AGRICULTURAL JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1156, 27 April 1894, Page 5

AGRICULTURAL JOTTINGS.

Is the Hereford more likely to resist disease than any other breed ? In an article on Hereford a bv Mr John Hil', which appears in several of the English papers, he remarks :— il I believe lam correct in saying that no herd of Herefords has been found affected with pleuropneumonia since the Board of Agriculture has had the control of the disease ; and it is very exceptional that a Hereford is affected by any lung disease. In fact, there is no breed that can show a cleaner bill of health, or one which requires less attention from the veterinary surgeon,"

Shecpfarmers in the Argentine Republic, afr.er fleecing their sheep, are, according to the Buenos Ay res Standard, fleeced in their turn by the local authorities, and complain bitterly of their treatment. Indeed, it is difficult to see how the River Plate wool can, under such restrictions, compete on anything like even terms with the Australian product. Every ton of wool sent from the camp districts to Buenos Ayres has to pay—first, a duty of 70 dollars to the Provincial Government of La Plata; and secondly, a municipal duty of 30 dollars ; both which taxes are clearly illegal. Then the wool haß to pay an export duty on shipment of 4 per cent. All these taxes press heavily on farmers, as if it were the fixed purpose of the authorities to discourage sheep-farming. The value of land in the province of Buenos Ayres keeps rising month by month owing to the spread of tillage, and for this reason the sheep-farmers find themselves compelled to recede further into the country. Already the Pampa Central counts 6,000,000 s'lecp, where they were unknown 10 years ago. All the camps detween the rivers Colorado and Negro are also thickly studded with sheep farms, and numerous flocks exist in the Chubut and Santa Cruz territories, where the lands are mostly poor, but of such vast extent that sheep thrive there in a remarkable manner. Within the last few months about 800 square leagues in the Chubut Valley have been purchased by English and other settlers from Government at the uniform stipulated price of 25,000 dollars currency per square league.

A meeting of settlers in the Fernridge district is to be held early next week for the purpose of meeting Mr W. Udy, one of the directors of the New Zealand Dairy Farmers' Union, and the secretary, Mr D. H. Roberts, with reference to the proposed creamery. It is reported that over 200 shares have already been taken up, and the milk of 265 cows promised by the immediate settlers. The House of Lords will re-appoint the Select Committee which was set up to enquire into the importation of dairy produce, fruit, and agricultural produce. • • • • The Ruapehu, which sailed for London yesterday week, took 313 tons butter and 425 tons cheese from New Zealand ports, made up as follows: —Auckland, 24 tons butter; Wellington, 270 tons butter and 175 tons cheese; Lyttelton, 3 tons cheese ; and Port Chalmers, 19 tons butter I and 247 tons' cheese. The cargo shipped at Wellington was as follows: —5721 carcases mutton, 120 carcases lamb, 4586 legs mutton, 50 case 3 kidneys, 8798 packages butter, 2632 cases cheese, 52 oases pork J<:r 484 cases meat, 3 cases fruit, 158 bales and 72 pockets of wool and skins, 7 bales I basils, 158 cask 3 tallow and pelts. She also took ten boxe3 of bullion (four from Wellington), valued at .£36,500. • • • • The appointment is gazetted of Mr Walter Miller as a Registrar of Brands for the Wairarapa district, as well as that of Mr John L. Bruce as an Inspector of Stock. • • • • Tho price of potatoes in Napier is said to have reached 103 the sack. A season or two ago growers were giving them away for the carting. • • • . . • During the voyage Home the Gothic's refrigerating machinery worked in a faultless manner. • • » Mr Reid, Victorian Minister for Defence, has formally requested the Marquis of Ripon to recommend the establishment of cool stores at Calcutta, Madras, Bombay and Colombo. • • • • There is nothing more annoying, or likely to lead to more confusion, than indistinct addresses. Farmers should note that it is more business-like, and that it saves time to have their names and addresses printed on their memo forms and envelopes. They can get five hundred forms printed with cnrelopcs , to match at the Mail office for 12s 64