AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 47, 23 August 1902, Page 4 (Supplement)

AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

TJie small-birds nuisance in South Canterbury is still a very live one. According to the Levels County Council, the birds arc increasing, and the nuisance is growing more serious every year. Notes from the Taieri Advocate: — Farmers generally are in good spirits. Tho recont rise in both sheep and cattle has given many, of the farmers a nice little lift. Turnips are very scarce, and as much as £8 per acre has been given for cattle feeding. This is about a record, I think. Farmers are taking full advantage of the fine weather, and (unless those who are on the lower ground) they should be as far on with their work as usual.

The Seadown district, always noted (says the Timaru Post) for its early lambs and its fine cattle, promises to well maintain its reputation again this year. Early lambs are already to be seen disporting themselves in Mr. Hedley's paddocks, and it is doubtful Whether the Seadown ever produced a finer looking lot at this time of the year. At a meeting of the Clinton Farmers' Union the other day the following resolutions were carried: — "That the sheep tax be abolished altogether ; that this meeting supports the movement of the executive of the Farmers' Union in the way of starting a co-operative farmers' fire insurance."

At the annual meeting of shareholders of the Aparima Dairy Factory, held at Riverton, a motion was passed prohibiting the use of turnips and rape as feed for dairy cattle. *

A few days ago (writes the Press) Mr. S. Nutt, of Little River, killed his wellknown purebred Tamworth pig Sandy Mick, which when dressed turned the scale at scwt 301b, though it was only three-parts fat. The pig held an un a beaten record as a first prize-winner at the Canterbury Metropolitan show. There are a large number of eggs coming in from the country round Whnncrarei this year. The poultry industry Deems to be on the incieiue. Thin may justly be attributed (says the Auckland News correspondent) to the poultry shows held in the district for Hie past few years, and to the information imparted by the Government experts, and pamphlets circulate^ by ( them, information on this subject. " '» "

At n. dairy meeting at Te Puke. Wnikato, the other day, it was stated that the experience of the Waikato was that it paid a company to put up creameries wherever 250 cows were promised. It was the creameries that paid. As long ao they got the cream at the centrnl factory the supply of mile nt the central factory did not matter, though of course it added to the profits. As legurds the Bank's guarantee, there was no single instance in the last ten years of a failure la cooperative butler factories. A guarantor hud the security of the factory and plant, and o large proportion of tho debt was paid off in the first and second years. A number of Bay of Plenty maize growers and others have examined the sample of the Argentine product which has been on view i\[ the local newspaper oftiie and all agree as to its splendid condition. It will not compare with the mair.e grown in Whnkntane and Opotiki us regards "breed," but its condition could not be beaten.

The outlook at- the present time- in connection with the producing interests in Victoria i« fur from encouraging, ftiere is almost the certainty of a short cereal crop, and there is more than a probability of bhe butter business showing a falling-oil even as compared with last year, which proved disappointing. Kven in tho Western district farmers aro complaining of the grass being ehort and the stock in poor condition, while in the north and north-eaat a number of cattle have already died, and those that are left are for the most part quite unfit to put up a good record in butter production. Fat stock of all descriptions are bringing abnormally high prices, and values are likely to keep up for a con siderable time, us the reserve of fat cattle and sheep Ln the State is small, while the demand for thsra is unusually widespread.

Already close npon 6000 fruit trees have been imported by one Tasmanian nurseryman this season, and there are others who have also executed large orders. These trees have been distributed all over the island. The demand seems lo be moro for apples and pears, and those apples winch have reached the Londou market in the best condition ' aro ■being planted out in larger numbers. Although the cultivation of beetroot for the purpose of mttkiug sugar has so far been a failure in Victoria (say* the Australasian), dairymen aro beginning to realise the value of beetroot as a foad,er for their stock. Mr. VV. Thomas, a dairy farmer near TruralgoVi, in Gippsland, began feeding his cows on beetroot at tho end of March, with tho result that from nineteen cows, on half an acre, his milk cheque came to £36 17s for two months. Mr. Thomas's next door neighbour, Mr. Be-ard, was much impressed with these results, especially as from fifteen cows, fed ia the ordinary way, he had recoived £7 5s only for th© month of April. Mr. Beard therefore began to feed on beetroot at the end of April, and was gratified to find that for the month of May his milk cheque rose to £13 7s Id.

The crops in Western Australian pastoral districts are coming on with great quickness. It is difficult to realise that many of them have been very late sown. Heavy rams have fallen in the south-west in the Preston d is '.riot—as much as 2.80 inches fell in 24 hours — which made 18 inches so far this year. ' The lambing has, taking it all over, been very satisfactory, and the difficulty about feed has now been overcome. ..Good rains have fallen everywhere, and the weather lias been mild, so the grass has come on quickly.

A milking machina at work at Hawkesbuvy Agricultural College, New South * leu, is giving the best results, most of the dairy herd being milked by it.

A report issued £rom the Indiana experimental .station (U.S.A.) shows that during tho year 1901, in Indiana and Maryland combined, 2,159,000 en«es of canned tomatoes were put up, the value of which to the grower alonu w :i« about .WOO, OOO. American conned tomatoes arc sod in Australia.

According to an American authority. Professor Alva Jordan, the best result*with lowntoes have been obtained fr«m growing them in a clay loam soil, to uhich wns added equal proportions ol tuieil co»il asbes and pent moss. After the s flr*t fruit was well started, the plants wore supplied with liquid manure every ten dajs, each plant gettincr about half a pint. The grea. est weight of crop was taken ftom those plants rbi with 2$ squuic feet of surface — 7380z pet i«i plants, or about 41b of fruit per plant.

A new lino of refrig«rator ships, own ed by a British-American syndicate, is to be established, with direct service from New Orleuils, New Yoik and Boston, to Bristol, England. The New Orleans line is lo eairv California fruits.

There is a growing demand among the farmers of England for co-operation, it being found that it is only by these means that they can hope to meet foreign competition. The movement shows, most vitality in Yorkshire and adjoining Midland counties. Some idea of the power of the co-operative movement abroad may be obtained from the fact that there are at preient over 300.000 co-operative agricultural societies in Denmark, while Ireland hns 470, and England lens than 40.