FARM NOTES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13637, 16 April 1908, Page 7

FARM NOTES.

An Ashburton lariner, on being r-hO'I why fanners were not at present anxious to buy shee t ). said that, although the feed was growing sulendidiv. and farmers generally were undorsto< ked, the experience they h;ul had ir. f';:i,K;r years with ropu'd to ov< r^toc-kin^ had taught them a 1.-^on tliat w(»uLl not !io readily forgotten. The gentlemen c f bro.id acre.-, and many wool bales ure generally i\ pro•>ejited as living at a o.vell clni) in town, ;md vainly endeavouring to spend the enormous proftu from their sheep &iations, says the Polorus Guardian. Sonic of the woolgrowers will tel you Lhat this picture is "grossly exaggerated," and that their struggle for a crust with jam on Sundays, lasts for sixteen hours a day from January to December. That the business is ivA all chat fancy paints it is proved by a settler in the Mahakipawa Valley. r !his gentleman sent a fairly largo consignment of locks and pieces to Wellington, and the lot realised one penny per pound — the total receipts amounting \.o exactly £2 less than the fanner bad paid to have -the consignment picked over and baled. AVriting recently of the butter boom, Messrs AVeddol and Co. reported : "As soon as the upward panic spent itself, then sellers I ocamo in tooted and completely 'lost their heads,' and are now going about virtually ofiering their •miter at any price the buyer will give. From selling Australian and New Zeaiand last week at 1 o()s per e\\L, they descended i<> offering at 110s to 1 J (>■> to-day, a fail of 37s per cwt. in a week ! The present danger is that the trade should still overlook the very fact that bought about the, recent crisis. The shortage of su])])lios still continues, and •a ill continue. For February up to date, the deficiency in Colonial arrivals is 2. ".'34 tons below the same period last February, and in March then* will be a deficiency of about 1,100 tons. The high prices of the hint tew weeks have drawn increased supplies from the Continent and from America, but the col-lap.-o will stop this movement and it will kill the Margarine."

As nearly as can be gauged tro;;; the reti/."ns already to hand (the Oamaru Mail says), the average wheat yiel 1 for t*/io North Otago Di.itri.ct will be the North Otago district will be about thirty-two bushels an acre. This is slightly loss than nm estimated early in the season. The crops bear out the opinion formed by ni'any, that the drought woujd materially affect the grain weight of hoemingly Ilouri'-liinj. 1 arc>as.

Th'< Hnwke's Bay Mutual of ihr Karmer.s' I'nion has broken away frori the general policy of the I" n ions' mutuals !>v reducing its premium to five -,hil-j lings. The directors give as their reason for adopting this low rate thnl the whole idea of the mutual boiii". cheap insurance they only require ;m; m (ho form of premiums sufficient to pay current expenses; in the event of loss insurers can lie called upon to contribute iheir pro rata share. It is only fair to point out that ihe reason other muiuals have fixed such a premium as will enable them to build up a reserve is becau^iof ihe great difficulty that would probably be encountered in collect im; (he pro rat a payments were there no ihovision for meeting claims lull a cril on members.

A fifty-acre section recently sold a I the "1 1 irstlands"' sale has oh :> lined hands at a rise of £'.) 10s per acre, says the Haw era Star.

The n,u;)?ithv of will* being deliwrodi at the KaupoKonui dairy faclorv has so far not shown any npmcciiihlo drop compared with the. .supply since the recovery from the, dry boson took place (says the Wituo-is). Before, the dry weather set in the quantity totalled 28001 b, ihe continuance of the dry months .sent it down to 23001 b, and for HOinn time now it hap. kept in ihc vicinity of 260011). It is nrobablo thai the directors will decide to revert t;) but-ter-making at an early date.