THE FARMER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1423, 8 June 1899, Page 4

THE FARMER.

“ Agriculture is tlie most healthful, most: tfseful, and most noble employment of man/' —George Washington.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

THE PRICE OF SHEEP DISCUSSION. The latest contributor to the '-price of sheep” discussion which is raging in the Wairarapa, and concerning which some contradictory statements are made by Messrs Buchanan and Hornsby, is Mr Coleman Phillips, who. as usual, has announced liimself as a candidate for the Wairarapa seat at the next election, and who on Tuesday las*t week delivered an address at Featlierston. With the political views expressed by Mr Phillips we are not concerned. We may say, however , that he appears to say “ A plague on both your houses, and to shower as much blame on the Opposition as oil the Government party. When, however, Mr Philips tackled the sheet: question, his utterances became of more interest of the ‘‘Farmer” pages of the ‘‘New Zealand Mail.” Mr Philips made fun of Mr Hornsby’s knowledge, or want of knowledge, of sheep-farming, but confirmed certain statements made by Mr Hornsby as to difference in prices in Wellington and Christchurch. He (Mi Philips) “had been going on for over three years at this matter, working a nice little claim, when Mr Hornsby steps in and takes all the credit without acknowledging the speaker: at all.’ Mr Philips makes grave charges against Messrs Booth and Buchanan as to statements made by them at the last meeting of the Wairarapa A. and P. Society, and specially challenged Mr Buchanan to meet him and deny the statement he (Mt Philips) had made, namely, that' there had been a definite arrangement as to B:.' for sheep and Is extra for certain large landholders. “He had that in his possession to show that whatever Messrs Booth and Buchanan have said as to the price of sheep was totally untrue.” This is a most serious charge, openly made by a prominent settler and experienced sheepfarmer, upon a public platform, and we shall be surprised if the gentlemen alluded to do not come forward and accept the challenge thrown down. NATAL AS A MARKET FOR NEW ZEALAND MUTTON. The Christchurch Meat Company is a trifle more enterprising than the Wellington companies, whose apathy with re j gard to attempting the opening up o 5 new' markets for our meat is so frequently a matter for adverse comment. The Canterbury people are now trying the Natal market, a trial shipment of 100sample carcases having been shipped by the Mokoia for Melbourne, there to be transhipped into an Aberdeen line steamer for Natal. The carcases are secondclass of muton.thus creating abetter price the company to see Whether a South African demand can be created for this class of muton, thus eauing a better price for second quality sheep here, and at tins same time leaving only the best class of mutton to be shipped Home. The difficulties of transhipment to Natal are at present very great, and if a profitable trade is to be done a more direct service will have to be aranged for. The same remarks apply to the Far Eastern market, and the Government should certainly take steps to offer inducements foi the establishment of direct services botl to the Cape and to China and Japan. THE LATE DONALD KENNEDY. Settlers throughout the Wairarapa have heard with very sincere regret of the tragic and most lamentable end of Mr Donald Kennedy, who had lived in the Gladstone district for nearly a quarter of a century, and who for 18 years past had occupied the onerous and influential position of manager at Mr Buchanan’s Tupurupuru station. He was a fine specimen of the best class of Scot, industrious, energetic, shrewd and kind-heart-ed, and we have heard men who have been employed under him speak of him in the highest possible terms. The exact causes which led to the sad event are not know'll, although it is said that- Mr Kennedy had latterly been given to fits of despondency and melancholy. Considerable sympathy has been expressed, w r e hear, with the member for the Wairarapa, who has lost in Mr Kennedy not only a faithful servant, but a true and trusted personal friend. The funeral of the deceased gentleman was held on Tuesday of last w'eek at the Clareville Cemetery, and way attended by representative settlers from all over the district.

PARASITES IN LAMBS

The latest remedy to be brought forward for parasitic worms and stomach worms of all kinds is benzine. Some flax-seed is boiled in w'ater, and then allowed to cool dowm into a thin jelly, when a teaspoonful of benzine is added, and being well shaken it is given to the lambs. A correspondent of the “ Tasmanian Mail’” writes : —“The effects seem hardly noticeable; there is a trifle of drowsiness for a few minutes; that is all that I could see. They are as well as before being dosed. After three dose:.t given in three days the lambs seemed to me to present a wonderful improvement. They rounded out, ate greedily,their skins surely looked better, and I feel quite sure

that they are vastly better. One in particular that would gnaw bark and earth, a good indication of stomach worms, does not now have that habit. Not one lamb was. injured in the least by the treatment. To some large lambs I gave r. double dose, a dessertspoonful, with nc apparent ill-effect. lam inclined tc think that the teaspoonful dose is toe small for a lamb that will weigh 751 b. To a sucking lamb of forty-five days’ age I gave a full spoonful, and no ill effect.) appeared. This is a simple remedy, anc. if it will do what the sheep breeder above mentioned says, every farmer who keep:.' sheep should try it. The remedy is a safe one, and does not cost much. Threepence worth of benzine will dose a hundred lambs. If flax-seed is not at hanc'i linseed meal will answer. EFFECT OF LBO- ON SOILS. It is just as well that farmers should study the scientific side of many of their .operations. How many, for instance, who are now regularly using lime as a means of rejuvenating and improving their pastures are aware of the various chemical properties of lime. In a recent lecture delivered bv Mr T. B. Wood, an English agricultural expert, the subject of ‘ Lime in the Soil and as Plant Food was exhaustivelv dealt with. A condensed report of the main points of the lecture may be of interest to our readers. In the course of his remarks Mr Wood stated that lime stood on a different footing from nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, inasmuch as it existed in most soils in relatively large quantities—from 10 to 20 per cent, lew soils were so pooor in it as not to be able to supply all that was necessary for plant foou. When lime was aplied it was oxten Oil account of its strong chemical properties, and for its value in keeping the soil in a certain condition for the healthy growth of plants. Lime was an oxide ot calcium, just as potash was an oxide ot potassium. It was slightly soluble in water, besides 'which it combined with water. That lime was strongly alkaline was shown bv its power of turning a solution of litmus, that had been reddened by the addition of an acid, a deep blue. As challc was a compound oi a strong alkali, and t *\ weak acid, it could be used to neutralise acids just as lime, though in a less decree. This was an important property, as acidity of the soil was an enemy of fertility. Low-lying meadow land failed with organic acids and waterlogged were almost worthless. . Besides this property of neutralising acids, lime, being a strong allcali, turned out other alkalis of less value. Take, for example, sulphate of iron, a compound of a weak alkali, oxide of iron, and a strong acid, viz., sulphuric. On the addition of lime to a solution of sulphate of iron, the oxide of iron (iron rust) was turned out, as was evident by the red colour. Lime turned out potash in the same way from the silicates of potash in the soil, and rendered it available for plant food. In the same way ammonia was set free from organic compounds and brought within the sphere of action of the nutrifying microbes, besides which it neutralised the nitric acid formed by these organisms, and rendered it possible for them to continue their work. Lime had therefore a fourfold action. It (1) neutralised the sourness of soils, (2) liberated potash, and (3) ammonia, and (1) promoted nutrifaction. In considering briefly what effect tlie lime had on the stores of food in Hie soil when it set free ammonia and potash, and assisted nutrifaction, Mr Wood said it rendered these substances more readily available, but it diminished tlie sum total. It meant a higher rate of interest, witn a reduction of capital. So with c-cn'nuw! lining there is a risk of impoverishing li? soil. Heavy clay soils and black soils ran least risk of this. Sulphate of lime ( plas ter ”) was used when they wanted to put on lime, and not cause any of the reactions he had spoken of. Lime was also applied in the form of gas lime. Fresh gas acted as an insect or fungus destrovev. as it contained sulphide of lime —a poisonous substance. It should be used some time before seeds were sown, or it would have a deleterious effect. Otherwise it should he allowed to stand for a time before using. Except in special cases there was no great advantage over lime.