ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18244, 10 November 1922, Page 14

ON THE LAND.

■~.„ m ' ——' .. I «8 ;.■«;;.;■ NOVEMBER, flth »nd 10th.-Csnterbury A. .and P. A. Show. Chriatcturch. A .«,cf«. 31st »nd 22nd.-Waik»tP A. *nd P. .M™u> tion. Hamilton.-*. M- Baxter, secretary. DECEMBER. Ist end 2nd.—Auckland Metropolitan A. and P. Association's Show.—A. D. Stanley, secretary. ' ; NORTH ISLAND SHEEP. One of the judges at the Palmorston North Show was Mr. S, J. Hill, who recently came frdm Victoria whero ho was engaged in the wool industry. He said he was somewhat surprised to find that very few paid any attention to tho breeding of Corriedales, and yet the North Island wail so suitable for that typo of sheep. Mr. Hill was quite sure that if farmers took up Corriedales seriously, they would be amazed at the success that would attend their efforts. He was quit© aware that the lambs would nut, bring such big prices, but the deficiency there would be more than met by the higher prices received for the fleece. Mr. Hill said that he had never seen Romneys grown so successfully as in New Zealand. In discussing ,tho fleece wool that came Before him for judging purposss ho said that the Romney wool had been presented in a bright and attractive condition. He noticed particularly in connection with Romney fleeces, that thev wore somewhat finer in fibre than those which he usually met with. They were very well grown, bright and attractive and "in light condition. In some cases they were exceptionally well grown and tho serrations were most pronounced, a feature which seemed typical of New Zealand and could only bo obtained by careful breeding. Concerning the Downs and Down crosses, he commented that the entries in that class were not so good as they might have been, and some of th« exhibits showed tenderness, carrying a> fair amount of condition. The Corriedales, he said, wero rather disappointing, with the exception of one or two fleeie*, and most of them were harsh and in syome cases thinly grown. One of the ftecces was a typical Corriedale, and "he thought the breeders would do. well if thfly could follow on tho line of this exhibit.—(Wanganui correspondent.) LEMON CURING. An expensivo housfo is not necessary, indeed almost any place will do in winter, but appliances for keeping a low, even temperature are necessary in summer, and, doubtless, are desirable m winter as well. A fahriy tight; box with plenty of fresh air circulating about'it, at a temperaturebetween. 60deg. and t 7odeg., seems to be the essefttTal condition for tho best success in holding Ifimons. Shade will greatly help in keeping down temperature, ami is, by some, thought to be equal to a, double wail. Means should be provided, by doors, winoows, or ventilators, for thoroughly ihauii.ig the j»ir every night, unless vijry damp weather, when. it might be advisable to air in daytime. Fruit should not be allowed to wilt before patting aurtay, but the bovx should be left somewhaft open for k time varying according to the conditions of tho place in which they are, .to allow surplus'"moi'sture to pasls off. The top boxes should be well covered so that the fruit will not dry out aud thus become worthless. It is desirable *o ; retard what is known as the curing process 'l«ng «s possible, so each grower should study •the conditions of his house, and have as little, evaporation as possible without allowing' moisture to collect on the fruu. This will also prevent the fruit's getting soft. SUcking fruit, in large piles without spaces between should '"be avoided, although we have known it "to keep well for a time in that way, whdn it was not in a close room. Mediunietsed,Rouses should be preferable. To be- in ideal condition the fruit should come dut firm, with stems ■ fast and green. This will not be the case if fruit heats or stweats. The fruit should be placed so that it can be inspected occasionally, that defect-? may be remedied.

AGBICULTURAL BREVITIES. Freshly drawn milk contains a certain amount of air and gas, therefore, it should be allowed to stand for an' hour or so before being tested by tho lactometer. A good heap of compost always comes in useful Path-cleanings, animal droppings, road-scrapings, lime and stockyard debris should all be well mixed together. Burning is wasteful. Lycerne-growers should watch for dod' der seed. Towards the end ol summet little tufts of r-inkish flowers are produced, from which the seeds are readily shaken out by the wind. , £ For butter-making cream ia considered ripe when it contains 0.5 to 0.6 per cent, of acidity; Overripe cream imparts a sour flavour to the butter, and in some cases causes rancidity to develop. By ploughing Eve a'cres of ground in a nine hours day with a motor-tractor, Miss Frances BTown, of Cookham, ; Berkshire, has set up what is claimed as an English record. She holds the distinction of reaping 22 acres of corn in one day.

Further extensive irrigation works are projected in tho Nile Valley. According to. a Londou cable a contract of four million pounds has been let to build a dam of two miles across the Blue Nile and construct 65 miles of canals.

Increased accommodation for the storage of wool has been provided in connection •with the port of Hull, England. Eighteen Rhads, each measuring 552 ft. by 40ft., and holding 13,000 bales, have been erected, and a further extensive accommodation is being provided at King George doeft. A dairyman milking 50 mixed cows in the district has gone in for testing his herd, which to his surprise revealed the fact (states the Northern Advocate) ihat the herd averaged over a 4.2 test, though there are no pedigree cows among them, and the feed is bush burn. Potatoes should he lifted as soon as the tubers have finished growth. As to this, the haulm is not always a sufficient guide, and consequently a few roots of each batch should be examined at intervals of j a week or so. The potato is one of the first of routs to commence a second growth, and of this there is much danger from rains. Milk,should always be tested for acidity before adding the rennet for cheesemaking. The'acidity or ripeness of the milk has a great effect upon the curd obtained, methods of testing for acidity are by the soda- test and the rennet test.' If the rennet test is employed, a twenty-two Jjecond test denotes that the milk contains about 0-22 per cent, of acidity. The largest wool-consuming country in the world is. said to bo the United States, which annually consumes between 600,000,000 and 700,000,0001b. whilst the United Kingdom absorbs 580.000,000 to 680,000,0001b; France, 320,000,000 to 400,000,0001b.; and Germany, 300,000,000 (to 400,000,0001b. Ta improve Mhj native cattle of India, a trial shipment of Friesian. bulls from South Africa has been ordered 'by the' ~~T Indian Government. The British India Steamship Company have quoted a special rato of £10 per head from Durban toBombay' for the first fifty beasts, and havealso offered to supply an attendant. i Barley and tares, or oats and tares, is a good mixture foe -winter feed. About three-quarters of a bushel of barley and I;hree-qu,irters of a bushel of tares are sown in the usual 7in. rows, and usually with lewt. superphosphate or other phosphatic manure. After feeding off in spring the orop is usually ploughed in, or may be allowed to run till the oats are nearly ripe, when the mixture will be cut for hay. By order of the British Ministry of Agricplture, weeds are being cut on 1000 acres of agricultural, land at Barton Stacey, Hampshire. The land has become dercjict and the weeds caused annoyance * and loss to the neighbouring farmers as they harboured ground game and vermin. •The weeds also were seeding and blowing , V : «*i''-to; the farms. About 900 acres have " . r?* n -s u t. and the weeds are being raked and burnt bpr women and boys.