AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

Evening Post, Volume LXIX, Issue 118, 20 May 1905, Page 12

AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

The Wairoa Qunidinn Miys thai the potato riiKL'iiMi is \oiy bad in t he W.ukiiieuiu.uia native bettk'inenls, and the Maoris Will ho shoit of food tins winter. Wholes.ilo sheep stealing from farms in tho Lubuin (North Cuntcibuiy) ilihliiet is reported, one farmer naving misled seventy, fifty, and a thud twenty-live. Many fanners in tho Waiau district liavo token tho precaution to buy slieep to eat off flip mgwoit on their fauns, with tho icmiU (according to the Hivetton paper) that hi tie or nothing is seen of tho weed on tho Waiau fuiins. One of tho new &ettleis on the Kosewill settlement has done exceptionally well this year (says the Wangunui Hcinld), having madb over £900 out of his wheat crop, which is said to have been the best ever seen in that district. Averaged over the whole year the actual profits made — £936 — works out at £518 per week. Threshing operations throughout tho Geraldino and Winchester district luivo been favoured with fine weather j and some of tho machines have had very good seasons, one mill having already threshed 70,000 bushels. Owing to tho fall in price, fanners are storing most of their wheat. Ploughing operations are being pushed ahead in the Longbeach district. On the Longbcach Estate oats have already been sown for feeding-oflf purposes m spi ing and as onrly crops. Practically no threshing has been done yet, as the greatei poition of the ciops weie put in the stack in such a condition as to tender it prudent to delay threshing for another month at least. At the last skin sale at Ashburton a number of tho skins oflered had evidently been taken off sheep that hnd died from disease. The excessive mortality among vheep in the Ashburton County is said to bo duo to the fact that during tho past few weeks a largo quantity of turnips had been fed off, and, tho weather being unlavourable, inflammation came on through the sheep over-feeding when tho turniptops were in a damp condition. It is .slated that Dr. Chalmers, the medical officer of health for the City of Glasgow, has reported that tho epidemic of soro throat at tho Belvidero Hospital, Glasgow, was due to teat eruption in (he stock at tho farm from which the milk supply was obtained. The Lord-advocalo is to bo asked whether ho will consider the expediency of introducing legislation to securo tho periodical inspeetioli of stock kepi for tho supply of milk to public dairies. In giving evidenco before the West Australian Immigration Commission at Perth, Mr. William Patteison, manager of tho Agricultural Bank, said that £400,000 had been granted by Parliament to tho bank, and over £300,000 of this was out on loan to 4000 farmers and settlors. He did not know of more than five cases of persons who hnd abandoned funning, and these failures had betn due lo illness and neglect. Tho bank's luss in ten years had been £7. During tho coming planting season tho Mackenzie County Council proposes to plant 27,000 trees on the reserve above Uio Tokapo Hotel, and 24.000 on the island in the Tokapo Lake. MeFsrs. Millichamp Unix., of Ashbuiton, will do the planting, and will guarantee aguinst natural deaths for one year at (ho late of £6 per 1000. This will bo a considerable addition to tho altcady extensive plantations established by tlto council in that locality. Many thousands lrnvo alieady been planted n the locality named. A farmer of long standing in the North Olitgo district inform* the Oamaru Mail that the art of good stacking is being loht —in North Otago, at ony rate. Ho thinks, from personal obv!i ration, that much of the grain already in stack this year might as well still bo in the stook— -better, in fact. As it is, the grain sheaves aro thrown together, in the majority of oases, so that the rain gets into the stack, and tho grain is nioro or less damaged according to tho degreo of carelessness shown in stacking. A black potato ha* recently made its appearanco in tho Berlin market, and bus been greeted with enthusiasm. Not only is its skin black, but tho !lw»h is of a dark reddish brown. In ta.ste it is indwtingutehablo from other potatoes. It comes from South Africa, but has been found lo grow rapidly in the neighbourhood of Berlin. Doubtless this new variety could be grown in Australia. Experiments should bo instituted to determine) how far it would suit tho ta*lo of local coii.su ineis. Enquiries in regard to the report that rabbits aro numerous in the Sumner (Jifltrict confirm the statements already published. A resident of the borough states that on an average 60 or 70 rabbits aro taken every day on the ) from Evans's Pass to UedclilTs. He n.iAidens that a. low citimnto, and thin lev that he would be within the maik in stating the averago at 100 a day. One Sunday afternoon three lads went out with one gun between them, and shot largo numbers of rabbits on tho hills in a few .hours. Owing to traction engines being extensively brought into use this season in the Ashburton district as a means of hauling grnin to the stores, it is reckoned that not ono-half of the drays and teams liavo buen brought into use compared with former years. Speaking to a Sealleld farmer, a representative of the Ashburton Guardian was informed that ho had made arrangements to havo his grain carted away by stoam at a. much cheaper rate than if ho brought his own teams into use. Tho reason given was that while the team system was tedious, it also delayed ploughing operations. It has been decided to discontinue temporarily the weed-deist roving operations lit Totiira, taking up tho work again in tho spring. Tho growth is checked at this season of tho year, and no evidence of efficacy of tho various specifics could bo provided. The Oamaru Mail learns that the majority of the preparations appeared to stimulate rather than prevent tho growth of thistles. The ttontment was satisfactory enough until the cross roots were reached, after which it failed to do any good M'hatevor as long &< tho fibres appear to thrive on that which contemplated their destruction. However, tho actual results will not be oscprlninablo until the spring, when in the ordinary turn of affairs the growth should como away again strongly. Two more instances of tho fecundity of the Northern Star aro reported in tho Uhristchnrch Pie*s: — A short time ago Mrs. Doddsi, of Waikari, planted as an experiment lib of Northern Star potatoes, from which she has just dug 951b, some of tho potatoes turning the scale at IMb. Mr. G. Slunton, of Woodeml (North Canteibury), planted six Northern ytar potatoes about, tho size of hens' eggs, received from Messrs. Nimmo and Blair, of Dttnedin, which, without manure on light land, havo yielded 831b. There were from seven to eighteen tubera on each root, and they weio freo from blight. At tho beginning of tho season («ays tho Nftrth 01 ago Times) there was a rush for sheep to put on tho Canterbury stubbles, and Southland was piacticnlly depleted of store sheep. On the top of tlr* enine large drafts fiom tho North Inland to Lyltclton, and instead of there being a shortage of cheep in Cnnterbmy thefo are now more than can be dealt with. Southland having oversold, tho tide has apparently turned, and sheep that were at one time brought from the south are now being returned there to fill the gajw created by the over-selling. Sheep aio now better value to Southland than in Canterbury or North Otago.