FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11853, 3 January 1902, Page 7

FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

[BY OT7B ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL CORRES- ■ rON'DENT.] Hailsham, November 23. V THE DEAD SEASON. . The beauty of the country has departed, j and "the winter of our discontent" is approaching. This, at least,; is my feeling.' though there are people who declare that they enjoy, the English winter, in'spite of its general: damp coldness, the mud underfoot, and the frequently leaden sky, Happy .-"■ are they who'■ can migrate" with the swallow, .■■*-'■ seeking more genial climes;' in the autumn, and returning in the spring. It is true that in the majority of seasons we get only a few weeks of intensely cold weather; but when it is not frosty in the winter it is ,'■ Usually gloomy, and sometimes foggy. At any rate the beauty of the landscape is lost for a time, and there is no delight ;in field, garden, or coppice. Trees and shrub-3, excepting ..-.. the ' evergreens, are) apparently dead, though they, are only sleeping, while only a few flowers, such as the violet, the winter jasmine, and, : ; later V on,: the snowdrop '■■ and I the crocus, are to : : be found in bloom as a rule, though the.primrose on sheltered banks sometimes ventures to show its sweet face in {January,' too often to be withered by frosty It is sometimes said that we owe much :to our winter from an agricultural point of view; and, no doubt, a long resting time is good for most classes of vegetation. But cereals succeed as well in New Zealand; with much less winter than we have as they do in this country, and even fruit trees, which particularly need a season of repose,., also. At tho end of last week we. had a brief foretaste of severe wintry weather, -from 12 to. 15 degrees of frost having been registered in some parts of England on three nights.'-.This week, however, has ': brought us a return of mild weather, with some, rain, but not nearly as much as is needed in the South of England, where many ponds and wells are still dry— experience almost unique for the, latter part of November:- For my own part, I have been carting -water from a pond in a low part of my farm ,for six months,' for my live stock in the homestead on a hill. This, I imagine, is an unprecedented necessity for anyone in my place. l . All the autumn-sown crops continue : to present a highly satisfactory appearance, ■-~ and a large acreage of.land has been ploughed up, to lie until it is cultivated for spring crops. We certainly have a capital start in : our; new season, and our farmers need all that 1902 can do for them,; as the..present year has been a very unfortunate one for ... them.. ': f :'..,■;-■- '.' .-.• •-' -' ":■•' - : .-'. ■"'•,;-'.,•■■■■;.-

THE LIVE STOCK OUTLOOK. The prospects of both breeders and feed- - era of live stock for the coming season are : encouraging. In the first place, those who had to buy either brooding or ordinary store stock in the early part of the autumn get tho animals at comparatively : cheap " rates Then the mildness of -ifhe autumn, except for one "cold snap," has enabled all keepers of cattle or sheep to economise their stores of roots and hay, so that they will now have enough food to carry their animals on ' till the early . forage crops of next spring are ready. ■ But this is not all, for so far as cattle are concerned the extensive shortness of*: the: American maize crop will al- ■ most : certainly diminsh. the supplies of fat cattle and dressed beef from the United- ,., States" for-.the next five or six months at least, and probably longer. Already it is noticeable in reports of American markets ' that the supplies of finished beasts are small, and these • alono are suitable for exporting ; to this country- : The same lack of tho prin- . pal feeding: stuff of tho United States will .',-.: greatly; diminish the production of pigs' ■■■ meat. ~ Many fewer pigs than usual will bo bred for fattening Therefore, ..British and ' Irish pig-keeper& are likely to have even a .. better market than they have enjoyed lately for some time to come. As for sheep, they / "I have been comparatively scarce in the world . for some years, and the Australian supply, ' _' though recovering from a decrease, is sail very far from its old dimensions. .Mutton '. has been dear for two . years or more, and .5 our stock of sheep is, comparatively, so small ! i that breeders and , feeders alike ;; may count :; I upon good prices for at least another year, ii unless drought spoils the sale of store sheep, which would bo bad for breeders, but a gain :to feeders who do not breed. New Zealand mutton and lamb should have a good market hero for the' winter and spring seasons at least, and probably for the whole of 1902. As for carthouse breeding:?it: has been highly successful -where, it .is well done, for years •past;" and there are no signs of any decline in . the. prosperity of this branch of enter-

■; ipnso., •., : - I '* ■ '", ' ■- "'.' i NEW SWINE FEVER ARRANGEMENTS. At last the Board of Agriculture has been •'."nagged" into an improvement of its ar rangoments for dealing with swine fever. * It is'announced that only : ".veterinary surgeons of proved skill and knowledge are to he appointed as veterinary inspectors, and .they will bo expected to give mere of their time and' attention to their duties under the Board than their predecessors have given, '.'■'.•'.■tts they will receive payment on a higher scale, in addition to retaining fees. , It may be assumed that more responsibility will devolve upon these inspectors and. less on the "laymen" who have hitherto' represented the Beard so inefficiently. The inspectors, -too, are to be empowered to slaughter pigs which have been 'exposed to infection, as well as diseased animals. Of late, too, many pigs have been merely isolated, ink. stead of being slaughtered. Other improved regulations were introduced a few weeks ago, chiefly relating to pig-dealers and their premises. It amy be hoped, therefore that some progress wtfl be made towards ridding the country of a troublesome and costly di- ' sease. * -.. : AN ALLEGED CURE OF FOOT-AND--MOUTH DISEASE. ■'■■•'• A good deal ; of attention has been excited by the: statement of, an Italian physician, Dr. Rcmo Giizzi, to the effect that ho has discovered a remedy for foot-and-mouth disease by which all the diseased cattle subjected to it have been cured. He injects into the big vein on the right side of an animal's neck a solution composed of >\ . gramme of corrosive sublimate and 75 grammes of common salt, dissolved in a kilogramme of aistillCd water.- Five injections are made, the first consisting of 30 cubic centime res 0 the solution, the second of 50 the third 0f.70, . . and the fourth-and fifth of 100 centimetres. I How. long tho intervals, are between the application is not stated in the report telegraphed to this country. The animals, it is said, are in no way injured by/this medicine The Italian Minister of Agriculture is satisfied with its success, and is recommending veterinarians to try it. The.latest report-states that Dr. Guzzi now finds that To can double his doses without harming the - cattle. In addition to using injections he has external sores washed with naphthaline, and tho feet of the animal : Bandaged with cloths saturated with the same fluid for se-^-ral days, " v ; ; r .__^_l;l_. '