JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1250, 13 February 1896, Page 7

JOTTINGS.

Out space in the Farmer pages this week is somewhat heavily taxed, and we have to hold over some importation re the Australasian Fruit Growers’ Conference to be held at Wellington in May next. We shall deal with this subject at length in next week’s issue.

The caterpillars are making seriGus depredations on the grass seed up the Pohangina Valley, and one settler estimates his loss from this cause at £SOO, the caterpillars having gone through his crop of cocksfoot grass seed. —Feilding Star.

We hear from good authority that Mr William Wilson, of Waverley, met with unprecedented success at the recent Ham Fair at Hastings, Ilawke’s Bay. Sheepbreeders in that quarter greatly admired the stock of our noted breeder, and purchased at good prices. One of the rams, after very keen competition, realised the splendid sum of forty-one guineas. The average price of Mr Wilson’s stock, under the hammer, was £23 10s 8d each. —Wanganui Chronicle.

On Thursday last, says the Feilding Star, information was given by Mr William Thoms, of Pakihikura, to Constable Tuoliy, of Feilding, that he had found two of the sheep in his flock with their earmarks altered to represent that of a neighbour, Frederick H. B. England, who is managing a farm there. On Saturday morning Constable Heally, with the Inspector of Sheep, Mr R. K. Blundell, went to Pakihikura for the purpose of commanding England to muster his sheep. England went to Waituna on Saturday afternoon promising to return and muster next day, but did not do so that evening, and on Monday morning he was arrested in Palmerston on the information ofCon c tab!e Tuohy. He was brought before Justices and remanded to Feilding, on Monday, the 10th iast., at twelve noon.

Cases of poisoning among cattle caused by amber cane are frequently reported in Victoria, and it is evident that much cave is needed in the use of ibis fodder, which is a favourite with dairy farmers. Mr Pearson, the Government Analyst of Victoria, in a report issued some years ago when there were many similar cases, said : —“ Amber cane may be grown for green fodder, for making ensilage, for making hay, and for sugar-making. For

green fodder it is still doubtful whether in all parts of Victoria, where the plant will grow, it will be advisable to cut it before it begins to flower, because, under certain conditions of soil not yet understood, some of the andropogons, of which the common sorghums are members, are absolutely poisonous in their early stages. I believe, however, that in all such cases the poisonous qualities disappear when the plants reach the flowering stage. It is to be borne in mind also that it is only in a few cases, perhaps not more than five per cent., that the sorghums develop this poisonous quality. The best way of finding out whether or not it is injurious is to give two or three mouthfuls, at first mixed with some other food, such as hay or chaff. If no symptoms of uneasiness appear within a short time it may be considered that the sorghum is all right, and it may then be cut continuously as a green crop for from two to three months and a-half. If cut down in this way before it flowers it will grow again, giving sometimes as many as five crops."

A correspondent writes to us, the Nelson Star, as follows :—“ Soon after the soft rains of last week the mealey bug appeared in my vine house very badly. Whilst trying to stop its ravages, I discovered large numbers of the small New Zealand ants attacking it ; and in three or four days it almost disappeared from the house. This morning I discovered one small bunch of . grapes with seven or eight mealey bugs on it, and with the magnify* iog glass saw several ants devouring them, I enclose the bunch in a paper bag. The New Zealand ant has never been a pest here such as the Australian insect, and the knowledge that it will devour the mealey bug must be regarded as just as important as the ladybird devouring the mimosa and lemon blight; hence my desire to call the attention of your numerous readers to it." With regard to the above, we think some correspondence on the matter from some of our viticulturists is desirable. The question at once arises, why has the ant left the blight referred to unmolested until the present time ? As far as wc are aware, it is a pest that has been most troublesome to the grape grower, and the news of the useless New Zealand ant having an appetite for it must be hailed with satisfaction.

The Otago Daily Times says that reports from the country districts go to show that the phosphorised pollard now being used for poisoning rabbits is proving a source of great destruction to the wild duck. One settler reports that in a small lagoon he counted no less than twentytwo grey ducks that had been killed by the poison. This news is anything bufc cheering, particularly in view of the operations of the Acclimatisation Society towardsmaking large importations of game from America and the Old Country.

j There appears to be something like a | boom, on a small scale, in young blood ! horses in England. “ Not for many seasons," says the Live Stock Journal, “ have those who breed yearlings for public sale done so well as during that which is now at its close. It may be said, in fact, that the only thoroughbred sales of general interest this year were those of yearlings, which began, as usual, at Ascot, where Mr Henry Waring disposed of all those which he breeds at Beenliam. The same week was held a sale in the Cohham paddocks ; but there was no such competition as at Mr Waring’s sale, where one yearling realised 1800 guineis, and the general average was nearly twice that of 1894." At a Doncaster Side in December eleven yearlings reached from 4100 to 1550 guineas each. I “ The sale of the eight Sledmere yearlings was quite the event of the week, not to say of the year ; five of the eight made from 8800 to 2000 guineas, and a total of 14,650 guineas was equivalent to an average of 1881 guineas, which has never before been obtained for so many yearlings. Two by St. Simon made 3800 guineas and 2800 guineas, and the Jowerpriced ono of the two was a daughter cf the famous PHisantei ic. Far more was paid for the daughter of the Hermit mare Heresy, Mr Arthur Janies giving 3800 guineas for her. But if Sir Tat ton -Sykes had the highest average, he did not get the highest individual price of the day; for Mr Simors Harrison had the satisfaction of hearing his brown filly by St. Simon—Sterling Love run up to 4100 guineas, while three other of his eight yearlings went into four figures." The Journal’s tabulated statement of the season’s transactions gives the average for 220 yearlings as 402 guineas. Twenty-two horses reached four figures, the average being 2100 guineas. The largest buyer during the 3 T eur was Baron Hirsch, who, since he commenced racing in England, has purchased twenty four-figure yearlings for an average of 1500 guineas each.

The editor or the Scottish Farmer, Glasgow (Mr Archibald McNellage), has published a pamphlet entitled “ Tuberculosis from a Layman’s Standpoint." The author condemns the ruthless confiscation of perfectly wholesome carcases, and urges the appointment cf duly qualified veterinary surgeons as inspectors, whose duty it wcuid be to examine all animals before slaughter, and all carcases after slaughter ; to condemn all “ piners," and order their immediate destruction, without compensation either to the dealer who brought them to the market or the owner from whom they were brought ; to instruct compensation to the butfehur who

purchased an animal in which the presence of the disease could not be physically diagnosed before death, said compensation to be proportioned to the butcher’s actual loss —that is, according a 3 the Carcase was wholly or only partially Condemned. The Government should, secondly, in cases where a system similar to that of Bang had been Canned out on a farm, under the supervision of a properlyauthorised veterinarian, provide compensation to the breeder for every animal fattened off and sent to the butcher, in proportion to the difference between the value of such an animal if retained for breeding purposes and sold as beef. By acting in this way the authorities would not be compelling inoculation ; but they would be encouraging breeders to rear a

healthy class of beef and miik producing cattle.

The pest threatening the turnip crop, says the Hawera Star, has fortunately not proved so destructive as it first appeared likely to be. We hear that in Mr Buchanan’s crop the insect has stopped its work and disappeared. Mr Eowe says that the minuteness of the insect made it a matter of great difficulty to make it out and that he believed the insect, after depositing its eggs, died. The eggs held fast to the leaf, and when they passed the chrysalis stage fed on the leaf of the plant. We have heard that it has attacked chrysanthemum plants in town.

At the Palmerston Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday William Langdon pleaded guilty to exposing for sale sheep infected with lice. As it was a first offence a fine of 20s was inflicted. T. Bevan, jun., and W. Irvine were each fined in a like amount.