AGRICULTURAL JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1163, 15 June 1894, Page 5

AGRICULTURAL JOTTINGS.

Between the beginning of October and the closes of January it is a common occurrence for upwards of 70,000 barrels of American and Canadian apples to be sold in England in a single week. Close on L 16,000,000 is now paid annually for supplies of foreign fruit imported into that country, for which less than L 1,000,000 was paid in 1848.

A correspondent of the Taranahi Herald says that he was shown recently, two fine specimens of root crops at the Moa Farmers' Union. One was a corrot which measured 20 inches long and girthed 11 inches at the top, weight 2 lb 3oz, and a parsnip 15 inches long, girth 11 inches, weight lib 9oz. f Jh;se were grown by Mr King, of Inglewood, from seed of his own saving, and I was told were only a fair sample of the whole crop. • • • • If you have space for a few remarks about some potatoes supplied by the Government last spring to Mr Fairweather, says Mr J. Welsh, Myross Bush, writing to a Southland paper, you will oblige :-—" On the Ist November Mr Fairbrother brought out to his farm 121 b of potatoe she got from the Government, viz. : 41b Bruce potatoes, 41b Main Kidney, 41b Iraperator. I planted them in a patch of maiden bush soil and I lifted them the other day. The yield was 2521 b and nearly equal quantities for each lot. They are large well-grown potatoes, few small ones and of excellent quality, especially the Bruce potato. The Ini perator potato is more for a keeping potato for spring use. The idea is a good one and the Government should get all encouragement for trying to improve the potato crops in the Colony. Should the Government have any more seeds they want tried Mr Fair. weather will only be too glad to give them a trial and report fully on the result." . • » » A rabbit agent furnishes the Wairarapa Star with the following figures with reference to the fecundity of the rabbit:—" One doe breeding seven times, say five each time—3s, of which 17 would be does, with an average breeding of 3£ times, five young each first year. Second year —Of the 328, assume 164 females, each producing 328—54,112, or a total in the first two years of 54,440. Third year—Of the 54,440 assume 27,220 females, each producing 328 year —Of the 8,928,160 assume 4,464,080 females, each producing 328 —1,464,218,240. . . • • The Union Steamship Company has arranged to convey over 0000 sheep from this Colony for exhibition at the Sydney Ram Fair to be held the first week in July. The Flora, which is to be juiced in commission again for this purpose, will take 500 sheep from Napier, the Wakatipu and Rotokino taking the Southern portion, the Talune the Wellington instalment, and a batch from Auckland will be taken by the Waihora. The mammoth cheese, weighing 10 tons, which was on view at the Chicago World's Fair, has arrived in London. It took a team of eight horses to convey it from the railway station to Kensington,