ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13757, 23 May 1908, Page 8

ON THE LAND.

fJKJIMAN* BUTTER IMPORTS. ' It U inwretiinz :to note that, soma ffas vent* ago, (Irrm.'Miy w* rlwhj* the third - largest exporter of hotter to Great Britain. Now. however, Jjornis consumption ha* r-v«»r. .-. .. .''.. taken her production, and «be i*-a buyer of J colonial h>irr,-r. !..»»■« t year, her prirermse* i wvrc confined ><> London, bus the -4camera I of the l»crm*n-Au»ir»liftH lift" harms; (wen j titled with refrigerated '.•'? the pnt' -."■': ; j,o*<\ wit-ryiiiK i*o«»d product*, those ijouteri*. r y. «><] consider thai th* trade <:&ti he mor« ad- '~ vsiHMKr-oti-ly (.-juried <":* dire.-r. fW ,i r » w . lack 1" »fei* harm's* i« ti..' --■•;,-. plated by .••;.■ tin* German Government mi Hi" me of boric j' | arid, aui) no but tier showing (race* of it i* j allowed to enter »'"ie country. This i.. » disability rather difficult t<» overcome, for. »i----j though » factory mixer h m-inuCnctnrinst ! for a German order, may-not ts-.» boric arid, j some vi 'lit* Mtppliei -. in order to land their cream satisFucforily in hot ivrndhov, in*? have been compelled to resort r>. this in*-jtn» of preserving it. Tint* it =■ ■*;-< »- if ;ii;jr j factory, catering for n oliari' nt tin* i)ew j market. mn.-t he prepared to tint! some other | preservative agent for mat))' of its supplier*,, ! and this i* not likely to i»m\" m, m*urj immutable obrfncle.

TOP-DRESSING PASTURES After experimenting with top-dressing* for improving poor pastures English nuthoritm S4 ,y:__On lh«« whole, neither ground lime nor common lime has given anything like profitable returns, even several vents after their application in ; "'i. these experiments indicate that basic sing: i* realty tin- best source of lime fur this purpose, and thai, it «,...< ;i, good effects to the lime tw w«\lLa» the ptm»- ' phales that it contain*. Halt a ton <>!' Iw.de. slag contains as much lime—partly free and partly in combination—a* is contained in -,v i ton" of ground lime. The finreens of grindj ing of the slag undoubtedly increase* the <■!- feeliveness of the lime as well a* ".if the phose I phatcs it contains. It i* therefore suseested I that for most soils the use of hAsiri slag makei the application of either common lime or . i {■round lime unnecessary for old bund hay or ! for pasture. It is only soils of a jwity char- ! actor, or those with a good deal <».f. rough, I malty herbage, or some organic matter, that j are likely to give a return from these form* I of lime. Slag generally supplies the lime requirement* of all except this class of soil* < I with more profitable result-. The result* of j pome experiments elsewhere have indinMnd i that lime added to slag diminishes , effects of this latter manure. 01 "R AUSTRALIAN LET'IT.R. lIV FVVIK. A 500-aerc block, near Mooroopna, in the Ooulbnrn Valley. Victoria, was sold on Maj 3 for £15 per acre. ";.;, Australian apples are fetching good price* | in London. The last shipment by the steamer Oeoloug realised. Cleopatras 7s 6o! to 10s. :f .lotiaihans 9s to lis, and Vicar pears 14.- fed to 18s 6.1. At the Maryborough (Victoria) sale yard* last week a number of ewes and lambs were given away, the owner being tumble to keep them any longer, because of the want of teed. The Victorian Railway Department bast been unable to meet all the orders for truck* for the carriage of livestock. For the first nine months of the present financial year tin; revenue from this source, exceeds that, for the ; i corresponding period of tins previous year by !no h's.s a sum than £30,000. To give an idea ! of what the present dry season means to the I Victorian pastoralist, i: is staled that up to j date it lias cost one .-big firm £40,000 for car- ;. .;• -. riage, agistment, and fodder for its stock. In the drought of 1901-2 it cost this firm £50,000. . ' The water from (in: bores in the west ol Queensland is very hot and Mr. Grown, ol Barcaldine, lias arranged an incubator so f ' that. a, '.stream from a bore should be cooled to- the proper temperature, ami then run ' through a coil in the machine. • The great' advantage of this .system is the regularity of the temperature, and the little attention needed. The cost is nothing more than the • - fixing of the arrangement, as no meter* are applied to bore water, of which consumer* can use as little or .'is much as they desire. The British Royal Agricultural Society is moving with the times, for in connection with its Newcastle Show this year ■ prize* are offered v'.' for tlie best plan of farm buildings, th* points to which the judges' attention will bo especially directed being: (1) Economy in ■ planning and in cos!, of construction; '{21,'' convenience of arrangement for working and accommodation for animals; and (3) lighting, ventilation, and drainage of the check, especially those for dairy cattle. Plana must he .suitable for a mixed farm of not less thai» : } i 300 acres in exilent, half of which is assumedi , to be arable and half grass. A.well-known: New South Wales pastorali.-f states that ho lias found the rape plant of highest value in feeding sheep. No pasture , ;■';: can be provided that will fatten so quickly. 'It will also fatten cattle, but they tread much of it down while grazing. Rape, hi common with other an to having broad leave*, obtains large quantities of carbon from the atmosphere, which, when largo residues arc ploughed under, as 'is profitably practicable with (bis crop, adds much to the homes of I he soil. A boy aged 16 lias put up a little record of which ho ha.- every reason to be proud. and which is creditable to young Australians. He took up a, farm on shares in the Tamvvorlh district, New South Wales, and be took £220 off it as his share lor twelve months. This is better than grubbing on an office stool for .'>- a week and shows the grit of the lad. Several sheep among the Hocks in th« ': Lcadvtlle district, New South Wale.-. hav« died during the pa*l week or two from an affection that has hitherto been unknown there. The ,-lie.j, become affected by rear- ' ing in tho air, and falling backwards to the ground. They then become, paralysed, and their limbs stiffen out ami they die ia a very short space of time. Some of the old sheep hands state that it is on'account of to ; ... " much rabbit poisoning hating been done in. the district of late years, and that ,i very large proportion of the baits iiave never been eaten up, nor destroyed, and the sheep rr« now picking up poison with the grass. There is no doubt that the deaths are due to i:i- ->•]!, hut whether fr.uu the rabbit balls, <.r ■>, weed, has not yet been ascertained. ;<:, 'JJi« use of superphosphates ha* transformed the country between the sea from Port Adelaide to fort Wakefield and the rfcilwuy

line from Dry Crook 10 Port, Wakefield into on.' of the ben wheat ureas in Smith Australia, life 'haul at one rime, was thjcltly cohered wit.ii malice scrub, but much clearing lias been done ami now the district :- occupied by many prosperous farmer*. A; the animal meeting of this Royal Agri- • ;; : cultural Society, Adelaide, the committee re- f ,'.■'■. pot-tod a profit Of £2087 on last year*- transuctions of (1,.. Moiety. The reserve fund .- £2000. In addition it [>!);• jcs»c/j the Ang-.w 1 trust fund of £900. and the liquid yt.«et* in the shape of deposit* amounting to £3975. . The Government ha* grunted a new 1.-a-<- of the old and new exhibition grounds for a period of 50 year*. There are 3002 member.' subscribing £20*0, and £96*5 has hern -pent 011 permanent improvement--. Tito West Australian Government appear* : to In'- fully alive to (lie advantage* of comInning sheep-keuping with wheat-growing-With ii view to encourage the fanners of the State to adopt the practice, the Minister for . Agriculture has imported 14,000 ewes from the Eastern State:* for distribution. Th*»* , sheep are supplied to farmers! on very liberal . terms, vi:--... ea,sy payment* extending over two year-;, so that by the time the final pay- ;\■"■[ ment falls duo the farmers should have obtained sufficient from the returns of wool and . '■ ■' sale of lands .to meet all engagements, boside* having the original stuck and a. balance * to the good, ■;..:..'■: ■' Vv.