GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1100, 12 April 1911, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Mr..E. Bezar, of Wellington, who.lias been making some interesting experi- • monts in growing potatoes from cuttings, recently brought, to this office a sample of his efforts in the form of a .root grown from ono stalk and bearing: -potatoes weighing'l7 ounces. '■''• , ; i The writer of an article in the "Live Stock Journal" (London), in dealing with, the hackney, makes the' following observation:—"To the English mind, ', with the outline, of the symmetrical hackney ever before it, the portraits i which.are frequently to be seen in Australian and New Zealand of champions , and prize-winners in the harness classes s held at their shows are littlo less than fun pictures." At a committee meeting of the Young ••Pastoral and Agricultural Association in Now South AVales, a , long discussion took placo regarding the definition of the meaning of, tho word "Farmer," which appeared to be rather a knotty question. It was decided (says the ■ Sydney "Herald") that the following. shall be tho definition: —A man engaged' in general farming, anddoing the actual work of cultivation himself to the extent of at ieast 50 acres. Agricultural papers by tho English mail state that the top prico for shorthorns at the Perth bull sale, late in February, was 720 guineas for a bull owned by Sir J. Siviiwright, which was purchased by Mr. Roger, of Manchester. . Other' good prices were 660 guineas, 400 guineas, and 300 guineas, etc.- The average was about £9 below ]ast. year. A few weeks ago mention was made in The Dominion of the grasshopper plague which did so much damage at Gundagai, in Now South Wales.-. The plaguo has now left most parts of tho district, after having practically eaten everything out (says tho "Sydney "iierald"). The pest even attacked the thistles. Strange to say, Kimo Estate, four miles from town, was not touched by tho hoppers, and tho grass-there is feet high. At Jones Creek, which i'was a waving field of grass three weeks ! ago, not a blade of feed ib left, and stockownnrs have now to hand-feed . stock. The South Gundagai farmers are also in the same plight. North Gundagai commons were eaten baro, e'scept variegated, thistles, which the cattle are- now eating, causing a big mortality. Fifteen head of cattle died last week. The question of how far tho laying of poison for tho destruction of rabbits has affected bird lifo will again be revived. Tho stock inspector contends that the poison-cart has not open responsible, but that tho destruc;ion of timber shelter is accounting for ":he disappearance'of insectivorous birds. Other authorities point out that' not only have the birds disappeared in tho mountains, but also in tho plain rountry, where they never had timber shelter, and where they were once ■numerous. The National Cattle- Breeders' Association (England) considered tho question of the length of quarantine imposed upon British stock imported into the Antipodes. The matter was left to a sub-committee. Tho possibility of adulterating milk through the cow, by inducing the animal to drink excessive quantities of water, has been tested in England at the instance of tho Board of Agriculture. The results of tho experiments indicato tliat the quantity of water consumed by cows has no direct hearing upon tho composition of their milk yield.