RURAL TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14978, 26 April 1909, Page 3

RURAL TOPICS.

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL. Mr John Btaco, of Alford Foreet Road, Asliburton, lias grown a prolific crop of Up-to-Dato potatoes, many of the tubers weighing up to 2£lb. Many farmers say that this variety of potato is tho most successful in resisting blight. A woll-attonded meeting of dairy farmers at Oaniaru adopted the following resolution —“That the proposed new dairy regulations are harsh and unnecessary and calculated to destroy the dairying industry, one of the most valuable industries in the dominion; that this meeting fools well assured that if tho regulations are enforced a largo proportion of dairy farmevs must bo driven out .of the industry by reason of tho cost and arbitrary conditions, with tho result that sufficient suppliers will not be left to maintain the creameries in operation; this meeting therefore urgos that tho proposed regulations should be withdrawn, and a simple code adopted providing for milking being done and milk conveyed to factories under clean and healthy A resolution was also passed condemnatory of the conditions under which milk, cream and other produce is railed to market. The Hon J. Anstey has taken a groat deal of interest in the experiments on turnip-growing instituted at his instance by the Department of Agriculture in South Canterbury. Tho Timnrn “Herald” states that ho has invited the Minister of Agriculture, Messrs Ritchie, Kirk and Clifton, and Messrs Macphersou asd Huddleston, Canterbury officers, .-the Hou G. Jones, M.L.C., Messrs Oraigie, Buxton and Duncan, members of the House of Representatives, and the president and membors of the Timaru Agricultural and Pastoral Association, to assemble t-o inspect two of the experimental plots; and a general invitation to all the farmers in the neighbourhood will be issued this week. There are half a dozen of these experimental plots in the district, but time will not permit the Wellington party to visit them all. Mr Anstoy’s programme makes the rendezvous Mr T. Soott’a farm, on tho Pareora Flat, at 1.30 p.m., thence the party will drive to Mr Anstey’s farm, when, after inspecting the Toots, an opportunity will bo given for an exchange of opinions about the plots, over a cup of afternoon toa. The Minister has replied, accepting the invitation. An interesting lecture on “Diseases of the Potato” was delivered at a meeting of the Newcastle Farmers’ Club by Professor M. C. Potter, of the Armstrong who in the course of his remarks, said the potato was particularly susceptible to disease, and the resultant less was very great. Great Britain’s yield was estimated at 2,203.000 tons, the value of which would be £13,653,000, representing a net profit to tiro farmer of £8,007,000. But it was computed that the value of the crop was reduced by disease to the extent of at least one-third., and, added to that, there was the indirect loss caused through tho heaviest croppers—the Up-to-duto being ( infrequently grown because of tlieir liability to disease. There wore diseases of the leaf, the stem and the tuber. After describing the forms of these, he went on to speak of tho means of checking them. They were all familiar, he said with the means taken to stamp out anthrax, swine fever and foot and mouth disease, and similar, steps must be taken with regard to potato disease. The efforts of the Board of Agriculture needed co-operation. It was a common practice to leave any hal'd potatoes on the soil, and any found in the pit were loft exposed to the air, one of the most prolific moans of spreading disease. A practice also to be condemned was that of throwing potatoes on the manure heap. Careful examination should be made of seed potatoes, as there was much danger of tho spread of diseaNe by the spores which remained adherent to the tubers, especially to the eyes. When possible these spores must be killed by a germicide, such as formalin or

Bordeaux mixture, before planting. Exactly the same methods should bo adopted to prevent - plant diseases as were adopted to prevent tbe spread of small-pox, typhoid and other zymotic diseases.