AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 150, 25 June 1904, Page 12

AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

_^ Without losing a single animal, seven shepherds leceutly drove a flock ol 14,000 iheep from Muinugu, in Queens.and, to Muuabri, in New South Wales — a dis-luiiL-e ot 900 mileu. A Dbikbiuio sow was recently on view at an (iimuiidvillc shop which tinned tho scale at 40'Ub. Tho animal had been latlvucd with hkim milk. Something like hulf a million acres, from Nelson to Okarito, 60 miles south ot JJokitiku, if coyeied with bluckbcriy. It hold poa.Mus.sion of a bUaight lino of about 200 milts of 1 cully good giassland, which, if euuliculod, would feed in the summer time- threo times tho present amount of stock. A Wairar.ipu, settler, Mr. \V. G. Tarr, who recently leturned from Canada) thinks thai, while the Dominion is a good field for settlement, it does not, in consequence of the extiemo cold, compare with New Zealand. It is now authoritatively announced by tlions concerned thai upwaids of 4000 acres of the Jleddon Hush Estato (Otago) have alie.uly been sold to northern buyers at satisfactory prices, and that there arc good enquiries for the balance. Ah a few good Canterbury men havo signified their intention of visiting the distiict shortly, (ho balance may be expected to go off at an early date. A Mrikmg illustration of the prcleienco which fanners show for the freehold is provided by the ready sale of iarnm on tho Gorton Estate, lately purchased by tho New Zealand Mines Tinst, r.nd now being cut up into farms. The area of the estate ia something over 8000 iy. res, and although tho suivoys aro not» yet completo, about fout-illlhs «I the area nut, already been sold on freehold titles. The sales have been effected along fairly well-defined natural boundaries, and a surveyor is now on tho land completing tho survey of the iurms uiictidy disposed of, and cutting up the balance of the estate, which is to be disposed of in farms of any hize to suit purchasers. Judging from past experience, the 2000 ncres or so remaining will command a ready sale when .surveyed and properly placed on the market. The terms on which the farms aro being sold aio one-third ea.«h, and the balance: on moitgagc at 4£ por cent, intereal. During a recent week 5600 pigs were killed in Ireland, whercjs formerly the number was 20,000 weekly. A writer in the lush Tunes attributes the falling-oil to the competition of Denmark and Canada, where the weekly kill has learhed, he declares, 40,000 and 30,000 respectively. The Wyndham Farmer says thnt owing to tho rough weather last week ouiside farm work was biought to a standstill. The recant rains put the Matauru River ii 1 flood, and low -lying country near by was submerged. Tho waters aio noiv subsiding. A Tarunaki paper has been informed that there aie some settlers in the W':iuugamomona distritt who have been strugg.ing on bush fauna for six years, and aro now giving tho stiuggle over and throwing up tho fauns. Lack of loads is given us I lie reason. Tho creameries in the Dannevirke district have either closed down, or are only rccuiving milk every other day. The Norsowood Dniiy Company have offered 9d to tho Malamau Mippliers if they caro to continue delivering milk to the creamery during tho winter months, but it is not thought the offer will bo accepted by ninny of the set I lets. Tasmanian papers state thnt the Ocouna's shipment of apoles to London iculiscd from 6s to 12s per case. On 6th May the Hobart Agent-General reported . that tho pi ices ruling for fruit pulp were: — Raspberries, £25 per ton ; apricot, £18 ; black currant, £60. Thero were, however, very lew buyers about. A well-known Noitb. Taiori farmer states that his turnip crop this year is the wor&t ho has ever had, and tho sheep won't eat it. Bad reports of Iho turnip crop comes from other parts of tho plain also. From a farmers' point of view (snys tin) Pnlmciston South Times) the weather dining tho past month has been ull that could be desired, and although' there havo been occasional s-howets, there has been little or no frost, consequently farmers havo been enabled to make excellent progress with ploughing and sowing operations. Farm work is much* farther forward than is usual at thin time ot the yeai, and in the Dunbnck and Shag Valley distiicts a comparatively largo area of wheat has already been sown. As far as we can learn tho area under crop in tli is district will bo much smaller than that of last year, but this is no doubt accounted for by the excellent prices nt present ruling for stock and the gradual extension of the dairying industry. Local farmers are just beginning to realise tb& fact that it pays better to keep sheep or dairy cows than to grow grain with wheat at 2a 9d and oats at Is 2d per bushel, and until tho prices of the.se cereals take a turn for the better we may expect a gradually diminishing pioduction of grain 111 this distiict. It is a ' f roquently-cxpiesscd opinion thut Taranaki farmers are paying too mil oh for their land when they give more than £15 or £16 per nero for it. An Elthnm resident (says tho local paper) who i.s in an excellent position lo judge expresses tho opinion that with butter selling us low us 8d por lb Taranaki farmeis can safely pay £25 an aero for good land and stilt make money. He makes tho provision, however, that tho fiirmer must have tho necessary labour within his own family. If ho has to pay for labour at the cm rent nito of wages then his outlook is not a bright one. In 1870-71 only 50,000 dozen eggs were exported from Donmaik. but in tho following fiscal year tho exports jumped up to 555,000 dozen, and in the following year they attained the remarkable figures ol 2,310,000 dozen. The Danish farmer, in fact, has discovered the golden possibilities of egg production, and since that date the trade lias constantly increased. Tho present low price of butter at Home is in no small degree, says an exchange, caused by tho high price of cotton, which has compelled a large number of the mills to close down. This has affected ninny thousands of operatives, who aro unable at tho present time to alfo'id tho luxury of good butler. Thousands of others nrc affected, nnd the depression caused by the slackness in tho cotton trade is no doubt responsible in a large measure for tho decreased demand. Tho supply of milk to the New Zealand Farmers:' Union for the month of March reached 667,601 gallons, as compared with 574,330 gallons for the bimo month lust year, being an increase of 93,071 gallons. Tho total sum paid to suppliers for the month was £9591 6s 9d, of which over £3000 camo to the Kketnhunn. district. Tho price paid was 8d per pound, as agaiiul 9d last year. — Eketnhuna- Express. An animated correspondence is going on iv English agricultural journals on the subject of motors taking the place of hovses in general funn work, and both sides of the question are waimly defended. Mr. John Scott, of Edinburgh, goes fully into figures, and makes tho first oost of plant for a. 400-nero farm under horsed nt £763, and under motive power at £565. He figures out the cost per aero at 7s for horse traction cultivation, with four men, nnd by motor, with one man, 3s 4Ad per acre. Eii;ht hone* ;ire supposed to cultivate four acres per day, and ono motor eight acres. Tho day wngo of a mnn is put down at 5s each, and the cosb : ol a binder at £35.