FARM NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 2405, 14 July 1891, Page 2

FARM NOTES.

' Hams well packed in pulverised charcoal will, it is said, keep fresh from five to ten years.

As an instance of the " tricks of trade " which farmers have to submit; to, it was stated by a member at a meeting of the Wairarapa and Etrst Coast Pastoral and Agricultural Society the Other day, that he had bought, some artificial manure in Wellington, and found on analysis that it, contained 33 per cent, of sand.

The annual sheep return for the colony shows a total increase in the number of shftep of 692,785, The sheep raiefbV 1890 was £16,116. ; > The inspectors were thus distributed : —Auckland, 4 ; Napier, 4 ; Wellington and West Coast, 5 ; Marlborough and Nelson, 4; Canterbury, Kaikoura. aril Otago, 14.

The " Hawera Star " says :—Wo regret to have to record the fact that the shipments of frozen mutton sent from Wnitara by the Morayshire and Eangatira have turned out badly for many of the shippers. Thus some shippers only received 7s net for sheep which at the date of shipment would have sold for 10s 6d or 11s. Another owner only received 4s 10£ d net for sheep which would have sold locally for 10s when shipped.

A singular statement is published in an Australian paper-to the effect that the Victorian Department of Agriculture having sought infoi mation from farmers relative to rust in wheat, 125 replies, with one exception, pronounce in favor of undrained land. Whether the farmers mean that draining promotes rust, or object to draining for other reasons, is not stated. It is generally understood that drainage is in all cises an unquestionable advantage.

Some little time ago, by the direction of the Queensland Minister of Agriculture, circulars were sent out to planters and farmers with the object of learning from them to what extent boys of ages ranging from 12 to 18 could be employed in agricultural pursuits. In the circular ib was stated that the Minister's attention had been drawn to the number of boys and youths in and about Brisbane eligible for employment, and he was of opinion that their services might be utilised by the planters and farmers of Queensland to their mutual advantage. In response to his circular some 45 applications for boys have been received. The " Courier '' reports that the "Minister being satisfied that there is 1 a demand -for this class of labor, steps will be taken to meet it. The chief object in view by the department is to afford opportunities to those desirous of following country pursuits, and in a measure to create a higher ambition among the youth of the colony than becoming clerks in an office. An indenture has been carefully prepared, defining the relations between employer and employed, and giving ample protection to both. The employers who have, offered so far are station owners find farmers. The ages mentioned range from 12 to 17, the wages offered from 5.s to 12s 6d a week, and the term of service six months fco five years." It should not be impossible to institute something of this sort in JS 7ew Zealand.

Farmers find, others occupying lands for the purposes of husbandry only, who are assessed for income tax, and who have, unfortunately, made a lo.ss on last year's working, should notice (says 1 the "N.B. Agriculturist") that by the Inland Revouue Act of 1890 relief is afforded them beyond what they have hitherto been allowed. The state of the law till this year has been as follows : —Let us say a fanner has been assessed oii £300, and found ab the end of the year that he had m»de lio profit, but a loss of £300, he c nild, by sending a statement of his receipts and expenditure to the (Surveyor of Taxes for his district, obtain through the Commissioners a repayment order for the amount which he had paid for tax on his profits as a farmer. Supposing he had at the same time other sources of income, sucli as Government or railway stock, house property, etc., and that these amounted to £400 and were taxed. Now, though his net income for the year was only £100 ;(£4oo—£3oo loss), he paid tax on £400, no allowance whatever being made for the loss made on his farm. It was even decided that a'farmer carrying on also a seed business couH nob deduct from his profits as a merchant his losses as a farmer. The law is now changed, however, and losses, whether made in trade or in farming, can be set against any other income, and repayment made to the extent cf the loss. In a case such as supposed above, not only will the faimer receive back the amount of duty which he paid as^representing the profits of his farm, but he will also receive on theJJSOO taxed a rebate in proportion to -tKeextent of his loss when he has other taxed income of equal or greater amount. In. fact, he will pay on his nee income from, all sources, instead of paying, as heretofore, in many cases on a much larger sum.

The following remarkable letter has been received by the editor of the " Tiraaru Herald." By an " oversight" which is easily understood (says oar contemporary) or from a modesty still more readily comprehended, the writer neglected to comply with the usual rule, and ha^ not forwarded his nama, "not necessarily'for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith." His address is also omitted. The letter however, is boo t.ilj. opting to be relegated to the wastepaper basket. Perhaps it ought to have been addressed to the police, but the officers of the law will now see it, and read it more easily in print than in ithe disguised "fist" of the manuscript:— " Dear Sir—These few days back I hear a great deal of the cleverness of experts in the case of Cambel and Wooding. Well sir, I will tell you they are all together wrong. It's I and my mate that took them, and to prove these words I will make the following confession. Early in November last we came by Four Peaks, and took something like fifty of Wooding's-sheep, not eighty three as he says. This took place about eleven i o'clock at night, but we took no black ones, wo left them for Cambel. We also took some from a paddock further down and some froai a paddock near Woodbuty township. We took about three or four hundred jf Tripp's hoggets, and some from Deniston, and some from a paddock further down. We took some from Murray's. Six times we took his horn sheep, the last time nearly three hundred ; we shore the brands off them and rebranded them and ear-marked them; He saw them himself afterwards and knew them not. We alsq took some from Herren near Kangitata. He must be a poor manager, |}c never missed any, although we must have taken fully five hundred in all, at different times. We also took some from Kolleston—a good few about there. We took over six hundred from Postlqth\vait<9 since three years, but I never heard he lost any ; and a good few from Wigl.ey, and a few from Hilton, a good many "from the Arowhenua Estate at different times. Sir, if lam not cor recfc in this statement, let those gentlemen I have named correct me. We have had three good seasons, but have had many a narrow escape and was never caught, and never wil be if we can help it."