STOATS AND WEASELS IN THE AUCKLAND DISTRICT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 211, 11 September 1897, Page 3 (Supplement)

STOATS AND WEASELS IN THE AUCKLAND DISTRICT.

Upon this subject the following appears in the "JN.Z. Farmer" lor the current month:—" At a meeting of the Executive of the Auckland Agricultural Association, held on August 6th, the subject of the penalties imposed by the law for the killing of stoats and weasels was referred to. The secretary stated that the following letter from Mr Bitchie, secretary of tha Department of Agriculture, had been received in reply to the suggestion forwarded by the Association, that the penalties for killing stoats and weasels should be removed in those parts of the Auckland province that had not been declared rabbit-infe3ted districts :—'l, have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter on the 6th instant, wibh resolution of your association re removal of restrictions on stoats and weasels. In reply, I have to say that bhe Hon. the Minister is adverse to such a course; besides it is doubtful if there is power to exempt any particular district. The rabbits are fairly numerous in the King Country, and are to be found in patches all over the Waikato ; therefore I think ib would he an unwise step bo allow the indiscriminate destruction of their natural enemy. The loss to poul try owners is, so far as can be learned, small, bub tha game may to soma extent suffer. Ib would be interesting if poultry owners who suffer would advise you of their losses, so that some definite information could he collected on the subjecb.' It was resolved to forward a copy of the letter to the Cambridge Farmers' Club, wibh a view bo obtain further informabion as bo the spread of rabbits in the Waikato district.

With regard to the legal power to exempt particular districts while the Act imposing the penalties remains in force, we cannot speak with authority. But if the tha authority of Parliament is required for such an exemption, then we have no hesitation in saying it should be obtained next session, and we trust the Auckland representatives will move in the matter. The letter from the Secretary of the Agricultural Department above quoted is unsatisfactory, and evinces a prejudice in favour of the protection of stoats and weasels born entirely of South Island experience with regard to the rabbit plague. To talk of rabbits being 'fairly numerous' in the King Country is a vague phrase, proving plainly the conscious weakness of the excuse nob to do what the Waikato farmers ask, so as to enable them to protect themselves againsb the depredations of such mischievous vermin as stoats and weasels in thickly-settled districts, without becoming law breakers. As a matter of fact the law protecting the imported vermin is ab present more honoured in the breach than the observance, and whether the Auckland district is or is nob exempted from its operation will probably make very little real difference. "Wherever a stoat or weasel is seen, it will, if possible, be killed whatever the legal penalties may he for so doing. But ib is againsb bhe interests oi public respect for the law thab people should be asked to obey Legislation which does nob recommend itself to a common sense of justice. The rabbit pest in the Waikato is practically non-existent, and though in bhe King Country rabbits may be • fairly numerous,' the fact remains that so far as we can learn they have steadily decreased in numbers waring the past five or six years, and were decreasing before the stoats and weasels pat in an appearance. This decrease was probably brought about by the wise policy of buying rabbit skins from the natives, and an evidence of the diminishing number of rabbits in the King Country is the fact thab the natives are bringing in each month a fewer number of skins than they did formerly.

As regards the settled parts of the Waikato, rabbits have never been a seriouß nuisance anywhere. The law compelling their destruction by the land-owners is quite sufficient to keep them within moderate bounds. Why, then, if the farmers themselves do not suffer inconvenience from rabbits worth speaking of, should they he compelled againsb their wills to harbour mischievous vermin upon their premises to harry their poultry yards, and perhaps kill their young lambs, and destroy the pheasants, which, besides affording opportunities for healthful sport, do a valuable service to the country "by the number oi injurious insects they consume ? However, as we have already said, it is pretty certain tha^ wherever caught in the Auckland provincial district stoats and weasels will receive a short shrift, the present iniquitous law notwithstanding. Bat all law abiding citizens must deplore the official unreasonableness which persists in enforcing an enactment where it is not in the slightest degree required in the public interests.'

Dehorning Cattle,—The "N.Z. Fari met" Waikato correspondent writes:—'The practice of dehorning cattle is steadily increa?ing,in favour, and it is not uncommon of late to see drafts of dehorned stock in the markets for sale. Some additional caution is, however, necessary in buying store cattla that have been operated on, inasmuch as the ages are not so readily discernible, that unfailing index, the horn, being absent, but on all sides It is voted a great benefit so far as the feeding and handling of cattle is concerned. Some Mge tdairy herds» including that of Mr Henry Reynolds at Newstead, nave been dehorned, and just at present the New Zealand Land Association are operating extensively upon their ii°u ds herds ' ib bein^ hitended to have i km?? two and three-year-old cattle—some bW head—dehorned. Very complete yards nave teen put up at Ormond, a pretty little wanch station oi the estate, situated near «a«urai, and here the cattle are pub wwongn under Mr Gordon's supervision at •w rate of between 30 and 40 an hour, "c manager states that no ill effects wnatever are noticeable among the denorned cattle, the stumps having a touch of tar put in to seal the Pores of the horns from the air. Mr cordon seems to think the operation riniPro t ve most beneficial, especially where cattle have, as at Woodlands, to be fed togetherin large herds, and finally trained ra market, the increased comfort and sarety for the animals in the railway trucks aione being worth all the trouble of deeming. An incident recently occurred on fcfc lln^, nearvHamilton, where a truck of fati cattle where badly frightened by a ?m^ l truck of hay (^nifced by sparks Wi i lO englne)- and hi their terror Knoc ke d some of their horns off against the fZ.? the truck> This Bort °* th^ th. I ", a sbron^ testlm°ny in favour of «ne new departure in cattle-farming.'

A potato-grower in the old country, avU years experience, Jlluy * have alwa 3rs had the best results from the application of all my wuhcial manures when sown over the

drills while planting.. My mixture for the last six years has been 4cwt. of mineral superphosphates, ScAvt. of pure bonemeal, and lewt. of nitrate of soda. It is a cheap manure, easily applied, and after a straAV crop that has had godo farming and manure applied to it, and in clean ground, it is only in a very bad season that the potato does not give a satisfactory return. About two months, preAious to planting, I always apply -icAvt. of kainit per

acre."

As farmers you must work out your oavu agricultural salvation, not only in the way of influencing legislation, but also by Avell-directed effort on the farm. The times demand practical education—skill, not only in producing, but in buying and selling to the best advantage. Main strength and stupidity are everywhere producers of small quantities and poor qualities, while skill—scarce and high-priced— is a producer of quality and profit.

The effects of Succulent Feed and Temperature on Churning. — There seems to be an important connection betAveen the succulent character of the food the coavs consume and the ease and profit of churning. All have noticed that butter comes much more quickly in the spring, and Avhen the cows are on fresh and succulent grass, than it does in late autumn

and winter, when they are eating dry feed. Not only that, but the separation is more thorough in the grassgroAving months. Hence, those who feed ensilage in winter notice clearly the excellent effect it has in promoting the quickness and thoroughness of separation in the churn. There also seems to lie in this xiroblem an important point as to temperature. Winter cream needs to be churned at a temperature several degrees higher than is required in summer. At the Kiel experimental dairy, slightly sour cream, of 57 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, was regularlychurned in 35 to 40 minutes, when the coavs were in pasture; but when put in the stall and fed on dry food and turnip leaves, the time required to churn the cream, when at the same temperature, Avas from 1-J to 2 hours, and the butter produced Avas less and of inferior quality. But when the cream Avas raised to nearly 65 degrees Fahrenheit, butter of the former quality and quantity \yas again produced inside of 10 minutes. This slioavs how important it is that the farmer's Avife should have a thermometer. Succulent food and proper temperature Avill soon banish that constant cry, "I've churned all day on this confounded cream and it Avon't come. What shall I do to it?"