Agricultural Notes.

[By a Practical Farmer.] So complete the change ot climito during the past fortnight, and such has been the steady continuation of tbe magnificont seed weither, that, before thate notes are out tf the hands of the printer to-morrow afternoon, I expect to be told by some smart men tbat " tbay are a' in." There is never any fear of . thes] active sort of fellows being tikoa hindmost by the proverbial agency. Nay, they will rather tell you a— wh»t d'ya oall ? That tbe most has been made of the f worablo season does not reqnire to be stated here, for the " backbone of the country," unliko tojrnbred money makers and Civil servants, ni.ver require tbe whistle of the eight o'clock train to make them stir their shanks, nor the stroke of five to let them away to their steak and onions and evening paper. We all know that some men s?ngle-hinded and alone cm plough, sow and barrow a marvellous number of acres in a season ; we all believe the number of acres quoted to be correct, and tha measurement thereof not to bo too email. We all believe that every one of tb.3 numerous acres boasted about has been well ploughed and ploughed in good condition, and tint tbe narrowing is not m jroly a surface scrape, in " a lick and a promise" sort of style; but we want something even more authentic than Saturday yarns to pin our faith to, and if any of my correspondents and critics will write me a not? of superabundant extents, done in extra little time, and any tall circumstances they can pick tip, I shall only bo too glad to let tho world know that Southland boys can plough at tha trot and barrow at a ranter. Taking the district all through, two thirds , of the oat crop has been sown up to tbii date, leavinp the remainder to bo ploughed, worked down and sown. So the corn-box, collars and boot. leather cm, without tha aid of spectacles, see a fair amount of ex? orcise in view between now and any holiday or half-holiday til the occasion of the Horse Parade, and then. Tbe arrears of work, though considerable, are by no msans hopeless, for with a suitable force and some engineering between the wet and the dry, a continuance of good weither will allow modern appliance* of Massey Hirria, Dun-an. etc , to mako mould to please a judge. The early sown p'.ota will ba showing green imraedia'ely, and even now ilka blade bogins to kop its am drap o' dew in tbe early morning. , How are your poor feet, you boys who have '. been pounding clods for a forln'ght ? Mine are in a blue funk, I know. I chucked up my It9iil and G'-ay dead-weights ten days aeo, and on with a pur of twoyeir-old Engluh-raado goods of lighter build and as • much durability, and on Siturdiy when I went to purchase a new pair of tbe .lime was told 16i is the money, and of that Mr Ward takes it as 31 present to the Gjre bootmakers and merchants. Vory good, but surely if my i -jIUw stibj set in E.agland takes in free all the mutton and grain and skins and leather I ran send him, might not I in return be allowed to tiko on the same, terms the coat 8 and boots and shirts he is anxious to s-snd me. Taxes on luxuries we can understand, taxes on common necessaries ara worse to get the hang of. Wnnt to one rain is a luxury is a daily necessary to his neighbor, and for all tho kick-up made about taxes on tea and fruit, I don't beliove the 1 farming population bother their brains on tho snbj at No doubt tbey all bil tho billy and drink tea as well as other people, but they are such a scattered lot nobody ; pays any attention to their growling, even ' though th 'y may try it op. When a candijj'xte for a northern constituency m\ny year 3 ago \v±s asked by a weaver if he wo ild abolish the duty on tea, he replied, •• Stip you plenty o ; pvritch ray ml'n; they're quid enough for ye"; and so Ipbg as Mr Ward doesn't go fir my oatmea', kail and 'tatiei, ho can do with tbe fruit and tea and physio as he likes ; a cog 0' puritch is " good enough" fjr me.

With pleasure do I notice that whelher wilh their will, or aeainst it (mostly tha latter, I believe), the Government has knocked on thn head the binder twine duty, tho proposed LIOO on traction engines, tha duty on plain and barb fencing wire ; and has eased off patnt, cartridges, etc., all stops in the ri>:ht direction even though Mr Olu'ha Blaekar.zio did forco them forward. Though wines, spirits, boor, and such are loft virtually as thoy wore— nobody will comp'atn. Tua Government must have money, and where can t];(jv pick up the nice annual amount of L440.0&H hah'diar. Does anyone dispute my fipuris? Hflre they are from a Government paper of 1895 :— Si.irjts £$37,247 Wino... /. ... 28,*12 A'e and beer ... ... J. 5 9il) Now Z^land beer ,"„ Wmi Of sundry othor luxuries such as_ tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, and tho liko, consideration is noither wanted nor required, and may be disposed of as the M.l\ above quoted did when asked by a collier if he would sot tho duty off tobacco and snuff: "N), I'll do nothing of tbe sort, but I'll vote for tho duty off soap to let you dirty deovils gat your faces washed." TgE Jrfon. McKenzie's open threit during this w.esk tkajb in view of tariff reductions forced on thswfbey ypuj^ " increiso the taxation on land, and he knew q. cay t£ do it," wil', to a certainty, be heard < t fatei 1 on. I am quite aware that it is bad philosophy to prophesy unless you know, but, nevertheless, I can't help thinking that a blind man might ccc how tlie hor.orable fientlpnian cm work the oracle The thing la 'as plain aa a p'ke-staff, reduce the 1.3300 c'x 1 the roaujred point, and, pru-10, youiiave'it'.' 'ilid ; ?^injii,er fa «?ise pnough not to aay that such is his i lauilab'b inieijtjion : he is too old a sparrow for straight, plaiii t»lk, such as I indulge in, but that our John's generalship will assumo the «hapo ia-Jlcatod I have not th? sha-iow ot a doubt, and then the f.irmer supporters of tho Government will havo timo to eppreciate the developments which thoy might have expected when the Act was recently passed by tbe party Jjbw jn power.

Is addition io tj;i etatsment about land taxation, readers of th"e"hflvf nanera ivill t>ko notice of tho Stock Act 4.wen/imßn{; &ill, introduced this week by tho narao Mimstoi' to amond his own measure not yot tliroe years o'd. Hore wa are now threatched I with the compulsory slaughter. «i hoot { compensation, of all ani'mils which in the . oiiii'ipn of the in.yiecfor are affected by t 1 ., aeiiino.Tjycosis, trichinosis, tuberculosis (bo)'? ' Moses ) much learning makes ua I marl) pleufo paßgijionia and rinrterpest" : ] even "catarrh" or col.d in tbe hvA and i "mange and soib" are inottidecT^in thb extreme penalty cf the law clause. Should • tbe inspector, in h's wisdom, order to bo

slain an animal which ia found not tohxve been sufferinz from any of tbe scheduled complains, then tho Government in its liberality miy pay tbe owner two thirds of tbe value. And full compensation will only be piid if the inspector ha* ordered to be killed an an animil found not to be affected at all. Then the maximum compensation for horses (stallions included) is to ba Lls, cattle LB, aheep and pigs L 3. Please read the Bill and study it. Like (he Local Bodies Bill, this precious piece of trumpory has been asked fjr by nobody, and wh\t can be the object of slaughtering liorj-g laboring under a cold in the ho^d, or dogs with mange or sheep wi'h scab I'm blessad if I know. Rinderpest is in the s:bedulo. Tha Honorablo John McKqnzio never siw rinderpest, and wouldn't know it if he avu it, but when rinderpest comes from the steppes of K.'is3ia to these shores it will raakn room for itse'f, will need a Bill fur itself, a whole night's sitting for itself, and an Act passed before morning. To class him on the same level as foot - and - mouth - disease is to make tho Hokonui hillocks equ il to Mount Cook.

Some 300 bales of wool, owned by Messrs R. and F. Wallis. loft Goro yesterday by the 4 30 p.m. train, en route for London. It is reported that Ponagby's Rope and Twino Company (Limited) was registered under "Tho Companies Act, 1892," on Saturday last. A special sheep train of 25 waggons from C inton, passed through Gore on Thursday, conveying a fine lot of sheep to Inveroirgill for Messrs Nelson 8.-03. "We understand that there is a probability of the milk-condensing factory at Wallacetown starting again, as negotiations are on foot, which, if successfu', would put tho concern on a permanent basis. A tha Goro Corporation Yards, on Tuesday last, a total of 7185 sheep and 120 head of cattle were yarded. Tho price ruling for sheep was about 2s 1e33 thin at the previous sale. The funeral of the lata George Baird took placo at the Gore cemetery yesterday afternoon. Over 100 persons representing all parts of the district were present and the Rev. P. Rimsay ofii :iatad at ths grave. An exchange states that a proposal is on foot for tho formation of a huge timber company, to include the wholo of the mills in Taranaki, Wellington, Hiwke's Bay, and the West Coasb of the South Island. There will be a sitting of the Magistrates and Warden's Court at Waikaia on 15ih October, another Magistrate having teraporaly appointed to Queenstown, etc., to take over Mr Rawson's work, which Mr Hawkins has recontiy been doing. Tho operation of the Woodlands Dairy Factory Ci, for the past season show a profit of nearly LI 10, and out of which the diroc tors purpose to pay il to milk suppliers, making 3| 1 fjr tho season, and a dividend of 5 per cont. to shareholders. An crsttvkilo denizen of the Flowery Land, yclept Ooea Youn?, a minor at Waikaia, broke his leg on Wednesday through a fall of earth in his claim. Ho was brought into tho township in a curt, whera the local irndico Mr W. H. McLean set the limb. Th 9 estate of F. Sparke, of Greenvale, farmer, docs not quite came up to the dividend mentioned by his solicitor, but it pans out to the extent of 17i in ths L, : not so bad in these days. The dividend is now payable by the assignee in Dunedin. Mr J. A. B rd, who for a quarter of a century, has filed the post of secretary to tho Chriatchurch Chamber of Commerce, has been ob'iged to resign, owiag to failing health. Tbe Ctnmbar voted him twonty-tivo guineas as a mark of thoir appreciation of his sorvicjs. At the Invarcargill Supreme Court on Thursday, tha hearing of criminal cases was continued, Liuisa Violet Poole was sen. tenced to one months' imprisonment fcr performing an illegal operation upon herself, and William B »ker was found " not guilty '» of a charge of setting fire to a stack of oaten sheaves at Arrowtown. Some of the creditors of "Bib " S:ott, th 3 well-knovm wrestler of Gare, who are dissatisfied with tho result of his recent ox amination before tha Deputy Official Assignoe, have saut in a requisition to Mr Rout, asking him to call another meeting, when further information will bo giv.-n as to the debtors actions, and steps taken to have lvm brour.h' btfore tho court for public examination. Mr Clayton has on view at his studio, some excellent photographs of the Gore Cycling Club, taken at the domain last Wednesday afternoon. The pictures are particularly clear and sharp, evjry detail coming out with tbo utmost distinctness. An enlarged picture of tho group is an equally artistic production, and n floats much credit oa the I'hotographer. Ihe National Mortgage and Agency Company, hive decided upon opeiing a branch of thoir business at Gara. Mr Arch A. MacGibbon has bjen appointed manager, and assumes control on the Ist pros. Tho Company has always done good business in the district, and tho pressnee of a manager on tho spot, will no doubt lead to its extension. At tha meeting of the Clutha Presbytery held last week, the following minute was drafted and adopted :— The Presbytery having heard cf the death of Mr Gilbert, missionary of Lovells Flat, tha oldest missionary in connection with the church, desires to express its appreciation of his long and Eaittful service, and deep sympathy with the >;'jdow and fimily under their sudden bereavement. The Dunedin Horse lurid e was held on Thursday Ust. tha number of entries being as follows :— Clydesdale stallions 31 ; ditto marcs 1 ; carriage and trotting stallions IS ; thoroughbreds 0 ; ponies 1, After tho parade, M sara Wright Stevensin and Co., aild on account of the cxeeu'org of the late Robert Mtcaulay, the well known draught entire Wallace, to Mr Alex Douglas of Riccarton, for 155.r5. Young Marquis was sold Vy order of tb i Registrar cf the Supremo Court, fetching 40^8, and the brood mare Rise, was secured by Mrßjbert Charters at 53 ,-s. Tho thoroughbred on tire, Lard Wulscy, also sold under powor of bill of sile, fetched 20,9. These were all tho sales effected, though GO jioracs wore submitted. Amongst those passed in, werp the well-known district horses, Brimp Minister (tyr .JFis. Young sin.'s)} £*c-Bng R. 'former (M« Isibort Aliison's), for whioh a bid of tikw. was re r oaived, and Yjung Lird Lyon "(Mr W. Me? R : tchie's), pass din at 100/ a. Tho last named horse, howevar, was subsequently sold privately to Mr Jjhn Trestrail. Mr George Marshall, of Gire, purchased the coaching stallion, Texas (sire Berlin), and Mr Felix ONo'l, of Goro, secured the carriage stallion Taiaroi, sired by Tubal Cain. The National Mortgage and Agency Company have received the following c*bla adyice from their London office ; — " Wool sales opsncS a ( t average advance of 15 per cent, on closing rates o( laot gorges." Mr T. Tilson has added another stallion to bis stud. Last Tuesday Mr Tilson brought to Gore the handsome grey trotting stallion Fleetwoo 1 Abdallab, who is a_aon of the fam ma siro Blackwo.od Abdallab. breeders oi clock will be plnased to Irarn that ' J?ieetwood Abdallab. wtJI travel tho distriut of which Goro is the centre, flia horss caused a good deal of attention in Goro yesterday while in harness. He is a goer of no moan order. Messrs Lyon and Duncan, of tho Southland B bio Depository, Invercargiil, have opened a branch at Goro, in tho premises lately occupied by Mrs McL'skoy, Main atroot. In addition to a very complete stock "pt *Jjo'oij|.s, stationary, etc, the firm iotond going in very tersely for J.'an«y goods and school requisites if all descriptions. "B;iog in direct communication with tba publishers at Home, Messrs Lvon and Duncan are In a position to obtain ths latest literature almost simultaneously with large importers in th) principal cities. Mr Lyon is in charge 'cf the Gore branch, and the stock will amply repay aq inspection.

I At tho Invercargill Supreme Court yesterday, John Roie was charged with attempting to murder Wm. John Kissel, and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. Waimnmu Road Board, concert and dance at Croydon, ball at Mimibau, ball at Riversdale, concert and dance at Fukerau, and entert&ionnnt at Wyndlnm, was not a bad district record for yesterday. The Rjv. W. Tinsley has given his popular limelight entertainment at EJendale, Fine Bash, Fortrose, Tokon«i and Wyodbam during tha week. Thare were capital audieoceaon etch occasions, and last night at Wyndham the ball was packed. Wo are sorry to havo to chronic'elthe death of another cf tho old settlers oE the districtMr Lawerence Gillespie, of Knapdale— which occurred rather unexpectedly yesterday. Mr Gillaspie had been unwell for a weok or two, suffering from th» prevailing influenza, which suddenly turned to congestion of the lungs, which he was unable to overcome. Toe late Mr Gillespie was born at Kinkirdine, on the Fort'i (Perthshire), and, when very youn?, left home and went to sea. After sojourning in Auat'alia for soma eight or nine years he want to the Old Country and was mirriod. Hi bad been eUgaged in station work am? agricultural pursuits in Australia, and, liking the life, came out to New Z jaUnd some 24 years apo, and settled on Inch Clutlia, whore be worked a small farm fjr about eight years, when (17 years ago) the Knapdale country being nowly opened, he took up a section there, aud has remained there since. Mr Gillespie leaves a wife and f amily of six (nearly all grown up) to mourn their loss. Ho was widely respected throughout the district, and his sudden death will come as a shock to his many friends. Brewer and Trembath notify bargains in harness, etc. Five-roomed house in Gore wanted. Pukorau Railway Hotol — Owen Kelly, proprietor. First-class accommodation. D. Cunninpham, carp-nter and wheelwripht, Pukerau, inserts a business notice. I. S. Simson Bella tha equity of a Hokonui farm on Saturday next. Gore A and P. Association's Horsa pirade on Saturday. October 12 Funeral of the late Lawrence G.lleapie on Monday. Gespel meeting in the Gore Domain tcmorrow. An angling outfit notified for sile. T«ndo-s wanted for repairs and painting at Waikaka Vallry school. - Arch. A McOibbon sells stock at Mataura on 10 h p:-ox. Fourth quarter commences »t Albany Streat Private School on Monday. American trotting stallion Elector travels batweon Waikaia and Otara. Grand display of millinery at tha Granite House, Gore. Vsq Clements Tonic.