FARM NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XX, Issue 2388, 28 March 1893, Page 2

FARM NOTES.

The latest sheep-shearing machine is Newoll's patent, and it is claimed for it that serious cuts with it are impossible, that any intelligent laborer can learn to work it, in a day, and that it iunß far more lightly than any other. " Brani," in tbe Australasian, prediots that the maohine will come into general use on small farms, and that a pair of shears will soon be as scarce as the old-fashioned flail.

Cocksfoot (a correspondent writes), owing to tbe limited demand at home and other places where formerly large quantities used to be sown, has come down considerably in prioe, and if one bad the quantity of previous years to dispose of, prospects would be worse than they now are. Southern buyers do not care to speculate, as home prices do not warrant them doing so. Good samples ot southern seed are selling at 2Jd to 2s d per lb f.o.b. Home prices by last mail were 3£d per lb for 151b and 161bs of seed. Very little of our local seed will go 141b, hence tbe low prices now ruling in the colony.

Tall fescue— Although classed with five of tbe most nutritious grasses for food supply throughout tbe year, unfortunately it is not well adapted for onr moist climate, owing to its tendency to rank growth and very subject to become ergotted, and the ergot spurs when eaten by cattle in any quantity, will soon cause them to show signs of tbe ergot poisoning by their emaciated appearance and muscular tremblings. Tall fescue can be sown with advantage on high light poor soil, as it holds weil and is green wben other grasses are parched. Together with sheep's fescue it is well suited to such places. On a Queensland run artesian water has been struok at 1600 feet; and the estimated yield is a million gallons daily. The squatting harvesting company of Australia calculates that it has been saved from insolvency by the discovery of artesian water.

Seventeen acres of Danish oats, grown by Mr. L. Mathias, of Leeston, Canterbury, yielded 110 bushels per acre. The thresher made a good tally over them, patting them through at 235 bushels an hour.

This is what Mr Gordon, Inspector of Stock for has to say about the pasVßia^e in this colony :— " Nothing astonished'me so much as the richness of the New Zealand pastures. Through a large portion of Taranaki from foui to six sheep per acre is common, while in the Hastings Valley, near Napier, nine sheep to the acre was quite a common sight. Indeed, the sheep were so closely packed in the paddocks ,tl?ftt at first I could scarcely divest myself of the idea that they had been mustered for shearing or some other purpose."

A settler at St Andrews, near Timaru, has (says the Timaru Herald) an uncommon specimen of lamb running in his flocks. In addition to the natural tail, the lamb was born with another tail right between the ears on the M poll." As the lambi which is a three-quarter bred, runs abont, the tail drops first on one side of tbe head and then the other, giving it a very comical appearance. The Canterbury Press says that there is a considerable area of clover land shut up for seed in Canterbury this year, and the export of clover seed is likely to be an important item in the province's list. Persons of considerable experience on both sides of tbe Mountain say that' while on the New Plymouth side a crop of oats takes a great deal out of the land; on |his side it is not so ; while on the other -the positions is just reversed with regard potato crops. A Plains farmer wbo not long ago visited Canterbury and saw a new milking machine at work there, says he was convinced, very much against bis previous opinion, that the day will soon come when

milking will be done by machinery. In Waikato an apparently very lengthy aotion is going on in the R.M. Court at Hamilton in connection with tbe sale of a pen of twenty cattle, which some witnesees describe as consisting of one heifer, five or six bulls, and tbe balance steers. The pen was sold as steers by the auctioneer, hence tbe litigation.

The Waikato Times eayß :-— The settlers on the Waipa side, wbo for some years have been heavy losers of sheep and cattle by stealing, have organised a fund — now amounting to as a reward for the conviction of tbe thief, or thieves. It is expeoted the fund will reaoh at least jEIOO, and we hope the settlers will be able to bowl tbe culprits out.

It is said there is a court case coming on in connection with a large purchase of sheep from Hawke's Bay, -which will be of great interest, arising out of statements as to the age of certain sbeep. A matter of interest to the managers of creameries and butter factories which are worked on Sundays comes from Sydney. D. M'Auliffe, working manager at the Miller's Forest oreamery. Sydney, was charged lately at the police" court with carrying on his usual occupation on Sunday by separating milk at the creamery. Tbe information was laid under an act of Charles 11., and the defendant was fined 5s or " two hours in the stocks." It is intended to thoroughly test tbe legality of the decision by an appeal to the Supreme Court.

There was a telegram the other day stating that the Victorian Government have not yet removed restrictions on tbe importation of New Zealand sbeep. It would seem that tbe Victorian etud flock owners are a little afraid of New Zealand competition.

A deputation from tbe Royal Agricultural Society waited on tbe Minister of Agrioultnre on March Ist, asking tbat the restriction should not be removed until the Minister was certain tbat tbe " bot " fly, wbiob was said to exist among the sheep in tbat colony, would not be introduced here by allowing sheep /rom New Zealand to be imported into Victoria. j Mr. Webb replied tbat be bad not removed the restriction, and did not intend doing so at present. The Government had com* municated with the Governments of the other colonies, stating that tbe " bot " fly was reported to exist among the Bheep in New Zealand, and pointing out tbe danger of removing tbe restriction against the importation of sheep from tbat colony* " Thistledown," in tbe Australasian, rather ridicules the fear of the sheep botfly, and suggests that it is mi tbe boUfly, but the sheep tbat it is desired to koep out. He says:— lt is my belief that flockowners of this colony have little to fear from tbe sheep bot-fly, even if it has arrived in New Zealand, and I think tbat if it had to come, by tbe natural law of events it would have been here long ago. At any rate, any attempts at keeping tbe colony free of noxious flies while ships are voyaging to and fro would /be as futile as to try to bottle up tbe sunbeams or to stem tbe progress of the influenza in its march around tbe world. Shutting one tbe sbeep will no more prevent tbe droaded fly coming from New Zealand than shotting tbe window will keep flies out of a room while the door is lett open.

Thb best Eemkdt job Indigibtion. — Nobton's Camomil* Pills are confidently Recommended as a Simple Bemedy for Indigestion, which is the c&ubo of nearly all the diseases to which we are subject. Norton's Pills, with justice called the ' Natural Strengthener of the Human Stomach," act as a powerful tonic and gentle aperient, are mild in their operation, and sa fe under any circumstances. Sold in bottles at Is lid, 2s 9d, 11s, by all medicine vendors throughout the world.

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