ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13286, 19 September 1906, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

('OLD AND WOOL.

Me. E. Jowett, writing on the connection ; between gold production and wool prices, says:—"To ? student of wool prices there is something very striking about the figures showing the value of gold produced yci.r by year during the last 30 years. From the! gold discoveries in California and Australia in tho forties and fifties the world enjoyed a period of fairly high prices until 1873. Then came the demonetisation of silver, which greatly increased the demand for gold for monetary purposes. Coupled with this were gradually decreasing gold supplies, which sank about 1883 to below £20,000.000 a year quantity quite insufficient U>: th" world's requirements. The annual gold supplies were on a very restricted scale for the 12 rears 1879-1890, and this, it will be remembered, was the period of extremely low prices for wool and other commodities. In the nineties, however, the supplies of gold began to substantially increase, .and very soon afterwards the prices of commodities improved. In 1890 the production was only £24,400,000. By 1892 it had risen to £30,000,000. It increased again in 1894 and 1395. But from 1896. when the gold production was £41,600,000, to 1899. when it rose to £63,100,000, the increase was 50 per cent, in three years; and everyone in the wool trade will remember the steadily rising prices from 1895, culminating m the boom of 1899. At the cud of 1899, .however, came the Boer war and a reduced gold production from £63.100,000 in 1899 'to £52,500,000 in 1900 and £54,800,000 in 1901. This falling off in the world's gold production was, curiously enough, coincident with falling prices for wool—Merinos torching their lowest point in October-November, 1900, and crossbreds in -Tilly, 1901. Since then we have had* great recovery in the gold production and a great recovery ii wool prices."

DOCTORING FRUIT TREES. Chambers' Journal gives, on the authority of [/Illustration, of Pari?, some account of the successful experiments which have been tried recently in the injection of various drugs into the sap of trees which are ailing from disease or exhaustion. In the case ol some fruit trees it was found that the roots, having become more' exhausted than the aerial parts, wore unable to supply * due portion of nourishment from lite soil. The trees seemed, in fact, to be in need of a tonic, and perhaps by natural reasoning .sulphate of iron suggested itself. It is .said that the result" of an inject of this chemical into the sap of the flagging trees was to renew their youth and vigour, and it was found especially useful in the treatment of chlorosis in vines. In order 10 ascertain the laws governing the penetration of the liquid into the cells of the tree, Monryctaki, a Russian entomologist, injected coloured fluids and noted their behaviour. He found that they never penetrated into the old wood, but circulated exclusively in the young layers, spreading uniformly ri'iht to the top of the tree and into the root to a depth of three or four feet. He concludes that the best mode of application of drugs is by injection through a single hole made in the neck of the roof. Not only may nutritive elements he so introduced into the system of the plants, but it alto seems likely that many diseases may bo treated by the same means. Experiments havo been tried on diseased stone-fruit trees by the injection of weak solutions of oxalic acid, creosote, and of citric or salicylic acid The best results were obtained with the lust.

STOCK IN GREAT BRITAIN. In reference to livestock in 'the United Kingdom it is noticed that ill the 30 years ending with 1905 there have been increases of 13 per cent, in the horses returned, and nearly 17 per cent, in the cattle, with decreases of 9J per cent, hi sheep and 3£ in pigs. The numbers of both horses and cattle reached the maximum in 1905, when 2,116,800 of the former and 11,674,019 of the latter were returned. In 1876 the respective, numbers were 1,863,410, and 9,995,028. Sheep;' on* the other hand, fell from 32.262,579 in 1876 to 29,076,777 in 1905, having been down to the minimum of 27.148,220 in 1882 and up to the maximum of 33,642,808 in 1592. Figs started the period with 3,734,429. and ended it with 3,601,659, having been as few as 2,863,488 in 1880 and as numerous as 4,362,040 in 1890. Another table shows the number of cattle and sheep respectively/in Great Britain, its main divisions, and its counties, per 1000 acres of total area for 1905 and 1896. The ratios for 1905 are 154 cattle and 452 sheep in England, 155 and 740 in Wales, 63 and 361 in Scotland, and 123 and 445 in Great Britain.

FEEDING TURNIPS. Some Canadian experiments into the several aspects of the turnip feeding question will be interesting to New Zealunders. Two lots of cows were, similarly fed, except that to on© lot the- turnips wore given before milking and -to the other after the milk was drawn. It was found that there was in the milk a "very slight difference in favour of those who got their turnips after milking, but thai the flavour developed rapidly in the cream of both lots, and that,when ripe there was practically no difference. Cutting off the tops and tails, and rejecting all sprouts and leaves, is, of course, based on the theory that Ihe objectionable flavouring principle resides in the* parts rejected, but it is not found to be of any real service if any large quantity of roots are fed. Cooking or steaming is equally futile if the quantity is large, and there is no getting away from the fact that, turnips must never get into the diet of milking cows to anything like the extent they do when fed to other bo vines; that is, if any value is placed on a reputation lor producing a good article. In the experiments referred to the quantity of turnips that could be fed without, ill-effects seems to have been determined with tolerable accuracy. The cows were first, given a quarter of a bushel per diem, which occasioned no taint in either milk or butter. Increased to half a bushel per diem there was still no flavour to be detected, and with three-quarters of a bushel it was only very slight. But when the allowance was raised to one bushel the'flavour was to bo detected on warming the milk to 110 degree.-; it developed with the ripening of the cream until at churning it became very marked, and the butter tasted "turnipy." This suggests that when turnips are fed to dairy cows it is desirable that the allowance should be kept well below a bushel per diem.

SOUTH ISLAND NOTES. Our special correspondent writes;:—The wheat markets, which were already in a semi-torpid state, have been completely paralysed by the disclosure of the fact that under the reciprocity treaty it. is proposed to admit Australian flour duty free. Millers decline any temptations to do business

ih the meantime, except for small lines to meet immediate requirements. The uncertainty as to the future naturally causes them to go cautiously, more especially as cables

have already been received from Melbourne offering flour at £7 per ton f.0.b., which means that with the duty abolished it could he delivered at from 12s 6d to 15s a ton Mow New Zealand millers' present selling price?, but so far orders have not been given

in response to tlu-s.> offers. Quotations for wheal have not undergone any change, and may be given nominally as follows, according to quality ami locality:—Tuscan, 3s 3d (Ashburton) to 3s 6d (Tiraaru and Oamaru); velvet, 3- 4d to 3s sd;' pearl, 3s 2d to 3s

M: Kedchaff, 3s 2d to 3s 4d: Hunter',. 3s

Id to 3- 2d: fowl wheat, 3- to 3s Id. Oats are. if anything, a little weaker, with very little business passing. Spring threshing lias commenced in some parts of Southland, but very few samples have yet been submitted. Prices offering to farmers on trucks at country stations arc Is 10£ d to Is lid for B grade and a halfpenny less for C grade;

but hoUkt» do not care to sell at these prices. There is no change, to report in regard to potatoes, which are quoted nt widely divergent figures, according to locality and' a apply Taking Oarnarn aa the safest guide, table wonts may. be given as worth from £11 5s to £11 10* f.'o.b.'

Tho most noticeable thing in connection with the stock market is the demand that has arisen for dairy cows, as a result of the cheering cairying prospects for the season, tJootl prices 'are being obtained everywhere, for first-class animals, up to £11 per head having beon given at Titnaru and Oumaru, where the supply is short, while good averago cows pretty generally command from £6 10s to £8, according; to supply. ' Prime fat bullocks also command high prices, » line of 150 off turnips having been sold in the Ashburton district at £10 10s per head.

What it presumed to be a. most, serious ease of iheep-worrying i-> reported from Wyndhaiii (.Southland). where .Mr. A, Bean go lost in a single 'night' all but 290 mil of a flock of 720 breeding owes. Tho sheep, a nice lot of two, four, and six-toothed ewes, mostly in lamb, were grazing in a paddock, one corner of which is intersected by the Oware Stream, and seem to hu\o been caught at this corner and rushed over tho bank into the river and drowned. In One hole 125 carcases were found, and othergot further down the stream. Mr. Bcangc's loss, after allowance is made for the skins of the recovered carcases, amounts to be tween £500 and £600. Assuming,that the destruction was duo to .vagrant dogs the loss must rank as a record from such a cause. ■ • ■ • - Sheep-stealing' on a liberal scale is reported- from Bruce (Otago), one owner having lost flu ewes for which' he paid 25s per head, while another has 29 head missing, and a third is 25 short in his tally.

BREVITIES. A, cow with a tracheotomy tube in her throat is a curiosity in the Dannevirke district. There is a crop of turnips growing upon the Stall farm. Levin, estimated to yield a crop equal to 60 tons per acre. Mr. T. Andrews, of Pahnerston, has purchased the Clydesdale sire Royal Prince from Messrs. Lefevre and Cuff for 350gns. Mr. W. 11. Nelson. Woodville, lost a pedigree bull on Monday last, the animal, a valuable one. riving as the result, of injuries received in a tight with another bull.

It is said that people who live on a bread and-nlilk diet, nearly always have thick hair to an advanced age, while people who lunch and dine on meat rarely have thick hair after twenty-five,

It is the seed that mostly exhausts the, land of plant food. A grass crop that is allowed to produce seed takes more, from the soil in mineral matter than I,wo. crops out for bay while the grass is young.

In Germany, last year, there was 80,500,000 gallons of alcohol made. It was used for power, "heat, and light. Much of -it was made from unmerchantable- farm products, such as potatoes' too small for table purposes. "',';' *

It i- computed that in round numbers a quarter of a million sterling has been distributed anion's the farmers of l'ahjatua. and contiguous districts during the past, three years through the medium of. the butter and cheese factories. ;•. "-■

The 01 i<> Experimental .Station claim* that farmers of .that State are losing £3,000,000 annually byHot treating their stable manure as it should be treated; about, half of its value is ost by permitting it to lie all summer in the yards. Mr. W. Akors, of Paliuerston North, who recently returned from a trip rto Australia, brought, back with him 20 tons of Tasmania a seed potatoes, and intends sowing them all on bis property. lie. also brought a couple of draught stud horses.. , , -

Sheep clean up a pasture better than any other stock. The great botanist Linhasua found, its the result of experiment, that of the indigenous pasture plants of Sweden sheep ati! 387 out of 526 species, while horse* ate only 262 and cattle 376. ~. _[ •■■ -

If the human race in its degenerate state i- ever ?:o bo regenerated, it will lie by life in the country and life on the farm. The man wi :h the hoe is the primal man, the fundamental man, the man from whose loins must spring a vigorous, regenerated race.

Some Victorians, who profess to uudef.stand the habits of the woolly aphis, declare that this insect will breed for nine consecutive generations without the influence of the male, and that it is during the autumn that these pests" breed the greater part of their progeny. t ~ . ' >

During the year ended ■ August 31 tlipw. were exported from the port of Now Plymouth 146,2,17 packages of butter and 9575 ' packages of cheese, valued at £466,011 and. * £30,019 respectively, these figures being based or. °5s per ow.t for butter and 50s for, V cheese, a very reasonable- estimate. *i>"

An indication of a good early season iu Taranaki : is that butter is coming forward to the Moturoa Freezing Works a month earlier than has been previously recorded.. One factory is already sending in 25 boxes, per day, and nine other lines came to hand recently. The first shipment southward:-! comprised about 1100 boxes.

Apart from certain cultivated plants which have a special liking for common sail; (chloride of sodium) it. has been found in garden practice that the general effect of the addition of common salt is to stimulate leaf-tissue. Light application of salt to a. kitchen garden make- tho leave's of lettuces. cabbages, and garden plants generally thicker and more, succulent. ',;.-.;

As an experiment Mr. John Tyson, 'of Waharoa, put in about sis weeks ago .12 acres of wheat and barley, using tho ordinary quantify of manure, with the result that both crops have taken very well and tiro now doing splendidly. .Should these crops turn out "successfully it is anticipated thai, next season quite a- number of local settlers will follow Mr. Tyson's example. ■£.;

Common salt is seldom applied to the land because of the uncertainty of its action. 'It i- true it sometimes increases productivenessand strength of the straw of the cereals and prevents the excessive growth of tho htr4jv and consequent liability to lodge. It fix sometimes used on light land, but tho results seem to be variable. Sometimes..it seems to increase the crop and as frequently damage it, depending upon tho amount of rainfall and water, in the soil. ■ .«;■.'*'

lii agriculture salt is often used as,a manure. -It starts chemical changes which set plant food free, and it attracts moisture. But its use requires care. - When Strang it poisons plants, and it is often used on gardening paths for killing weeds. liven when employed as a fertiliser it often acts as, a cheek on vegetation at first. It has been remarked that the general effect of salt; on kitchen garden vegetables is to increaea the thickness and size of the leaves, and' it has been proposed to use it systematically in the case of those vegetables,"such as cabbages, where the leaves are eaten.

Mares, as a rule, become very shy pa their period of parturition approaches. This >■- especially the case with young mares, ant', as a result it is a good plan when the tithe for foaling draws nigh to shut tip such mares in. a quiet house by themselves for some days. The less disturbance mares are subjected to at. this particular stage tho better. With old stagers it is a matter of comparative indifference how they ar« treated, but with young mares fho observance of a little caution in this connection will invariably bo found attended with goc-* result*. ' ! .U*