THE SEASON IN SOUTHLAND

Southland Times, Issue 19464, 31 January 1925, Page 12

THE SEASON IN SOUTHLAND

THE HARVEST PROSPECTS. WAIMAHAKA. There is a very small area under oat crop in this district, each farmer only growing enough for his own use, but there are some particularly fine crops and on the whole, they are above the average and early. The farmers in this district being alive to the fact that it pays them to have a good supply of winter feed, and turnips still being the mainstay in that direction, have a good area under that crop which is looking remarkably well and healthy, only in a very few cases club root being evident. Given a good rain within the next week or two a plentiful supply of winter feed is assured. There are some very fine crops of rape and young grass on which lambs are doing remarkably well. On the whole, we are enjoying one of the best seasons on record. Feed is abundant and stock all in the pink of con-, dition. Wherever lime has been applied the paddocks are white with clover. RIVERTON. Like most other parts of Southland this district has had its fair share of fine weather, the like of which has not been known for 30 years or more. As a result all work on the farms is well advanced and another week should see harvesting operations in full swing. All the sheep fanners have their w’ool away by now awaiting the first sale. Several batches of prime lambs off the mothers have also been sent forward and it says much for the productivity of the district. More than the usual amount of grass and hay has been grown this, year, and it has all been secured in excellent order. The grass should be a very fair sample as we seem to have escaped the late frosts and rust which has caused so much damage further north and inland. Perhaps a little more than the usual acreage of oats and wheat has been grown this season. It is a little too soon to pass judgment on these crops yet but if the dry weather continues there is no doubt that the seed will be light in most cases. On most farms turnip crops are showing up well and some particularly fine crops are to be seen in this part. Very few failures we reported so far, although many of the later sown crops are sorely in need of rain. Unless something unforseen happens there should be no shortage of winter feed here. So far the season has been an ideal one for dairying, although it is getting a little on the dry side now. The intake at the Aparima factory has been greater this season than last, although the total number of cows in the district is less than last year. With prospects of 1/6 per lb for butterfat for the season the position of the dairy farmer is much brighter. Needless to say after the superb weather experienced and our early spring with abundance of feed, stock of all descriptions never looked better and should the present climatic conditions continue the summer of 1924-25 should be something to remember in years to come.

If the number of new motor care arriving in the district is any indication of prosperity then we appear to be prospering. The farmer now withont a “flivver’’ is about as common as the farmer with one twenty years ago. Two lorries now run to the Anarinia factory and a third is likely to be running soon. The days of the horse are numbered.

The rabbits —like the poor—seem to be always with us. This year they look to be thicker than ever. No doubt the mild winter and early spring has something to do with it.

Top dressing and liming are gaining more adherents out here every’ year. It is the last word in farming when judiciously carried out, and it pays handsomely.

Our roads could do with a little more attention these days. Why is it that the Wallace County Council have scrapped the grader when other counties continue to use the same with beneficial results? Goree and broom on the roadside corners should receive more attention, as it is dangerous with so much fast traffic on the roads these days.

Many farmers here are eagerly awaiting the advent of the “juice” from Monowai. No doubt it will be a boon on the farms to both man and wife. rt? vurw r.’

There is a greater area under wheat and oats than last year, but only a quarter of what was in during 1921 and 1922. We all have fair crops and the rain on Sunday laid some of them badly. Mrs Baird has a nice erop of autumn oats, and it looks well in the stook. Smut is very bad in oats and wheat this year. The ryegrass kept for seed is all in the stook or stack now, and the yield should be good, as we have had no winds to shake the seed out. There has been a greater area kept this year than usual and it is to be hoped that our merchants will be able to find a market for it, at a payable price.

The turnip crops are very good this year and there should be no trouble to winter our stock. Lamb feed has suffered on account of the dry weather, and there were many thankful hearts last Sunday morning to hear the rain rattling on the roof. Mr Mcßean has erected half a mile of a road fence and his posts, strainer posts and stays are all of concrete. He has taken out a patent for a wire fastener to take the place of an ordinary fencing staple, The fence is much admired by all and Mr Mcßean says it costs no more than one erected the old way ; MORTON MAINS, In common with other parts of Southland this district has experienced a very dry season thus far, to the detriment of all root crops, although the cereal crops have not suffered to any. appreciable extent. At the present time the mills are busy threshing grass seed, there being a larger acreage than usual kept for seed purposes. The oat crops have ripened much earlier this season and already quite a number of fields are to be seen in stook and to judge from appearances should return a yield of from 40 to 60 bushels per acre. As a rule very little of the oat crop grown here reaches the local markets, as the majority of the farmers content themselves with growing as much as will supply their own requirements. Very little wheat has been grown here this season in comparison with former years. Nevertheless, there are some good fields of wheat to be seen, notably the autumn sown, which is ripening much earlier than the spring sown wheat. There has been a large acreage sown in turnips, chou moeliier and rape for autumn and winter feeding, and the strikes of the different root crops are of a variable description. While some yields have come away nicely, others can only be described as patchy, and also one hears bitter complaints of the effects of clubroot among the early sown turnip crop®.

Feed has been plentiful so far and all stock is looking well. Some good drafts of fat lambs have been sent to the freeser off their ftottm The dairy mion thrwtens to be a short one, as the milk supply has fallen off very considerably owing to the dry weather. FORTIFICATION. Despite the dry weather, prospects in this district are fairly good. The oat crops are just turning colour now, and have turned out very well indeed, as they are ripening in the normal way, and not drying up without being half filled, as appears to have been the case in some districts. There are a few very heavy crops but the area is not large, as farmers in this district seldom grow a great deal more than their own requirements. The early turnip crops have also done well, and in some instances lambs have been put on the rape already. 'Hie dry weather is, however, very hard on the late sown turnips, and unless a good rain comes soon one or two crops which were sown vey late may not do very well. i There should, however, be ample feed to carry through in this district. The grass is standing the dry season very well, the small showers seemingly having been sufficient to keep it from drying up very much, and all classes of stock are in excellent condition. A few lines of fat iambs have, I believe, been sent from this district at remunerative prices, and several have sold their lambs in a line off the mothers at up to 27/- per head, and these should be fairly reasonable, as they are well grown lambs in forward condition.