RURAL TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14681, 12 May 1908, Page 9

RURAL TOPICS.

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL. A meeting held at Stratford, convened by the National Dairy Association, decided to recommend, that a l l butter factories should fillip by tho next Home steamer at least 2U per cent of the butter then in store, and continue shipments as tiioy seem desirable.

April was showery (writes the Peel Forest correspondent of tlio “ Lyttelton Times and mild rain foil on seventeen days, the total fall for tho mouth being 3.11 inches. The thermometer fell below freezing point only once during tho month.

For the second year in succession the championship of the fat stock section of the Chicagow Exposition lias been awarded to an animal under two years old. Tito winner was a Shorthorn steer about fifteen months old, and weighing 9cwt 2qrs ltilb. This is tlie first time in file history of tlio show that the championship lias gone to a Shorthorn.

The world's record for sheep shearing by machinery was broken on February 19 at Beardsley, twenty-five miles north-west of Phoenix, _Arizona, by F. Him, who shore 325 sheep in nine hours. The next highest record was made by J. Bowdie, who shore 309. The shearing plant employs thirty shearers and the plant also made a world’s record on the same day that Him made his, shearing 6572 sheep in nine hours, or 220 a man.

With New Zealand about to embark upon ail expenditure of £IOO,OOO for irrigation in Central Otago, it is interesting to learn from an engineer lately in tlie service of tie Transvaal Government what the South African colony hopes to do in this direction. Mr H. Browne, a West Coast resident, who went to South Africa for engineering experience seven years ago, has returned to tho dominion, and gavo a “New Zealand Times” representative somo information about the work in which lie had been engaged. Tho sum of £60,000 is being spent by the Transvaalers simply in surveys and exploration for irrigation schemes. Tho investigations are being carried out by Mr W. S. Strange, formerly Under-Sec-retary for Public Works in India, and it is intended to allocate £400,000 of a five-million loan now being raised in London, to carry out tho irrigation schemes he will recommend. Large areas of the Northern Transvaal, thirsting for water, will probably bo irrigated within five years, and the scheme will bo enormously extended if it provesas it is expected it will—that cotton growing can be carried on successfully. Tobacco cultivation is also being encouraged in the Northern Transvaal, the Milner administration, which preceded the representative constitution, having established at Tzanccn a tobacco factory with machinery to turn out 10,000 cigarettes a day.

On Mr Drummond’s farm in the BanHill district there is at present a 40acre paddock of oats which are just shooting out in ear. Mr Drummond sowed the oats as a means of providing winter feed for his sheep.

A meeting of the Christchurch Sheep Dog Trial Club was held on Saturday. There was a good attendance wand. Mr F. A. Archer presided. It was reported that merino wethers for the trials had been arranged for through Mr W. W. M’Rae, of Xekoa. Other arrangements were, loft in the hands of the sub-committees. The honorary secretary reported that entries were already coming in freely and the closing day would bo Saturday, May 16.

The Governor’s Bay correspondent of tlie “Lyttelton Times” states that the recent warm rain has promoted a fine growth of grass and a good supply of feed for winter is now assured. Tlie. supply of milk is much larger, and tho output of butter has increased. Potatoes are being lifted but tho crop is very disappointing. Although free from blight the crops are light arid a large number of tlio tubers are ruined with tlie grub. Apples and pears, of which tho late varieties are being now gathered, show that tho codlin moth has played great havoc with the crop, and growers are agreeing to talse united action in tho spring to eradicate or reduce the pests.

At a live-stock sale in the Timaru district last week a horse and its harness were sold for a guinea. Immediately afterwards the purchaser disposed of the harness for thirty shillings and sent tlie horse to the nearest kennels.