ON THE LAND

Southland Times, Issue 20172, 7 May 1927, Page 7

ON THE LAND

THE WINTER SPELL SEASON’S ACTIVITIES SLACKEN PREPARING FOR THE “RECESS” The farmers* “recess” is not far re* moved, and every day sees the men on the land finalise important seasonal work. From now on activities on the farms will be less exacting than during the arduous months of the “profit” seasons, although the progressive man will be looking to many jobbing occupations with which to employ his time. Work on almost every farm has undergone a decided easing of late, and the farmer is making preparations for early winter tasks. There is always something to demand his earnest consideration and attention for the ravages of time, rust —and neglect—exact heavy toll. Late autumn and early winter may be “quiet” in comparison with the stress and bustle of the harvesting period, but it is rarely “slack.” There are many directions in which the farmer can busy himself and, of course, he must organise his own operations according to the most urgent demands of his estate. THATCHING STACKS. Since the bulk of the harvest has been garnered, many farmers are busying themselves in the direction of making their stacks secure for the winter months. Recognising that rain and frost play considerable havoc with a stack that is not suitably finished, they are ensuring against the posability of loss by thatching. Good thatching will often prevent considerable deterioration of sheaves resulting from ingress of the elements, and generally speaking there is an abundance of thatching material on the farm or close at hand. DAIRYING. Dairymen are becoming loss busy ns the days pass, and the herds are now being dried off in preparation for their winter vacation. Factory intakes are receding rapidly and in many cases the day of closing is not very far distant. The end of the present month should witness a number suspending operations for the season, while it is reasonably certain that the season will be well over by the end of June. The satisfactory position in regard to feed is reflected in good conditioned stock, and cattle will commence the winter under promising auspices. There is nothing to raise the fear that herds will not come through the months ahead in anything but favourable condition in which to start the new season. THE FREEZING INDUSTRY. The Makarewa Freezing Works are being kept busy just now, and heavy drafts of lambs continue to come forward. To date the record" of killings is equal to last year’s and there is no reason to believe that when the works finally close the tally will be below that established a year ago. There is, however, a possibility of the season closing a little earlier than usual. In many instances rape crops are now well cleaned out, and farmers are getting on to their last drafts, while the percentage of primes is showing signs of decreasing. For the time of the year, however, the lambs are killing out quite satisfactorily. Farmers are beginning to clear up in anticipation of the • end of the season, and it is stated that in many cases ewe lambs originally intended for breeding are being put out to fatten. The position in regard to feed is very favourable although the weather has not been all that could be desired, and it seems that the attraction thus offered of getting more lambs away fat has been stronger than earlier good resolutions in respect to the retention of the ewe lambs.

EXCURSION TO LINCOLN. Details concerning dates, faros, time-table and availability of tickets in connection with the forthcoming farmers’ excursion to Christchurch will be shortly advertised, the Railway Department and the Department of Agriculture having been in close co-opera-tion with the Farmers’ Union of late in finalising arrangement* for the journey. The Railway Department has made arrangements for the sale of tickets through the agency of the union, while instructions have been given for the issue of tickets from flag stations, and which will be available on the Monday immediately preceding the excursion and also on morning trains of Tuesday, May 17. The excursion tickets issued from officered stations will also lx? available on branch lines on Monday, May 16. Thus those farmers on branch lines will be able to connect at the centres by travelling on ordinary trains and those on the main line by travelling on the 6.15 a.m. train from Invercargill from flag stations to the stopping points of the excursion train. The excursion extends from Tuesday, May 17, until Friday, May 20 (inclusive). The train is timed to leave Winton at 6.15 a.m., Invercargill at 7.15 a.m., and Gore at 8.38 a.m., with stops at the main intervening stations, arriving at Christchurch at 8.21 p.m. The Fields and Dairy Divisions of the Department of Agriculture have provided for demonstrations of their respective activities, and an officer of the Stock Division will also be in attendance, so that the time spent in travelling should be profitably occupied. The union executive has been advised that the Lincoln College authorities are now making arrangements for the reception of the excursionists on May 19, and a full day will be spent there as the guests of the college, luncheon being provided free. FOOTROT IN SHEEP. The nature of the weather over the last month or so has been such that the likelihood of sheep incurring footrot has been greatly increased. Southland abounds in low lying heavy lands on which sheep are especially susceptible to the trouble, and there is not wanting evidence that it has a fairly extensive hold in parts of the province. It has been stated that footrot constitutes a far greater problem than does the dreaded renal congestion which takes such heavy toll of Southland lambs, this by reason of the fact that congestion is only a seasonal complaint whereas footrot is with us always, but in any case too much cannot be done to check its spread or eradicate it altogether. Footbaths are commend* ed by the Department of Agriculture both as a preventive and curative measure, and information on this point is given in today’s farm page, but the necessity for repeated treatment at convenient intervals cannot be too strongly emphasised. LAMB FOR UNITED KINGDOM. In to-day’s advertising columns appear full particulars concerning the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board scheme for delivering single carcases of prime New Zealand lamb to addresses in the United Kingdom, and the news will doubtlessly be welcomed that this well-known and deservedly popular innovation is not confined to the Christmas and Easter seasons. Lambs will now be delivered on any date desired by the donors. Up to the present time as many as 10,000 lambs have been delivered under this arrangement, and these have gone to all parts of the Old Country, finding their way into the tiniest village and hamlets, and generally to places where New Zealand lamb was previously unknown. It is held that by virtue of this scheme new customers have been continually created for New Zealand produce, while a further factor in making thus form of advertisement of such practical value is that the recipients are assured of getting genuine New Zealand lamb of the primest quality.