AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20229, 13 April 1929, Page 18

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

Canada's wheat yield in 1928. according to the- Bij.reau of Statistics, passed the 500.000.000 bushel mark for the first time, the total being 555,571,000. Final figures relative to the South [African 1927-23 maize crop have recently been published, and show a total production of 19,169,615 bags. • The yield in 1926-27 was 18,256,898 bags. India is importing wheat, from Canada as well as Australia at the present time. An advice from the Dominion states that two shipments, totalling 520,725 bushels, were made, from Vancouver to Calcutta in December. A registered Southdown lamb, the grand champion at the 1928 Los Angeles Christmas Fat Stock Show, U.S.A., was sold by auction to a Salt Lake City hotel for the record price of lldols. (45s lOd) per lb. live weight. .As the lamb weighed 1101b. the total realisation was £252 Is Bd. According to data collected by the Government Statist, the average quantity of seed per aero sown in South Australia last year was as follows Wheat, 641b.; barley, 621b.; oats, 501b. Fertilisers were utilised al the rate of 821b, per acre for wheat, 961b. for barley, and 801b. for CM t S. The. South African floverninent lias »gre<\-| to the Veterinary Research Station at Ouderstepoort, Transvaal, constituting a link in the proposed chain of Imperial research stations. The Empire Marketing Board has promised a substantial grant, to approved stations in connection v-ith the scheme. Dr. ITirdricb Rcrgius, a tinman scientist, claims to have evolved a chemical process whereby wood pulp is converted into a valuable, stock food. It, is stated tnat the carbohydrates contained in wood can hj(; dissolve! and converted info gincocr l.y a treatment with hydrochloric acid, thr-reby rerdering tliu material lit for stock. In I.othiaij. Scotland. I lie results from Fonie recent grass manuring experiments show that the application of basic slag pets morn readily and gives better results than ground mineral phosphate. The. best dressing for pasture lands was found to ha lOewt. of 28 per cent, grade basic slag and 6cwt. of 50 per cent, mineral phosphate per acre The total nutnbcj of European-owned rattle in southern Rhodesia at tho end of 1927 is stated to have been 954,855, representing a decrease, of .56,581 compared with tho previous year's figures. Native Owned cattle numbered 1.570,567 in 1927. The. total ol sheep in the colony was 551,674, as against, 531 ,(>49 in 1926, of which Merinos, European-owned, comprised 10,625 in 1927, and 7597 in 1926. Tho recently published South African 'Agricultural Statistics for tho year ended August 31, 1927, discloses a rather wide divergence between the averago wool pields per sheep in the different States of the Union. Tho general averago of tho 24.045,433 adult sheep shorn was 6.91b., that of tho Orango Freo Slate 7.21b., tho Cap-. Province 6.91b., Transvaal 6.31b., and Natal only 5.81b. Tho general averago "weight per fleece of tho 3,627,265 'lambs v "barn in the Union was 3.61b.