Farmers' Column.

Bruce Herald, Volume x, Issue 957, 13 November 1877, Page 3

Farmers' Column.

CHOICE BHEEP.

I By the s.B. Alharnbra arrived aomevaluj able sheep for Canterbury. These included a lot of-full-moathed merino 'ramcr, ' shipped by Messrs Daigety, Ibbetson, of Geelong,. for Messrs Dalgetty, JNlchols, of Chriatchurch. They are a gopd eren lot of larg^-framed sheep, the wool being not only bif fide textiird but ali3O of great length and staple. They are from the celebrated flocks of Sir Samuel /Wilson, of Erciidduh T'ate Learmouth ),' find Mr John Wilson, of Golla. There were 192 shipped jinder, charge of Mt Murdoch, of Melbourne, but only 145 arrived, no fewer tban 47 having.been lost durjng:the pas-sage—-a . result, which certainly shows ;«ither graaj; /want of management. or neglect somewhere, as there was no unusually bad weather encountered during the pasBage. .Another tot are •Tasmanian- bred merinos, consisting .of twenty-one ewes and two rams. They were bred by Mr Paramour, of Tasmania, and are the property of Mr J. M'jFarlarie, of Coldstream, Kangiora. These sheep are splendidly woolled from the tip of the" nose i to the hoof* and the fibre is peculiarly fine.. The third and last lot are some magnificent Lincoln's, from the well-known flock of Mr Ereder ick Sutton, of Richmond, South, land, and came to Christchurch for exhiI bition at the annual Agricultural Show, whefe/noi doubtjthey will excite-much, attention. There are thirty-seven in all thirty ram bog get b and seven shearlings, and Mr Sutton thinks, and .judges entirely agree with him, that they are by fajr'.tW finest sheep be has eVer brought to CRnterbufy. They show all the true characteristics of the breed, the frames "are immense; and the length of the staple and lustre of ithe wool in some of the sheep are wonderfully good; and pbow whafc our New Zealand pastures can produce.^r— VLyttelton Times.' . : THE OBJECTS OF PA.3TOEAL AND AGBICTJLTTJRAL SOCIETIES.^ The objects of these societies are well eummed up in the Bill, introduced by the Hbu: Mr Hall. They are :-- --(L) To collect such information contained in agricultural publications and in other works 'as has. been proved by practical experience to be useful to the cultivators of the soil. . v (2.) To correspond with agricultural and other, societies and to select from such correspondence all information which, according to the opinion of the society, may be likely to lead to practical benefit to the cultivator of the soil.

(3.) To pa.y to any occupier of land or other person who shall undertake, at the request of the society, to ascertain by any experiment how far such inforina~ tion leads to useful results in practice, a remuneration for any; loss that he mayincur io. doing bo.

(4.) To encourage men of science in their attention to the improvement of agricultural implements, the application of chemistry to the general purposes of agriculture, the destruction of insects injurious to vegetable life, and the eradication of weeds.

(5.) To promote the discovery of new, varieties' of grain arid other/ vegetables usefultb man or fortHe food of dbinestic /animals. , - -.•■;.• /•-.. ■■:..;:■'.,... :.•;■■.•, /.■.:.; (6) To collect information with-re-gard to the management of woods, plantations, and fences, and on every otherrsubject connected with, ruiral Improvement. •■"'■ J (7 y To take measures for improving the : veterinary art as applied ; to horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. V ; ■ r (8 ) At the meatingaof the/ society, by the distribution of prizes, and by other means, to encourage the beat mode of farm cultivation and to improve the breed of Jiye stock. v ($•) T? encourage/ enterprise arid industry by the holding of meetings ifop the exhibition of implements and:produce, the granting of prizes thereat for tha best exhibits;- and for competitions for prizes for inVentiona or impcovemente, or for skill or excelierice 4 ia agricultural or pastoral arts, - /; HOW TO KILL SOBREL.^ ,5 •In answer to " Agrieola's " iviab.* to /kill sorrel-rrif the land ;is : in; grass .now ik should be sown with from thirty to forty bua.hels of new sacked 'lime to the acre at once, because, the rain will wash it~ into the ground. If the land is in crop, leb " Agrieola " sow it with rye grass tbe flrßt dry day, and go over it with a pair of light horses and light harrows,' and theu sow - the lime in the month of June next year ; and he can let it remain in grass, for the next three or four years' Bq will I find his land much improved, as the lime converts the roots of sorrel into manure tor other plants. A^. this may be use to otherp, I will give you a description of my Qwn experience. I had paddocks all red with sorrel about six years'ago. I put ou about sixteen bushels of lime/ to the acre, but in the spring the sorrel came up more luxuriantly than e?er ; , but ihe cattle and horses were very fond of ifc, and ate it down to the ground, and next year there was a fine sole of grasß the sorrel had almost disappeared. The paddock* was broken up last year, aud had a better crop of wheat than it ever grew before. The way that I spread the i lime is as follows :— The lime is well slacken, but not made wet ; it lies in | heaps twenty,four hours, and ifc is» then , turned over to. mix it. Thee I have two horses readyin a cart, which go very slow. One man guides the horßos and the other goes into the cart amongst the lime with a nioe light shovel, and throws the lime with the wind (ihe horses* side to' the wind). If " Agrieola "is afraid that the lime will injure his land, tell him. to measure, off a square chain and put a bushel of lime, and another with two bushels—fifty or sixty bushels to the acre will not hurt. Waiter PatersoD, YtW-» bunga, ia $. A. Chronicle. . .