Notes for Farmers.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5272, 31 May 1895, Page 4

Notes for Farmers.

The recent rains have interrupted faim work and been a disappointment to the farmers who have lately made np their mind to bow wheat. On well-drained land work has already been resumed, but on heavy soils a few fine days are wanted. Another fall of snow has been experienced :la the r nges, and is probably destined to remain on the hills until spring. Our Ashburton correspondent writes -.— The improvement in the wheat market haß been so great that farmers, although many of them are not participating in the benefit themselves, are decidedly more cheerful. Wheat has gone on steadily rising, and has now reached the respectable figure of 3s, at which price a large line has been, sold during the week at LaurUton. Owing to the improved price farmers are making great efforts to pnt a considerably increased quantity of land into wheat this year. There is already a large amount of land sown or ready for eowsng, and if the weather had kept fine a great deal of wheat would have been sown during the present week. The heavy rain on Sunday gave everything a thorough soaking, and it will be some- time before the land will bo fit to work again. The delivery into trucks of a considerable qpantity of the grain sold by auction re-

';/;'■ oently, has given the town quite a lively ',:' appearance during the week, and will help v,- ; : - to increaae the railway returns for- this ;%V^onthV'V" ' 10 „ Latest reports respecting the North Otago confirm the previous ioforma- ; ?>^tionw3at the yield is very light, some of ,iand. producing less than half the p£- weight; that whb expected fromit. This, f^ and the failure of much of the North ;v Island crop, justifies holders in being firm | ; , *& their demands. r " ' The Australasian says that there- is a " ationg impression prevailing among the •; ■ >j growers of potatoes in the western district that the price will improve considerably before the end of the year. It is said that there is nothing like the quantity of potatoes in the Warrnambool district. that is generally supposed. A considerable portion of the season's yield has been fed to cows, which has hitherto been considered a more profitable way of disposing of them than Belling at the market prices* In view. of New Zealand's position it will be interesting to note (says a contemporary) how the Argentine, now. the greyest wheat-producing country ia the -world (sic), is driving this and the adjoining colonies out of tho market. Giving evidence before the British Royal Commission 6n Agriculture recently, Mr D. J< Brett, a nch-owner in the province of Santa Fe\ stated that he had been in Argentina thirty-five years, and has had lone experience in agriculture and stock-raising in that country. "The colonists as a body were a hard-working community. They laboured over sixteen and seventeen hours daily, including Sondays. The women worked on. the land,and the children drove the ploughs-, as soon bb they were old enough. The soil was easily worked, and no manuring was neeeosary. As regarded the cost of production, the Italian coloniat could grow wheat to be sold on his farm at a price equivalent, at the present rate of exchange, to lls per quarter, and he would gain more by doing this than as a wage earner in the Republic. Twenty shillings a quarter in London would encourage the extension of wheat growing in the Bepnblic under present conditions.*' The quantity of meat thrown into the Atlantio every year is greater than most : people imagine. The 185 cargoes of animals imported from Canada last year to Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool, London and Southampton comprised 61,092 head of cattle, 61,382 sheep and 75 piga. Of these, 658 head of cattle, 1170 sheep and one pig were thrown overboard during the voyage, fifty-nine sheep and 116 cattle were dead, and 22 cattle and 211 sheep had to be .slaughtered at the place of landing owing to the injuries received in transit. From the United States . there were imported last year to the ports of Bristol, Glasgow, Hull, Liverpool, : Southampton, South Sliielda and London 432 cargoes, consisting of 138,661 head of cattle, 30,317 sheep and 17 ; pigs, Of these ■'■; 1517 cattle and 857 Bhaep were thrown .:■■' . overboard during the voyage, while 57 cattle and 49 sheep were landed dead, and 35 cattle and 49 sheep were so much injured them it was found necessary to slaughter that on landing. Thus 4856 animals were thrown overboard during the year, 281 were landed dead, and 317 wer9 so much injured that they had to be killed on landing, , : Mr J. J. Wilson, of Melbourne, who is connected with the well-known Wilson : firm of linen manufacturers in Belfast, and is interesting himself in (be establishment of the flax industry in Victoria, informs the Leader that last season a flax grower in the County Antrim procured from leas than two acres of land 10D stones . of fibre, for which he obtained from a Belfast spinner 16a per stone, or a total amount of .£BO from hiß two acres. So fine was the fibre thai; it was spun into thread estimated as sufficient in length to encompass the globe. Mr J. A.Learmontb, Corea, Dunkeld, """informs the Australasian that a bale of Ccrea lambs' wool, hot water washed, sold ia London, February sales, 1893, at x ,. 4a o<}d per pound. The bale weighed i ' 3361 b, and realised the sum of .£67 18a. If any other grower can show a higher return our contemporary will be glad to hear of it. The following inatanea of tha hardihood of the Scottish Highland sheep ia given in the Scottish Farmer : — " A blackfaca wether sheep, three yearß old, belonging to Mr John Sherlock, Gold Hill, County Durham*, was overblown with snow during one of the Btormy days of January last, and rek mainod so covered for forty-four days. t When recovered the sheep was under three £; feet of saow. It had eaten up every piece !< of heather and grass possible to get, and the ground all around was completely bare. The sheep had also eaten all the wool off the right buttock, and cropped the wool short along tho right Bide and part of , the belly. Although very weak when taken oat frsm amongst, the snow, the animal is now gsing on well."