NORTH OTAGO

Otago Witness, Issue 3769, 8 June 1926, Page 36

NORTH OTAGO

KWH FROM THE DISTRICT. K THE RAINFALL. rainfall registered in Oamaru by Wm W. Forrester for the month of May 4.19 inches, comared with 2.64 inches same month last year. Rain fell days, the maximum fall being 153 on May 12. The registration foi first five months of this year is 12.78 compared with 7.18 inches for the five months of last year. The ground had a thorough soaking, and the subshould retain its moisture until well ■o the spring. The whole of the wuterare filled with watei. ■ ; BUILDING PERMITS, arc the building permits by the borough engineer during month ended May 31:—Three resito the value of £2834, one altera■n to existing premises £173, and three to the valurf of £l4O, making a combined value of £3147. m VITAL STATISTICS. Registrar of Births, Deaths, and reports that for the month May 31 the following were re—Births 17, deaths 11, marriages I. CUSTOMS. following are the amounts collected the Collectors of Customs in Oamaru firing the month of May as compared with He amount received from the correspondlast year: Customs. 1926, £525 ■; £470 15s; marine, £2B 9s 9d (£27 Os meat lew, nil (£196 149 8d); totals, ■26,. £553 16s 6d; 1925. £694 10s 7d. | ' PORT STATISTICS. ■The port statistics for the month of May as follows:—lnwards, 493 tons, in■uding 262 tons of coal, two tons seeds, ■ tons sugar, and 210 tons other goods; ■ktwards, eight ton 9 of barley, 108 tons ■off, wheat, and hay, 920 tons flour, 12 lime, 296 tons oats, 23 tons oatmeal, tons pelts. 396 tons pollard and bran, ■3 tons pelts, 396 ton 9 pollard, five tons ■ms of other goods, including 11 tons of ■amaro stone, making a total of 2218 tons ■c ported. I WAIAREKA SALE. ■ The Waiareka sale was not held last ■reek owing to farmers being so busily ■mployed on the farms. There is little ■oing in the stock market just now. The HVaiareka sale should look up in the spring. Surprise is expressed in many quarters that Bhesa sales do not assume larger proporHiong. It may be that they do not receive Sufficient publicity among the settlers in Hhe outlying portions of the distret. LUCERNE. ■ Many excellent stands of lucerne are to H>e seen in North Otago at the present Kme. Mr Trotter, of Kurow, has shown Hr hat can be accomplished by the cultivation of this fodder plant. His example Hs being followed by farmers in all parts Hrf the district. It is safe to say that ■here is double the area under lucerne Ho-day than there was three or four years ■go. The whole of the district appears Ho be adapted to the cultivation of this ■plant. POISONED RABBITS. I “Are the skins of poisoned rabbits Bunsuitable?” This was a question put to a ■rabbiter by the correspondent of the Daily ■Times. The rabbiter smiled significantly ■He stated that the skins of poisoned rabIbitg were generally considered to be of ■little commercial value, but he had known ■of many that had found their way into the ■bales of trapped skins, and had realised ■top market prices. Incidentally it may be ■remarked that rabbiters are making big Imoney at trapping in the backblocks of North Otago. BARLEY GROWING. There are quite a number of farmers in North Otago who are turning their attention to the growing of barley. There are other reasons for the inclusion of barley in the course of cropping than the price received from the brewer. Barley baa a very salutary effect on the soil on following crops. Repeated oat and swede crops, with nothing, between but grass, produces a state of soil which calls for great skill in manuring to remedy it. The oat crops begin to suffer, and clovers prove to be spasmodic and inexplicable pa their incidence. Immediately barley II introduced as one of the white crops samt of the farmer’s troubles disappear. There is no sole of grass which can compare with that following barley. The growing of this cereal is, therefore, in tbc interests of advanced farming, and this fact has been demonstrated by a number of the most successful farmers in North Otag.». THE FARMERS’ UNION. A letter has been received by your correspondent from a reader at Kurow, asking in what year the Farmers’ Union came • Into existence In New Zealand, and who was the founder of it. As far as the writer remembers the union was formed about 30 tars ago. The originator of the scheme r unionism among farmers was a Mr lass, who belonged to the Auckland disiet. He toured the North Island, derered addresses, and enrolled members a fee of one shilling each. The Farmers’ Ittnion shortly afterwards came into exist:«nee, and has singe had its headquarters 'in Wellington. The flrgt secretary was Mr A. J. M'Curdy, who is at present Mayor ’•f Upper Hutt. SWEDES AND TURNIP 3. , In the early part of laet season, when tMre was a lack of moisture, the farmers If North Otago were apprehensive concernkkg the prospects of turnips and swedes. ft the months wore on, however, these riprehenstons were dispersed, and the copious rains, followed by bright* warm ■pathor, resulted i n one of the finest yields m root chops that is in the memory of the Mtost settlers. Not only have the root Wop bf.p i roHflc to growth, hut thlpy have fin. aljiut entirely fww ty>jn <Hf»a«<>. flfte yl«Ms of and nutoftgMa, have 1% wn especially goad. . J ~‘ l

A FAREWELL FUNCTION. A very ippy function took place in the M‘Lean Hall at Oamaru on Tuesday evening, when a large number of friends of Mr Thomas Stringer, who is leaving to take charge of Messrs Dalgety and Co.’s branch at Kaikoura, met to bid him farewell. Mr J. J. Hore presided, and, during an interval, presenteu Mr Stringer with a cheque for a substantial amount. In making the presentation, the Chairman referred to the high esteem in which Mr Stringer was held by the people of Oamaru, and wished him and Mrs Stringer and family prosperity in the future. Mr Stringer briefly replied, and assured those present of a heartv welcome if they came to Kaikoura. Many other speakers expressed sorrow that Mr Stringer was leaving Oamaru. Other toasts honoured were: “Army and Navy” (Mr B. Whitcombe— Messrs R. S. Mitchell. S.A. Dalgleish, R. W. Smith. R. Di—ick), “A. and P. Interests” (Mr T. J. Stephens—Messrs J. J. Hore, A*. Stringer, W. I‘itchell, G. Ludemann), “Borough and County Councils” (Messrs t . Eadie and D. Kennedy— Messrs C. W. Kent and J. MLaren). ‘The Entertainers” (Mr J. Eadie—Messrs F. C. Burry and T. J. Banks), “The Chairman” (Mr T. Stringer—Mr J. J. Hore). SHEEP OnT~TURNIPS. Many hundreds of sheep from the back country are at present being fattened off on turnips on the flats between Oamaru and the Waitaki River. Turnips are grown specially in this part of the district for the purpose of fattening the backblocks’ stock. OBITUARY. An old identity of Otago, in the person of Mrs Grace Simpson M'Naught, wife of Mr Wm. M‘Naught, passed away at her residence in Ribble street, Oamaru. on Thursday morning. The deceased, who was 2 years of age, was born in Glasgow and came to New Zealand in the year 1873. Before coming to Oamaru in 1879 she resided in Dunedin. A woman of a very kindly disposition, she made many friends throughout the district. EGG PRODUCTION. North Otago may be included among the largest egg-producing districts in the South Island. At Herbert there are several small farmers engaged in the industry. Returned soldiers have also done well from poultry-raising on the poorer land between Oamaru and the Waitaki River. At Glenavy there are several large poultry runs. Thousands of dozens of eggs are despatched to the Dunedin and Christchurch markets from this district every year. WEEK ON THE FARM. The past week has been a fairly busy one for the farmer. A series of hard frosts have been experienced, followed by warm bright days. A good deal of ploughing has been done, ar.d winter sowing is now in progress. Dairying is at a low ebb, but dairy cows are wintering well. The digging of potatoes has been practically completed. The chief occupation of the larger holders in the backblocks is the poisoning of their properties for rabbits The present outlook is for another remarkably good season for the farmer, as the rainfall of the past month has been well over the average. ROLLER FLOURMILL. It was 40 years ago last month since the “roller” system of flourmilling was introduced to Oamaru by Messrs J. and T. Meek, of the Crown Millsr Prior to that date, the wheat was ground between stones. The most striking part of the new machinery was a “Concentrated Crosgrovo” machine, about six feet square, and nearly the full height of the building, which was four stories high. The power by which the machinery was driven was a 120 horse-power horizontal tandem engine. The plant was capable of turning out 12 sacks (24001 b) of flour an hour, and the .whiteness of the flour was in striking contrast to the brown article produced by the stone process. Whether the bread made from roller flour possesses the same nutritive value as that made from the stone flour is another story. TRIMMING OF HEDGES. An old identity of Oamaru, who has a good acquaintance in forestry, claims that a good deal of labour and expense could be saved if the Forestry Department were to train men to cut hedges with the one hand upstroke. He states that this method is easier, more rapid, and more efficient than the down stroke. He is of opinion that returned soldiers with only one arm might be trained to cut hedges by the up-stroke. There are many hundreds of miles of gorse fence in North Otago and Canterbury that have to be dealt with annually. Years age the old identity referred to cut 132 miles of gorse fence in the district with the up stroke, and therefore claims a knowledge of the subject. FARM LABOURERS. The secretary of t-; North Otago executive of the Farmers’ Union (Mr A. \V. Woodward) has been advised by the Department of Immigration that a number of experienced farm labourers will arrive by the s.s. Tainui, due about July 12. MOTOR ASSOCIATION. The secretary of the North Otago Motor Association hopes to get away this week on a tour of the district to supervise the erection of various signposts and warnings for the motoring public. Signs are to be erected at Cree’s Corner, near Otiake. A part of this bank which obscures a view of the road has been cut away. At the last meeting of the association members stated that a great difficulty confronted them in regard to road guides. It was understood that another one was to be compiled. Some that were already on the market were innacurate. It was hoped Jhat the association would be approached for sellable details before another guide ’was placed on the market. PLOUGHING MATCHES. The series of matches which have been associated with farm life in North Otago for the last half-century or more will shortly commence. At one time these matches were followed by a dinner at a local hotel, at which matters liquid and otherwise were very freely discussed. Now they are purely and simply competi* tiye, but are none the less valuable because their chief purpose is to encourage

efficient tillage of the soil and a proper care of horses and harness. As a rule the modern tractor is also shown at work, side by side with the horse-drawn plough. There are some farmers who think that in the next quarter of a century the draught horse will be largely supplanted by the tractor, and the price of petrol seems to be the chief bar to the transformation at the present time. GENERAL. Three persons (all males) were arrested in Oamaru for drunkenness last month, making 16 for the first five months of the year. There is an unusually large number of patients in the Oamaru public hospital at present, and the staff is being kept very busy. UNEMPLOYED. At the present time there are 15 names of unemployed on the books of the Oamaru branch of the Labour Department. This does not represent anything like the number of people who are in search of work. Overseas and coastal shipping have provided a few days occupation for a number of men, but there are several families that are suffering temporary privation. RUGBY FOOTBALL. The championship matches were resumed on Saturday in good weather. Rain fell the previous night, but the fields were in excellent condition. The following are the results: — SENIOR. Old Boys 9. Athletic 6. Maheno 8, Excelsior 3. JUNIOR. School C 6, Maheno 3. Athletic 5, Old Boys nil. THIRD GRADE. Excelsior B 18, High School 13. High School 22, Athletic nil. Excelsior 16, High School 6. FOOTBALLERS INJURED. During a junior grade match W. Burt, of School B team, suffered a broken collarbone, and 1. Walton, of the same team, suffered an injury to his finger. Both boys were attended by a member of the St. John Ambulance Association. POULTRY PRIZES. The following were the prizes won by North Otago exhibitors at the Christchurch Poultry Show:— Old English game, black-breasted blackred cock —G. M'Leod 1. Cockerel —G. M’Leod 3. Partridge pullet—G. M'Leod 1. Duckwing cock —G. M’Leod 1 and 2. Cockerel—G. M‘Leod 1 and special (cup) and 2. Pullet —G. M'Leod 2. Silky cockerel —Mrs A. torrest 1. Pullet—Mrs A. Forrest 1. Bantams, modern game, black-red or brown-red cock—W. H. Turvey 1, W. Gord°Hen—W. H. Turvey 1, W. Gordon 2. Cockerel—W. H. Turvey 1 and cup and 2 ‘Pullet—W. H. Turvey 1, A. Forrest 2. -Modern game, any variety, cockerel—VV. H. Turvey 1, W. Gordon 2. Pullet—W. Gordon 1 and 2. Old English game, black-breasted blackred cock—G. M'Leod 1, J. Waterworth 2. Cockerel —G. M'Leod 1 and 2, J. WaterW °Bantam, old English game, spangled hen —W H. Turvey 1 and special. Cockerel—W. H. Turvey 3 Pullet—W. H. Hurvey 1, J. Waterworth 3> old English game, any other colour, pullet—J. Waterworth 1 and 2. Black rose-comb cock—J. C. Wilson 1, A. Forrest 4. , . , Cockerel—F. J. Stephens champion and 2 ' Pullet—A. Forrest 2 and 4 Specials—J. A. Wilson 2, J. Harper 3. Buff or cinnamon Pekin cock—K. J. Burns 1. Hen—R. J. Burns 1. Pullet—R. J. Burns 3. Black Pekin cock—W. Gordon 2. Hen —W. Gordon 1 and 2. Cockerel—W. H. Turvey 1, special, and cup. Pullet—W. Gordon 3. Pekin, any other colour, pullet—W. Gordon 1. . „ Sebright, gold or silver cock—A. Forrest 1. Hen —A. Forrest 1. Cockerel —A. Forrest 1. CANARIES AND CAGE BHfcBS. Open Classes. Yorkshire yellow, heavily variegated, non-colour fed—S. Browne 1. Yorkshire buff, clear or visible ticked, non-colour fed —J. Baker 1 and 2, S. Browne 3. Yorkshire yellow, clear, ticked, or variegated, hen, non-colour fed —J. Baker 1, S. Browne 2, J. Baker 3. Yorkshire buff, clear, ticked, or variegated, hen, non-colour fed—S. Browne 1. Unflighted Classes. Yorkshire yellow, visible ticked or lightly variegated, non-colour fed, cock or lien (bred by exhibitor) —S. Browne 2. Yorkshire yellow, heavily variegated, non-colour fed, cock or hen (bred by exhibitor) —J. Baker 1 and 2. Open Class Norwich. Norwich plain head, yellow, clear or invisible ticked, non-colour fed —S. Brown c. Norwich plain head, yellow, visible ticked or lightly variegated, non-colour fed —S. Brown 2. Norwich plain head, yellow, heavily variegated, non-colour fed—S. Browne 3. Norwich plain head, buff, clear or invisible ticked, non-colour fed—S. Browne 3. Norwich plain head, buff, visible ticked or lightly variegated, non-colour fed—S. Browne 2. Mules, goldfinch, light—J. Baker 1. Mules, goldfinch, variegated—J. Baker .1. Males, goldfinch, dark—S. Browne 2.