AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2490, 4 December 1901, Page 16

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

A lecal milk-supplier has given the Palmerston North paper the following particulars of the results of his operations with a dairy herd during the la*t 12 months. He has been milking a herd of 40 cows, and the return from them for milk alone for the 12 months has averaged £10 10s each, while he estimates the skim milk has given him a further retui-n of £3 3s each cow beyond that. Last December, from 28 cows the supplier was paid £41 8s for the month, and at the present time he is getting371b of milk dally from 46 cows.

As an indication that there is still a desire to possess good freehold land in our district (says the North Otago Times) it may be mentioned that the National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand (Limited) have sold during the last few weeks farm properties aggregating in value upwards of £8500. The land in question comprises some of the finest in the district.

A ease "of stock dying from absorption of lead in the liver and kidney tissues, through the animals licking red paint from a new painted house, has come under the notice of the Agricultural Department. The linseed oil used in the paint was the lure which brought the cows to grief.

Says the Wairarapa Daily Times: — The wool from Mr Batley's place at Moawhango, which did not reach 5d last season, brought from Is 3d to 2s l£d per lb in 1871, one bale weighed 4171b, and realised £42 11s 4d. This is probably the largest bale and the highest price ever paid for a single bale in the colony.

Owing to the severe frosts the produce of the orchards in the Hastings district will be much less than usual this seasco. Mr Moritzson, of Dunedin, who has been on a visit to Hastings to arrange for large consignments of fruit, finds that owing to ihe havoc wrought by the frosts he will not foe able to do anr business.

While it is true that the prospects are distinctly unfavourable to the eheen farmers making very much out of their wool this season, it is encouraging to learn that there is still money in cheep raising to those who can now supply butchers with fat lambs — vide a pen from the flock of Mr James Kelly, Riversdale, topping the market at Burnside last week at 15s 3d. — Mataura Ensign. Owing to the fact that there has been a large falling off in linseed-growing in the south, the 6upply of oil cake made from it has become exhausted. Inquiries for it made by local dairy farmers in quest of something good- for calves (says the Riverton paper) have usually been met with the reply, " None to be got." Our Palmerston correspondent writes that the warm rain without wind Which fell on Saturday and Sunday in the Palmerston district will have a most beneficial effect on the grass and crops. Out of the three colonies which ship butter to the mother country New Zealand was the only one last year which showed an increase as well as a steady growth in the past five years.

The Queensland Lands Department reports an extraordinary demand for land for agricultural and grazing selections. An orchardist in the Yass district (New South Wales;, with an area under crop of 25 acres, obtained a net return of £1227 for the past season.

I In the course of his presidential address at the quarterly meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, held on Friday last, Mr W. Wood presented the following statistics in relation to Canterbury exports and imports: — The meat exports from Canterbury for August. September, and October showed considerable increase on the figures for the same period last year. There had been shippd 204-,000 carcases of mutton and 180,300 lambs, against 92,000 carca&es of mutton and 54,300 lambs for the same period last year. The good demand which existed for mutton for September shipment had since fallen away, and the price on the London market for prime Canterbury was about 3 5-8d — a price which a few years ago would have been considered an excellent one. . . . The figures made up for the twelve months ending September 30 allowed Lyttelton again as the largest exporter of the p0rt?— £2,451,738, against £2,707,892 last year — a most excellent result considering the very 3ow price of wool. The South Island exports exceed the exports of the North Is'and by some £520,00 C. These from the South Island were £6,622,721, against £6,102,532 for the North Island. The total value of Ihe colony's exports, iucluding specie and parcel post, were £12,754.600 ; a falling off of about' £900,000 as compared with last year, frozen meat ekowed a decrease of

! £120,000. wool £1,100.000, tallow £63,000, I .sheepskins £50,000, kauri gum £74,000, and i h«Miip £190,000. The chief increases were i in butter and cheese £160,000, gold £110,000, ' timber £70.000, and oats £330.000. The iml ports for the quarter ending 3th September I at Lyttelton were £2.059,882, an increase of ! £*2l"000 compared with the same period of h:t year, a".d nearly £400.000 le»s than the exports. The total value of the colony's impoitr, including- specie, was £11,925,600, an increase of £1,875",200 on the year, being , £829.000 lc=-- chan our exports. ! The result? of tlie Shorthorn sales in the Argentine (says the Field of October 12) will 1 s-erve tc embitter the disappointment in this country at the continued exclusion of Brin«h lne c tocfc. One of the nicest successful Argentine breeder s—Signor5 — Signor U. Furgcr — , held a bale in August, and for cipht bulls he obtained an average of £263. Ou-> bull, 1 whose pedigree reveals the prr^onee of the choicest Booth blocd, made £633 10-, the j highest price ever paid for a bull b^ed in ! the country. Notes from Hcddon Bush in the Winton Record: — Farming operations have been much retarded by the unseasonable spring weather which appears to have been general . throughout Southland. — That our farmers are alive to the advantages of co-operation has been evidenced in. this locality by the fact that nearly everyone holds more or less shares in the Southland Farmers' Coopers the Association.— Ac the last meeting I of the Hcddon Bush Farmers' Club it was decided that the club shoiild take up the matter of petitioning the* County Council re rating on unimproved values. It was also resolved to form a sub-branch of the New j Zealand Farmers' Union at Heddon Bu?h. to j affiliate with either the Drummnnd or Winton branch, but not until the beginning of the financial year. The following are the grain* and produce shipments from Lyttelton for the week ended Friday last:— For South Africa. 4982 bags oats ; for Australia, 300 sks barley ; for Suva, 50 sks bran, 12 sks potatoes ; coastwise, 2226 sks wheat, 886 sks oats, 261 sks bran. 1300 sks and 2970 bags flour, 855 sks potatoes, 257 sks sharp 3. Total shipments, 2226 sks wheat, 886 sks and 4-982 bags oats, 300 sks barley, 291 sks bran, 1300 sks and 2970 bags flour, 867 sks potatoes, 257 eks sharps. Total shipments . for four weeks — 25,893 sks wheat. 3629 sks and 133,044 bags oats, 496 sks barley, 965 sks bran, 3502 eks, 6310 bags, and 6 boxes flour, 6343 eks potatoes, 977 sks sharps. Timaru markets for the week ended 29th ult.: — A decided change for the better i? noiiceable this week in the prices obtainable for both wheat and oats on the Timavu market. The wheat market has firmed very considerably, a rise from Id to 2d per bushel being recorded on late quotations, while oats have advanced fully Id psr bushel. A fair quantity of wheat has changed hands during the week at 2s 8d per bushel f.0.b. , and the demand far exceeds the supply, growers still preferring to hold for a higher price. There has been very little doing in oats. An all round quotation for cats is 2s 3d per bushel, and for wheat 2s Bd. There has been nothing done in barley. Canterbury giain and produce report (Lyttelton Times, 30th ult.) : —The local wheat marlcet is unusually active. Buyers both for export and for local mills are keen purchssers of any suitable parcels, and the market has hardened by fully a penny per bushel. Even at this enhanced price holders dc not care to sell, feeling- confident that the next harvest will be short and that high prices will rule next season. A local merchaiii, who it is understood is loading a ship for the United Kingdom, is reported to have purchased a line of 4-0,000 bushels of mixed wheats at 2s 6d in trucks at Ashburton, which is equal tc 2s B|d f.0.b.. while several small lines of Tuscan have changed bands in town at prices equal to 2s 9d f.o.b. Oati- are beginning to get scarce, and the local market is. firmer. Duns beino: in great demand, and very hard to get. There is no i-hange in the potato market, the tubers still being dull of sale at 20s per ton. Tn order to minimise the danger from fire in plantation", the Ashhurlon County Council passed a resolution asking the Plantations Committee to f-onsidcr the removal of gorse fences and the substitution of wire fences. At a wcll-altonded meeting of the Waikoikoi branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, held on the 25th ult., it was decided to ioin the Otago Provincial Union. • The rainfall fo> November, 1900, was 3.00 in .; for 1901, 5 99:n. In November, 1900, there were nine fine days, as against seven last mouth. The Government veterinarians are at present busy throughout Southland making a thorough examination of all the dairy herds. The contract is a bier one, and will take some time before it is finished. The Government thoroughbred horse. Lupin, and shorthorn bull. Plato, are to be exhibited at the Gore and Invercargill show 0 . This will be a good chance for the settlers to see the animals themselves. The Government have decided to compiil«orily acquire the Melbourne estate, near Wainawa, Hawke's Bay. The property is

of 29.600 acres, belonging to Siokes's trustees.