ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13844, 2 September 1908, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

4 SPRAYING FOR MILDEW. SH The material with which •. to ■ .spray is liv«t , _ of sulphur, which costs from 4d , to. .Td ,pei ' "Jj lb. Being' one of the most useful 'fungicides, V '\Jj it requires to bo carefully kept; for if lives'\"> .'-;S of sulphur is not at once available '•)< 0 mildew appears the crops may suffer before < »j| the cure is obtained. ,« ! The ! proportion for the spray is' lib' of , _ liver of sulphur to 32. gallons of water. ; ■'■■'■,■•■■* When the liver of sulphur wash comes into >'&$! contact with the' milde'v the fungus is de- ■■ vf stroyed, but some diseased parts will of ■ .. course escape. ( The spraying treatment; ' should be repeated at intervals''."of*lo d,n" ! to a fortnight during the summer "months. [' In the autumn sulphate of copper < may- 1 be ''/ substituted for liver of sulphur, , the mixture -'i l , for spraying being lib of sulphate o£ copper - --.'iK to 16 to 20 gallons of water." *■«*-*• '=* — yfjflll OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER. 7 . ni'FTvn-: • At the Agricultural Show, Port Darwin* V Northern Australia, the exhibit of the cura- «- tor of the Experimental 'Gardens gave a , * splendid testimony to the resources of that country under scientific;. culture, and pointed j strongly to the need for the establishment . of the agricultural industry, which must ultimatcly become the mainstay of the terri- ' ""~C : tory, and provide a population necessary —p' for its defence. The. exhibit included eight ysSWI varieties of cotton of excellent quali- • : 2 ty, nine varieties of hemp, 10 different t rices, three arrowroots, and 'a . great number ! of oils and oil seeds, and' also cinnamon, : to- 1, H < i'bacco. ginger, kapok, and other various tjca I 5 pica! products. , ' . «■ . 'J lie frozen meat exports from the Com '..I ■' monwealth to all - on' i -ports, for th« t ; , twelve months ended .lime 30. with th« ' ' previous year's -figures in bracked, ' were ;% ilu ton, £83,779 - (1,356 carcates- lamb ' - f. 1,428,236 ' (1,283,906) j carcases; beef, '257,23 . • (302,462) carcases. The dec re us a in the cut' , ik put is 527.000 careaso;, and practically the 1 ;, whole of this occurred in tin- last six- .1, \ months. ■' 'f'.f Bflll hat is probably a record in the Common- - t' l wealth in tobacco-growing has been put. up - - '£<$ this season by Mr, .Joseph • Watts, of Severn River, near Inveiell, .New South Wale* •< Vl From less than five acres, Mr. Watts has.; . just sold live tons ;of tobacco leaf at/ Is 6d . per lb. Mr. Watt's cheque totalled £540,' or \'hsl an average of £163 per acre. The leaf'ii /.||| cured by tho " hot air*' process. The buyer ' ' was the representative of a Brisbane firm.**' ' jt-i The much-debated question, of the rental - .* A-'i-to he. paid by the -Victorian Government. . , for the lease of the" cool stores".!iris. be«n , , ni \ settled. The City Council''resolved"to ac- • : cept a . rental of £12,000, . and a percentage • - 01 increased rates. The rental previously '« charged by them was £15,000 per annum." '* * \-£ vilr. ■ laveraer (Agent-General for Victoria ' in London) has been inquiring into the prospects of a trade-in frozen rabbits; be- -'fS ..':. w l eon .. Victoria a .nd...Germany and, France". lie states that the 'tariff of '7s 6d per-bra - .-4s and the freight and landing charges of ks" ''' 2d per crate would'block any trade wit! i ; ;j' Germany; but he i Links there is an opening gag for the sale of rabbks in France. The firo3 | v? of .Benoit-Levy, 10, Rue dos .Prouvairds,. ;{{; Paris,- already sells 'small quantities of An* tralian rabbits; aad r after', . deducting all • charges'the firm woiild Be willing to pay lli,"'' 6d to 12a per ease >>. c iv 'i-abbirs. .-'go advi|6»; exporters t;o tjuy-.j sonjo shipments 3;o pParw.;A conference of i ntalives' of the , '4u Pa toralists' Associuiioii and the Australian - •:. • Workers' Union was held in Melbourne 're'" ' cently to consider the ,much-voxed question";'''' 4 ®',? "' j 01 " "wet wool.", w An instrument has been - " • selected, and' it was decided to appoint^• • f ;.{£ scientist and a medical man to visit shear-- ' . •*, ing sheds in different parts of the State and'. 'Jfji i* ■; carry out l experiiiifeijrtrirj fe-' '.{ . liable 'data upon which the-amount of moio- f'""' ture in wool .might be determined, and 'ft , standard laid down -as 'to when shfeep. m'igljtfc # 'l ! be handled with safety. The matter of epoa.taneous combusti ax . will-also be consider- 'l v r,'\ ed. The information required includes a large number of quantitative meagre* + '*■' I monk of moisture 111 wool samples taken. S j; at the time, shearing and at different 10~ f calities,. notes- of local temperatures ox hunudities, and other conditions, and the re- <( ; cords of health of the shearers. On the'fol- ( > lowing day a deputation waited on' th» J- Primo. Minister, requesting 4 that the.' Go--1 veinjnont wot-ici 'sllovv' a grant of £500 for this purjjoso, which amount,' it was consider*'',' m ed, would bo paid by the association. The ' I Federal Cabinet decided to places thi» , ■ amount on the Estimates. r "f , '."""ft" ; , The municipalities are already sending in . ' numerous orders for lerge quantities of tho 2000 miles of wire-netting bought by<"tho '•£ . Victorian Government for distribution among ""'-if the farmers. Although' it is not a week Since . ; * the Public Works Department sent out cir- *' ■; y culars finally announcing the terms 011 which '"•!! the netting would be supplied,'the Depart- •' . ■ : inont lias'received a. number of replies. One municipality has asked for 100 miles-of -the *< 'l. s netting. The Government will require the t ipalitev to-pay -on behalf of the settiers a deposit of 10 percent., and the' re- >, Tf mainder of the, , amount in equal " annual '• • ' instalments, spread over nine years, with in-: « kf tcresfc added at four- p'er cent. Tho municipalitics will distribute the netting among?.;^4'fe the ' settlers, _ and obtain, the money from. "■ them. For the 42iu by,\.lj-jin netting the Go- V| vernihent as charging £21 10s per mile, 1 while the price of tho 42iti.Miy'netting : ;'•>= has been fixed at £25 7-, per mile. ' Tenders for the erection of the new |igri> > cultural college t-> bo • erected near Mel- : /'•' 7 bourne will be invited shortly. It » to - . .« be a somewhat elaborate- structure, ; "»nd ' will include three class rooms, eacfi for 50, S& pupils, science preparation rooms, labbra- i v tories for work in phjoins, chemistry, 'Jmd *' nature, studies, a. kitchen-audv,dining- rtiom -jjfcS for 'duniestie economy! .teachers' rooms, «iiud • v cloak-rooms. On the first,fioor arrangements/jf'Sli have been made for drawing clfenfe-,. jt'hw , • latest principles in vogue ip municipal" s®condaiy schools in Great Britain have been," " *' observed in .design the structure,- ,>aud ( < lfs 30 acres of ground adjoining will bo utilised' §111 for farm purposes. The land required I "hat i>,-" - been given ,by i the City Council,'-who' alsp '*'■. ' contribute a substantial cash sum toward ',T' the cost, of the .institution. -■ A third, bore of good water 5 * has boea i S struck opposite Pninaroo, -South Austra-. lia, jit 227 feet. The Victorian Engineer for',*/' 1 / Agriculture states that a good supply of bore I *-' water for over 100,000 acres ill the - ■ country is now assured. , ■ ■ •''' . 1 . •,,? ; The shearing season is just beginning" in j".'fV South Australia, and. Uw.firat, few .bales e£ * ' «. this season's wool have arrived in Adelaide. h !;,-•' At a rough estimate, the'clip throughout- - ;the.' State will be about the v same as last - i year. It is calculated that, between five and;./ "; six. million sheep wil'. bo handled by tljS" ' shearers.., ' vlir'piyrts'".of South Australia, wild'iltlgs are V " becoming a worse putt than the rabbit. Ait- '- association has been formed at- Borderßowu ; ] ,»:■ the object of which is to. keep the wild-dogs t from ho sheep. The association employ's ;S: / ! a trapper at a salary of £85 per anuiuij, [-. which amount .is made up by voluntary subscriptions from the* sheep-farmers. , The .trap*; • per' report sho.wed that 70 wild dogs and 93 ; y foxes were killed last year. It was decided '-c to ask the Government to subscribe £15 to-'.. wards the coot of poisoning 011 Crown landa*,*'.";'*;,-^, " The South Australian Government" Statist estimates that 2,061,987 gallons of wine weiNsf" : '''' made tit the last vintage, against 2,495,454gallons in 1907, a decrease of 17.37 per xoiiUMlff H Owing to weather conditions, a deciease estimated at from 15 to 25 per cent, bad been. '3;:. expected. The wine 111 stock at tlutlQ 30j_ 1908, amounted to' 4.611,622 gallons^, and lB 5,393,245 gallons.-at June''SO, 1907. .. The; ">; M quantity of wine export* <J dining" the year -' •[' IB 1907 was 737,644 gallon.-, Valued at £120,393. ■ In tho Tasmanian Assembly; List Mr. Hope/:' nioye'd. t-jie • adiou-'ynuent .of the". House to protest against. Vit tor inn millers v ;; .> dumping flour in Tasmania. In Victoria tliS \.S .Millers' Association was selling flour at»£?-." ' 03 a ton, and it was tent over to >Tasmanii and sold at £7 17s 6d a ton, creating an . a ■ fair competition witirTusmanian'piJoauceri: : ; : , .^'^ and millers. ■ But. tbo Prontior said that,^Qr y ' i could not interfere, as it was entirely ia^Bl a matter for the Federal Government. ? W'H i/ Vi' *'•'«, ■' v (>'/■'Ji HH