FARMING FACTS AND FANCIES

North Otago Times, 1 November 1906, Page 4

FARMING FACTS AND FANCIES

i I'hP'Tdraiiaifi Herald" ventures to j sft y that nover, within its history of j sixty, odd years, has the Taranaki pro- i viilco been so prosperous as it is to-day, j and that never lias it lind such good cause to oongratulato itself upon its immediate prospects. Duii-y farmers have novor had a season open with so much, promise as this one. ! Sheep owneM should note tho now ohifjsos inserted for shorn wool'at tho Manawatu and Weati Coast A. and; P. Show. An importnnt.,fefitm'o:is the two wool scouring tests for' pons of threo.. hoggots, tlio sheep.being exhibited am then shorn on the show-ground and_a comprehensive test : nuide. 9p e ®' a private prizes to tho value of *j- 4 is allotted, besides a trophy of' £8 os and second prize of £2 for best tlneo fleeces of, wool. Further particulars can ho obtained from t-lie secretary. * » * Something over 1000 co-operative agricultural societies _ are in operation in Germany for,''the purchase of rertilisers, implements, fuel, stock seeds, etc. There aro nearly two thirds #i many more tho sale of > farm, produco of various kinds and owm dairy producing societies on tho cooperative system in Germany. Ino co-operative method is much in vogue in tile formation of societies for tlio purpose of'drainage ami anil for reclaiming bogs and other undeveloped land. It is estimated thatinthin a period of fifteen years over 'OO,OOO acrefi of land were so reclaimed in Germany, note- excellent producing soil. Much is done in operating steam tlircehing machines in a co-operative way. « a »

Dairy farmers in tlio Palmerstou district seem to favour tho rearing of pigs instead of calves this year. Pigs just at present are fetching lucrative prices. Last vear calves had almost to he given away after brine wared, and fanners find it pays bettor to use tho skim milk tliey carry hack from the factoiy for pigs and kill the calves.

A well-known farmer in Southbridge has Bold his ram tombs for delivery in April at 27s M: Froifl tho South tho "Bruco Horald" hears of lambs sold for delivery at weaning for 12s all taken. t « *

Tho OoTornmenfc is making an mdeavour to stimulate trade with Canada which has not assumed remarkable dimensions since tlio new steamer mjivice was established. All over tlia colony agents of the Department oF Industries arc collecting samples of t in country's produce-flax, canned fruits, leather, seeds,.and so on. Armed with this assortment-, Mr Gow will go to Canada, and will spend-some time thcro in bringing Now Zealand s goods directly under the notice of the dominion's inhabitants.

Five thousand square miles of good farm lands (says an Amorican writer) wcro purchased by actual settlors m tlio States of Missouri, Arkansas, Kan6afl, Oklahoma, and 'loxas during year ended Ifwt May. Divided nito quarter sect-ions of IGO acres each, it Would mako 20,000 fa-rnw. Now, <vstijnating a family of five to oneli fill'lDi tlieso purchases would represent a population of 100,000. The prices at which tho lands were sold ranged mostly from £1 to £25 per acre, Recording to location and conditions. 'I'* 111 " rapidly advancing in price, lhc anuual incrcaso of interest ranges troia 20-to 100 pur cent. No mistake can bo mado in purchasing tracts of land in any of tlio South-western States named. This is all exceptional good year for farmiing, tlie yield of wheat averaging from 30 to ; 10 bushels to tlio aero, oatu GO, and Indian com 50. Tho lands sold in tho South-west this year would mako a State as large as Connecticut, and considerably larger than tho tiro States of Delaware and llhode Island combined.

A movement is on foot in Shannon to acquire the late James Wallace's estate for the purpose of experimental planting and cultivation of flax. A petition will bo presented to the House of Representatives on the subject. We aro glad to seo 'the Shannon people moving in such a direction.

Milking machinery is getting a firm hold in the Pahintna district. On one place, Mr Hart's, Konini, there is a macliino which milked eighteen cows In little over half-an-hour the firs't time it was used.

Tlio results of-milking six cows at Levin State Farm have been published. Taking butter fat at IOJd per lb and slum milk at {d per gallon two Hoisteins eomo easily first with returns of fil 10s lid and £1!) 4s 7d. The other four cows wcro Shorthorn eass, one of which produced £lB 17s Gd and the ot-hcr three from £l(s 6s to £lO 19s. The b?st cow gavo 45011) butter fat and the worst 3371b. The prdinnry farmer's eow gives about 1801b during the sea-t-on.

The mortality among dairy cows at Glen Oroua is still under investigation by Government veterinary officers. About 18 or 19 cows have died and apparently somo form of vegetable poisoning is the cause. Feeding experiments aro boing conducted in order to throw light on the matter.

It is estimated that there are throe million acres of goo-d settleablc land tapped by the Stratford Ongarue railway, and that between the Main Trunk and Tatu, or less than half-way between Ongaruu and Stratford, tlicro are already nearly a thousand settlero established, while between Tatu and Stratford tlicro are considerably more than a thousand settlers who will be benefited by the line.

Of all the difficult occupations to tako on without capital, fanning is probably the worst. It requires incessant labour, a large amount of capital, to make a shirt with, and sufficient to provide the necessaries until the returns como in, and the crops are in a sullicic'itly forward condition materially to assist in tho domestic upkeep of tho farmer. Yet it is quite a common thing to find men going blindtoided into the business, heaping up piles of debt they arc never able to pay, and enduring miseries for which there is no parallel in town life. An instance of tli'i; came out in bankruptcy proceedings ac New Plymouth recently, when a bankrupt explained that lift had bought the goodwill of a leasehold farm, iiis sole capital being a horse and trap, but ho owed debts totalling between £35 and £4O. A friend guaranteed him to tho extent of £IOO, but three years' operations resulted in a loss'of £IOO, besides the £IOO guaranteed. Ho had paid no interest on the farm, his cattlo ivoro removed undor bill of sale, and thirteen ol' his cattle had died, 110 had no assets, no money, and no expcctations of any, and he attributed his position to the poorness of tho land and loss of cattle.

A To Auto settler was puzzled lately by unaccountable mortality amongst li'is sheep ami cattle. Between forty and fifty sheep (says the "Hawko's -Bay Herald") died within a few days, as .veil as seven head of eattlft The (settler. at lii« wit's end.to find t\i .cause, palled in the Government veterinary and steel: inspector in charge of the district. Mr D. H. Rait, who found the symptom's in all c;fic« to be those of irritant poisoning ©He forwarded portions of tho dead - hedies to the Government Analyst, who confirmed Mr Hut's suspicions, stating positively that death to caused by arsenical poisoning. Inquiries elicited the fact that a quantity of iveed destroyer had been need to kill blackberries a ftiv days before the mortality commenced, and it is practically certain that the Salle and slieop partook of the grass around the hushes 011 wliicli tlio mixture Had fallen and wo poisoned thereby. The settler has paid kp?i« ledge he h»9 aflquijeclJy L j