EDITORIAL FARM NOTES.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9321, 23 January 1896, Page 2

EDITORIAL FARM NOTES.

» " Weekly Press and Roferes." NEW ZEALAND SHEEP BREEDERS , ASSOCIATION". FLOCK BOOK, VOE. 1., 1835. It will be remembered that during th". sitting of the Agricultural Conference .. '.Wellington-in .May, 1834, at which ever./ district in New Zealand was represented . the above association was formed. It then resolved that a flock book, should. l>-s started to embrace a record of the history o: all the reputed pure bred sheep in the colony. The work has been conducted under considerable difficulties. These have, however, for the most part, bsen surmounted, ! and-the volume now before us is the result of such labour. A council was appointed for each island, and in addition to these, [ local committees were appointed to;----the several districts of the colour, whose duties were to examine every entry sent in for registration, and to inspect a:iy flock which in their judgment required such. The sj-stem adopted by the Council appears to have worked* admirably. The following breeds are included, viz., Lincolns 83 flocks, E. Lcicesters 48, Border Leicesters 69, Romney Marsh 52, Wensleydale 1, Cheviot 2, Cotswold 2, Southdowns 5, Shropshire Downs 18, Hampshire Downs 1, Merinos 14. It is the intention of the Council to carry on the work, publishing a new volume periodically, say every three or five years, as may be deemed necessary. In the meantime a register of the flocks bred from and the rams used will be kept. The work is a most interesting one if only viewed as a history of the pedigree flocks of the colony. It is substantially got up, bound in half ■ calf. The letter press is excellent, anil reflects great credit alike on the editor. tho printer, and the publishers (the "Press"'' Co., Cashel street, Christchurch.) BARLSY GRASS. At the last meeting of the committee ot the Canterbury A. and P. Association, the rapid spread of barley grass was referred to. We have in a previous issue referred to til- - ; encroachment of this worthless grass. It has been in the colony for many years, hv, : was chiefly to bo found along the road aide and hedges. Of late it has extended its: I to grass and other paddocks, and r... . threatens to ruin some of our pasture Lin-.'■-.. It is not only blown about by the wind !>;;■. sheep are a prolific means of distribution. The awns of the seeds get fast in the wool an 1 thus the seeds are carried about all over t\n country. It is difficult to suggest a remedy. Those who only have patches of this grass should not allow it to seed, it should be stubbed up and burned. It is becoming a serious pest. THE WINTER SHOW. The secretary has brought up the draft premium catalogue of the proposed winter show, to be held under the auspices of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association in May next. Povision is made for all kinds of farm cereals, seeds, roots, and produce, dairy produce, cured and preserved meats, andoSew Zealand manufactures. It is also proposed to ran a model dairy, at at which the milk of cows will be tested, and prizes paid for the most butter return, the test to be made by tho churn. The show will be held in some convenient building in Christchurch. Lectures will be delivered by experts on Agricultural and Pastoral and Industrial subjects during the show days. A premium catalogue will shortly be issued and distributed. A RAM SHOW. The question of holding a show of rams during the ram fair in March next was discussed at the last meeting of the committee of the Canterbury A. and P. Association. A sub-committee appointed to consider the matter reported that they could not recommend the project to the favourable consideration of the general committee, on the grounds that the business of the ram fair occupied the whole of the time during the sale, and that sufficient time could not be devoted to tho show without militating against the success of the sale.' DEHORNING CATTLE. The dehorning of cattle, although sometimes adopted in Canterbury, has received but little attention as yet in Otago and Southland. The farmers surrounding tho New Zealand and Land Company's estate at Edendale had an opportunity recently afforded them of witnessing the operation of dehorning cattle in a scientific manner. Mr Macdonald, manager of the estate, invited all interested to be present to see a herd of cattle dehorned. The invitation resulted in a good attendance, amongst those present being Mr A. Park, M.R.C.V.S., Governmentßacteriologist, anclMr H. Turner, Stock Inspector for Southland. Proper pens for holding the animals while being operated on were provided. The dehorner is an implement of about the same size, and somewhat resembling, an ordinary clipping shears. By a sort of compound cog-wheel action, an immense power of leverage is given the blade. It "cuts after the same style as the implement used by coachbuilders and others for nipping off the ends of bolts. The horns are nipped off almost instantaneously and with little apparent pain. The implement used was one of the Walter A. Wood Company's make. NOT WILD TURNIP. Mr E. H. Cameron, manager of the Waimate Estate, Studholme, writes on Jan. 6th:—Sir, —My attention has been called to a paragraph in the Farmer column of your issue of the 12fch ult., in which your correspondent says, "Passing Waimato Junction we noticed a large paddock of what was intended for wheat, but which is bearing a crop of wild turnip in full bloom." After a few more remarks he goes on to further air his knowledge of the subject by giving us his estimate of the yield of the crop as follows :—" Our estimate of the yield of the combined crop i 3 fifteen bushels of wheat, and five to ten bushels of turnips per acre, whereas in the absence of the latter the yeild would be forty bushels at least of wheat." Now, sir, as"the ownership of the land round Waimate Junction is pretty well known, I cannot allow such an article to go uncontradicted. First the crop is not wheat, but dun oats, and the " bloom " was not wild turnip but rape. Aβ a matter of fact I do not believe that a handful of wild turnip could be gathered within a radius of two miles of the Junction. For the information of your contributor I may state that the paddock referred to was sown with rape in November, 1894, and over 4000 lambs were weaned upon it during the autumn. In June it was grubbed and sown with dun oats by the Massey Harris Cultivator, for spring feed, and after being fed down twice the land was sold to Mr John Foley, of Oamaru, for £11 per acre, and laken possession of by him on the 25th of November last. Mr Foley elected to let it grow for crop, with the result that the oats, now nearly ripe, will yield from 50 to 60 bushels per acre. As the land in the immediate vicinity is now open for sale, the remarks of your correspondent are calculated to very seriously injure the reputation of both land and management by such entirely incorrect statements.

[It must be admitted that Mr Cameron's explanation 39 a satisfactory one. Wild turnip, however, is so universally prevalent that our correspondent may well be excused for having mistaken the yellow sheet of rape' bloom for that of wild turnip. Experience has amply demonstrated that the presence of wild turnip in large quantities in cereal crops has the effect of decreasing the yield by quite 25%. We are pleased to learn that wild turnip is a stranger to the Waimate Junction District, and we willingly make this statement to correct an error into which it appears our conespondent has unwittingly fallen.] THE DAIRY INDUSTRY, 1894-5. Extracts from reports of#the dairy instructors, graders, &c, published by the New Zealand Department of Agriculture in pamphlet form :—Me MacEwan, Chief Dairy Expert, opens the proceedings with an excellent disquisition on the dairy industry. His remarki are much to the point, and may be studied with profit by all interested in the industry. The different assistant inspectors have much to say on the condition of the industry in various parts of the country. Reference is made to the difficulties with which graders have to contend. Mr B. Wayte states that complaints are made that the grading has checked to some extent the sale of butter in the colony. This can only apply when graded "second" or "third." As long as buyers were found to take the butter, and the careless and indifferent maker frequently obtained as good a price as his more painstaking neighbour, the tendency was to lower the standard of quality. Under these circumstances the efforts of a good.

butter maker were discouraged, and the maker of the inferior article failed to realise the necessity of continuous effort towards improvement; even allowing the fact of the butter being already sold, and therefore not likely to aiiect his own pocket —to cause indifference and neglect as to the quality made. Mr Busck, grader at Lyttclton, makes some very useful and pertinent remarks not only on dairy management, but on the treatment of dairy stock as well. The report is the most practical, and therefore most useful yet issued on the subject by the department.