THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3382, 8 January 1919, Page 11

THE NORTH ISLAND.

(Fbom Oub Own Correspondent.)

Instead of enjoying bright, beautiful, sunny weather at this holiday season of the year, we have been subjected to cold and wet. Indeed, it is difficult to understand why the weather should ne so changeable. One can go to bed under a cloudless sky, constellation in the heavens shining out brilliantly. Before morning comes ram olords take possession, and the earth is deluged. ' Two weeks ago we had reai summer weather, but on Christmas Eve there.was a frost in some parts and snow in others. The extent df damage caused by that frost is hard yet to estimate. It certainly injured many potato crops along the Main Trunk line, and it is thought that some of the wheat crops in Rangitikei may have been damaged. Heavy rain fell in the/ Wellington province last week, and showery weather has prevailed ever since. On New Year's Day there was a big downfall in the morning, and again that night, the second day of. 1919 being also uftpleaoant for holiday-makers. The haymakers, too, vare saying very unkind things about the weather.

Many paddocks are in stock, and have been so for days, the frequent rains preventing drying and stacking. Altogether - the changeable weather conditions are making it very difficult for the farmers. The potato crops in the Auokland province appear to be doing well, and some good yields are being obtained. In the Poverty Bay district the potatoes are also very healthy-looking, there being no sign of blight. down/in crop is, unfortunately, smaller this year. This is attributed firstly to the effects of the blight last year; and,, secondly, to the increased price of Feed. Some farmers considered that their crops last season were not worth digging. Prospects for potatoes are certainly good this season; the only pity is that there has not been more extensive sowings LLCERNE IN POVERTY BAY.

The value of lucerne is evidently being: realised by some ' of the more progressive farmers of Poverty Bay. Just beyond the Waikohu Railway Station a couple of very fine paddocks of lucerne are to be seen. The area is not large in either case, but there is a luxuriant growth, and no doubt the farmers who own the crops are finding them useful. Part of the wop is at present being cut, and ir> one paddock there is a. huge stock of ensilage which, from appearances, is being added to from time to time, and is being, reserved for winter feed. While a portion of the crop is being used in that way a quantity is being fed daily to the herd. There is no doubt that the cows thoroughly enjoy the daily ration by the eagerness with which they devour it. A PROGRESSIVE DAIRY DIVISION. A good deal of interest has been evinced in dairying circles in respect to the proposal of the Government to send a member of, the Dairying Division to the United States for the purpose of studying methods of preparing milk products, such as milk powder and sugar of milk. According to the Minister of Agriculture the idea is to ascertain for the benefit of the farmers what is the best method of disposing of skim-milk. At present in many cases it is fed to calves or pigs, though some is » utilised in the production of sugar of milk or milk powder. Whether it will pay the Dominion farmer to improve his stock, or to make use $1 the skim-milk in a commercial capacity, is a much-discussed question which the present high price of the products does not help to solve. The New Zealand official will, says the Minister, proceed to America, and will make a thorough investigation of all the latest methods of the disposal of the skim-milk, the cost of eaoh process, the initial outlay required, and so on. / IN THE INTERESTS OF FRUIT-GROWERS. It is quite patent that the Agricultural Department is, with the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald at its head, very much- alive to the interests of producers as well as the State, and every effort is being put forth to gain and impart knowledge that will help those engaged in agricultural pursuits. Aa already indicated, an expert is to be sqnfc to America in connection with the dairy industry, and the proposal should prove of great yaluo to the State indirectly. Similar enterprise is also. to be shown in connection with the operations of the Horticultural Department. An expert is to proooed to Amerioa with the 1 pbjeot of ascertaining the best varieties of fruit suitable to tho soil of the Dominion. The official, \i :a understood, will also make full int««tigatioß into the most modern methods 6f dealing with pests, and, in addition, will txamine the oanning and bottling processes with * view to contrasting American and

Canadian systems, and ascertaining if any improvement can be made to our advantage on the methods adopted in New Zealand. .AUCKLAND DAIRY" PRODUCE. The dairy season is generally a late one. but it i 3 developing well, and there is every prospect, with the abundance of luxuriant grass at this time of the year, the season will end later than usual. From July 1, when the season opened, until the present date, the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company received into store 223,364 boxes of butter, as against 230,036 during the corresponding period last year—a decrease of 3 per cent. The number of crates of cheese received was 53,091, as compared with 40,972, an increase of 30 per cent. HAWKE'S BAY ORCHARDS. Hawke's Bay is well adapted to fruitgrowing, the climatic and soil conditions contributing largely to the excellent quality of fruit produced. Agricultural statistics to hand show that, from a commercial standpoint, the industry is developing well, there being now a total area of 1315 acres bearing, and 943 acres not yet bearing. These figures apply to commercial orchards. Other interesting details are as .follow: — Apples: Trees, 82,049; quantity of fruit gathered, 130,989 bushels: average price realised per bushel, os Id. Pears: Trees, 22,627; quantity, 47,054 bushels; average price, 4s 7d Peaches: Trees, 25,839; quantity, 30,168 bushels; price, 7s 7d. Nectarines: Trees, 2033; quantity, 1854 bushels; price, 5s 4d. Apricots: Trees, 2118; quantity, 631 bushels; price, 9s 6d. Plums: Trees, ' 7487; -juantity, 10,741 bushels; price, 5s Bd. Cherries: Trees, 95; quantity, 446 bushels; price, 34s 4d. Oranges: Trees, 133; quantity,93bushels; price, 9s. Lemons: Trees, 442; quantity, 997 bushels; price, 9s. Quinces: Trees,. 216; quantity, 302 bushels; price, 2s lid. THE WORRY OF THE SHEEP--FARMER. One of the serious troubles of the sheepfarmer at this time of the year is the "biddy-bid," and though it has been rather late in ripening this year, any good th«t may have resulted has been discounted by the late shearing. To the farmer the enemy causes a serious loss each year, particularly in the Poverty Bay district. As a means to keeping it in check, there i 3 nothing bettor than turning in cattle to tramp it down. Foxglove, too, is a menace that Poverty Bay farmers have to fight. It is—very prevalent in the Matawai and Motuhora districts, and large patches, especially in gullies, are now to be seen in full flower. Apparently the habits of the weed have not been studied very closely, and farmers are still awaiting some discovery as to the most effective means of getting rid of it. It has, been suggested that the most effective method of getting rid of it is to take it out by the roots, but that process is both slow and costly. _ Farmers are beginning to take a more serious view of the menace, aa foxglove appears to have wonderful reproductive powers, and spreads very rapidly. MOTOR AND THE HORSE. The very large number of motor cars in use in the North Island leave no room for doubt as to the popularisation of that method of transport, and, though for general farm" work, the horse will never be completely supplanted in New Zealand, the motor car has long outstripped the hack and buggy horse in pleasure schemes and general utility. Every race meeting and agricultural 6how speaks eloquently of the car, and at Gisborne during the holidays the Hon. W. D. S. Maodonald, Minister of Agriculture, made* a few observations concerning the position. The Minister mentioned ..that 12,000 remounts, including some of the*' most valuable horses in New Zealand, had been sent forward to France and Egypt within the past four years. It would be very hard to replace these horses, and it would take some little time to ascertain the effect on the Dominion of the los3 of so many animals. In many ways it was regrettable to see the horse being replaced by the motor, but modern times demanded modern ways. The Minister referred to the proposal that the Government intended sending an expert to Egypt and France to examine tho motor transport attached to the New Zealand troops, With the object of selling good motor lorries to local bodies, or even, perhaps, to farmers in the back-blocks. For the conveyance of metal, said the Minister, the motor lorry would do the work much cheaper, and the wool from a back-block station could be forwarded to its destination, either town or with more, despatch, several journeys being made in place of one in which the horses were used. - DEALING WITH MAORI LANDS. The difficulty of and expense involved in dealing with Maori lands was instanced at the meeting of the Franklin County Council a week ago, -when it wa3 mentioned that in regard to the acquisition of a small area of Native property, worth about £lO, }or the deviation of the Mangatangi road, fc would be necessary to publish the official notice in the Maori Gazette, as Well as in the New Zealand Gazette, interpretation leee thus being necessary or to pay a survey fee. The matter was fully discussed, and It was considered that a less costly method, bo far as local bodies wore oon-

cerned, should be adopted. As the payment of a survey fee was the cheapest method of dealing with the matter, that course was adopted. SHIPPING PROBLEM. Producers are not yet out of _ the wood as regards shipping, and, according to Mr J. 0. Cooper, managing director of the Wellington Farmers' Meat Company, the problem of gotting the meat away was still causing anxiety to freezing companies. There are at present about 4,500,000 carcases in the freezing works" of the Dominion, and, he said to a Masterton pressman, that the prospect of those being removed in sufficient time to provide space for the product of the ensuing year was not too bright. The total" allotments of shipping space for January and February amounted to 300,000 oases, but an effort was being made to increase the allotments to. 500,000. A great deal of the space for the next two months had been allotted to butter and cheese. KILLING OPERATIONS. The backward season and the influenza epidemic have had a marked effect upon operations at the various North Island freezing works. The' shortage of butchers has also had its effect. Take, for instance, the-' Waingawa Works in the Wairarapa. Only about 20 butchers were available up to the end of the year, but it is hoped that the number will be augmented as soon as the holidays are over. _ All freezing works have been working with poor boards. As an evidence, of the big decrease in the killings, one has only to instance W. and R. Fletcher (Ltd.), of Auckland, representing the Westfield and Whangarei Freezing Works. During November and December the total killings were 322,328, as compared with 791,254 during the same period last year, a decrease of 468,926. From July, when the season opened in the north, to December, the killings totalled 871,477. as compared with 1,845,150 last year, a decrease of 973,676. CLASSIFIED HOLDINGS. Hawke's Bay, with its 4,570,223 acres, has often been designated the home of the big # squatter, and the following figures, which speak for themselves, throw some light on the matter:

Total 6,181 80,146 43,212,097 INCREASE 'IN PRICE OF DAIRY REQUISITES. The "poor farmer," as he is sometimes sarcastically named, knows to his bitter cost how substantially the price of dairy requisites has increased since the war commenced, and a correspondent who is in close touch with the industry has supplied to the Hawera Star a comparative statement showing the big' difference between 1913 and 1918. This statement, which, by the way, does not include oil, coal, brushware, etc., which also shows an enormous increase, is as follows: Per

A SHEARING RECORD. Last year in the Taihape district W, Vella established a world's record in shearing, he having shorn 339 eheep in nine hours. On * Friday, December 27, he eclipsed his previous record by eight, thus creating a new record. He was working in the shed of Mr R. B. Totman at Omatanl Station, a few miles outside of Tai-

hape. Mr Totman checked the tally and took the time. 'Jthe sh-tcp handlju wore mostly ewes, with a percentage of lambs, and the present record Y". ,B nu * '"." ~r " r ordinary shearing conditions, taking the sheep as they came. A NEW COOL STORE. The new cool store at Kaupokonui (South Taranaki} should be almost completed in a week's time. It is 90 x 43, built of concrete, and properly insulated, and it has a capacity of 17,000 crates of cheese. A 75 h.p. suction gas plant will be installed, together with a six-ton Humble freezer. The company's present three and a-half ton freezer is doing good work, and the last temperatures taken in the heart of the cheese stored in the present cool room registered 46deg. The four new concrete whey tanks, with a capacity of 18 vats, are in use, and are an acquisition to this progressive company's splendid factory. MEAT AND LOWERED PRICES. Farmers in the * Wellington province are perturbed over the fact that prices for meat for export are to be lower this season than the last two. As the Government purchase at the same rate still holds, the reduction will not be serious, but it is thought that there may be considerable reductions for ewe mutton and some reduction for lamb. The reductions will. approximate about one-eighth of a penny. The o,ear, the biggest company in the Wellington district, has not yet fixed its. prices definitely, and until this is done it is impossible to say with a certainty what the prices will be. Reasons given for the reduction are mainly the increased cost of coal and higher wages. In the companies are faced with uncertainty as to the markets for their most, important by-products, tallow, and pelts. Both in America and England there has been a terrible slump in the pelt market since the armstice was signed. There are about 30,000 tons of tallow in the country at present, and there is no news of any great quantity boing shipped immediately. .Then, again, "competition for stock has been very keen during the past two seasons; but owing to the uncertainty of shipping, and the large quantities of meat in store, the works are not looking for meat early in the season.

ri il 83 £2 ■mM o .a 3 a si 2-31-3 ill tfi o y aj PU9»^H fctfQ £q && 1-5 ..,980 . 10,672 . 30,876 6-10 .. 576 . 5,063 . 41,537 11-15 .. 287 . 2,725 . 35,138 16-20 .. 221 . 2,330 . 43,143 21-30 .. 235 . 3,100 . 79,879 31-40 .. 227 . 2,328 . 84,485 41-50 .. 185 . 2,749 . 129,264 51-75 ... 268 . 4,348 . 272,174 76-100 .. 294 . 5,131 . 464,880 101-150 .. 373 . 7,064 . 881,108 151-200 .. 228 . .. 5,634 . . 1,009,004 201-250 .. 141 . 3,892 . 876,101 251-320 .. 149 . . 4,325 . . 1,238,701 321-400 .. 175 . . 3,611 . . 1,308,472 401-500 .. 203 . . 3,213 . . 1,449,899 501-640 .. 225 . . 3,116 . . 1,766,915 641-750 ..127 . . 1,582 . . 1,097,898 751-1,000 ... 265 . . ,2,538 . . 2,232,375 1,001-2,000 .. 481 . . J 3,787 . . 5,209,458 2,001-3,000 .. 196 . . 1,027 . . 2,500,79G 8,001-4,000 .. 104 . 540 . . 1,866,861 4,001-5,000 . 77 . 319 . . 1,438,636 5,001-7,500 .. 77 . 366 . . . 2,223,400 7,501-10,000 . 34 . 199 . . ' 1,726,100 10,001-15,000 .. 24 . 186 . . 2,284.347 15,001-20,000 .. 15 . 105 . . 1,806,675 20,001-30,000 7 . 102 . . 2,514,496 30,001-40,000 , 2 . 53 . . 1,855,195 40,001^50,000 2 . 30 . . 1,357,708 Over 50,000 3 . 61 . . 5,385,717

1913. 1918. cent. £ is. d. £ s. d. Rennet (per keg) 2 5 0 25 0 0 1011 'Bandage (per yard) 0 o 25 0 1 2 460 •Salt (per i on) .. •430 18 0 0 ' 403 Parchment , (per poirad) 0 0 7J 0 1 3 100 Nuils, wire staples (per cwt.) 0 17 9 . 3 5 0 270 Butter boxes (each) 0 0 115 0 2 0 109 Cheese cra/tes (each) • i . ■ 0 14 0 2 8 100 Carb. soda (cwt.) 0 9 0 2 12 6 483 Soda crystals .. 0 6 0 1 7 6 238