Farmers' Column.

Bruce Herald, Volume X, Issue 955, 6 November 1877, Page 7

Farmers' Column.

: » — -_— The Cambridge (Waikato) Agricultural Show was attended by about 4000 people. The steamboats and railway ran half fares, and many went from Auckland. Thoygh not a large ehow^-t ig the largest by far yet held '■ in-the \Y"ail>atq district. The horses were numerous, but there were few really good aninaals. The cattle were very superior, and the exhibits in this seption surprised . many w^o went from

the districts round Auckland. The ebeep were good, but not very numerous, the pigs and poultry were very inferior. There were large exhibits of agricultural implements. The Hawke's Bay boiling down works, aays the ' Telegraph,' have closed for the season. The las. lot of sheep boiled down were from Hiverslea,. consisting of 2430 sheep, which yielded the splendid •eturn of 58 tons lcwt 21jbs of tallow, being an average of 53| per head. The skins, fellmongored, yielded 51b per- head of scoured wool. Mr Williams ia now in a position to boil 1800 sheep per week. Some wool, from Leicester sheep, growing in New Zealand, was recently sold by Messrs "Wbitwell, Hargreaves and Co., of Kendall, in Westmoreland, at Is o|d to Is Id per lb. This " Anglo-Aus-tralian " believes, is the first instance in which colonial wool has been sold at a provincial auction." A " rambling correspondent-," writing from Syduev to the ' Poverty Bay Herald ; observes : — " The meat here is very poor, with a good pair bf spectacles you could see right through the sheep, for they are just bags of skin and bones. They would be all the better of a little New Zealand fat upoD them. If. l was asked which was the best place for a working man, I would at once decide in favour of New Zealand. The labouring men here have long hours and small wages, and without the same prospect of money-making before them." Referring to the state of the labour market in Christchurch some time ago, a correspondent of the ' Hobart Town Mercury' sajfs : — One cause. of the hardness of the times is that everyone who has a shilling to spare, whether borrov/ed or saved, is putting it into land. There is an immense deal of land speculation in what was once the province of Canterbury. G-ood land ready for the plough was to be h&d for £2 an acre. There has been a_ strong desire to purchase it, and then "to sell it to bona tide. farmers, at an advance on cost price Capable judges state that every spare shilling is thus invested, and that .people iv consequence are not able to pay their debts or to employ labour. Some persons anticipate a period of great financial distress as a reaction from over speculation ; so that we have evil times looming ahead. The sale took place a few days ago at the land office, Queenstown, of seven years' licenses of two of the Wakatip run?, Nos. 2b and 6, recently surrendered, and which were again purchased by previous holder?. Tho first-named rim, which comprises some 3000 acres, was repurchased by Mr Scolan for Mr Nichols and Co) for the sum of .6105 per annum; aud the latter by Mr J. Sogers, Athol, for £315. Both lieenees realised something — but not much — below firewood rentals. Mr Mellish of Christchurch made an order the other day that a skilled sheepshearer who bad been a witness in a case should be allowed £1 for his day's expenses. Mr Izard submitted that the sum was too large, as the man was only a laborer ; but the Court held that he was a skilled man, and fairly entitled to the amount, as he would lose it through having bad to leave his work to attend as a witness. Mr Izard then argued that the man was a "new chum," But Mr Mellish did not see how that could detract from his skill, as English shearers were no doubt as expert as colonial onesi, Mr Mellish smiling the while at Mr Izard's assumption of colonial superiority. Five sheep exhibited at the late Agricultural bhow at Napier were killed in order to decide a bet as to their weights. These were found to be 120, 140, 149, 149, aud loOlbs. An interesting controversy is now being carried on in the 'Timaru Herald' respecting the profit to be derived from wheat growing. One writer gave figures to show that a profit of £10 per acre could be made, but he claimed an average crop of 60 bushels to the acre, 4s per bushel for his grain, and left out of his calculation the interest on the capital value of the laud. Another writer places the average yield at 40 busbeie, price 8s 6d per bushel, and giving account for all possible expenditure places the return at £2 Is *7d per acre. The CANTEEBUitY Grain Traffic. The provission which has been made, or which it may be desirable to make, for the conveyance of grain on the Canterbury Railways, during the ensuing grain season, is receiving great attention in tho Bister province. A select committee of the Legislative Council, has reported at considerable length upon the subject, and from the report we summarise the following points of iurerest to the farming community in Otago : — j THE DELAYS IN TRANSPORT, The committee find that eericus delay and confusion in' the transport of grain have been the rulo for the last two season? 5 that frequently corn delivered at the various country stations has not been forwarded for several weeks, in many instances for two and sometimes even for three months after its receipt. These irregularities have been productiye of serious embarrassment and loss to large portions pf the community, and especially to the growers of agricultural produce," which has in many cases been damaged by exposure to the weather. It has become impossible for farmers to calculate with any degree of certainty when tbeir produce will re^C-h Qhrisfchurch or a shipping yast. This is felt by thecj to b,e a crying grievance, and, unless remedied, may present a serious obstacle to increased cijltivation. INSUFFICIENCY OF TRUCKS. The chief reason, for these delays and -j irregularities appears, from the evidence i tafeepj to be gn iusufficiiency in the]

number of trucks. The evil bas been a growing onp, this description of rolling stock not having for some time past been increased iv proportion to the additional lengths of railway which have been opened As the grain traffic, of which a large portion of the business on the Canterbury railways consists, has to bo disposed of during from four to six months of the year, it is obvious that to do so satisfactorily must require a larger number of trucks per mile tban upon a line where the traffic is more evenly distributed. How far this requirement haa been met, the fo]lowing figures will show : — In 1876 the trucks on the Victorian railways were 3 -J- per mile. In 1875 South Australia bad 4<'lQ per mile, aad New South "Wales 4.50 per mile. In 1875 the Canterbury railways had 3.80 per mile ; in ] 876 they had 2 84. per mile ; and this year they have only 2 3'A per mile. So that, with a largely increased traffic to cope with, the amount of rolling stock has been largely decreased. The committee are of opinion that unless the number of trucks is, without delay, considerably augmented, and ia further added to as the production of grain increases, which, it promises to do very rapidly, the delays which have inflicted so much injury will continue and even increase. TUB ENSUING* SEASON. The grain traffic during the ensuing season is likely to be very large. ' "Witnesses, well qualified to form au opinion, estimate the addition at from 25 to 30 per cent. The acreage which the official agricultural statistics show to have been, broken up bub not under crop last year would point to even a larger increase ; but the amount first stated should at leaßt be provided for. FACILITIES PROPOSED. To meet the increase there will be no • addition to the Government shed room either in .the country districts or at the ports of Lyttelton, Timaru, or Oamaru. The Government has, however, offered to grant sidings at country stations, which may promote the erection of sheds on private laud adjoining these stations. They have also offered to lease portions of Government land at country stations to allow of the erection of sheds by private individuals. Four hundred additional trucks are recommended to be constructed, and this recommendation is beiug at least partially carried out. A considerable number of double-floor sheep trucks have been supplied to the Canterbury railways, which are of comparatively little use, and can, without much difficulty, be converted into ordinary high-sided goods trucks. It is suggested that this should bo dona with as little delay as possible. Stoeage, &0, It is recommended that sidings and sites for private sheds be granted on very liberal terms ; that, when possible, facilities should be afforded for the erection of sheds for ctoriug grain adjoining the railway stations at Lyttelton and Christchurch. As another means of facilitating the delivery of grain to those country stations where the shed room is uuequal to tbe requirements of the district, the committee suggested that temporary raised platforms should be erected near the railway line, upon which grain could be stacked by farmers when the shed was full. The grain when stacked could be covered by a tarpaulin, to be supplied by the Government at a reasonable charge. The assistance thus afforded to the farmers would be very great, and could ba furnished at a trifling cost. The Government should not be considered to have, taken charge of the grain placed on these. For this and for tbe purposes of general traffic, is is very desirable that a liberal supply of tarpaulins should be provided — this supply appears during past seasons ' to have been insufficiant even for the ordinary traffic, PROSPECTIVE INCREASE. The Committee point out further exertions will be indispensible to overtake the constantly increasing requirements of this traffic. This is little doubt that the increase in the production of corn in Canterbury in the year IS7B-79 will be even greater than it has been during the present year, and tbat it will continue to i increase iv a constantly-augmenting ratio. In fact, there appears good ground for believing that large as this production has already become, the growth of grain in Canterbury is as yet in its infancy. The Committee feel it, ! therefore, to be most desirable that the atteution of the Government should continue to be directed to this subject, with a view of providing from lime to time the additional rolling stock which the increasing trafi^c may require.