AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20104, 15 November 1928, Page 5

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

Lice 'will have three generations in eight weeks with a resultant total of 125,000.

The " City Editor's Diary" in the " Evening Standard " (London) says that it is certain th*.t a record world wheat crop is now practically 1 assured. There is 110 longer anything likely to upset the estimates for Canada of 558,000.000 bushels, while Australia will probably produce 198,000,000 to 212,000,000 bushels. It remains only for the Argentine crop to be definitely assured for a huge world's surplus to result.

Grasshoppers are becoming a menace* in parts of the Western districts of New South Wales. The plague was so thick at Trundle on October 8, that the mail train was delayed. A goods train which was preceding the mail found it impossible to make much speed owing to the grasshoppers on the line causing the wheels to slip. Many farnieis are following the advice of the Department of Agriculture and are splaying the affected areas.

The Cornedale has only been transplanted in Scotland for a period of three years, yet the breed is doing very well there. In a note recently received from Mr. James Piper, Burntisland, Fife, Scotland, by Mr. W. Spier, secretary of the Australian Corriedale Sheepbreeders' Association, gratifying references were made by Mr. Piper to his Corriedale stud flock. Mr. Piper is highly satisfied with the progress of the flock, and states that his wethers clipped as much as 131b.

Last year the total area of Crown land disposed of in Tasmania was 12,897 acres, classified as follows:—3180 acres of first class land, 6643 acres of second-class land, and 3074 acres of third-class. The number of selections was 156, and the total revenue was £41,070, ' compared with £46,319 for the previous year. Land settlement in Tasmania is progressing steadily, says an Australian paper, but there is room for plenty of newcomers to settle in the State. Much of the land labour and expense in clearing. The conis good, but most of it would require much struction of roads to the outlying districts would encourage settlers.

Many pig raisers practise the feeding of charcoal, or wood ashes separately or with salt to their stock. One of the American agricultural experiment stations gives the following, as being a good tonic and mineral mixture for swine 'Charcoal, 1 bushel; hard wood ashes, 1 bushel; salt, 81bs.; air-slacked lime, 41bs.; sulphur, 2)bs.; pulverised copperas, 21bs. Mix the lime, salt and sulphur thoroughly and then mix with the charcoal and ashes. Dissolve the copperas in one quart of hot water and sprinkle the solution over the whole mass, mixing it thoroughly. Keep some of the mixture in a box before the pigs at all times. This mixture is easily made and supplies the mineral elements most likely to be I deficient in swine rations.

The year 1927 was good for agricultural Queensland. Statistics prepared by tlie registrar-general (Mr. George Porter) suggest that a new record value has been established. The total value of agricultural produce raised in 1927 is estimated at £14.431,644, the next best figure being for 1924, when products were valued at £13.922.384. Sugar contributed £7,103,907 to the total, which is approximately half the value of the total agricultural crop. The maize harvest reached 6,703,518 bushels, the highest crop since 1924, when the vielfi was 7,330,821 bushels. Tha value of maize was £1.815,536. The wheat harvest in 1927 was a record, amounting to 3,783,584 bushels, the next best figure being 3.707,357 bushels in 1920. The value of wheat in 1927 was £1.040.486.

Wheat grown in New South Wales last season cost 8s 6jd a bushel, according to evidence given before the Industrial Commission at the Rural Wage Inquiry by the secretary of the New South Wale's Farmers' and Settlers' Association. Mr. W. C. Cambridge. He based this figure on returns submitted to nira by a num. ber of growers. The high figure vas due to poor yields harvested >n several districts, which varied from absplute failure to 30 bushels an acre. Taking the re- j turns of sixteen growers, Mr. Cambridge showed that, apart from the crop that failed, the others harvested from fenr bushels to 30- bushels, and ti:e highest price realised was ss, and '.lie invest 4s a . bushel. The cost to the farmer ranged from 5s 3d to 16s fad 1 a bushel. Mr. Cambridge held that, where an employer assisted in the production of whr.it lie was considered as being entitled to £6 a week.

The success of tobacco growers in the Pomonal district, near Stawell, has frequently been mentioned, comments the Leader (Melbourne). Recently the buyer from the Biilish Australian Tobacco Company visited Mr. M. Murphy's tobacco pint, and purchased a little over a ton of very fine leaf. For the first grade, Mr. Murphy received 3s lb., 2s 8d lb. for the second grade, and 2s 6d for the third grade. The whole of the leaf wan won from 2i acres of ground. Tho buyer described the tobacco grown as of very fine quality, and expressed the belief that there was a great future before the industry, but in order to ensure success it will be necessary to provide such water as will give one or two light waterings in drv seasons. '■ V r • '

" ' i The cow is au honest manufacturer. I She wilt not produce a counterfeit articled Her product does not vary in its composition to any great extent. If her ration does not supply a certain material she does not yield a milk lacking in thatmaterial. She may draw upon her bodv tissues for this material, but, ,of course, this cannot go on for long without impairing her health. The cow docs not carry inexhaustible supplies of nutrients for miik production in her body. What happens then is that the quantity of milk is gradually decreased to correspond with '.lie nutriment received in ner ration. The cow does not have the ability to change the nutrients in her milk, which is. after all. a wise provision of Nature. Milk contains certain nutrients, and these must be supplied to the cow if she is expected to produce. If she does not get the proper raw material, the milk yield will be limited, states the Live Stock Journal.

Heavy horses for breeding purposes continue in strong request in Encland. The " Farmers' Express " report® that " it is some two years since there was anything like sucli a ready salo as was experienced at the Suffolk llorse Society's sale. Eveiv gelding and every foal changed hands, while less than half-a-dozen of the meres and fillies brought into the ring rcmanKd unsold. Tho extraordinary demand on the part ot' distant buyers was the "los striking feature of tho sale. Of total of m head which were sold, >•: bulk left the eastern counties.- J.no M price of 110 guineas was , Earl of Iveagh's five-year-old gldmfc Prince, a big fchow-yord career years, who finished " ,s . Rovn j Notby a first pr.ze win at tho Rojalj^^ iiigham. 'lhis e e f jj, 8 Premier Oil was bought on behalf of ( firm Extracting Company, of HM 1« g who have made _ K average of guinea*. . . ■ . /VA.,;, 'y . ■