SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3509, 14 June 1921, Page 10

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.' There is still a considerable amount of food fairly general over Southland, in the form of roughness in tile paddocks, independent of winter feed. If it had not been so. will) the slump in stock the position would nave been more serious. The season up (ill now has been highly favourable, and even now not much of the turnip crops has been taken advantage of. Sheep and cattle in some quarters have not been put on turnips, and where they have only small patches have been eaten off. The large areas of fine crops of turnips is very encouraging, and in some more sheltered parts or on richer ground the turnips seem growing vigorously yet. It. will not be long until the stock will require (o have a run over the props to prevent their running to seed. If the season continue mild they will do so earlier than usual, and will very soon require attention. Feeding sheep and cattle on grass paddocks and driving out the turnips is this year more general than usual.

Tlie absence of frosts and heavy rains has been helpful for that style of feeding. Many dairymen never allow their cows to bo fed on a turnip in breaks, or if so, only to a very limited extent, believing they do n.ncii better when the turnips are driven out to them, and also fodder. They do not scour so badly, if at all. and do better when put on grass in the spring. The autumn-sown crops are looking remarkably well, and not having been checked in their growth, some of them seem so far forward as to be almost fit for cutting for green feed. Such crops will come in for cows after calving, and also afford a highly suitable feed for ewes at lambing time. Where liming has been undertaken to any extent, as compared with where it has not, it has helped largely to improve the appearance of the stock. This is seen most prominently in the vigorous and healthy condition of breeding e\ve3. It is a matter for regret that so much less liming should be undertaken this year, consequent upon the slump in primary products. The kiln owners are feeling the pinch, having only about half the demand there has been for some years back. Previously it was more generally the case that parties had to wait their turn to get, their orders supplied. In some districts a very largo number of grain stacks are to be seen reserved for spring thrashing. The stubbles are being ploughed, and it apparently is the intention of owners not to thrash, in the case of oats, until the price gets better, and wheat, in l etter order for thrashing, in tho spring. I ho question of land valuation is still a, matter of deep interest to many. The objections against tho Govt rnmmit's valuation will le more numerous than they have ever been before. Those holding seond-eluss land or land prior to the land boom, and having a commercial value of from £5 to £l2 per acre, will be the most, numerous objectors. I’lioy cannot, so readily fail back on extra production, and increased ret.urns as those having first-class land can. There are parties having more than one farm and posi-essing | both first-class and second class land, and i although the valuation has been considerably raised in both cases it is only on the secondclass land they will strongly obUct to the valuation. While such parties could easily have disposed of a high class farm, the second or third-class properties have been on the market for years, and no offer to purchase has been forthcoming, 'i hey maintain the increased valuation is the result of neighbours exchanging at an excessively high figure, or selling at a fictitious value, when products were highly inflated. Under normal conditions, or taking the average run of values for several years previous to the boom, they cannot possibly pull through, the productive value having been so much exceeded. There have not been many clearing sales of late, but despite the state of the money market, and stock of good quality, specially breeding ewes and dairy cows, That could be guaranteed, have gone under the hammer at full market value. Horses, too, and generally used implements in good order have sold fairly well.