FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10429, 29 April 1897, Page 3

FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND

[BY OCR ENGLISH AGRICULTGBAL CORRESPONDENT.] London, March 5, DISAPPOINTING WEATHER. March came in ao pleasantly after a long epell of rainy weather that high hopes were raised as to a fairly early seedtime. A good deal of sowing was done, indeed, last week, on light and mixed soils, peas being generally put in, and a portion of the oat crop; but bean?, being a heavy land crop, were not extensively sown, while the land was hardly in good enough condition for barley until quite the end of the week. If the rain had held off, lowing on all classes of soil wonld have been general this week; bat, uifortanately, the week opened with wet weather, which has continued at intervals ever since, 10 that the land IB now as wet as ever, and sowing ie indefinitely postponed. This ie a great disappointment, and indeed a serious misfortune, as there is very little chance of remunerative crop of spring corn, unless they can be put in daring the month of March at latest. The idea of extending the area of the wheat crop was generally relinquished when it was found that there was no chance of eowin? in February, and in all probability it will be found that the acreage under this cereal is little, if any greater than it was last year. There are still many complaints of the appearance of the late wheats, which occupy the greater portion of the ground, so that on the whole at the present time farmers' prospects are somewhat gloomy. Still if we could but get dry weather for the rest of the month, the greater portion of the corn crops could be sown in fair time. For pastoral farmers the season is much more propitious, the mild and wet weather having promoted an unusually quick growth of feed, which was much needed, as winter stores of forage are pretty well exhausted. Grass is growing rapidly in tbe pastures, and rye and tares are exceptionally forward, the former being already tit for feeding in some cases. The danger is that we shall get Homesevei'e weather to cat off the growth of these early crops. The temperature has fallen considerably during the week, and slight frosts have prevailed at night; bnt it is to be hoped that when the rain goes away the wind, will nob, shift into a cold quarter, so that we may be spared the infliction of a return of winter.

DAIRY PRODUCERS AND THE GOVERNMENT. On Tuesday last an important) deputation, representing the Chambers of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Union, the Co-operative Wholesale Society, and the Co-operative Union, and several other bodies, an well as traders and public analysts, waited upon the president of the Board of Agriculture to urge the need of legislation on the lines ot the recommendations of the Selecb Committee on Food Adulteration, principally in relation to dairy produce. The deputation was effectively represented by its spokesmen as it wan itself widely representative. Great disappointment was expressed at the neglect of the Government to deal with the report of the Select Committee, which had eat for nearly three years, and produced a set of remarkably forcible recommendationß, which were agreed to almost unanimously. It) was pointed out by members ot the House of Commons that there was no reason to expect the question to be treated as a party one, and that therefore Che time occupied in passing a measure dealing with it would be small. Members of the Opposition gave this assurance, and Mr. Horace Plunkeb, M.P., representing the co-operative' dairies of Ireland, promised the Government the support of 103 Irish members if they would introduce such a Bill as is required, Several of the speakers made a poiut of protesting against the impression that dairy farmers have any idea of shutting ouo foreign or colonial produce by means of such a measure as they demand. Foreign and colonial producers of genniue butter, it was pointed out, require protection against fraudulent competition equally with home producers, aud the desire was to protect both against adulteration at home as well as against foreign adulteration. The Danish Dairy Commissioner in this country is strongly in favour of the views of the deputation, to one member of which he gave an illustration of the way in which Danish butter is sometimes driven out of the market by margarine mixtures sold as butter. It was equally strongly pointed out that the subject at issue was by no means one of town versus country, an honest traders in towns, and consumers as a body, are quite as much interested in being protected against the fraudulent sale of produce as producers can be. The Government were urged at least to bring forward a Bill, and allow one day for debate upon it and the second reading, and then to refer it to a Grand Committee, in order that it might be trot into a forward condition for passing next session, if it cannot be carried through during the present one. This idea obviously commended itself to Mr. Waiter Long, who in his reply to the deputation declared that the Government were in full sympathy with the views expressed, and that he would take care to place their representations before his colleagues. He conveyed the impression that there was a good prospect of the Cabinet agreeing to introduce a Bill and refer ib to a Grand Committee. It is probable, therefore, that we shall have such a measure in print before very long.

THE SHIRK HORSE SHOW. The 18th annual show of the Shire Horse Society was held in London, last week, and was certainly one of the best, if not the very best, of its series, one hopeful eign being the remarkable excellence of the younger classes of stallions. The Entries compare as follows with those of the 12 previous years :—

Year. Stallions. Mares. Geldings. Total. 1835 588 91 Iβ 39.i 1888 292 89 0 895 1887 250 99 - 34!) 1883 2,>4 ine - 4111 1889 276 171 — 417 1890 HO Mi - 010 1891 332 J6f> — 497 1892 337 224 - 601 1893 294 213 - 507 1894 208 207 - 475 1895 241 22C 22 459 1896 -M 223 17 603 1897 319. 217 17 553 Thaonlytotalsexceedingthatofthepresent (how were those of 1890 and 1892, and in the.former year, at least, (he conditions of entry were less strict than they are now, and had to be altered to prevent! the exhibition from becoming unwieldy. The Take of the prizes offered was £1157 10a, or more than on any previous occasion. In addition to valuable class prizes to exhibitors and breeder), there are two Challenge Cups, one valued at 100 guineas, for the beat stallion, and the other, worth 50 guineas, for the beet mare or filly. These supreme honours have to be won\twice by the eaine exhibitor before being finally retained. Lord Belper carried off the first for good list year with Rokeby Harold, and, therefore, no one could win outright the new cup for the best stallion offered on the recent occasion. Mr. J. P. Gross, who won the Mares' Challenge Cup last year for the first time, did noti bring Catthorpe Manila, with which he was successful then, to have another try for the coveted honour. There were also seven other caps, which were won outright, consisting of one each, value £25, for the beet stallion and the beet man or filly in th« hall, and others for the best of the older and younger divisions of the stallions or mares or fillies respectively, with one for the best gelding. Gold medals of the value of 15 guineas each were presented to the owners of the champion animals, and exhibitors of the reserves to them, got gold medals worth 10 guineas each. Nearly all the classes were well filled, with the exception of the geldings, which hare never been as Rood as might be expected at this show, i Space is not available for reference to the various prizee, and only the cap winners can be noticed. The caps for the mum were awarded first, and the one for the best of the older mares was awarded to Lord Llangttfcock'e Dunmore Qui Bone, by Regent 11, bred by Mr. Joseph Salt, of Upper Whittle, Staffs. For the younger mares the cup mi won by Mr. Grandajje, of Bramhope, Leeds, for his remarkably handsome mare, Queen of the Shires, by Harold, bred by Mr. John Hunt, of Breedon, Ashbyde-la-Zorieh; which was first among the three-year-olds. The latter mare afterwards won' the Champion and Challenge Gups for the best ! female in the show. ( Tin cop for,th» beet gelding me next

awarded to Mr. W. T. Erenrd, for Bardon Extraordinary, bred by himwlf, The cup for the older stallions wu won by Mr. Alexander Henderson, of Farringdon, Berks, for his magnificent four-year-old horse, Marketon Royal Harold, by Harold, bred by Mr. John Smith, of Elhskon, Ashbourne. A yearling, Nailstone Don, by College Don, shown by Mr. Bans, of Nuneaton, pot the Champion Cap for th* younger gullions; but when this youngster was placed beside the magnificenb four-year-old, there was no hesitation in awarding the Champion and Challenge Cups for the best stallion in the show to Mr. Henderson's Marketon Royal Harold.