ON THE LAND.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8275, 21 October 1915, Page 7

ON THE LAND.

ITEMS FOR FARMERS

It is stated that the shipment of 17,000 crates of rabbits which the Arawa will take away to London is the largest ever despatched from Port Chalmers. There are from 24 to 30 rabbits to the crate, so that the shipment (says the Duncdin correspondent of the "Lyttelton Times") amounts to from 408,000 to ,510,000 carcases.

The Japanese Government has again purchased stud sheep in Australia—a stud merino ram and 10 ewes and five llomney ewes. About 15 years ago, sonic sheep were bought in the ComjnonweaJth for Japan, but little development in the sheep industry has taken place,, ns in all there are only between iwo and three thousand sheep in the country.

Prices for stock in Australia continue to rule very high. A firm of Victorian auctioneers report that they sold duringing the month of August, at Flemington, 4529 head of cattle, of which 3208 bullocks and steers averaged £20 14s 7d, their highest average for a single consignment being £39 7s 3d; realised for 29, bullocks. They also sold 1144 cows .and heifers at an: alll round average of £12 9s lOd. .:■

"The Argentine Ministry of Agriculture" (says the '"Review" \of the River Plate), "is at present engaged on the formulation of a project or law having for its object the prohibition of the export of breeding cows and the restriction or prohibition of their, slaughter. The indications that the present demand for Argentine meat will increase substantially in the near future are unmistakable. The entry of Franc* into the Argentine meat consuming market is an accomplished fact." A substantial tax on every calf killed has proved useful in the Argentine as a check on their indiscriminate slaughter.

" All commodities will, for some time to come, be costly; to-day the purchasing value of the pound sterling is only about 16s, and it may go even lower," says the " Telegraph." "That means that for every sovereign less of tho things that will rank as the necessaries and luxuries of life will be obtainable. When the war is over, when the guns are silent, and ihe rifles have been laid aside, Aye shall be called on to face a new battle. In thousands of homes a long contest Avill have to be Avaged against "waste and extravagance."

There are several reasons why deep ploughing and thorough cultivation are the best means ior eradicating weeds:'— 1. Some seeds of weeds rot when deeply buried for a time. 2. Most weeds are killed when deeply ploughed under. 3. Well-cultivated, deep, open soils are most easily freed from thb roots of troublesome weeds.. 4. The seeds of weeds most readily germinate in an easy-working soil with good tilth, "so that the seedlings can tho more quickly be lulled by repeated workings, etc. 5. The seeds of a cultivated crop gerlnftiato more quickly, and the crop grows more rapidly and vigorously, thus being able tho more successfully, to overcome tho competition of weeds.

Shearing has commenced at 1' early stations on the East Coast of the North Island. As yet, the shortage of hands is not causing a groat deal of inconvenience, but it is thought that sheds which commence operations when the busy season is on will have difficulty in securing all the men they require. Poverty Bay Native shearers have refused to start work at the old rate of £1 per 100. The Shearers' Union is stated to be doing all in its power to avert trouble, but it is thought that the season will not pass without individual demands for a higher rate. Some of the men argue that employers who have sold their wool at excellent prices should not now object to a small increase in the shearing rate to meet tho advance in ttiui cost of living.

The fattcning-otf of 4700 lambs from 80 acres of land may seem a tall story until analysed, when it appeal's quite feasible. Off 50 acres of lucenfe 300 tons of hay were produced in five cuttings. Three hundred tons of sorghum si la go were cut from 20 acres of land. There wore purchased 3800 bushels of maize for feed at 2s (id per bushel, and £200 was paid for cotton-seed meal. The lambs wero given a daily ration of 21b of silage each, lib of lucerne hay, and one-sixth of a pound of cottonseed meal, to which' was added lib of inaizo; each during the latter part of the feeding. The lambs paid £3 a ton for the. lucerne hay and 30s a ton for the ensilage. This is considered a reasonable profit in Kansas, U.S.A., where these lambs were fattened and marketed (according to tho "Country Gentlorqan") in from GO to 120 days.

The fcllo-iving is an extract from the Sydney "Stock and Station Journal" of September 14:—"Cattle: Another aviation market; supply light, quality plain, values up in the sky. Buyers were out for excitement to-day. Dear as beef has been this year, all previous records were broken. It was beautiful weather, and almost every buyer went on a successful aeroplane -trip. They go up very high, too. It. was not safe to anticipate values. Now and again a salesman tried a '.loop the loop,' but suitable as the day was for aeroplaiiing they invariably came to grass and started afresh. It was exciting to watch, and must have been to operate in. The £5 per 100 rate for beef was reached several times during the day for prime young cattle, and the majority of these must have been fully 80s to 85s per 100. The 'supply was altogether inadequate, and to mako matters worse the quality was very plain. Buyers of primo beei' found it very hard to locate same, and when they did it was'up in the sky. The buying power'was.-very' strong' With only 1136 cattlo forward it may easily be imagined what values we-rc like. It was the survival of the fittest, many being forced out of the market."