JOTTINGS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14393, 7 January 1911, Page 3 (Supplement)

JOTTINGS.

The interim return., of the estimated areas under certain crops in the Dominion, recently published in the "Gazette," and reprinted ill the "Herald," the other day, were scanned with interest by most 'farmers. The area under wheat is-set down at 274,533 acres. It is difficult to estimate the yield, but it cannot be more than 25 bushels per acre. This works out at 6,863,325 bushels. It requires about 6,000,000 bushels to feed our popula- ' tion, probably a little more, and a, good half million bushels is required for soed purposes. Chick feed will also be required. It will be. seen therefore, that there will very probably be no surplus above our own requirements. There will be a carry-over from last season, mostly, I fanc-y, fairly good wheat, because the bulk of the damaged stuff has been shipped away, or has been absorbed for fowl feed. A certn ; n proportion of this carry-over will be required for mixing purposes. I notice that the wheat, oats and barley harvest in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and .Alberta. amounted to 270 bnshfls. a de-rense of 87. £-'jl:on bnrh?k on ]«st year's crop.

It is probable that tho estimated acreage iu wheat given by „tho Agricultural Department, will be above the actual for threshing purposes. That estimate was given as on October 20th last. Since then the dry weather has spoiled some crops. In < some cases stock was turned in, and in others the wheat will bo used for chaffing purposes. Potatoes all over Soutli Canterbury are looking exceptionally well, in spite of the dry weather. Early blight lias made its appearance, but it docs not generally do much harm. Tho Irish blight will not be due till about February. It is to bo hoped that it will hot db much damage. The crops are much earlier than usual this season, and that should help them a good deal, Hessian fly has made its appearance in some crops, doing its worst damage among.-the thin crops* A writo has the following:—"lt always seems to me that the farmer, when he sows his seed, whether he be oonscious of it or not, is performing an act of faith. With all the winter to come, the fields to be bound with the-iron of the frost, covered with snow, swamped with flood water j with all the risks of disease—rust, bunt, smut, mildew and tho like—of Hessian fly, wireworm' and other pests; with weeds to fight down; with rooks waiting to purloin the seed directly it is put- into tho ground, and sparrows eager to raid the ears as sooon as they jtfb ripe to their liking; and with tho hazard of tho weather the whole way through till the last load is home; — with all these influences against him he goes out to sow, and verily he may sometimes despair of the results." At a rneeting of threshing machine proprietors, held at Leeston on Friday, it was resolved that the cook's wages should be paid by the men, under the co-operative system, as in previous : years. The price of threshing was 1 fixed as follows: —Stook threshing, wheat and barley 31d per bushel, oats 3d per buslic-l; all stack threshing, 3d per bushel; hour threshing, grain 22s Gd per hour; grass seed threshing in season, 18s 6d per hour; grass seed threshing in grain season, with full complement of men, 22s 6a per hour. Speaking to a friend, who was recently on a sheep station in Hawke's Bay, I heard of rather an unusual occurrence, writes a ' contributor to the /' Weekly Press." He said that one of the shepherds on the place had occasion to tie up his sheep dog to a fence-aiid leave it there for a time while its owner went away to do some iob or other; When lie returned he ictihd his. unfortunate dog nearly at its last gasp aud fighting feebly against the attacks of a big fiwarm of bees. Tlie dog's owner had a hard task to get tho poor brute rescued from the bees, and though he ultimately did manage to do it, yet the. animal sUc- / cumbed to the horrible stinging it had received, and died within an hour or so. Another queer thing that happalleded in the same district was this. A pony mar© had a foal in a paddock ,on the fetation; there was another hack mare in the paddock with the mare and foalj and when the owner wont round to .see them some days later lie fcUhd the dry mare had taken forcible possession of the foal and was keeping "the mother off and not allowing her to go near her offspring. Evidently the dry mare had been at the game for a " good long time, for the poor little foal was just about dying'from starvation, and ultimately did die, although all the time its anxious mother was ready and. eager to take charge of it.