AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXI, Issue 10309, 30 March 1894, Page 2

AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

{Cai'Jtyhury TnnesT) That tho wheat marker, is ia a bad stats in Now Zealand bo fanner will dispute, but, if such a thing wero possible, it is even worse, compai alive iy, in Victoria The Melbourne and Geelong merchants appear to-be quite out ot the trade. It is stated that on© Adelaide firm has, within the space of three years, during which it has made the Victorian merchants dance to a lively tune, completely monopolised the Victorian wheat trade, and has loaded or will load every vessel, with one .solitary exception, that has bean chattered to load wheat from Victorian porta this season. The exception is a vessel which has been chartered by Mr Laacelles, of Geelong, a member of the Wading wool and grain broking firm of that port. Jt is not in his mercantile capacity that he has chartered this vessel, but in pursuance of a scheme which he, as “ the malic© king/' has evolved for working a wheat corner on a large scale for the benefit of tbe growers. The proposal is that the farmers should rhsp earl j in the season two-thirds of the wheat crop, securing by co-operation in the chartering of vessels, the lowest rates of freight and other chargee. The local stock being thus reduced to the quantity required for food and seed, and prot-ctsd by tbo tariff from invasion from the other colonies, the market would be “ rigged/' and a profit on the whole’ crop made by tho high prica realised for the one-third retained in the colony. Tho scheme has been nipped ia the bud for this season by the inability of its author to charter vessels, tho solitary vessel which has been secured being quite inadequate to show how tho Malice farmers generally view this ambitious proposal. Meantime, wheat is almost unsaleable in Victoria, and Adelaida waxes sarcastic and asks bow it is that in a colony where protection holds such sway legislation has not been passed to prevent a South Australian firm monopolising Victorian trade to the detriment of local merchants!

The London Times recently gave a description of the immense cold storage build-, ings erected in London by Messrs Nelson Bro?., Limited. In that article it was stated that 1,373,723 carcases of frozen sheep come from the River Plata alone last year, in addilion to 2,514,541 from New Zealand and Australia; and Mr H. E. Beddington (who visited the colonies a few years ago) propounds the following pertinent question to The Times: —" What I, as a farmer, want explained is what becomes of this largo importation from the River PlEvte. I know London fairly well, and cannot call to mind a single shop purporting to sell River Plate mutton, although there are a large number ostensibly selling New Zealand. Is it rot, therefore, likely to bo true that the whole of the River Plate mutton, which is known to be both inferior and cheaper than New Zealand, is really sold at the shops as Now Zealand mutton, and that tho great bulk of tho latter is sold as English ? I Lave heard that this is the case, and if so, it would seem to me one of many strong arguments in favour of the compulsory branding of, all foreign imported* meat, so that the consumer desiring to have either Now Zealand or English mutton might be sure that he gets it. At present he gets River Plate for New Zealand and New Zealand for English, to.add to the large profits of the butcher and the ultimate ruin of the English farmer. It will be interesting if one of your readers can explain under what class of mutton the 1,378,723 frozen sheep arriving last year from the River Plate were sold.” We sincerely hope Mr Beddington will get an answer to hia question. A letter has been received in South Australia from tho London representative of a Bavarian firm stating that, having been in direct correspondence with the Government of Queensland for the last six months, he had been fortunate enough to open a market for frozen meat in Germany, and was certain that there was an almost unlimited market for Australian fruit and wine, as also frozen meat, amongst the fifty millions of Germany. Ha pointed also to the fact that the treaty with Italy and Spain as regarded the introduction of a certain class of wines would enable Australia to do the same, as England was entitled to it as one of the most favoured countries. He hinted even at the practicability of sending wine grapes (in addition to table grapes) to bo manufactured into wine in Germany under a new process invented by a scientist. How easily noxious weeds may be introduced is seen by the case of South Australia. The Minister of Agriculture forwarded to the Bureau of Agriculture some packing taken from cases of Poster’s ale by the customs officers. Tho material consisted chiefly of oat-straw, but mixed with it were several stems of a tall denseiyspined thistle, which has already been noticed in the south-eastern district, and is known there ns the Californian thistle—not the Canada thistle. This has been spreading rapidly in that part the colony, and it is evident that if every hotelkeeper ia made an agent for the introduction *of useless thistles and weeds by means of the packing material for the liquors sold by him, the whole colony will soon be covered with noxious weeds. Such means of introduction as this will have to be kept ia mind when the Noxious Weeds question is discussed by tho Wellington conference. Twenty years ago, when cattle diseases were rife on the continent of Europe, straw, hay and chaff used in packing goods from the continent were destroyed at the landing place in England, and the goods removed to another parti of tho premises and repacked—so great were the precautions taken. There is no point of a man so vulnerable as the pocket. Ha will tolerate almost anything eo‘ long as it does not affect hia pocket, but when ' that tender point is touched he awakens at once to defend his interests. Last winter the sheep-breeders on the Committee of tho Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association regarded the establishment of a Flock Book for New Zealand with so little interest that they did not even deign to suggest to tho promoters of the work the few modifications which would have made it acceptable. Thus the Association, for once, lost the honour of being associated with the initiation of a valuable work in connection with sheep breeding. At last week’s iam and ewe fair several hundreds of animals of worse than indifferent quality and dubious breeding swamped the demand for undoubtedly pure-bred rams and sent down prices with p, run, while in numerous cases breeders of long standing had to stand by and see their sheep, tho fruit of many years’ care and much expense, passed by without a reasonable bid, owing to farmers supplying themselves with catch-penny brutes, sold under the cegis of some leading breeders’ name, to the uce ot which there was very scant title. The pocketi was touched ! Ths Association did not now shunt the question, but called n special meeting to consider it, and the attendance showed the importance attached to it by stud sheep breeders throughout the South Island. A eig’a of the times was aeon ia that not a single breeder of merino stud sheep was present—unless Mr A. H. Clark comes under that category. Prom the tone of tho meeting it was evident that the subject had been well discussed outside, and minds, made up upon the course to adopt. Mr Patulio, who represented the Otago Association, brought written resolutions,which so far met tho unanimous approval of the meeting as to be agreed to with but verbal additions, and the other resolutions were of the nature of suggestions to tho strong Committee which was appointed to formulate the regulations. Oae’of these suggestions is cf great importance, namely, that with regard to a register of individual sheep. There can bo no doubt that such a book will be the standard of pure breeding in tho near future, and we are glad to know that this part of tho project has the approval of the leading breeders. A trade with the United States in stud sheep is not beyond the regions of probability, and to enter that country tree of a prohibitive duty, stock mur,t bo entered in a recognised stud book. Ths committee will have

to take cr.ro that tho regulations are * sufficiently stringent to ensure the recognition of this boot •’ the “ flock ” book, cf course, ccei not pretend lo meet American rcquiremeti'B.

There Is cue point in the amended classification of the Now Zealand Sheepbreeders’ Association’s Flock Book, which calls for carious consideration —we directed attention to it las!; August, when the “Flock Book” question was under discussion. The definition c? the highest class is ; “ A. shall ba a flock descended from imported owes and pure-bred rams.” It ia notorious that many flocks were started or recruited in the early days from ships’ mutton sheep, which may have been anything except that they certainly were not pure-bred in th© stud-book acceptation of the term. • The definition must ho narrowed if flocks of undoubted purity of pedigree are to have any better place accorded to them than flocks built up from nothing by years of selection. Everybody who knows the history of sheep breeding in New Zealand knows that-there are flocks which are called'pure-bred which are not pure bred-bred. ; Drafts from some of thorn were - in last week’s fair* and sold at high' prices too. The definitions of classes B and C are rather indefinite, and should be amended to read ’‘that wore in 1870 [and 1880 respectively] reputed purebred, and have since had introduced into them none but pure-bred rams and purebred ewes,” which we presume is what th© regulation is intended to mean.

la giving judgment last week in the esse cf the J. G-. Ward Formers’ Cooperative Association ssisinst the Canterbury Seed Company, to which we referred ft fortnight ago—being nn action to recover the price of a quantity of grass seed bought by samplo by defendant from plaintiff—his Honor Mr Justice Williams held that the seed being purchased f.o.b. at Bluff, and no place being fisad by the contract for inspection, the purchaser ought to have compared it there. The jury found that the comparison could have been made there, and independent evidence was to the effect that buyers of oeed so delivered are in the habit of appointing an agent at the Bluff to made the comparison. The seed was shipped to Lyttelton, and no transit beyond Lyttelton was contemplated by the contract. The purchaser, however, did not iespect the seed either at the Bluff or Lyttelton, bttf: bad it transmitted by rail from Lyttelton a distance of some eight miles to his own warehouse at Addington asd inspected it there. This was not contemplated by tho contract.. His Honor thought that the place of inspection in the circumstances was the Bluff, but if not the Bluff then certainly Lyttelton, the only final destination known to the vendor, unless it could he shown that inspection at Lyiteiton would be commercially impossible. The only remedy of the defendant, therefore, was for a reduction of the price owing to the defect in quality of the seed. This reduction had been Used at £Blss 6d. The amount claimed was .£223 16 -2 i. The plaintiff was entitled to judgment for this amount, less the above deduction, namely, to £215 Os Bd, with costs. The seed, it will be remembered, was destroyed by fire in the defendant’s store while the question of equality to sample was under dispute. The judgment decides that the seed was not equal to the sample, but that the purchaser having taken the seed out of the control of the seller was. liable for its value.

The Sydney branch of tho New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company has received the moat satisfactory accounts from the purchasers of New Zealand longwool eheap at the sales there last July, and expects a far greater demand at next winter's sales.

It is proposed to form a Sheepbreeders’ Association in Sydney. It is considered that as the stud sheep sales in Sydney stand first in the world, both in point of quality and numbers, there is no place more advantageously circumstanced for holding a successful sheep show. A correspondent kindly sends me a report of the first annual meeting of the Improved Leicester Sheep Breeders’ Association, which was held at Driffield, Yorkshire, on Jan, 17. The report was as followsTHe committee of the Association, in presenting to the members the first annual report, have great pleasure in stating that their efforts have been attended with success fully equal to their anticipations. The committee take this opportunity of referring to the origin of the Association, which was formed with the object of preserving the peculiar and excellent characteristics of the celebrated improved Leicester, and of regulating the bread by a recognised standard. The Association was formed at Driffield on Feb. 13 last year, and tho committee immediately took steps to establish a ‘Flock Book’ in the interests of breeders, and in these undertakings they have had the co-operation of several influential leading landed proprietors and others connected with agriculture, who kindly assisted in furthering the objects of the Association. A very satisfactory entry was received for the first volume of the ‘Flock Book/ issued ia June last, aad there is a prospect of considerable entries for the second volume, to be printed this year.” A dinner (of course) followed, at which, in proposing success to tho Association, Mr E. Medfortb, J.P., said he believed that *‘ Flock Books ” and “ Stud Books ” would be the salvation of farming now that corn-growing had ceased to pay. . Mr Simpson, vice-president of the Association, responding, said the progress of the Association during the first year waa astounding, as he found they bad registered 500 D ewes. The success of the Lincoln Stud Book Society had been very marked, and if they only kept together the Improved Leicester Association would astonish not only Yorkshire but the world. Mr Eobinson, Carnaby House, responding to the toast of “ the Chairman," said the Association had no need to practice the virtue of modesty, as they had a breed second to none in England, which could live eithor at home or abroad on far less food than any other flock. Several new members were elected.

I have constantly kept before farmers and ohippera the importance of maintaining the high standard of quality which gained North Canterbury mutton and lamb the highest place in the frozen meat market in London. They must bestir themselves, as that position is day by day becoming less secure. "Weddell last circular says that “ owing to the continued scarcity of North Canterbury mutton many regular buyers of that description are satisfying their wants with prime sheep from other districts, and they find they can do so without serious detriment to their trade.”

The lowest depth in the price of rams has surely been reached in Auckland. At the Eemuera fair last week. Southdown rams sold at 2s, ss, 6s 6d, &c., and ram lambs at 3s 9d, 4s 9d, Gs 6d, &a. Mr E. M’Lean’a Shropshire twc-tooth rams did not reach the reserve of 3gs, but a pen of the fourtooths cold at 4gs. It must be remembered that the treason up there is over. Sheep are in a bad way in tba West Coast and centred districts of the North Island, in consequence of tuo prolonged drought. A Woodville report states that at last week’s sale a line of cross-bred ewes sold at Is 2d, which this time last year were worth 7s, and lambs selling now at us 6d, were worth last year 8s 6d, Store cattle have gone down, but fat are steady. AtPalmerston, stock of all kinds was almost unsaleable. The country all around is parched up, and until rain comes farmers are averse to buying stock at an price. The fraccing works at Wellington, Longbnra and Woodville, are ail busier than they have been since tboy started, and have engagements booked far on into tba season.

I notice that the Southland Freezing Company has its full complement of lambs for the season booked, and will now book mutton only. The Dorset horned sheep are becoming very popular, not only in England, but also in Scotland. Their success in America seems to have stimulated their popularity in their native country, and the demand for early lambs, which is fast increasing, gives this breed special prominence. It is the only kind of sheep that may bo bred twice in the year, and, in fact, at any season that may be desired. Doubtless their inferiority as wool bearers will soon be removed by improvements in their

breeding and judicious crossings, by which their fecundity may be preserved. This nbeepnob infrequently rears five lambs in one year.

Professor Pritchard, os-preaideut of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, is giving a coarse of ten lectures in London, on Saturday evenings, on “ The Care of Hornes and other Animals/’ a course designed to do the same work for animals which ambulance clarasc do with regard to human beings. The fee ia only is 6d too course, to bring it within the m-.’r.n.r of drivers, stable-nu n, tradesman’s lads, Such a course would ba of great aarvica boro; bub tbe men and lads would not attend—they prefer to go on ruining their horses by ignorant, and rule-of-thumb treatment, and when a qualified veterinary surgeon is at lust called in the damage is irreparable.

Amongst the visitors to Christchurch last week was Air H. J. Davies, of Messrs Pitt, Son and Bndgery, Limited, Sydney. ■He shipped yesterday (Wednesday) by the Tarawera, taking oao hundred and .sixty loag-woolled, sheep, for sale in Sydney, namely :—From Mr J. B. Sutton, Thornbury. Southland, 16 Lincoln rams; from Mr Pied. Sutton, Thornbury, 28 Lincolns; from th© Mow Zealand and Australian Land Company, 23 Puomneysand Lincolns; from Mr Donald Grant, Palmerston North, 36 Lincolns, and from another shipper 45 Liucomo. I', speaks well for the prospects of a good trade in sheep with Australia when the firm which does tho largest stock business in Austral aria devotes special attention to it. Last year Mr Davies’ firm sold a total of 1,313,684 sheep and 48,943 cattle, transacting business ia live stock only, Mr W. A. Gmtenby, of Glasslough, Eppinsr, Tasmania, who was on a visit to his brother Mr Thomas Gatanby, of Pisa, was found dead in his bed on the morning of Feb. 27. The deceased gentleman was quite ia the front rank of Tasmanian sheep-breeders, and his merinos are well known to many New Zealand floefc-ownsrs.