FARMERS' PROSPECTS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15275, 24 July 1920, Page 8

FARMERS' PROSPECTS.

j A MILD WINTER. ' In conversation with a well-known agricultural farmer on the flats to-day, a reporter "was Informed. that so far the winter had been a remarkably good oiie,' with a certain.' amount ' of moisture and absolute immunity frpm frost. In fact the* winter had been .the mildest one experienced foranany years past, arid' there had been a constant, growtl-.. of gyass. The past year bad tjecn a,' very fair-" one for crops, particularly maize. Some of me maize crops were planted '■■a , W Jtfe late, and experienced the -.'short drought m I "Uarch, which stunted the. growth Jn some casos. The season had been a 1 remarKabb i goot" one on Jhe flats for both bailey arid oats, and soriie really,, good, crops hau ] been harvested.- Some nrie fields of pump- 1 kins have also been grown, but the lateplan ted seed was affected bf the drought, m one or two places', the returns of maizo crops on new'land had, been very i lienvy.. "Tlie farmers nro rea'Ttslns that j .' Tli.« Hats are the garden oJE. Ne,w"- Zealand, '' ami eroppirie, is the . most profitable j method for it's development," ,added the farmer, as instanced by the fact that. ?orac of 'iho largest dairymen "oh -the': Hals are disposing: or reducing the size of their' milking herds to go m foi> crQPplng, F.or tUe. coining Season' a greatly ineroascd area of land 'between Gisborne nnd Te Karalca alone was being. put under the pjouffh. The normal conditions of the district \yore more suited to cropping than 1o dairying, as wjien . droughts occurred t|»p effect. on the agricultural ■Mrrrie^- was' noj no bad as with the dairynian whose mill- ..output was seriously ; affected when rhe feed ,J)ecame .short. Many /farmers,' anticipating a dry season, ahead; are, making preparations accordingly, oh'tori^ and .potatoes. as crops are not too reliable. m this district, .owing to' the teridencr, lo attack by blight. Xucerne crpjpe -g}yet splendid results on the silt lands ;pf (ho^ tints hochuse of the largo . pToportioii vf lime m the soil. The winter Jias ; BeoJ^ rxemplifted m mildness h$ the coritTri\»ed growth «of lucerne.. The ' indications gen'r