AGRICULTURAL JOTTINGS

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2548, 28 June 1895, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL JOTTINGS

Referring to Mr D. J. Nathan’s meat trust scheme which has been so well received, except in a few quarters werp vested interests are concerned, the I’ulmcrston Standard says:—He has secured recognition of its merits by tho Christchurch people, from whom, in view of the conflict of Interests, strong objection was expected. We do not include among the “ Christchurch people’" the Canterbury farmers, but refer more particularly to the merchants, who are disposed, and naturally so, to look with an unkindly eye upon a project which would place them at a disadvantage in connection with the frozen meat Iradej 8 compared with their present commanding position in their business relations with the producer, Those who aro behind life scenes know the selfish arguments —admittedly selfish by the men themselves—which aro Used by the merchants against Mr Nathan’s scheme, and seeing that their influence is greater in Christchurch than in ftny Othot part of itib tirilOny, it is ft genttihe SiirpWse to hear that the first body in the Cathedral city to devote consideration to the project has not subjected it to unequivocal condemnation. What the exact attitude of the Canterbury A. and P. Association will be at . the fionferebce of delegates whibh will in all probability take place. It is hot yet possible to say with certainty, but it is encouraging to supporters of the scheme to learn that that body has virtually admitted the importance of the subject and the praoticableness of Mr Nathan’s proposals by deciding to be represented at the conference.

Thorp,is considerable dissatisfaction up tho Coast re the action of the auctioneering firms in raising the rate of commission. According to the Manswatu Times a movement is on foot with tho object of forming a Farmers’ Union on lines similar to those on which the Egmont Farmers’ Union has been worked.

At a sale of store sheep at the Addington market the other day, a line of 1500 wethers were knocked down at 9s Id. The bid Was disputed* with the result that the sheep were eventually run up to 9s 7d per head, which meant an unexpected advance to the vendor of L 37 10s on the line, he having been perfectly satisfied with the price at which the sheep were first knocked down.

Wheat still rises upwards and oats are following, as a matter of bourse. Probably potatoes will catch the fever presently (says the Oamaru Mail ) and register somewhat higher, for they will, in a large measure, be fallen back upon as a substitute for grain. So far the farmers have been singularly unfortunate. All they realise at present is the privilege of paying about twice the price for their seed that they got for the wheat they sold, and a magnificent price for their bread and flour.

A writer in the Hawera Slav says : —lt is to bo hoped that some step may be taken to provide fresh seed potatoes.

Seeing the amount of disease in the potatoes grown last year—principally scale—it behoves all growers to exercise caution in determining what sort of seed they plant. I'be idea of procuring solind seed is Hot ohly of importance to the individual grower, it is a matter of colonial importance, and I firmly believe that if the Department of Agriculture took the matter up, procured seed, and sold it to settlers, that they would bo doing a good work. The Department employs a staff of highly paid officers to discover remedies for various diseases and pests • in the case of potatoes the Department would be conferring a deal of good were it to move in this direction. A disease in the potato crop would be a blow of great magnitude. To the natives alone the loss would be a terrible one, and though no altogether serious disease has yet arrived, the one with us last season was quite had enough, and will unless checked grow until what was one of our greatest crops will be one of the smallest.

To show the fall in price for bushfelling in this district we are informed that last winter 34a per acre was the prije paid for felling trees up to five feet in diameter. This season a contract has been accepted as low as 25s for foiling everything except dry stumps. —Manawatu Farmer. Mr Mayo, the Government pomologist, strongly recommends the settlers to go in for planting walnut trees. He states, so we observe by a paragraph published in the Marton Mercury , that in his opinion if farmers and small settlers would plant walnut trees, say 50 or so to the acre, they would have a heritage of the greatest imaginable value to leave to their children. The walnut forests of America, whence the largest amount and most valuable supplies of timber were obtained, are nearly exhausted; our own hardwood trees are being cleared off rapidly, and no provision is being made to replace the timber destroyed. He estimates that 50 walnut trees planted 50 feet apart and protected for a few years until they were hardy, would in 12 years’ time give in nuts alone a return of L 52 per annum, ie., LI per week, sufficient to keep a family. This return is based upon a calculation of 2d per lb for the nuts, at which price they would be largely consumed. The same gentleman (Mr Mayo) has given a country paper the following recipe for a winter dressing for all deciduous trees: —Boil 21b of quicklime, with an equal quantity of sulphur, with sufficient water for an hour and a half or two hours which makes it sulphate of lime. Slake another 21b of lime in a barrel and add 11b of salt, a little soot to darken the

mixture, and the sulphate of lime, and then thin down with water to the consistency of paint, so that it will work with a brush. It can be put on hot, but it is better to complete the pruning of the trees before putting it on. If it is desired to spray the trees the material must be put through a sieve and thinned down, when it may be put through the spray nozzle. Mr Mayo says this is the most effectual exterminator of all kinds of scale that he knows of, and should be applied to all fruit trees once or even twice during every winter. “ A. Lover of Good Cheese” writes as follows in a recent issue of the Dunedin Evening Star :—lt may not be generally known that the celebrated and justly-appreciated Roquefort cheese is produced solely from sheep’s milk. It carries the palm from the simple fact of its containing the largest amount of azote and carbon, and it may be considered the most nourishing of ' all cheeses, including Parmesan, Gruyere, Dutch, Cheshire. M. Le Docteur H. Rey, speaking before the Agricultural Society of Toulon, is the authority for this statement. As to frozen sheep, we cannot got a fair return for our mutton; neither for our wool. Suppose we try to utilise the milk as at Neufchatel. • The imitation Stilton made in Now Zealand is nothing like its prototype. Let us hope, if Roquefort is manufactured, it will be pure and from sheep’s milk. Who will start the industry, and gives us cheese, in one word, “ the most nourishing,” and establish a name and make a fortune, besides giving our ewes a value hitherto undreamt of ?

Mi - S, M. Robbins, Government dairy expert in charge of the South Island district, has forwarded his resignation to the Agricultural Department. The Mataura Ensign states that Mr Robbins is about to visit the United States.

Tutu leaves again. A Masterton paper reports the death of four valuable mUch cows through eating green tutu leaves.