SOUTHLAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10768, 14 May 1913, Page 2

SOUTHLAND.

! [FROM OXTR COBRESPONDKNT.] . INVERCARGILL, May 8. we have suffered ton days of the Hreariest of weather, having had scarcely ij'a glimpse of the sun, but instead rain in more or less copious quantities. It shows no signs of taking up either, bis as the Government meteorologist Erfedicts'a sharp frost to-night wo are ring in hopes of an improvement. As cas. be readily imagined, the country is Sin an unpleasant sloppy condition, ajjsd the roads are almost as bad. Farmers are ; of course, quite unable to dq, anything in the direction of preparing their land for spring sowing, and are consequently not in a very amiable mood. |)n Tuesday there was shipped by the Warrimoo 2878 crates of cheese, all of■■: which is going forward to London with, the fSeeption of 143 crates, its destinatKU being a West Coast port. The bujk of the shipment was mad© up by th£ Edendale, Mataura, Island and Seaward Downs factories. The total shipment? to date are 76.650 crates, all of-'which will find their way on to the London market excepting 10,104 crates which have been consigned to West Coast ports of the United Kingdom. Laist year's shipments to the same period aggregate 77,542 crates —a decrease or 992 crates but as compared with the. 1910-11 season an increase of 79'43 crates.

Thus the " Wyndham Farmer"— The news was recently conveyed in these columns, to the effect that at.a recent meeting of the Wyndhani Dairy Factory Company, it was announced that negotiations were in development for. the establishment of the sugar of milk manufacture in this district. This movement has lately been matured and we/ are therefore now in a position to grtte fuller information regarding this interesting and important scheme. Wa learn that the promoters have arranged to .'erect a 50-h.p. engine at each of the factories in the combined Wyndhani Edendale districts to drive plants for the concentration of whey, i.e., reducing the bulk of eyery 101b whey into that of lib. It will then be conveyed

to the main fnctory to be erected at Edondale (headquarters) and there receive its final treatment and conversion into sugar of milk. For such purpose a 200-h.p. engine will be put in at Edondale with plant on a proportionate scale. To convey the concentrated whey from the out factories to Edendalo a powerful steam tractor will be utilised; this big packet will also be used for carrying the necessary supplies of fuel to the several out factories. It is estimated that tho capital that is being merged into this enterprise will run Avell into five figures. The grain returns as given by the railway authorities make interesting reading. To date an aggregate of 158,147 sacks have been carried over the Southland railways, as against 153,807 sacks in 1912. There has been a decided shrinkage in the returns of last week, the figures being 24,340 sacks, as compared with 51,862 sacks last year. The figures to date, however, offer no criterion as to the yield. It has to be remembered that the harvest this year was several weeks earlier than that of last year. It will probably be found that the receipts will before lon» show a pronounced falling off. It should be borne in mind, also, that the railway returns embrace practically everything in the nature of farm produce, so that their figures are of little value in attempting to arrive at the yield of any particular seed or cereal, or the quantity of chaff placed on the market. The oat market is rather flat just now and prices have come back quite a penny within the last fortnight. Canterbury growers seem to be more inclined to accept current rates than are farmers in this province, consequently buyers up there have been securing the bulk of the trade with the North Island at lower prices than tho local sellers have been able to compete against. It is still a hard matter to persuade farmers here to accept what is offering; a great many have elected to store in the hope of a rise shortly. Our oats so far are of very fair quality, few damaged samples having been on offer. A Gartons to-day are worth up to 2s on trucks, B Gartons Is Hid; A Sparrowbills Is ll*d, B Sparrowbills Is lid; Duns 2s, Blacks Is lid, sacks Bd.

Chaff does not interest buyers very much, the outlet being a very restricted one. Prime quality is fetching up to 65s on trucks, bags supplied. The offerings of ryegrass now are insignificant, and merchants do not display any anxiety to buy. Good lots of heavy, clean seed fetch up to 3s on trucks, sacks extra.

The hemp market is very sick and there is " nothing doing." _ Few of the millers are in the position to submit further lots, having contracted up to the end of the season. London offers to-day equal £2l for fair grade on trncks, good fair £23 10s to £24 10s, common £l9 on trucks. Tow, in sympathy with fibre, has slumped also, No. 3 grade being worth only £4 10s to £5 on trucks.