SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3397, 23 April 1919, Page 9

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

11 VXJJUI (Fhoii Odb Own Cokeespondknt.) A week or 10 days ago harvest operation* were in full swing, and everyone working hard pushing things ahead. _ Ail availably hands were called into requisition, and it then seemed as if a continuance of such weather to the end of the month might see everything secured. Those hope* have been dashed to the ground, and the heavy rainfall on the 16th continuing with brief intervals, and a low reading of the barometer, has completely changed > the outlook. There is really more crop in stock than most people had any conception of, and the severe wetting it has received gives the stocks a most dilapidated appearance. The outlook is anything but cheering just at present. Although much of the crop still out may be damaged, or oven destroyed, it will not affect the market as a whole, only those who have much crop still unsecured will be sufferers.

I regret I_ cannot report any more favour? able conditions in the stock sales. There is not likely to be any demand for com© time, and considerable difficulty with those overstocked holding on long enough may be experienced. The weather is already too cold, and with occasional frosts the paddocks cannot give the feed required to tide the position over, and so keep the stock off the winter feed to economise it. Those who can obtain a good supply of turnips may get along so fax as they are personally concerned; but as most people will have just as much as meet tneir own requirements, and there being no appearance of surplus feed for-disposal, those depending upon purchasing it will find they are in a tight place. The position is getting- very muoh aggravated on account of bo many more lambs not -fattening and not being disposed of. The fall in the price of far stock is against the position just at present. It has been previously observed by those who pay attention to those matters that, when the prices of all kinds of stock come down, dairy produce may not, and generally does not decline in the same proportion, and those with smaller holdings par-' ticularly take to dairying. It is allowed and most emphatically maintained by those who proseouted dairying on the most approved lines, that more can bo taken off the land per acre than under any system of cultivation, cropping, grazing, or stockfarming, especially when a certain period or length of time. is taken into account. I may just observe in treating of dairying that although the practical value of herdtesting, ia beyond dispute, there are those who think otherwise, and are quite confident they know their own cows without testing. It is often < found that cows the owners consider their best producers are amongst the lowest when tested, and some reokoned poor, prove to be amongst the best. Herd-testing is _ now fully recognised in all dairying countries, as the surest and shortest method of building up a good herd of cows. It is really the key to successful dairying. The next important point is the sire, and dairymen should get possession of a sire from a reliable milking strain, and if a purebred prepotent animal all the better. It is, of course, taken for granted, the cows are of the most approved strain of milkers, and that breeding and feeding,, with proper care and attention, are funda* mentally essential, otherwise testing would bo of no value. In some localities the rabbits have of late become a serious pest. During war times they wero very much left to their natural enemies. In the Western district of Southland the problem has been receiving considerable attention, and also at Queenstown.The very severe weather we are now experiencing has put a stop_ to potato-lifting on farms where the operation could be gone on with. The absence of blight is highly satisfactory, and although there may not be exceptionally heavy crops, there will be a larger supply of sound potatoes than there has been for some years. I should have mentioned also that In the grain crops the grain seems well filled,, and the heads seem well up to the average, anq excepting where the crops are exceptionally heavy the straw is bright and clean. There have not been many grain_ transactions yet, and no one can say definitely how low of how high oats will rule. One thing Is "eery tain, the market will not be muoh affected by any losses through stress of weather ixx Southland, but upon any demand springing up from outside the Dominion.