FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10128, 11 May 1896, Page 3

FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND

>? OUR BKGiISH AGRICOMBRAL CORRESPONDENT.] •'

, London, March 21. A RAINY PERIOD. Since the end of February rain has been frequent,, keeping the land almost constantly wet, so that sowing has made only intermittent progress. Thus the hopes of an early seeding for spring cornf have been disappointed to a greab extent, farmers in many parts of thecountry not having begun to bow when the dry period came to an end, as they thought February too early. More enterprising men gob nearly all their spring grain crops sown during that month, and now have reason to rejoice at having taken advantage of an exceptionally favourable opportunity for early sowing. The appearance of the winter wheat crop is magnificent. I have never seen it better. It is a little thicker than is desirable, but remarkably strong in the blade and of a deep green colour. To bring it to perfection a dry and sunny summer will be necessary, for a wet season would certainly produce too much straw in such thick crops, and the corn would be laid. The area of the crop, judging from appearances in some of the great, wheat districts which I have visited, is considerably larger than the deficient acreage of last season. Feed is abundant, and the rainfall affords hopes of a good hay crop. The lambing season is one of the best ever known. It will soon be finished in England, but is only just beginning in the hill districts of Scotland. THE CROPS OF 1895. The issue of the second instalment of the Agricultural Statistics of Ireland enables me to give the total produce of the United Kingdom (excepting the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, which are never included in the Produce Statistics) with respect to Borne ot the principal crops, as follows :— Total Produce. 1895. 1894. Inc. or Dec. Crops. Bushels. Bnsliek Bushels. Wheat .. 38.285,105 60,704,383 -22,410,278 Barley .. 75,024,129' 78,600,035 -3,578,61)6 Oats.. ..174,476,180 190,862,714-16.386,534 Tons. Tons. Tons. Potatoes .. 7,065,016 4,662,147+2,402,868 Hay from clov'r and rotation K MS.«es .. 4,273,369 4,942,022 - 668,633 Do. from per- „ _ .„ mane't grass 7,994,686. 10,767,360 - 2,702,676 Yield Per Acre. Inc. or Dec. Coined. Compd. with with

1895. 189*. '85-'94. ISM. 1?M. Crops, Bush. Bush. Bush. Busli. Bush. Wheat.. .. 28-33 8070 2932 —3 37 -2,-99 Barley. .. 32 09 3477 33 28 -268 -1-19 Oats .. .. SSO7 42-34 30-01 ~3'6i —0*36 Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Potatoes -. 6-84 382 448 +1-82 +116 Kay ' rom clow, etc... 145 1-79 'I'M -034 -0-11 ' Do, from permane't grass 1'26 I'6B '1-41 -0-42 -0-16 • Average for 1887-94.

lb will be seen that there was a great falling-off in total production in 1895, as compared with 1894, in respect of each of these crops except potatoes, in which a great increase was given. In yield per acre the iiko comparison holds good not only in relation to the yield in 1894, but also with regard to the average for the ten years ending with 1894. THE BUTTER TRADE.

All hope 9 of an advance in the price of butter during the proeent season must now be abandoned, as the period during which prolonged cold weather could be expocted has passed, and the extra spring supplies of the United Kingdom and the Continent of Europe will soon be in the markets. The project for a committee to regulate the prices of colonial butter has been revived ; but it is doubtful whether anything of the kind will do any good. It is true that the Copenhagen Committee can raiso or reduce the price of Danish butter temporarily; but tho action of that body causes greater fluctuations than usually occurred before it was formed, and, so far as I can see, it has done more harm than good in the long run. The butter trade is too oxtensive to " corner." If a great trust could be formed to embrace all countries which contribute largely to our supplies, it might possibly be able to control the markets to some extent, and to keep priees steady jjf but this is quite out of the question, and if it were possible, the difficulty of controlling tho prices of a perishable commodity like butter would be serious. The bulk of our supply is not made to keep more than a few days, and even if reserves were kept in refrigerating chambers, they would deteriorate unless refrigerated immediately after being made, and during the passage to our markets. This would involve a complete revolution of the fresh butter industry, which is not at all likely to happen. Tho result of action in relation to one division of the trade, as in the case of Danish butter, is to disturb the markets. When tho Copenhagen Committee arbitrarily raisos or depresses the price of Danish butter, the sale of all other kinds of butter is affected more or less, and dealers are often heavy losors by sudden changes which they could not anticipate. Retailers, when the supply of Danish butter is practi cally withhold by a sudden and considerable rise in price, supply their requirements from other source?, and, as their customers expect constant supplies of butter of the same class, they are apt to roly less ami less upon that which is liable to be withheld at the caprice of a committee.

DESIRABLE AND UNDESIRABLE GRASSES. Messrs. Garter and Co., of High Holborn, London, are offering cabinet!" of specimens of desirable and undesirable grasses and their seeds for the instruction of farmers and students of agriculture. The grasses are groupod as follows :—

Desirable. Undesirable. Meadow Foxtail Couch G:ass Yarrow Common Quake Grass Florin Wall Barley Sweot-scented Vernal Rye-sueiled Brome Grass Tall Oat Grass Sift do. Golden do. Wavy Hair Grass A wnless Brotno Grass Tufted do. Crested Dogatxil Kill Grasp Cocksfoot Slender Foxtail Tall Fescue silky Bent Grass Meadow do. Brown do. Hard do. Yorkshire Fog Various-leafed do. Sheep's do. Italian Ryegrass Perennial do. Timothy , - Smooth stalked Meadow \ Grass I Rough-stalked do. j Wood do.

Water do. Among the desirable grasses the folio wins are described as good for both hay and pasture:--Meadow Foxtail, Sweet-scented Vernal, Golden Oat Grass, Meadow Fescue, Hard Fescue, Various-leaved Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, Timothy, Smooth-stalked Meadow Grass, Rough uitto, and Wood ditto. As good for pasture only yarrow, Crested Dogstail, Cocksfoot, Tall Fescue, and Red Foscue are named. Fiorin is de-

scribed as" poor" for both hay and pasture, to that its inclusion amon.fr the desirable grasses needs explanation, Tall Oat Grass and Italian Ryegrass are recommended for alternato husbandry (temporary pasture), though both are useful for hay; while Awnless Brome Grass is mentioned as

useful for ensilage. The specimens are enclosed in a handy tin case, with a handle, rendering them convenient for a lecturer who needs to take them from place to place. Tho price is lis 6d packed and posted in this country, and would be 15s delivered in New Zealand. ADULTERATED MANURES AND FEEDING STUFFS. A return of samples analysed under the Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act in Great Britain during the past year has been issued by the Board of Agriculture. The Act was passed in 1893, and came into operation at the beginning of 1894 ; but inspectors were not appointed in many districts till the spring of the latter year, so that a comparison of the figures of 1895 with those of 1894 needs allowance. The total number _of samples examined in 1895 was 615, of which 411 were those of fertilisers and 204 of feeding stuffs. These figures compare with 444 for 1894, comprising 317 of fertilisers and 127 of feeding stuffs. The reports for last year ropresent only 27 administrative counties in England, 5 in Wales, 1 English county borough, and 21 Scotch counties. It is clear, therofore, that the Act is in operation in nearly half of England, and in several Welsh and Scotch counties, though Scotland has taken more action proportionately than England, 322 out of the total of 615 samples analysed having been taken in. the former country, In several counties

there was only one sample examined, and in most of the est less than a dozen samples each were tested. It is strange that farmers should thus neglect the advantages of cheap analyses. '