affected. Many wells were _ deepened last summer, and it ;s now being found that the water supply then tapped is giving out, and a deeper depth will have to be_ tried. Sheep still scorn to be as anxious for water as they wore before the flush in the grass came, showing that, after all, the grass paddocks have not benefited (o any very considerable extent, though they look much greener than they did. What strikes mo as being rather remarkable is the fine appearance of the country m the district. From Ashburton to Christchurch the country is certainly looking much bettor than it is at the southern end of the province. The drought all through last year was more severe down there, and the pastures take longer to recover, because the grass received such hard punishment. THE FARM. The cereal crops are running up fast in most oases, and if dry weather holds sway during the next few weeks we may expect an early harvest. The crons are thmner than usual. They have not stoolcd out as they generally do, and if dry weather continues it will bo found that, where tillering has taken place, one shoot will grow away and leave the rest behind. That is what took place in many instances last season. A groat many of the shoots never matured. The heads wore small and practically empty. The plants hung fire so long owing to the lack of moisture in the winter that thev became a prey, for weeks, to grubs, birds, and bares. All those causes have helped to make the crops look thin. Of course, if ra : n comes in sufficient quantities, they will head out well, as they always do when the growth is not thick on the ground. We could do with one day’s rain every week. The land is in good order for working, and cultivation is everywhere in progress. Rolling is still going on where late crop has been put in; but, as a rule, the teams are engaged in preparing the land for rape and turnips. A fair amount of moisture is showing in land that has been lying fallow for some time, probably sufficient to give small seeds a start. The land is very fine and clean this year, the weeds having had a very bad time of it. It is pleasing to be able to record that farmers made most of their opportunities to clear out such weeds as sorrel, twitch. Californian thistle, and fat hen. Couch arid twitch has claimed most attention. Paddock after paddock has been cleared of those pests—a fact manifested 1 by the heaps of roots lying on the surface of land that was badly infested. I lave never known a time when the earth has shaken so easily from the roots of weeds as in tlio present season, showing that the ground is particularly open and free. After a paddock has been grubbed one’s foot sink into the soil, ns into a sandheap. Given the right quantity of rain, such land would give a big crop of almost anything. It has had a rest all last summer, and is ready to give fine results if the elements would do their part. Swedes, mangolds, _and carrots are now being sown, and it is time that the two last-named were coming up. As for swedes, they may be sown for another month or more, but it is advisable to get some sowings in at once. It is a good plan to spread the sowings of these orons over a few weeks.

Sometimes blight will take swedes that are sown early, while, it may pass by a later lot, probably because of some condition ot health. The weather may be favourable for one plot and not for another, and so one docs not have all one’s eggs in one basket. Moreover, the work ot weeding and thinning does not come in a lump, as it does when all the sowing is done at on* period A good many mangolds and swedes are being put in on the flat this season, as the ground is too dry for ridging The land is fairly clean in most cases, and these crops should stand a good chance sown for once on the flat. Mangolds need more attention in wooding and thinning than swedes, but they pay for the work put in on thorn if anything like a crop results. They may be used almost up to the Now Year if grass is scarce. They do not deteriorate in quality in the spring in the same way as swedes do. In fact, they are very nutritious and palatable at this season of the year. Stock will not uOUch them if there is plenty of grass about, but all stock relish them if they have a difficulty in finding sufficient food of a more seasonable nature. STOCK. The snow on the ranges, accompanied bycold w.nds, was not at all healthy for the up-country lambing which is now in piogress. Oil tile lower country the lambing is nearly concluded, so the rough turn in the elements did not do a great deal of damage among the farm flocks. Tailing is now in progress, and 1 hear of a good many tallies ranging about the “cent, percent."” mark. It is generally believed, however, that the lambing will bo smaller than usual. Twins, are not as numerous, and where they did come they could not always be properly nourished. Farmers consider themselves very lucky this season if they have one lamb to each ewe. The death rate has been abnormally heavy among both ewes and lambs, unfortunately for us and for the Empire. If the Agricultural Department takes its lamb census after tailing time instead of ns formerly at April 30, we shall not have any previous figures with which to compare this year’s returns; but there can be little doubt that a falling off, and a rather serious one in some localities, is the case this season. One hoars of flocks half wiped out. so great has been the mortality, and the deaths are still going on. If a big flush of feed came I am afraid that they would continue for a time, because the ewes are too week to _ stand a diet or soft grass after the hard time they have passed through. Shearing among the dry sheep has commenced, and some interest is already being evinced in the opening sale to bo held in Christchurch next month. Dry sheep are cutting good fleeces, but many of the older owes have not so much wool upon them, and what there is will be very light in the grease. Butchers are anxiously waiting for the ewe shearing. They hope that they will be able to get some "fat dry ewes after the wool has been taken off. Just now fat stuff of any sort is very scarce, and prices are soaring higher every week. This is not because, as some city people assert, farmers are holding back their fat stock for higher prices. It is because there are very few fats available either in sheep or cattle. Half-finished beasts are being sold in the fat pens at very high prices. It is a groat pity that this class of stuff should have to be killed to keep up the meat supply ._ It is a wasteful policy killing stuff before it is ready. Store stock has moved up a bit in price. If feed came away in quantity, verv high values in this class of stock would ensue, as we would be very much understocked in a normal year. WHEAT. The o-rain markets are dead, and there docs not seem any immediate chance of a recovery. There is more wheat in the country" than is required, and no export is allowed, though Australia is short at the present time. Cheap and inferior flour has been coming in duty free, to make the position worse from the grain-holder’s point of view. The duty on flour is to be roimposed on November 1, but farmers feel that it should have been put on before, and that wheat should have been permitted to go to Australia some time ago, on an agreement to get back a similar quantity from the Commonwealth if required before our harvest is gathered. If we had to reimport from Australia on those terms the Dominion would probably have realised _2s a bushel over the exchange, and it is quite on the cards that there would have been no need for reimportation. The money thus brought into the Dominion would hav® been" most welcome. Canterbury farmers are anything but pleased at the way in which the wheat question has been bandied during the past 12 or 15 months. I.ES!FBELft. On Saturday next at Blenheim the Leefield Estate will bo sold by public auction. This magnificent run is at the present time practically in its native state, and hence it Is hardly likely that any of the sections will fetch their true value. On all the plough-

able land it is marvellous the difference an agricultural owner will make in the course of a few years, and there is little doubt that the subdivision of Lecfield will bring in its train a number of prosperous farmers, such as has happened in the subdivision of other estates in Marlborough, such as Starborough and Flaxbourne. Although Marlborough has to a certain extent suffered from a drought, Loefield is looking well, and gives ample evidence of what splendid country it is—sufficient to indicate to a practical man what huge possibilities there ar® for the purchasers at the forthcoming sale. The terms upon which the run is offered not only indicate the determination of the owner to dispose of the property, but arc so genuinely easy as to be most attractive from a buyer’s point of view. Those who miss inspecting Lcofield may realise later on that they have passed over one of the golden opportunities of a lifetime. Messrs Griffith* Bros.. Ltd., in conjunction with Messrs Pyna and Co., will sell the property at the Town Hall. Blenheim, on Saturday, October 30. at 11 a.m.