Agricultural Record.

New Zealander, Volume XIV, Issue 1228, 23 January 1858, Page 2

Agricultural Record.

IKON WIUE FENCING. [From the “Sydney Herald,” January sth.] Seeing some of our enterprising stockowners to the south* war t ate about attempting to enclose their land with iron fencing, perhaps a few words from one who has erected toma i>f such wire and kept it in order by his own hands for several years, may be acceptable and instructive to those about to engage in similar undertakings. In the first place, your correspondent makes mention of a mode of fastening the wires to a post which 1 cannot advocate ; the round posts placed In a line, and the wire then strained and stapled to them duct not answer ; in less than two years, however good the pO«t» may be, or however well the job may be done, will split, and the staples become loose or fall out, making the fence useles?

If otnplcs are used at all, a better and cheaper one is to saw or cut notches in the round posts deep enough only to admit the >»ire to a level with the surface, then nail with two or three'ijiike nails from top to bottom of your posts, a batten which holds the wires in their places, when the nails, if o a good length and properly driven, will never draw. ,s makes a more lasting job than by the use of staples. A tte * method is to have split posts no matter how roug i, wit small auger holes to admit the wires, then when t iey arc strained tight, wedge them with wooden wedges mai e o a piece of sound dry timber, such as an old slab cut into eng s of about four inches, and split to the size convenient, an pointed. Upon the wire being strained tight the efficacy ejiends. The expense is greater then with staples, althoug i ie difference would be but inconsiderable in comparison wit t ultimate advantages. Hut the most workmanlike and most substantial method of erecting these fences is the following . Have your posts bored, and placed in the line (like ot ler fences, the shorter the pnnncls the more substantial), cut l ie wires fifty yards in length (above this they cannot he proper y strained,, now run the top rail throng the posts full engt , taking care not to twist the grain of the wire, and fasten it to the first where the wire begins (here ate required a number of bolts, half-inch iron, at one end of each a nut and thread, the other dattened, and a hole punched through large enough to admit the wire): to the other end fasten one of the bolts by the wire going through the bolt and twisting it > t en run the tip of the bolt through the post, and screw on the nut, which strains the rail tight, and does away with the necessity of pulleys, levers, or any other kind of intricate machine; draw eich tail in the same way, and fasien bv a bolt with nut, which bolt, of course, must be left there, one to each rail of fifty yards throughout the line. By adopting this plan, the advantages over any other wi be sooner or later found, especially should any rail become broken or strained. When staples are used, ot course, each rail is one successive length throughout the fence, w en, i one is broken, the wire flies back to such a distance it is very difficult to mend, more especially with the kind o a our generally employed in the interior. It is obvious that, by using bolts, the rails, in length as above are separate, so that when one is broken it does not Interfere with the other. ,nav he as well to mention that every fifty yards a post requires two rows of auger holes, three inches apart, horizontally, one to admit the bolt the other to fasten the next or succeeding rail through. r Should my opinion bo asked as to whether these fences would answer, in a general way, 1 should say. no; unless it might be a herd of pure stock, such ns the shorthorns, which would never require a stockman after them at full gallop ; however, for slock kept as they should be. they would be preferable to wooden fences. Horned cattle and wild try to run through the wires—horses leap at them; for the latter it is better to dispense with the top rail, ami use a cap of sapling. Cattle still run under the cap. therefore they suit the horses best. Knclosurcs for sheep of wire, strained at more limited distances apart, would answer admirably; live rails, of a moderate height, would be requisite, and wire of the smaller sizes be found sufficiently strong for the purpose. The galvanised wire is preferable, and being sold by weight, one hundred of small wire contains a greater proportionate length than the larger. The cost generally would not be far from eight shillings per rod.

the CUMBERLAND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. [From the “ Sydney Herald,” January 7th.] Some months ago a society was established under the title of “ The Cumberland Agricultural Society,’ the objects «t which were sot forth in the rules framed for its guidance the promotion of agriculture, the exhibition of live stock, agricultural implements ami machinery : cereals, and farm products : and the awarding of prizes and certificates for the same. Premiums were to bo offered by the Society for ploughing matches: premiums and certificates o merit o c given to farm servants, who had served with sobriety and good conduct the greatest number of years, without intermission. in one place ; and meetings for the fulfilment of these objects to be held in the principal towns of the county of Coumbcrland in rotation. Of this Society, his Excellency Sir William Denison accepted the office of President; and J. H. Atkinson, Esq., the horn Hubert Fitzgerald, M.L.C. : the bon. James Mac arthur, M.L.A.: James Pve, M.P.. and the hon. E Deas Thomson, M.L.C’.: were appointed Vice-Presidents. A committee of 3tl gentlemen, all more or less interested m the agricultural progress of the colony, was also elected, exclusive of the President and Vice-Presidents, and it was arranged t at the first general meeting for the exhibition of stock, agricultural implements, &c.. should take place at Liverpool on the first Wednesday in January, 185 U. In accordance with this arrangement, the inaugural Lxhibition of the Society took place, and although under somewhat inauspicious circumstances, yet we trust it wi prove an era to mark the commencement of similar re-umons. calculated, if carried out with spirit, to encourage so powerfully the development of the best resources of the country. The show took place at Collingwood. the property of J. H. Atkinson, whose untiring energy and unsparing liberality hate Ken largely instrumental in bringing the Society into operation. The stock-yard was judiciously placed on a slight eminence, where, whatever breeze occasionally prevailed, was most refreshingly felt. The tent for the exhibition ot farm produce was erected in the same paddock, but the horse sioca were taken into an adjoining paddock for judgment, j m on the whole were pretty good, but it would have been better had the entries closed at an earlier hour than noon ; at which time it was announced in the 1 ress the Show would he thrown open to the public. The circumstances which principally prejudiced the success of the exhibition were, first, the weather: the uncertainty and oppressiveness of, which not only kept large numbers of people away, who would Otherwise have attended, from a distance, but also neatly prohibited the sending of valuable live stock, which had been intended for competition. The reason chosen for the show was also unfortunate, it being impossible in the state ot the-land, for the ploughing matches, one of the most interesting features of the exhibition, to come off. Nor do we think that the recency of the Christmas holidays, with their supplementary New Year’s festivities, were without their effect, in deterring many .Sydney people from attending. It is rig i , however, that all justice should I a done to the committee, who werr strenous in their efforts to make the first meeting a good one Although'the scenery round the good town of Liverpool is not remarkable for the picturesque, the spot chosen was prettily situated, and commanded some nice views. In the order in which they appear in the prize schedule we shall proceed to notice the various exhibits, but shall make a few general remarks by way of introduction. The show of colonial bred cattle was anything but satisfactory, but, as we have hinted before, this was to*be accounted for by the difficulty of bringing fat beasts from any distance m such weather as we have lately experienced. Of imported cattle we only saw two bulls, imported by Messrs. Marlyn and Schroder. One of the Durham short horned bulls took the prize. The show of colonial bred horses was also somewhat deficient, though there were several fine specimens. The cart stallions and the imported blood horses wore perhaps the most interesting part of the exhibition, as ill this line there was a greater competition than in any other. Of colonial or imported sheep, there was no exhibits except two pens of five fat lambs, one from Mr. Cleeve, of Uungurrabce ; the other from Mr. Ci, T, Howe. The prize was awarded to the latter, but some seten ju< ges ■ are Mr, Cleeve’* pen the preference. The exhibition of pigs was almost confined »o Mr. Cleeve, who had some excellent specimens—as line as could be ex nbited any where. —They of course secured full prizes. aese animals were in beautiful condition, and exhibited m l ie most creditable manner. The show of poultry was very limited, and was not remarkable for any peculiar excellence. There wss only one couple of rabbits exhibited, and the two were not a pair, or worthy of description. Of farm produce, though a large tent was provided for its reception, we were grieved to see that there was no competition worthy of the name. There was one sample of wheat the grain being of fair average: one of oats, one of peas, and these comprised the whole of the cereals. No barley, no maize, no sorghum saccharatum —-nothing, in fact, to test the gram growing capabilities of the country. With the exception of one bunch of red crowned turnips, fine, but somewhat overgrown, and three bunches of top onions—the vegetables growing on the surface instead of under-ground—there were no vegetables whatever. The latter specimens deserved encouragement, as the plant is prolific, and thought to lie well suited to this colony. There were only three small exhibits of scoured wool, and the prize was awarded to Mr. Thomas Hayes, of the Waterloo Mills: the wool being grown on the run of Mr. Edward Cox.

There was no colonial wine exhibited. The exhibition of agricultural implements was confined to the general routine «1 such matters. There were nr. novelties, though some of the colonial make were highly approved. A collection of American implements, imported by Messrs. Wilkinson. mothers, also excited some interest, and look some prises,