GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 760, 8 March 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

;A visit of inspection to the Nelson district is being paid by Mr. J. G. Clayton, Senior Government Veterinarian, who went across in yesterday's boat.

iSome slight trouble is reported-to have arisen in connection with New Zealand and Australian-bound meat shipments to Ofreat Britain, aiid complaints have been received by exporting houses, per medium of: the Department of Agriculture, as to the packing of some recent parcels. It is stated that the meat, was not packed in such'a way tha,t the different portions could be readily identified, as is prescribed by the regulations. It is now announced that the Scottish regulations as to boned meat are to be made more stringent and brought into line with the English ones.

Mr. H. L. M'Hardy is to represent the Hawke's Bay A., and P. Association at the international conference which the British National, Sheepbreeders' Association is arranging to hold in London on June 20 next. One of the subjects .to come up for discussion will be, "the desirability or otherwise of the oiling and colouring of show sheep or of any foreign substance being used in the preparation of sheep for exhibition." ' ' .... .

.At a meeting: of the Canterbury, Land Board on Thursday, Mr. F. W.. Flanagan (Crown''Lands ' Commissioner) expressed the opinion that, taking the history of New Zealand right through, small grazing runs had proved the best bargains of the kind in the State.

The Pahiatua branch of the Farmers' Union is considering the question of forming a class for instruction in wool-sort-ing. Definite arrangements will' probably lie-made at the meeting to be held on Saturday next..', . . . ( . . It now appears that the. entries for the Kaikoura' Show, to be. held on March 16, are the smallest since' the formation of the society. 'Last year the entries were 1015, this season's total being 618. There is a falling-off in every branch except the draught horse class; ' ■ , '

; Thb following produce was exported 'from Patea'during February,- 1910: —Butter, 3515cwt„.-valued : at JCIV',22I; cheese, 20,178cwt., value -199; beef,-- : frozen;: lo9Bcwt., value,ils3B; lamb,' frozen; 1287 carcasses, 361cwt., value- JE633; tallow, 10 tons, i£24o; 'wbol, - greasy, 42,7841b.,' value 0:1425.' ■ -

.' The Auckland A. and P.' Association re'ports a . most successful, year. The' receipts for the twelve months'amounted-to i' 4068 Is. 9d., and.the profit oil tho year was .£l2Ol. This sum is to go towards the, Section of buildings as soon as the association can arrange to.'use its own show, grounds. , The-membership roll now contains' 1100 . names;. : The annual report states -, that . the ' first "agricultural society was established in ,Auckland- on. May_ 8, 1843. Spme. members of the association have been connected with the Auckland agricultural societies for more than 50 years. Mr. E. Fairburn was secretary, in .1849, Mr.'T. C. Williams was a member in 1854, Sir'G-. M.i ,o'ltorke in 1855,. while Sir John Logan Campbell was president; in 1877..: The association during the past few years (says the "Herald") has grown, from one of the smallest; metropolitan so-, cieties, and : now , ranks amongst ; the strongest-and most influential agricultural associations'in the Dominion.

Feed ; for-'cows is reported in-abundance almost throughout the ' entire" provincial district of Auckland. .The' season so ; far,. according to tho "Herald," has proved an out-and-out record. • Tho exports from the port. of "Auckland.,'since. October 1 last amount: to .over 4900 tons of butter, 'as compared; with about 3550 tons lor;' the corresponding ■ period of last 1 . season. Within the , last fortnight 1279 crates; of ' cheese.',have been shipped' to the West- of England, and'2Bß crates to-London. The' total -for the corresponding period last year was 770 crates.'

The Cheviot. Show'was, held/in steady rain'on Friday.' Considering the,nature of ,the./country'round .;abbut, ;;the; entries, in : the" sheep' classes,' accoirding/ to; the "Press," were ratherl disappointing..There were some;-fine; individual"sheep .showli,; b'u't' the exhibits',' taken'.'as' a%liole, hardly; did' justice'lto so-'gbod a ■ sheepbreedihg locality" as'.Cheviot has proved "itself "to be. Sir C; Campbell, was well'to the fore in many' classes, and showed '.some ' very creditable t animals. The' best section' of all -was' the light horses, , and a" really good-lot-were ringed. The cattle were rather poor,'and surprise was expressed that a better display of dairy cows 'was not brought out. '; / ' '..

' : The Danncvirke A-. and P.-Association reports a creilit' balp.ncc of .£235 10s. 2d., after liolSing.its tot'show. .?/!, J While the ' Canterbury Land Board last week; ivas discussing" an application for a .transfer.of a' lease-in-perpctiiity of fifteen acres,' Commissioner; '.(Miv V ; F. i/W. lflanagan) remarked ■ it .could- not\be too iwell : kni>wn that,the board wasaltogetheragainst the-aggregation', of Small holdings ; excepting: in'-.very' special/conditions.' The; gradual ■ adding'-togeth'or; of:. sectioris">vith' a view,' to making' a' small, dairy farm, out of'sections -not; intended'-for. that pur-' pose should be. stopped; Those who wanted dairy farm's'-should, obtain'them /in.'tho, proper .way.* ... t •; ' . • ■! A' Taranaki farmer is reported 'by " ,the: Hawera "Star" to have'a short;time ago bought..,a.;couple- of thousand acres of ; gunr-picked' land' north; of Auckland for ,£1 an acre. -He had half 'of it ploughed and after growing I, crop 'of turnips it.'he ant it;in;gra"ss. "fho.;same'land:is' now "worth JEB an acre. 1 . ;.'/; ' The :North'Canterbury. A. and;P. Association his'S decided to hold' its winter show at.'Kangiora on May 5, and; 6. "An immense amount ;of benefit was. receivedby the . turnips,-rape, and young, grass-"from the recent heavy ; rain, writes the Kirweo' correspondent of the; '■'Lyttel-' ton Times."- A slight ,frost which, occurred on Monday morning "would u'eip ,no check ,tho bligh.tr , which .was . becoming ■very rife* on , the • rape, . crops;. '■ Potato blight has only appeared in- a mild form in tlio main crops, although some early patches in ' gardens have : been ; affected rather badly. .. . , i The season has been on. the whole a favourable one for * stationsin the vicinity of Hanmer. Springs, writes-, a-corre-' sponderit: -The lambing was good. • The sheep' came.,in-"well, up/' to numbers' ;at . shearing time, owing to, the mildness of; last winter, and the clip was in fair condition, and of good- weight. The crops are good, i and .are being harvested' in sound condition. There is every prospect of the turnip crops for winter teed being;prolific. ; . /.The" rainfall registered at Ivirwee : ;(Can-' terbury) during February was ■ l.SOin., rain falling on five days. The fall for February, 1909, was .77in., and for 1908 •Oiin. / . , . . , Labour . conditions .'.affecting threshing machines.; in" .the. Ashburton county ai'e still unsatisfactory, writes the Ashburton correspondent -of the "Lyttelton Times." This week. four of the workmen ,'on one mill refused to- continue-to work under the contract system, and as the farmer, declined to" pay the millowner by the hour, the latter could not afford to pay his employees by the hour while he him- ■ self was working under the contract system and .work was: stppped.:. It, is. understood that the men's earnings, after paying for. food, and lodging, are a little in excess'of 345. per" week". 'In some instances, however, the farmers, who recognise that,the grain is threshing poorly according to the bulk, are paying the mill- 1 owners hy the hour. ■ The first, of-the. season's, oats, has been forwarded ,to the Bluff for shipment to the Old Country, there being no fewer than eight truck-loads shipped from \Vaimea on Friday morning'for the Bluff. ' The oats 'were a-.bright clean sample, not having experienced a shower of rain for some weeks prior to harvesting. "

ROMNEY SHEEP IN WAIKATO. Early last year the well-known Romney ' breeder, Mr. John Allon, Tho ClilTs, ■ Wningaro, Waikato, purchased of Mr. E. Short, Parorangi, two 4-tooth Romney stud rams, "Carbine 2nd" and "Earl Roberts 4th." Mr. Allen subsequently exhibited these; ram's, the former,'at the Waikato show at Hamilton in November, where lie gained first and championship, i and tho latter was shown last week at the Central Waikato show, at Cambridge, where ho .was, also, placed first in his ■ class and . awarded • championship. -.This' . reflects great credit on the breeder, and Mr. Allen's manager, who selected the Lsheen. ,