JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 136099, 25 April 1908, Page 6

JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS.

So far the season has been a busy one for South Australian exporters of fruit of different kinds. The grape-growers have taken advantage of tho opening up of the Now Zealand market to despatch many hundreds of cases or prime grapes to the various parts of tho Dominion. Several methods of packing havo been tried by shippers, but those who departed from the use of granulated cork have not yet been able to land their shipments in prime condition. Tho apple export season is now in full siring, and thoso who aro not conversant with tho development of tho trade would bo surprised at the growth of tho export business. It is estimated that tho oversea shipment of apples and peare from South Australia this year will bo nearer 200,000 cases than 100,000 At all events, the volume of trade will largely exceed that of any previous year (says the '.Sydney Morning Herald , ). As the season is not one of extra abundance, the large shipments are tho result of development work by orohardiste during the past ten or twelve years.

A few years ago the Darling Downs was one great sheep walk. Over th© same area to-day milk is the main support of thousands of families. Take the Warwick district, which is a email place compared with the Jargo dairying centres to be seen in the Downs, atid 163 establishments are found handling cream only and 230 handling cream and butter, the butter output being 1,810,4751b; while five establishments turn out 622,1401b cheese. In Kiilarney district, which adjoins, 37 establishments handlo cream only, 67 cream and butter, and the output of cheese and butter is 15,8361b and 202,7361b respectively. Every little dairying centre—and there are scores of them—in tho Downs has its batter factories, and added to them in the .bigger oentree are cbeei» and. bacon lactOTiCe. \ ■■:'"■■ ■ '■'.• ■■■-.■.■

on ouying sheep or lambs, and on© of the largest farmers in the district, in conversation with a "Press" correspondent, gave as a reason that a great deal of crop would be put in the ground this lieaeon, as both wheat and oats are bringing a high price now. Consequently farmers would not have &o largo an acreage under grass, and therefore would not require tho sheep. The jxetuven district is looking splendid now. Paddocks that have been quite bare of feed all tho summer are looking green, and feed is growing very fast. There have been a few heavy frosts lately, but so far they havo not been severe enough to check the growth of the young grass. At the third annual exhibition of colonial-grown fruit and preserves held in London in March, the South African exhibits monopolised one half of tho hall, those from Capo Colony predominating. Th« Nova Scotia Government exhibited a splendid collection of apples, tho quality and beautifully fresh ippearanco being remarkable. Tho first of the South Australian apples for tho eeason wero also shown. Tho Nova •Scotia exhibit was awarded a gold medal, and several silver and bronze medals wero awarded to South African exhibits.

'Mr Robert Challinor, secretary of the Cheshire Dairy Farmers' Association, has issued his annual review of tho Cheshire cheese- trade. He estimates that tho yield of cheese in the county last year <amoumted to 30,000 tons, with an average price of £G0 per ton, involving a turnover of £1,800,000. During the first three months of the year, cheese realised the highest quotations for tho past thirteen years. It then fell in value until September, when it again rose, and these enhanced prices are still maintained. The MidIβ nds, liSiiKxiehiro, and Yorkshire- are largoly buying Cheshire choose. One firm alone bought SO tons. London was enquiring for more fine cheese from Cheshire. In Mr Challinor's opinion, London dealers should take more oh-ofse orf mod'kim quality as tihe East End should absorb larjjo quantities at pj"ie«6 ranging from 7d to 8d per Tb. If Cheshire cheese ob tamed T l n opening to that part of tflie niotropolU, it woodd soil upon its merits, 'ml sown become a popular article of diet.

Thursday's Dmiodin "Star" eeys:— The seasonable weather is erid-eovtJy aJlowing the chnffcutte-rs to get to work. In tfao country the rarioue srraiin sidings are a. eigiht ■worth sefdng, a»d ib& lofty trucks show that plenty <>f cliaS m coming forward. It is estinwtted that Jast week oloee on one thonsaml tens were received into the market. The brisk ehiippins demand has mused prices ,to keep fairly steady, but it is anticipated, owang to the very few orders now being received, tha-t tie local market will bo fuily stocked at no distant date. This will bo good news to tie many locaJ buy&n; who hnve had to pay so dearly for their horse fodder in consequence of tlie heavy aorthern enquiries.

Mr F. de CasteTia, vtiticuTtural export, who was «?nt to France and Southern Europe by the Victorian Depa rtm-cittt of Agriculture, about th« middle of laet year, and who returned some days ogo, hvs roported to the Director of Apiculture that the ntetfcod of reoonetruotio'n of pthrllox-oro-inifcstod vineyards by means of grafting .EiM-opoain vines on American etooks, was now universally practised in all th© vine-grow i nsg coun-trios of EuroTjo. X-early all tiS proWoms connected with <the> had bf»n successfudry solved, aoid theyiedd of wine in France -.yas now cc great as it was hi the pjdni-iest days before the appearance of phylloxera. Two important iimproncmerits had boon genoraJly introduced. Tsto first wa* the adoption of the inotihod of grafting American shocks after t3w> la-tter had been planted va their j>erHTan«nt position in the vineyard. "Bench .grafting"— a systorn in winch grafting was done one pea«m, and the trees woro pla-ntcd in tWir porrranont position a year or two afterwards—-was gTadu.'Jly going met of farvonr. Th/j- second iniprovemen.t was that "callusing" took pi nee, by Jurying grafts in n-oss. iuetwid of tn sand, a& had been the cuetom hitherto. A ehort time before leaving Europe, Mr de had opport-uni-ties for the Spanish meMjods of preperiag Kberrv and other epecsel wines. Hβ had brought out nlKHit 60.000 grafted vines, partly for tui-o detrartmental nursery at Rntber§J en V^ nd partly 1 for private growers. Mr, Kitoher, the first iHirsoryimari in Enropc. liod forwarded a samplo of his work, in the hope of opening direct trad© boAvroen Victoria and France.

! for Agriculture, sketched the policy he j proposed to adopt in regard "to tho dairying industry. Hβ said that in I order to be of practical use. the 3>ej partment must be- able to set an example for thoroughness and efficiency. To do this their house must in the first place be in order. It vps no ce-od advising a man to do certain things when you did not do them yourseli. In view of this he intended to havo a general "clean up" and arrange- his policy, so as to he able to set an example which would be followed by all connected with dairying. There was a lot to be- done. Dairy farmers knew exactly what' they required from the Department, and •Lβ intended as far as possiblo to make it v/hat jthoy wanted. Ho recognised the great possibilities there were in the, trade. It ■was his intention to cater for it, and make the administration bo efficient in .this respect that there would be no need of inspectors. He looked to the time when they would become obsolete and useless. Instructors would always be wanted. Tho- farmers had to keep abreast of tho times, and to successfully accomplish this it was absolutely requisite- that there should be I capable instructors.