THE FARM

Southland Times, Issue 17004, 30 March 1912, Page 2

THE FARM

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL DOINGS.

EVENTS AT HOME AND ABROAD

AGRICULTURAL EVENTS FOB WEEK ENDING APRIL 6. —Saturday, March 30. Horse sale at Invercargill, by Messrs J. A. Mitchell and Co. —Monday, April 1. — Stock sale at Dipton. ' —Tuesday, April .2. — Stock sale at Gore. —Wednesday, April 3. . Stock sale al Walrlo. Mr Richard Yardley’s clearing sale at Black Swamp, by Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd. Mr R.' Murray’s clearing sale at Conyerstown, by Messrs J. A. Mitchell and Co. ' —Thursday, April 4. Stock sale at Winton. —Friday, April 5. — Stock sale at Thornbury. Durihg the week a "Southland Times” ’ reporter asked a very old Southland farmer, dating as far back as ’62. what he thought of the present season as compared with any other that he could re-' call. The following is what he said;— “ Taking things all round so far the present season was one of the moat troublesome and disappointing he had experienced. He said that, in comparing the present wet Reason with a partial drought such as we had last year, for instance, when a farmer sees his crops of ail kinds struggling and languishing •lay by day he becomes immured to it, in., a way, and lays ills plans'for tire winter! accordingly and knows pretty well where he is. But in referring to this.particular season, to have beautiful and abundant ‘crops mature and right within one’s grasp, and to be unable to secure them, is doubly trying and has a shrivelling and depressing effect all round. He said, as an instance of all this, take the stock market to-day for both sheep and cattle not only in Southland, but all over this Island pretty well, and compare iVwith what it was six v’eeks or two months ago. Store cattle are back fully from £1 to 30s a head, and store sheep as much as from 3s to 5s per head, and he instanced a case that came under his notice where a seller was offered 10s Gd for young fair-grown and fair-condi-tioned two-tooth ewes that he paid 15s 6d for two months ago. The same thing obtains right through in all classes and he states that nothing but the unusually bad season is responsible for all this stagnation at this usually active time of the year. Farmers will not buy as long as they cun hold off, and as long as weather conditions are such as they arc just now, those who sold cither sheep or cattle to northern or other buyers at a time when things looked so promising must be patting themselves on the back to-day. He asserted that he had never seen the store stock market so slack and unanimated at it is at present, and it was most difficult to gauge things as to what is best t(r>do, hence the stagnation and reduction in prices of stock of all kinds. Grass seed and grain of all kinds must suffer, also potatoes, owing to the continued soaked slate of the ground, which must have a bad effect on things generally in that line. Turnips must now suffer, he thought, owing to the absence of sun and warmth. His final remark was that it would be a" lean year. Store cattle should not be so badly off, he thought, with probably a lot of young second-class feed and hits in the way of hay and straw stacks, and store sheep may he carried well into the winter upon the paddocks;but he thought that they must be dear in the- late spring. Fat stuff of all kinds, he said, would be scarce and dear all through, and that any improvement in the weather now would not help things much.

12 mares, 20 geldings), 26 thoroughbreds (7 stallions, 19 mares), 1 hackney mare, 21 light horses (IS mares, 3 geldings, 8 ponies (1 .stallion, 3 mares, 4 geldings), and 1 racehorse gfelding. Front Auckland, 204 sheep and 42 swine were forwarded to the Pacific Islands. There wore 320 sheep, shipped to Australia, viz., 1 front Wellington, 187 from Lyttelton, and 132 from Dunedin.

Following are particulars of fivedraught horses purchased by Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., from Mr W. Waddell, of Waikaka Valley,, for a Melbourne buyer, and which were shipped by the Maunganui on Monday last:— Purebred Clydesdale entire coll Samson, foaled November, 1909; bright bay, star on forehead; bred by William Waddell, Waikaka Valley; dam;' Jean, by Lord Iddl,sleigh (37); 2nd dam. Maggie, by Wait-a-Wee (imp.); Maggie, by Yourig Prince of Wales (imp.) (1017); sire, Bancor’s Pride (030); sire. Bancor, (imp.) (11253), by King of Kyle (10213); dam,' Jess of Hawhill, by Columbia (0621); dam, Bell Alexander (1400), by St. Alexander (imp.) (93Q7). Purebred mare Maggie, bred by William Waddell: foaled November, 1908; bright bay, white face; sire, Montgomery, by Agitator (imp.) (1048S); dam, Nellie, by Captain Alexander, by St. Alexander (imp.); Maggie stinted to Baron Craig, by Baron Bold (imp.) (723). • Maggie gained second prize at the last Kelso Show for best 3yr-old mare; Maggie, Crest and Champ were shown as trio at Gore Show and awan.l--.#(l, first prize; they hi.so competed wills one added for best four-horse team ami wore awarded first prize. The breeder was awarded - most points in draught horses defeating all comers. ■ ■ 'Purebred filly Koi Koi; sire, Baron Bold (imp.) (723). Koi Koi was foaled in November, 1909. Owing to the colt being amongst bis 2yr-old fillies the breeder was prevented from allowing in that class. Fanny; foaled 1909: dam, Jeannie, by Lord Salisbury; 2nd dam, Waikaka Lady (1541); sire, King of the Clans (298), by Clansman (375); dam, Dandy: dam, Maggie McCormick VI., by Lord Salisbury (imp.) (114) (1205); 2nd dam, Maggie McCormick (000), by Just the Time o' Day (1457); 3rd dam. Miss McCormick I. (98), by Sir AVllliam Wallace; 4th dam, Miss McCormick (53), by Lincolnshire Hero.

Nancy; foaled 1909; dam, Nannie, by Glcncairn; 2nd dam, Lucy, by Garthfield, by Lord Salisbury (imp.) (114).

Mr Win. Scott, of Clifden, has retired from active participation in farming pursuits, and has left the management of his property at Clifden in the hands of his son, Mr Robert Scott. Mi- Scott will in future reside at Riverton. Before leaving Clifden, Mr Scott was farewellcd by the residents of the district, Mr Jules H. Tapper presided, and expressed regret that the district should be losing one of its pioneer settlers. Mr Scott had worked up his property until now it was n model farm, and he had always striven hard to further the interests of the district. On behalf of the residents, Dir R. "Whyte presented Mr and Mrs Scott with a marble clock, and Mr Jas. King, on behalf of the pioneer settlors of Clifden. handed Dir Scott a silver-moun-ted walking stick suitably inscribed. Mr A. Millar also paid it high tribute to (he qualities possessed by Dtr and DXrs Scott, In returning thanks Mr Scott touched on the hardships the pioneer settlors had undergone in Stringing their properties to their present satisfactory state, and contrasted the old days with the "present period of good roads and motor cars.

“Auld Lang Sync.” And a general farewell to the guests concluded the proceedings.

A clearing- sale which is attracting more titan ordinary attention is that -of Mr It. Vardley’s, which will bo hold at Black Swamp, near St. Patrick's railway station, on AVednesday next by Messrs AA’right, Stephenson and Co., Ltd. The entries include 5570 sheep, S7 cattle, 26 horses, and a very fine all-round selection of implements. Pull particulars may bo found in our advertising coin mns.

In the Bayswater, Gladfleld and Drummond districts, harvesting operations are well forward, and in many instances the crops are already in the stack, while there can he said to be very little uncut, and if the weather had kept up during the week, practically all the crop would have been in the stock.

As an indication of the volume of crop the farmers have to handle this season, a correspondent informs us (says the "North Otago Times”) that on the Maerewhenua Instate from alb to OF-lb of (wine to the aero is a fair average, but this year 181b in some instances are being used. The crops are not only extremely heavy in straw, hut the yield of grain is turning out to the satisfaction of even the most optimistic grower. With all the’broken weather the grain is keeping well in condition, the cold weather being a help in this direction. Kvcn the potatoes, that usally contract blight in continuous wet weather, are almost free from tills disease, the cold preventing the propagation of the spores.

It is reported that Mr James Duffy, of Lochicl, who took a consignment of draught horses across to Melbourne a few weeks back, lost two mares and a. gelding on the trip. It is stated, however, that, fortunately Mr Duffy had his horses insured.

Extensions and improvements to the Wallacetown saleyards are now being carried out under the supervision of the yardman (Dir Fraser). In common with Ollier classes of work, operations have been seriously retarded owing to the execrable weather that has obtained of late.

Another record lias been scored by the Hawcra Dairy Company. Mr O. H. Btickcrridgc recently received cabled advice from his principals, Messrs llonry A. lame and Co., London, that ti consignment of J-lawera cheese, ox Arawa, was sold at a price that will net the factory a shade under 7 1 ,gd per lb f.o.b. This is the highest price realised so far. The cable added that the market is slow but firm.—Eltham Argus.

Although tlie Wallacetown sale on Tuesday on the whole was a very draggy one, some fairly good prices were obtained for individual lots. Messrs .1. E. Watson and Co., Ltd., submitted 18 fat bullocks on account of Mr James Taylor. Waikiwi, and Mr T. C. Maltby purchased three of them at £ll, and three at £ll 7s 6d. Three were knocked down to Wm. Wills, jnr., at. £ll 12s Gd, and the remaining three were bought by Messrs T. Quinn and Co. at £l2 2s 6d, top price of the day. A pen of extra good fat wethers were also sold by the same firm, on account of Mr J. S. Fleming, Titiroa, to Messrs Ryan and Turpin at 20s Id. which is, considering all tilings, a remarkably good price. The wethers, however, were an exceptionally fine lot.

The steamer "Kaipnra,” which sailed from Wellington for London on the Silt instant, took tlie first apple shipment of the 1811-12 season. It totalled 550 4 eases, Jonathans, Munroo’s Favourite, Five-crown Pippin, Stunner Pippin, and Alfrcstdns comprising the bulk of consignment. Of this total. filOl cases, are being shipped under the Government guarantee of a return of Id a pound net to the grower. The shipment was well graded and packed, and should arrive in good condition.

During the month of February there wtsre 109 horses shipped to Australia from the Dominion, towards which Auckland contributed 5, Wellington OS, Lyttelton 23, Dunedin 37, and Bluff 30. Thirty-four horses were shipped from Auckland to the Pacific Islands and four to England, and one horse was sent from Dunedin to Singapore. The particulars of the horses shipped are; S2 draughts (19 stallions, 31 mares, 14 geldings, and IS colts), 00 half-draughts (30 mares, 30 geldings), 33 mixed draughts (1 stallion,

A Colorado, U.S.A., farmer, -who is now visiting New Zealand, remarked to an interviewer that he thought the Xew Zealand siteep about the finest he had seen. The system of sheep-raising in Colorado is very different from that in Xew Zealand. A man who intends to raise sheep in the former country sends a herd out with a provision waggon into the open

"rairie with, say, 3000 sheep. ‘Grazing Is freer, and there are still miles of unoccupied land. After a month or so, more provisions are sent to the men in charge of the sheep, and they arc moved on to (he next stretch of good country. The toil there is .splendid, but the rainfall is deficient. ■ In the winter there is deep snow, and the sheep must be tahcn where they can be under shelter and looked after.

"The'new agriculture is indeed a new thing for this country. It'is not very long ago that farming was looked upon as a drudgery, that it was only by hard manual labour that a man was expected to, succeed, . . . All that has.changed, and to-day the man who succeeds Is the man who uses his brains on the good farm. - ’ —Hon. Sydney Fisher, Canadian Minister of Agriculture.

Mr George W. McMullen, of Picton, Ontario, is experimenting with a new milk-product that ho says will take the place of butter and cheese. Butter utilises only 4%1b of the 131b of solids contained in every 1001b of milk: Cheese absorbs only 8 or 9of the 131b. The new product, as yet unnamed, takes up the entire 131b, leaving no waste, and is declared to bo more palatable than either butter or chcc.se. ‘ It is considered possible that the discovery may revolutionise the world's dairy industry.—J. A. Ruddick, Dairy and Cold tiloragc Commissioner of Canada.

•A Te Kowhai settler (says the Te Puke Times) is the owner of a sour which he claims has nut up a record in porcino line. She was originally a miserable little Berkshire castaway, and

\va,s reared by hand; but she has handsomely rewarded her owner .for the attention then bestowed upon her. The sow Is only three years old; but she has already produced live litters of 12, 12, 12, i' 4, and 17 pigs, or a total of 07, which have all been sold as weaners at an average of 15s each.

A farmer in the Mangatoki district ha-; this year, gl own some fine crops ,of lucerne, from which ho has made ensilage. He considers that lucerne -is .just about the finest of fodder plants, being rdf,-hed hy slock of all- Via V, and- an

excellent fattening t ' f-iiod f<n',. Lucerne is growing In favour -n »li!V«M*ent parts of the province, a;:-! it popularity is likely-to be advanced by the- excellent results obtained In its cultivation at the Dloufnahald Slate Farm. Mr A. H. ■ Holcombe, of Urenui, was there on Friday, and he is of opinion that every farmer should mahe a point of paying a visit and seeing the results of the fodder crop experiments.

The experience with maize at Moumahaki Experimental Farm this season has been that common throughout the majority of the districts of . the Dominion where this crop is grown; it was a partial failure, owing to the unusually low temperature which has characterised the weather. .Soya beans and cow peas, for the same reason, have been a complete failure, though sown at intervals. At Ituakura Farm of Instruction the experience was very similar in regard to maize, and, while the cold and wet weather checked the Soya bean and cow pea crops, the former is now making lair progress.

Threshing operations (say- - , the Oamaru "Mail”) are now in full swing in all the districts, and most of the lit resiling from the stock is finished, the mills now being busily engaged threshing from the stack. The yield of grain in the majority of case-; is very satisfactory. From a list of threshing returns taken in the Dforven and Glenavy districts, the following are instructiveo3o acres of wheat threshed out 52 bushels per acre, 510 acres of oats averaged 03 bushels per acre. Some of the paddocks of wheat averaged considerably over GO bushels, and two small paddocks of oats threshed over 100 bushels.

Despite the unsettled state of the weather, harvesting operations are fairly started in many parts of. the district, and in the Waikouro. Aparima, and Wairio districts' there is now a fair amount of the crop in stock, and what little decent weather wo have had is being taken full advantage of. There arc still portions of the grass crop in the paddocks, however, and' these look badly knocked about.

Mr J. Id. Scott. Secretary of the South Island Dairy Association, informed a “Southland Times" reporter yesterday that so far forty-one factories have declared their intention of indenting their material through the Association. and that the purchases for the the requirements of those factories amount to £3OOO. Mr Scott slated that hy the Association’s action several hundred pounds had been saved milk suppliers. Referring to tiie cheese market, he said that locally it was strong, and the outlook was very good. This season the Association had sold 250 tons locally, and all of it had been sold at very satisfactory prices.

Harvesting operations at Morton Mains are at last in full swing, says the Wyndham Farmer, and some very good crops are to be noticed on a lour round the district. The grass harvest is now almost over, the tiiresiling mill having been in the district for the last fortnight. Mr J. Calder threshed an excellent crop. Among the oat crops, the best is probably that of Mr Woodward, although Mr H. Skoal's also gives a splendid example of the agricultural potentialities of the district. Something- of a record was put up on Mr Woodward’s place, when in halls of

twine were used on a 22-acrc crop. The oats are well headed, and present indications point to a record yield. In general, the grain crops this year are ahead of those of last year in this district, and afford some compensation for the failure of the turnip crops.

Before cattle are offered for sale in Dutch saleynrds cacli one is examined by an inspector to see that it is free of disease.

Mr John Brown. B.Se., in agriculture, has been appointed by the South Australian Government to the position of Assistant-Director of Agriculture in place of Dir A. K. V. Richardson, resigned. Tito salary is £SOO a year. Mr Brown lias been in the employ of the New Zealand Government in a'similar capacity.

It is estimated that Victoria (Australia) alone will ship this season 219,000 cases of fruit to London, and about 95,000 cases to Germany. The complete estimates for the rest of Australia arc not yet available. The total number of

cases exported from the Commonwealth will, it is confidently estimated, be between 1,400,000 and 1,500,000 for the season.—T. W. Kirk.

The annual harvest home ball is to be held in the Drummond Public Hall on "Friday. 2Cth April. At a meeting held on Saturday evening, a strong committee was appointed to carry out the function.

In the period from 190 C to 1010 the farmers conducting co-operative experiments in the Province of Ontario, Canada, numbered 4 278.

The British Board of Agriculture has just granted twelve research scholarships in agricultural science. The scholarships, which are of the annual valug of £l5O, and arc tenable for three years, have been established in order to train promising students, under suitable supervision, with a view to their contributing to the .development of agriculture, cither by carvyhjg out independent research, or by acting in an advisory capacity to agriculturists.

Dr John Wilson, who was in Australia a; a member of the Scottish Commission, ban sent to the X.S.W. Agricultural Department several new potato varieties, raised by himself, for trial at HawUesbury College Farm. Several of these are redskin varieties, which, because of their colour, are not favoured In Scotland, but which Dr Wilson thinks may be a great success here.

That a proper rotation of crops is essential to success in farming is evidenced every where, for there is no land that is” proof against depletion. Some soils hold out longer than others, but the ultimate end is failure, if we persist in continual cropping with one crop. We rotate primarily to prevent this depletion of soil fertility, and if legumes figure largely in • the rotation, considerable nitrogen, the principal and costliest plant food. Is added. Then we rotate to secure a better distribution of labour, and dairymen rotate to secure a variety of feeds, with the least damage 'to the soil. Another advantage of rotation is the getting rid of insect and weed pests. Different crops feed differently, and by rotating them any one particular plant food* not exal.astedh.xfs may be, the case- in> alflgloi crop farming. Some .crops VGCiulbe‘'more nitrogen than others, sonic more potash, and some more prosphates. —Farm and Home.

Owing to tho continuous wet weather two Merrlvale fanners have lost upwards of four hundred acres of grass seed.

Californian butter-merchants, reports the Trade Commissioner, prefer butter in cube boxes, as the butter on their markets is put up in Tib and 21b blocks, and their cutting-machines are made so as to cut up the exact weight and quantity from the cube blocks without any waste. They have stated that the quality of the New Zealand butter is so good that they can sell it in their own wrappers as the best Californian production. They defend their custom of selling New Zealand butler as Californian by the argument that the consumers would expect to purchase it if sold as New Zealand at cents per pound less than their own product, because they think their own is the best in the world.

The Philippine Government is negotiating with Australian and New Zealand meat for tho regular supply of tinned corned beef, and India i.s making inquiries as to opening a fixed trade in uncalled beef and mutton.

Mr G. H. Bucdceridge. New Zealand agent* for Henry A. Lane and Co., of Tooley-street, London, writes that he lias received a letter from their Canadian house, which says:—“ The situation in Canada upon several products we admit is rather an ambiguous one for a producing new country. We believe that the production of cheese is likcdy to still further decrease during the coming year on account of the tendency ,of dairymen to make butter instead of ohqese, and the increasing home consumption caused principally by the large influx of immigration which is coming to us and centering principally in the towns anti cities. The natural expectation would be that these extremely high prices would stimulate production, but the tendency seems to be rather toward butter than cheese. Should the farmers the vast prairie lands of Western Canada turn their attention to mixed farming and the production of butter and eggs, wo think the situation would soon be entirely changed, hut so long as the fertility of the new land continues to produce abundance of wheat, this will probably not take place.” Mr Buckeridge adds; “The point they mention in regard to cheese production seems to us to be of importance, and ought to give stimulus to tho production of tliis article in New Zealand.”

Perhaps the forage soiling crop which promises the best results in the future, reports Mr Primrose McConnell, from liuakura, is a mixture of peas and millet or peas ami maize. These are well-bal-anced foodstuffs, and should leave the land in better condition than when the maize and millets are grown alone. These mixtures are to be tested at Kuakura, for milk-production.

Reports from the country districts are to the effect that intakes at dairy factories are now diminishing considerably, but not so rapidly as was the case last year. For some time the outputs of cheese did not, compare favourably with last season, hut the leeway had been made up, and there was now a considerable credit balance. The cold and changeable weather, however, had militated against belter results being obtained, and but for this the increase would have been very great.

Questioned in regard to harvest prospects in Southland after the recent bad weather, Mr James Lumsden, of Drummond. refused to admit the insinuation that ruination hafl overtaken Southland crops. He maintained that this had never during any season occurred, and lie did not think there was any danger of it happening this year. Mr Lumsden paid a handsome tribute to the resourcefulness of Southland farmers, ,who, he maintained, always managed to “get there.” Dosses, he admitted, had been sustained owing to the adverse weather conditions, but the farmers invariably emerged with colours flying.

It was stated by some of the members of the Dxecutivo of the South Islam! Dairy Association yesterday that a wrong impression seemed to exist among dairy farmeis in regard to cow testing, many of them being under the impres-

sion that only butter fat tests • were made, and that for milk suppliers to cheese factories there was no advantage in this, as the flow of milk givfen by a cow was the main consideration. It is well to note that cows are tested both from a milk supply and butter fat point of view, and in the Xorth Island the foremost factories to support the proposal were- the big cheese factories such as Datefield and others. A meeting of the Executive of the South. Island Dairy Association was held in the Club Hotel yesterday, there being present Messrs John Gray (chairman), W. J. Bolt. ,7. Lumsden, H. McCall, D. It. Hunter, and the secretary (Mr J. U. Scott). Sale conditions for next season wore drafted for presentation at the annual meeting in' Juno, and other routine matters were also attended to. TZMBOON NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) The weather ! What word in the vocabulary of cn itinerant scribe can describe its vagaries 7 For no word I can coin or think of will meet tho case. It lias simply been one long succession of gales and rain for the past six weeks, with a few days sunshine thrown in at intervals, just to remind us of the fact that we do occasionally get sunshine. Farmers are, consequently, making use of every available opportunity to get grain cut, stocked, and stacked : but, so far, not much progress has been made, with the exception of a few good days during the past week. ; Many farmers were up and at it on Sunday last, and few will blame them, when the unfavourable weather conditions make It a work of necessity. And they say .that necessity knows no law. Be that as it may, the season so far has been the worst experienced for quite a number of years, and work is quite six weeks behind last year. Yesterday (Mqnday) it commenced to rain again about mid-day, and it continued on and off until Tuesday evening, thus putting everything in a sopping state, and completely hanging up harvesting operations. It is to be hoped thht the weather will quickly change, and that we will get a good drying breeze, for it is badly wanted. While at this period of tho calendar last year a large number of farmers were carting away oats to the station, some of them have yet got grass in stook, and what it is like can only be guessed at, considering that It has been cut for over six weeks. There are plenty of mills round about the district, but broken time has been the. experience of so many of them that the work of threshing is going along slowly. The grass, of course, must be on tiie light side: but several samples il have seen lately have turned out better than was anticipated, Messrs Crowe, J. Kane, Hishon Bros., and A. Baird had a fairly large amount of grass to *thresh, and the yield returned to (hem was satisfactory. The oat crops are all what may be termed extra good, and on the farms of Messrs P. Ryan, Crowe Bros., Hishon Bros.. A. Baird, and D. McHugh, they are exceptionally gcod, and yields up to and exceeding 100 bushels are talked about. Messrs Horner, Hoklng, and several others are also expecting a similar yield. In fact, all over one hears of nothing else but good oat crops. Several are busy stacking, others stook. ing, and a few a very few round our quarter have '• still some to cut. Should the rest of Southland yield in proportion, and I hear and read of good oat crops in nearly every quarter, thers should be a record output of this cereal from the province this year. Of course the main thing the farmer looks to is • satisfactory figure for the labour occasioned, so that he may be able to meet all liabilities and have something t* spare.

There is not much wheat grown roundl our way, but at Riverside (Mr James Hamilton's farm) I notice a capital crop, which should yield well. Mr M. Crowe has also a good crop, though not large in area ; but viewed, from the road it gives the impression that it will thresh to the satisfaction of the owner; The turnip crops have filled out much better than was expected, and now give promise of abundant winter feed. In fact, on one or two farms better turnip crops could not be desired, and they are coming away well. The grass is holding out not badly, considering the rough season we have experienced, and when the oats are stacked the paddocks will get a refresher, while the sheep are cleaning up the stubble.

Soon, no doubt, will be heard, the usual cry In Southland about shortage of trucks for the conveyance of grain ; but it is to be hoped the Railway Department will be able to meet all the demands made upon It by the farm* ers, and if yields turn out to expectations there is no doubt /that these di*mands will be enormous. FAIRFAX ROTES. ' (From Our Own Correspondent.) To-day the weather is muggy and everything saturated with yesterday’s rain. Sunday was a splendid day foe the stocks, and many farmers took advantage of it and had any spare hands at work with good results. Mr William Marshall took advantage of the railway relaying gang at Fairfax and got two large wheat stacks finished. On many farms low lying crops are quite green yet, and it is feared that wheat in stook wilj sprout. .Of course we must not be too pessimistic. Many old Southland farmers saw equally bad weather, but the acreage might have been less. The most trying feature of this harvest is the exceptionally heavy crops that are lying and tangled. Wheat crops that promised up to 70 bushels per acre are with lodgment and frost beyond redemption, and to cut frosted wheat into chaff would be so dangerous as to kill -whatever stock consumed it. Practically all linseed crops are ruined, and once -properly saturated will never dry. as it sets into a jelly. On the whole the bountiful harvest that many expected to profit by has turned out quite the reverse. Go where one will there are not many stacks to be seen, and April is nearly on us with short days, and the strength of tire sun on the wane. The? trouble of farmers not being able to show a good sample is looming in the distance, but trouble must be faced, and farmers must put a •• stoot heart tae a stay brae.” Feed is in great abundance, and stock looking well.

The dairy supply is considerably on the wane, yet suppliers cannot complain. as they have had a most successful year. Arrangements for a new dairy factory at Fairfax are about completed, and tenders will shortly he called for the erection of the building. Two hundred and fifty cows are already guaranteed, with every prospect of the numbers being added to. The site is a good one, convenient to the railway station, and cartage of cheese will be a small item. The factory is to be in a good centre, which means success assured. A number are contemplating starting with milking machines, which, will make the work independent of labour, which is both scarce and independent. If " Oor Tam ” manages •to hold the reigns of Government for a time, farmers may depend on having a friend at court. At the different sale centres when dairy cows are offered for sale some protection should be given the purchaser by the cow’s milking record being certified to by the vendor, so that any rubbish would not be foisted on one who was anxiously adding to his herd. This would effectually do away with the ” passenger cow.” which is much too costly to maintain. In all -cases cattle are fond of chewing bones. A Goulburn Valley (Victoria) farmer lost a number of cows through their chewing the bones of poisoned raboits. A good preventive is plenty of rock salt in shallow boxes or slabs at different places in the paddock, also top dress the lea with a dressing of phosphates.

As an indication of the extent of country that is under wheat In the Commonwealth and also as a failure for our horse market, .'1,050,557 bags of wheat have found their way to the seaboard and the many sidings by no means cleared. In fact, there arc simply oceans of wheat.

With muggy weather the stocks must he attended to and kept up. Many turn them, which is not a good plan. Even if they are leaning don't touch them, as it is just the outside that is wet. A well built stock Is like a well built slack. It can stand a deal of bad weather. If the sheaf i* down a little sprouting may show at th« string, but otherwise ihe sheaf is «U right and just requires to be kept up.

Faniters are too busy at presort to attend to the steel; market. Fat Dniba are going off -.- : y slowly nt uy to 1 in. Tliis is the month to sow autumn wheat (white velvet variety.)