AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19086, 3 August 1925, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

Tljiere are 4,.500,000 vehicles owned by fanners in Great Britain. An anvil bearing the name of John Bunyan and tho date 1647 has been discovered. It is believed to have been Bunyan's. On the Bradford tops market little business is being done, crossbreds extremely dull; spinning and combing machinery is idle., While pruning his rose trees a Doncaster man named William Lewis pricked his finger with a thorn and subsequently died from septic poisoning. Nearly all commercial fertilisers are used for the sole purpose of increasing tho crop to which applied, or for direct profit, from tho increase of that crop. Earth-worms can produce musical sounds, according to a German scientist. He even claims to have discovered rhythm in this strange melody. "The New Zealand railway tariff on timber practically nullifies the effect of the protective duty," said Mr. A. Seed, secretary of the New Zealand Federated SawmilJers' Association. "It puts a premium on the imported article over tho New Zcalanod product. The California Packing Corporation has named new season's prices, but it would appear, from the slight interest taken in them by ind'ntors, that spot stocks of last season's California!! pack are moving off only slowly, in the face of the heavy demand for tho better quality Australian fruit. British factories turned out 23,000 tons of beet sugar last year, though the industry is only an infant one. However, it is only half a pound a head for ovory inhabitant of tho British Isles, and tho figure must be multiplied by 20 before it begins to make an appreciable dent in sugar imports. Most merchants are inclined to wait for now maize, of which the first should be here by tho middle of tho month. It will not be suitable for grinding, but will sell for fowl feed, and this holding off is keeping the prico weak. Recent arrivals of old have sold at 6s 8d on the wharf in wholesale lines. Tho season generally was very favourable for crops in Perth. As a result of good rains in tho agricultural areas it is expected that 200,000 acres more than last year will bo sown under wheat. On tho basis of last year's average it is expected that tho yield will total over 24,000,000 bushels. Fowl manure is not. to be despised, and farmers who go in for poultry-keep-ing on a largo and extensive scale should see that tho accumulated droppings are not wastod. They should be regularly collected, mixed with dry earth, 1 a little superphfitephatf " and potash salts. A raluabletmanuro is thus obtained. \ ' • •'■■■ The quantities of frozen meat shipped fi;om the- Dominion for the past fortnight, were: 27,132 quarters of beef, 77,635 carcases of mutton 262,765 carcases of lamb. This brings the total shipments for the neason commencing November 1 to 255,536 quarters of beef, 1,344,453 carcases of mutton, and 3,681,227 carcases of Jambv