AUCKLAND AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2490, 4 December 1901, Page 10

AUCKLAND AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

(Fkom Our Own Cokhespondext.)

Nm ember 20,

The agriculturist has been much in evidence in Auckland during the past week. The annual show of the Auckland Provincial Agricultural Association was held on Friday and Saturdas' last, and proved a great success. For a good many years now the show has been damned by unfavourable weather, and the funds of the association have suffered in consequence, but this year fortune favoured the venture, with the result that on the closing day an enormous crowd was attracted to Alexandria Park. The drawings for the day amounted to £418 12s, and for the two days the society drew at the gates clo<se on £50C— just about double last year's drawings. An agricultural conference, at which all the farming districts of the province were represented, followed the show. The only drawback to the conference was that the farmers had a great deal to discuss and little time to do it in. Mr J. D. Ritchie, Secretary for- Agriculture, and Mr J. A. Gilruth, Chief Government Veterinarian, were present. Prominent among the subjects under discussion was the proposed federation of all agricultural associations, farmers' clubs, farmers* unions, and kindred associations for the purpose of holding periodical conferences to promote the interests of the agricultural section of the community. The farmers of the north seem in earnest over this matter. The proposed federation was auproved, with only two dissentients, and all that this small minority urged against it was some technical objection to the constitution of some of the societies which would come within the federation. A basis for the federation has already been drafted, and requires only to be finally revised to bring all the farmers of the province into one united body. Messrs Massey, Monk, Lang, Bollard, and Fowlds, M.H.R.'s. were present, and gave their blessing in advance to the federation, the two former strongly urging the farmers to see that in future they are represented in Parliament by men of "their own class, and in proportion to their numbois and importance, Mr Monk going so far as (o predict that the day will come when tho Farmers' Union party will be a power in the New Zealand House of Reprc-.L-ntativcs.

Fiom tlic discussion of federation the farmers passed to consider the question of anthrax among cattle. Mr Gilruth made an interesting statement on the subject, detailing all the cases that have occurred in New Zealand, and tracing the cause of each individual case to the iise of imported bones for bone manures. There had never been a case, he paid, which could not be traced to bone manure's, and none had occurred except when gra'-s or turnips on manured land had been eaten low down so that the animals got an actual ijortion_ of the diseased bone into their &y stems. Then came the remedy. Farming in the north is impossible without bone mauures. To f-hut out the bones is to clo_-e up the farm*. Such a remedy was not to be thought of, and a sworn declaration from the Australian exporter with each consignment of bonea that the bones had

—I been thoroughly "sterilised had been trieri and had failed ; in fact. Mr Gilruth broadly, stated that the Au=tralian exporters found it easier to make the declaration than to sterilise the boneg. There was nothing left; but to erect a sterilising- plant on the wharf at the port of entry, pud consider all imported bones quarantined till they had gona thiough the digester. Mr Gilruth sat down» and the farmers took tha question in hand* The tone of the discussion was 011 eof congratulation that New Zealand had comparatively been so free ficm anthrax, and determination to clear the country of it if possible. There was a gentle hint, however, that the Government should compensate farmers who have the misfortune to have their farms closed up through outbreaks of anthrax. This brought Mr Ritchie to his feet. He mentioned that a little vote of £500 had been placed on the Estimates for this very purpose, was hopeft.il that more would be available if necessary, and said he would endeavour to have regulations preparod for the payment of compensation. Mr Ritchie also expressed the desire of the Agricultural Department to establish the sterilising system, as suggested by Mr Gilruth, and the discussion was wound up by the conference adopting a comprehensive resolution approving of a sterilisin.tr plant being placed on Auckland wharf, and urging the Government to compensate farmers for !o*3 sustained by carrying out the orders of the stock inspectors in consequence of outbreaks of anthrax.

Opportunity was also taken of the .'how season to have a meeting of the executive of the ]\ew Zealand Farmers' Union, a body, which, recently started in a small way north! of Auckland, has rapidly spread throughout New Zealand. The union is at present; too much concerned with organisation to be of much immediate value to farmer?, but its very strength must prove a great source of power once it Las been properly licked into shape. It ha*, in fact, grown too fast for its crude constitution, and now that it has become a colonial institution the intelligence of the New Zealand farming community will have to be brought to bear on the subject, so that the union may be representative of the opinions as well as the names of the fanners cf the colony, and less at the meicy of the organisers, who could find plenty scope for tl;eir energies in further enlarging the membership. An opportunity for setting the union on its legs and makingit a real source of strength to agriculturists will be provided at a colonial conference, to be held next June or July, when every; district of the colony should be represented. The fruitgroweis of Auckland have also been putting their heads together to devke schemes for their mutu,?l benefit. The chief grievance of the fruitgrower is that his produce is badly marketed. Auctioneers here snd there, all over the town, sell small consignments of fruit. The growers have been agitating for a central fruit depot, but so far have not got it. A co-operative society to market the fruit was suggested 1 , but a less risky scheme came to light through an offer from ths recently-formed Farmers' Co-operptive Society to start a fruit saleroom. The Fruitgrowers' Union adopted this scheme, recommending their members to join the Farmers' Co-operative Society, and to secure a central fruit depot of their own. It remains to be seen how far the individual fruitgrowers will follow the recommendation of the union, but in any case the a.gitatioa will probably result in the more systematic marketing of fruit, as already the auc,tioneera have seen the wisdom of adapting their businesses to the needn of the trade, mcl are casting about for a building in which, all fruit sent for auction can be centralised, and in which there will be room for the various auctioneers interested in the trade to conduct separate sales.

Some curies which belonged to R. L. Stevenson, the novelist, were sold by auction in Auckland the other day, bufe realised only fair prices. A number of the curios were purchased by southern buyers.

Trooper R. Beange, who sustained concussion of the brain at the Murihiku M.R. sports on the 16th in«t., through his horse coming down with him, and who had been unconscious for ten days, was able to recognise Captain M'Nab when he called to see him on Wednesday, and is now on a fair way to recovery.