JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1263, 14 May 1896, Page 6

JOTTINGS.

In sowing wheat the question is drilling or broadcasting which is best ? A Victorian farmer, Mr J. Correlf, who does his work well, having tried both methods of sowing, declares in favour of drilling. The great want formerly, he states, was a suitable drill at a price within the means of ordinary farmers, but now an almost perfect drill can be obtained for a very reasonable sum. By drilling he finds a saving of at least 101 b of seed per acre can be effected, and it is more evenly covered, so as to come up altogether, If broadcasted and harrowed, some seed is cohered too deeply, or gets under dry clods or stones and never comes up, whilst some is not covered at all. On 800 acres tho saving of seed at 101 b per acre is 50 bushels, which at os, not an extreme rate for good seed, amounts to .112 10s, which more than covers the extra work. The 300 acres need to be harrowed twice if broadcasted, occupying 15 days with a set of four harrows, but if drilled one harrowing suffices, or 7.1 days' work, With an yft drill his 300 acres has been sown in 15 days, making 7! days longer to finish than if broadcasted, and the 112 10s saved in seed covers the extra cost of that. The extra expenses of the drill, interest on its cost, (fee, is more than compensated in tho better crops realised through coming up regularly and evenly, one plant supporting the other. Being in drills, tho plants keep each other warm in the cold weather, and lot the sunlight in between the rows. With a good drill also tho farmer can put in manures where required, such as superphosphate, guano, bone-dust, &c, at the same time as tho seed.

As chairman at a meeting of an English gardeners' association, Mr Chamberlain, who takes a great interest in horticulture, is reported as opening his speech in this way ;—" Gentlemen, I claim to be one of your body. I have taken great interest in gardening for more than thirty years. During that time I have grown, or attempted to grow, everything, from dandelions to orchids. Perhaps 1 have had most success with dandelions. (Laughter.) But I can assure you that in my devotion to this pursuit I have had my reward. During isany years my business has been the business of politics, and my pleasure has been the pleasure of gardening. I sometimes think an analogy might be drawn between the two pursuits. The progress of political ideas and the growth of ilowers have something in common —they both require ventilation. (Laughter.) But 1 don't think tho parallel ends there. It is certain that they both very often succeed best in ' heat.' Then you know that in gardening wo arc troubled greatly by obstructive insects, which we call ' thrips,' ' red spider,' ' mealy bug' and the ' orchid devil.' (Great laughter.) Well, if you have road your newspapers, you must be aware that wo politicians are also troubled with insects —(laughter)—but of course J would not for a moment dream of mentioning any names."

There would be more prosperous farmers than there are if it were not for the fact that there is a serious misunder- i standing at an important point. Junes would bo a farmer, but he casts Ins eyes over tho earth, and observes that farmer Smith has a farm of live hundred acres and hardly makes a living oil' it, and farmer Brown has a 250 acre field and lots of outside land, and in in debt, and farmer Thompson cultivates 100 acres of his G'lOacro block and can't, buy bis wife and daughters a piano. Now Jones sees theso things and is discouraged and concludes that if lie must purchase a big area of land preparatory to farming, he will rent a while longer, and let his children grow up homeless. If .Tones would take off his long-ranged glasses and look at some of the prosperous farmers and orchardists who have only twenty or even ten acres, he would take courage and buy a home and go to work to beautify it, and make every acre pay a good profit. A small farm well tilled is more satisfactory than a baronial estate gone to weeds and swallowed up in taxes and interest on borrowed money.—Exchange,

There is some confusion (says a writer in a contemporary) in the minds of some farmers as to the meaning of the term subsoil ploughing. Properly used it does not mean simply deep ploughing, however great a depth may be reached, but rather loosening the soil iu the bottom of the furrow made by the surface or common ploughing, without raising this loosened earth to the surface. Where there is double ploughing, the second furrow slice being brought to tho surface, this is

j not subsoiling. In many cases it is objectionable to turn up the soil to any considerable depth, thus exposing much of the subsoil to the surface. Rarely does any injurious effect follow subsoiling proper, except on flat lands with a very compact soil nearly impervious to water. In such cases subsoiling may simply make a deeper bed to hold moisture which is not needed, and can only be got i rid of by evaporation.

I have no doubt, writes the Palmerston correspondent of the New Zealand Farmer, that one effect of the improved prospects in regard to winter feed will be to raise the price of stock. Sellers during the summer months have had much the worst of the markets, and prices have been abnormally low. lumbers have had to sell at any price simply to get rid of the stock. All this will now be changed, and owners will now stock up their lands to winter capacity. That some will persist in carrying too manyhead of stock is unfortunately tho fact, and theso persons always find themselves badly off for feed during the months of August and September. Settlers would do well to run their holdings with a little feed in hand rather than stocked to the fullest extent, leaving no margin for a bad season.

Everybody knows that tho " shippings" are particularly rich, but everybody does not know that the first milk that comes

from the cow is practically but little better than skim, and the increase in richness is gradual. Dr Collier, of the New York State Station, caused five cows to be milked in ihree minutes in such a way as to secure the milk in successive volumes of a pint each. On analysis it was found that the average percentage of fat in the successive pints from tho five cows was as follows. The first pint contained 'BS of 1 per cent,, 110 for tho second, I*oß for tho third, 205 for tho fourth, 2-05 for the fifth, 3'27 for the sixth, B'7-1 for the seventh, 405 for the eighth, 4"BG for tho ninth, lis for the tenth, 4'30 for the eleventh, and fj-23 for the twelfth. The average of the whole milk was 3*21, which, it will bo observed, is very close to tho fat contents of the sixth pint.

Some idea of the stato of the meat market in London is given by Mr Sinclair, tho Victorian expert, in a letter to the Agricultural Department. Ho states that during the recent glut of live stock from America, side's of freshly-killed beef from Deptford sold iu London as low as J 3d. One large stock firm lose .£12,000 over their shipments to Great Britain.

Tho Otago A. and P. Association Committee lias decided not to agree to the propositi of tho Wellington Society of only allowing exhibits pronounced by veforinarios to lie free from hereditary disease, to compete. It was pointed out that at present a veterinary was always in attendance to give information, if required, and the Wellington Society's proposal, it was contended, would involve delay.

Speaking at the Fruit-growers' Conference last week, Mr 11. S. Brabant said the lemon was ono of the most profitable fruits that could he grown. He know of one man who made in one year from the cultivation of lemons.

Two cases out of a shipment of Tasmanian apples wore received hy tho Fruit-growers' Conference on Thursday from Messrs Laory and Co.

In reply to a question, Mr J. D. .Ritchie stated at the Fruit-growers' Conference, on Thursday, that tho Agricultural Department would ho prepared to undertake an experimental shipment of fruit to tho Home marke's, providing a sufficient quantity were forthcoming.

Over GOO tons of fruit were raised in the Teviot district last year.

At. a meeting at Palmerston on Thursday, it was resolved that an effort shoul 1 bo made by the settlers of the district t) acquire tiie Longburn Freezing Works.

" Chcrrj' plums are not worth a - " said a delegate at the Fruitgrowers'Conference, and the laugh which folio wed showed that the members were able to supply the missing word.

.Messrs Laory and Co. wrote last week to the Fruitgrowers' Conference saying that they were prepared to offer for competition n.t, next year's exhibition a. special prize of X]~> l"is for one or more cases of dessert apples, which, in the opinion of the judges, would bo best adapted lor, both as regards quality, packing an 1 condition, export to a tropical country. 'Hie exhibit to represent two cases of apples of equal quality, which the exhibitor was to supply to Messrs Laory and Co. at not less than (Is por case, delivered in Wellington.

The Victorian Minister of Agriculture lias submitted to tho Government a scheme for subsidising a central wine depot in Melbourne to the extent of £IO,OOO, and for tho creation of local wineries to be subsidised to the extent of JJ2OUO. He also recommend the granting of a bonus of Ikl per gallon on all wine exparted beyond Australia, and Is per gallon on brandy made from wine or grapes.

Mr W. S. Campbell, ono of the Australian delegates at the Fruit Conference, stated on Monday that there was every indication that the colonics would have to combine together and light the world. Fruit-growing was developing to such an extent that they would have to export, and to enable them to compete with other countries combination would dj absolutely necessary.

Mr William Weddcl, of the firm of Wedded and Co., London, on being interviewed in Sydney with reference, to tho meat export trade said :—ln New Zoaland the output as rogurds frozen mutton is distinctly ahead of

New South Wales, and in frozen lamb NewZealand is a long way ahead of Australia, both With regard to quantity and quality. So long as the New Zealandcrs can net from 10s to lis per head for their prime crossbred lambs the lamb trade will remain a valuable source of income to them. We were aware during the course of last year that the shipments of lamb from Now Zealand wore largely in excess of tho previous year, but it was only when wo came to pick out tho actual figures for our annual review at the end of 1895 that we fully realised the extent of the increase, which was quite GO por cent, over 1894, and yet there had been no slump in prices, proving that frozen lamb had become a thoroughly established trade in England. The leading restaurants are now regular buyers of New Zealand lamb.