AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

In Miss Ormerod's report-on injurious insects whose depredations during the year 1895. in tKe United Kingdom were especially complained of ■ ■by farmers and gardeners, ian~ interesting .point bears on the effect of cold on these pests. 'Miss . Ormerod found that, so far as she could judge [ from the reports sent her during the yoar, in,' no case was there evidence to '.show that presence of iniect infection was 'lessened by the •severe cold in the «arly part of the year. '.The. soil was so frost-bonnd that it could not ' be , ploughed up, and as a consequence the insects were frozen up in -it, -and were not exposed to frost as they would have been if the ground had been turned tip. The appearance of some of the crop or fruit infest <tions was retarded until they were'thawed into active 'life in 'their lurking places, or thfl surface of the ground was sufficiently soft to allow them freedom, but beyond this 'Miss Ortnarod did not find any direot effect on insect jiresenca from'the cold. Indirect effect there certainly was, but this was attributable to the tendency to inorease the number of insects, or 'the injury oau3e'd by them, from various causes — as, for example, sowing of spring corn 'being retarded, and the youi'g plant consequently not having time to' get ah ai before the sewon of attack of its maggot ptsfca ; or, again, as in ones pa»h of Scotland, -whore thesaverereeather.and accompanying galea bore fruit -in the quantities of pine beetles to which broken and.fallen pine boughsand timber afforded .nuriarico. This experience shoirsthat the alternation of frosband rain in reasonable proportion and > degree is inimical, to insect life, -as well as being 'the best for 'the proper preparation of the land. -A meeting of three Ministers for Agriculture, representing -respectively NewJSoutn. ""Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, is aonomted to

be held at Adelaide with the view to establish an Australian trade mark for various product* of importance exported. Victoria is anxious that united action be taken, but if this ib not found possible she wrllacb slone. .Mr Tavernery who will represent that colony at' the confer* ence, says : "It is not an old busing, so far as are concerned, in whioh the Governments suddenly seeks to interfere, but a comparatively new and special trade, "iv which a vast leap in" the .export .figures marks the period of Govern,ment interference as against the older em of private enterprise. And a comparison between 'the. years 1894 and 1895 is worth making as showing how rapidly the trade <iB growing," The following are official figures :— Lamb and mutton— lß94, 409 carcases ; 1895, 46,571 carcases. Increase, 46;162. ' Eggs-1894, '10,937 dozen; 1895, • 23,740 dozen. Increase, 12,81)3 dozen. Game and Poultry-4894, 1350 head ;1895,- 31,590. Increase, 33,243. Fmit-ISSM, 2058 cases; 1895, 11,131 cases. Increase, 9076 cases. Hares — 1891, 306 ; 1695, 11,045. Increase, 10,739. itabbits-1894, 11,700; 1895,488,110. Increase, 476,410. ,Cheesß-1894. 769.5851b ; 1895, 1,008.9261b. la. creaEe, 247,3401b. Butter-1894, 16,97.3,9951b; 1895, 21,965,8321b. Increase, 4,991,8371b. The comparisons in the butber export have been made on the season and not on the calendar year, so that the exports, -whatever: they may be for the last three mouths, will further swell the surplus, -since the exports of 1895are only those for part of the season as com* pared with -the complete season of 1894. Ms Taverner points particularly to what may be called the new articles of trade, such as eggs, .game, ( poultry, hiires, rabbits, and fruit, ' as •ilJusfcrwting rhedifforeace between State exec* ,tiou and private effort. -, A case is reported from Warrnambool, Victoria, of disease being communicated to a man ' from, a cow by inoculation. ;A yonog farmer suffering from an eruption on his cheek con.suited,a decbor, who, upon'inspection, came to . the conclusion thatthe affection looked very much like a disease known to science as actinomycosis, and 'to 'farmers as "lumpy jaw." T?ho patient explained 'that come little time before he had 'been engaged among cattle, *nd one - morning he attended to a cowwhich was suffer* ing from " lumpy jaw." Aftervrardsiie chared himself, and recollected thai he -scratched his face. A veteiinaty surgeon. made a careful microscopic examination of the skin scraped from the eruption on the che.«k by the and found, iv.the prepuce of .the spores peouliar.to "* the- disease, undoubted -evidence of inoculation from the animal to the man. Hitherto, ■ «aya the "Argus, it has been held -that this disease was only communicable through mucous surfaces, such as the lips, .gums, back of throat, and possibly by way of a hollow tooth to 'the bone, as thia is the favourite habitat of tha ' oig*nistn. This is said to be the first case recorded in Australia of direot; inoculation " through the skin, and from '.the bovine to the human species direct. .The patient has been successfully treated, and is now pronouncad to be out of danger. A meeting of the .Committee of the Society ; for Prevention of Cruelfcyi to .Animate was held on the 22nd ult., when, in addition to the usual routine business, <the question of. .dehorning cattle was consioered in .connection with some " remarks 'which 'had appeared in 'the press on^ experiments 'which had . been made, lately in* Southland. As Mb appears to be the opinion o£ the -veterinary .surgeon that the .practice is a_ very painful one if performed, iafter the horns are grown, it was decided to take action .* gainst any perron found committing such cruelty. A complaint having been made to tha society that the trucks used for carrying sheep on theorailways were in aume c*»es too. low, .and that >sheep w.era frequently injured in consequence, -it wan 'resolved to forward the letter, together with «uoh informa* lion as the inspector had been able to obtain on _ the tubjeot-, -to the .Minister for Railways through the traffic naantger. The. Southern Standard understands that Ms 'James -Linton, late 'manager of the Mataura Dairy Factory Company, has issued a writ; against the directors of the company foa wrongful dismissal and breach of contract. Th 9 damages claimed amount to £600. .At a meeting of the Land Board at Hay, New Bouth Wales, Mr James Tyson's Tupra BWion came on for reappraisetnent, and .some remarkable facJs were elicited. The area of the run is 434,577 acres, carrying 79,000 sheep. The profit on wool was ls'4d per head. Stock had depreciated 40 per cent ainoe 1890, and to the same extent. During' 1891 and 1892 they had 'lost £3374 in wool alone. For tha .'last three years the pnflha rhad been -£80CO. T-wenty-i-c>'t'u thousand pounds had beeu spent! ., on rabbit destruction since 1884. The average costrforfive years was-£l9oofor rabbit destruc*Ition »and netting, Babbits, »iuee 1893, had_ co»t £6207. The-averoge net profits for the last" fire years was £1700. "The carrying capacity of the run had depreciated ("from 25 to 30 per cent, through-rabbits. A very successful trial of Mesira P. and , D. Duncan's new patent Springtime. cultivator > and couch eradicator was held on Friday aft - Waikouaiti, in a paddock adjoining the , borough .oaleyards. The .ground operated on was very. hard, and one. mass of couch and sorrel. The -machine was worked to a depth of between 6in and 7in,:*nd brought all couch and Borr<il to the surface, and there was no' ' tendency to choke, the machine clearing itself of all weeds. There was 'a large attendance oE farmers, who expressed themselves as highly" pleased frith the way the implement wenfe through iits work, and .considered ib the best: implement for couoh *nd other weeds that had yot been exhibited in Waikouaiti. Mr J. ft. Duncan, ithe firm'sirepresenfcative, was present! ami booked orders after the trial. The Invercargill Saleyards Company,- for -fcuO first .time, pays a dividend — one of 5 per cent. .The secretary .of the .Gore Farmers' ' Club declares that 'the .yield jof<oats,f or the colony for the past season Jaas been.gcosßlyi exaggerated. ... The Victorian Government vie about to pu6 into practical .operation the provisions of the Beat Sugar Act,. under which State advances may -be. made. A settlor at Hay, "New South Wales, has reported that he. and. his .sons destroyed 30,000 rabbits in four' days, and "that on one occasion he poisoned 16,000 in a night. The Selwyn County -Council have 'granted Nelson ' Bros, a -slaughterhouse license for 'their proposed freezing works atHornby, though the application was .strongly opposedby a nunibpr, of residents in the district. .Messrs Jno. Deans and W. Henderson have been appointed to tepivtent . tho iheepbreedera-of-North ..Canterbury on the N^w ZealandTiocfc Book Council. The Otago Agricultural- andiPftstortl tAnecift* tionVwinter showbill be held in the Gurrisoa Hall on the 10th, 11th, and 12th Juno. 'Ministerslhxre .decid»d f .to plant 1000>acres*ft R»ugaroa 'Plains, Taupo, twith foro*ft trees,) by way of an experiment. It is »a popular cbelief '(says ithe T*r«nak» ■Herald) that the leg/ofm hersa mhzn'Sutitxtca* cannot be repaired. Drs Hosking and DooclMb

- of Ma*terton, however, are at pre3ent.experi- - mentiug with a horse with a fractured leg. They have the leg- set in plaster- of. puru, and Are hopeful that it will mend. The Wellington Agricultural ,and Pastoral ABsocis<tion has decided to adppt the points prizj scheme, and to give few pn'z.s of £50 etch — one for Lincoln*, one for Ayivshirts, and ■ one for beef breed? and fat cattle. The second annual meeting of> eimreaolders of the Riverina (N.S W.) Frozen Meat Company was held in Melbourne on April 17, when the report read showed a very succsssf nl year's transactions, resulting in a balance to tbe credit of the-profib and loss account of £2920. Active operations atr the work* began on the Btn July, 1895, and ended in February, 1896, during which period' 764.138 sheep and lambs were frozen, and'lo4i433'shesp were boiled, down or preßeived. One hundred and fifty carcases- of cattle also were frozen. In moving' tbe* adoption- of the report the* chairman 'claimed th»t the company's- operations" had increased tha value on fully 500,000 fat sheep by at least Is" 6d each and Riverina sheep-farmers had benefited' accordingly, As the balance sheet showed, the polioy of imposing the lowest scale of 'charges current in the colonies had been amply justified. The company h*d demonstrated the feasibility of freezing mutton at inland railway stations- in New- South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria and conveying- it safely to port. , Tbe Lyttelfcon Times' of: the 28%ulfc. says :— "Mr James Little, of Allandale, Waikari,, the well-known breeder of' English}' Leicester sheep, also the founder 1 in this 1 colony of the inbred" •tfalfnred'nbeksbreep, lff^ with- Mis Little,- fora trip to the old country yesterday. Mr and Mrs. Little will' proceed from Lyttelton in the Hauroto to Sydney, where they, frill embark on 'the- Orient liner Oroya. During his stay in the 'old country Mr Little will inspect all the leading'Eugltsb. Leicester flocks with a view of pur- ' chasing some for* himself and' friends. These 'he"will return to New Zealand with towards the .end of the year, andes he will personally suprrintend 4 their shipment and be with them on 1 the journey it' U to be Hoped' that he will have better fortune with 1 them than he hfad on the'occasion of hie last shipment, when the loses were numerous." ■ If further proof bs needed' of the' baneful effects of the. ragwort (tansy) weed on live stock, let us harken (says the Wyndhara Farmer) to the bitter experience of Mr J. J. Meikle, of Mimihau. Mr Meikle informs us that within the l&st 18 months he has lost no leas than nine 1 Koraes — six draughts and' three hacks— by sickness, the sympfoms' being airoifer throughout. He is convinced that the abominable- ragwort, of which there is a profuse < growth in bis locality, js responsible for the serious mortality, as the horse 3 were all affected with characteristics indicative of ragwort-sickness— wasHnff, dizziuea*, and aimless wandering. Perhaps- he will bewilling to forward to Mr Park Govern- rment' veterinarian, luveroargill, full details of this serious affection, as Mr Park is conducting » series- of investigations into the ragwort tronble. * Sume time aga Mr T." D. A. Moffett shipped to the run he holds in the Auckland Islands come shorthorn ar.d polled Angus cattle, including a polled, bull. He. has now mude a , furthn>Bbjpnaent-of cattle, comprising, a pureBred bull of the shorthorn breed, and heifers also of good strains; ol»o a- number- of crossttrad^ewes,- aocompstoied by Leioe&tsr rAine.r— > , Southland News. _ - A sharp. discussion is taking place in France between hone-breeders and the purchasers of horses for the army. The' Minister for War ' recommends- that the purchases' should be limited to animals three and &-balf years- old ; they »re at this age'cbeaperrand saleß being less disputed,, a greater selection, can be -made for cavalry wants. But the limit" age compels ' farmers to commence working their young animals at two and a-half' years of' age, which is not"F« vourable to their development. When they Have arrived at three years the young Horses Are drawn from work- and allowed' to rest, to {^prepared for selling six months later, when the* three- and a-balf- years standard shall have been attained. The purchased Horses nre kept in the State studs till aged, five years, the intervening 18 months being allowed for their developmeut, when they are drafted into the regiments. The difference between the buying price of a horse at three and a-half and five, years old is con-Bicif-red by the State to cover the 18 months relative idleness and keep. According to the Wyndham Farmer Mr Cnlleu haß purchased from Mr C. W. Adams tba* part of the Islay estate known as Belmnmsfr, containing about 1700 acres, at a satisfactory price. Me Culleii will take possession this week. Mr Quinlivan, of Coghill's Creek, Victoria (says Ciunes Guardian), raised a. small crop of lint last year, but did not succeed in promoting* » growth of long and serviceablefibre. He con- • ecquently put the stripper to work and sent the seed to the Government oil mills, with almost satisfactory result. Ten Hundredweight gave 36gal of oil, which was remarkably good, and was pronounced by the expert in charge to be eqnal'tothatrproducedin any part of the world. The oilcake was worth 1 £10 a ton, and the oil »bput'3sa gallon.. ■ The' important announcement is made by. the Minister for Agriculture that the' Victorian Government 'intends asking Parliament next seuioa topftgi ablll requiring- all butter,' meat, fruit/ and ctHer> perishable 1 products intended for export Abroad to be subject to Government inspection before shipment, and! empowering- • theintpeetors to reject any 'consignments^ whichio not? 1 come op -to the required- etandardi. It

is stated that the Government, ptactically cams to this decision some months ago, when a question was asked in the Housa of Commons as to whether there was any Government iuspec- ' tion of mutton cent from Australian colonies to England. Upon cable intelligence of this question" being recoived, Mr Tavemer at once arranged for the inspection of all animals, both before and after being slaughtered, when the ,meat was intended for export. The recant consignment of apples from the Western district for shipment to London, in which there was a . quantity of diseased fruit, again emphasised I the necessity for inspection and for power to stop unsuitable articles being shipped. — Australasian. A marvellous example of. early maturity is noted in an English jpurnnl. The animal was a crossbred heifer, which was awarded the first prize in a strong heifer class at Peterborough fat" stock show, and got r reserve for champion after much consideration. Tbe heiferwas sold by auction at £32 iO*; she was one year and .seven months old, and weighed 12cwb 3qr. The Indian Government has notified, the Victorian Agricultural department that the number of horsas suitable for army purposss ' that will be- purchased by the Army Rpmount department during 1896 97 has been increased to 234-6, of which a large proportion are for horse and fl-.-ld artillery, and 250 for cavalry. _, The average price for Australian remounts has been fixed st £45. Tho Tiui&ru Herald: says :— " The numerous stations that 1 , run sheep on high, c mntry in the Mackenzie County have been very bu3y rnustar- ' ing during the last few days, the Hheep being taken from the ranges and pub on the warm flatß: So far as^we nan learn feed generally is very abundant, and the station-owuers xiucerely hope that the winter will not be such a sevure one as it was last year. They got a bit of a scare last week through a rather severe fill of snow, and intend to take every possible precau- j .tion to ensure thesafety of their flocks." | For some years past a disease of a peouliar .character has (says tho Melbourne Leader) ! periodically visited the Brighton district, and < has been very fatal in its effect. The loss of a ' valuable cow recently, belonging- to -Mr J. ' Kinrade, of Bast Brighton, serves again to direct attention to tho malady. The symptoms in all cases devjlop within a few days or weeks ' ' after calving. The bones soften so rapidly that the ribs are often broken in the act of lying down, and the vertebra can be cut through | from head to • tail with a kuife. The animals ( affected ohow very, few s'gns of pain, but oft»n ' .develop gase3 under the skin, and die in about two we-k« after showing the first symptoms. Mr A. E. Callow, G M.V C, first drew attention to the unknown character of the disease, and has closely investigated the last case. He is of opinion that the disease hai been the cause of> many deaths which have hitherto been -attributed to pleuro-pneumoaia and anthrax, ' Toe blood has been- subjected to- microscopical examination, but no germ likely to cause the disc »se has yet bsen discovered. It is supposed . tha^j the disease is of septic origin. In a late number of the Live Stock Journal a ' correspondent gives some interesting information respecting a grand old Devon cow, which displays tho excellent quality of this most useful breed of cattle in a marked degree. He says :—": — " A.t Putshsn UVrin — on the main road from Bridgwater to Williton, and distant from j -the latter placaaboui four miles — may be seen a Devon cow,. Old Nail,, which, having been calved on January 16, 1873, has just entered on ■her twenty-fourth year. She has bred 23 living calves. On one occasion only has she produced ! twins, one of which was born dead, and in the autumn of last year she aborted. The old lady has long since been, minus her incisors, and has -one hor u. broken, about one-half of it being left. She h»s a nice mossy coat, and in her prime would have been, I should imagine* somewhat attractive in appearance. Throughout she has , been a famous dairy C3W, as well as a persistent breeder. At present there are to ba neon in this herd 68 of her descendants, almost the whole of which possess a strong family ivsemb'auce. Mr William Summerhays, the owner of the herd, informed. me that great attention is paid to the j milking properties of the cows, and I was told ' that from May -to September inclusive the average per head would ba quite 61b of butter per week on grass feed only." Some interesting returns from fUx-growing are forwarded to the Melbourne Leader by Mr William Bird, of Drouin Sou*. From seven acres and a-half he obtained 70 bushels of seed, whioh was' sent to the experimental mill in Melbourne for crushing. The results are 128g&l oilat 2* 6d, £16 ; 21cwt oil cako, £7 17s 6d ; bonus of 1* per gallon, £6 8s ; bonus at £2 per acre, £ll;— total,5 ;— total, £45 Ss 6d ; leas freight, £6 ; net total, £39 5s 6d. In addition he has the fibre, a sample of whioh, retted and sculohed, is valued by Mr Millar at £30 pecton. The crop was sown in the autumn, a week, after Baster, and the frost had no effect on the plants, some of the fibre growing to a length of I 4ft 6m A portion of the crop was pulled and the rest mowed with the scythe. The merits of autumn sowing Mr Bird regards as proven by the fnct that spring crops grown in the same locality have given very poor yields. From four acres and a-half of sunflowers Mr Bird has also obtained 12owt of seed, not yet crushed. j Mr D; K. M'R»e and his- trusty shepherd, ' Mr Donald M'Donald, experienced a lively sensation the other day. They were out mustering wild cattle on Mr M'Rae's run. at the ' time. One bovine of ferocious and intractable aspect, which had givea them particular trouble,^ despite the heeling-up of the dogs and a judi-' cions application of cowhide, suddenly turned on' the.' men, and bore' straight down on M 'Donald with, ft bellow. By a ekilEal turn of '

the rein M'Donald managed to save his own akin, £ut . his unfortunate charger ' badly ripped by the infuriated, auimaFs horns, which ' made an ugly ga«h in its hindquarters. The men at'es.dad to the horse on the spot, sewing up the wound with threads of flax ; but it is doubtful if the auimal, which was a valuable one, willever ba right again.— Wyndham Farmer. On several properties in the Ofcaki district, 'North Islandi the caterpillar pest is doing I enormous damage. In fact so destructive are ! they that several farmers fear they will bs obliged to dispose of their stock for what they , will fetch simply for the want of food.