ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6361, 8 November 1907, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. /e übull be glad to answer, as far ae K»mble, all question/* relating to the pastoral, agricultural, arid dairying in* lantriefl, b«o-oulttirc, horticulture, pool* ry-raising, etc. -Inquirers mud send icir full name and address, no a guarane of good faith. Imt may also forward . num do plume for purposes of reply, rollers aco also invited to forward com* jjPiit or personal experience on any points listed in thewc answers or on this page.— Id. Laud Pago, "N.Z. Times.]

STOCK SALES, rida fy. —Abraham ami ‘William®, and Dalgety and Co., Levin.

WKUiIWrON WOOL SALES. November l&th, at 2 p.m. December 6th. ot 9 a.m. January 17th, at 9 a.ni. February ilst, at 2 p.m.

SHOWS. 6, 7. arid 8. Wanganui.—November 13 and 14. Ilawera.—November 2J ami 21. Wiviiarapu.—November 20 and 21. P^o* v Plymouth.—November 27 and 28, SHOW. dOME WORDS OF CRITICISM. While it will pot bo denied that a /bettor committee of management than that of the Mamnvatu A. and i. Association in net posreesed. by any ehow orguntention in tho Dominion, it is obvteus that there are AouknesaiW U> bo found in it, ae m any similar under- i taking. it murit, for instance, have! struck the most casual observer j at tho show of I net week that ] bettor management of sumo of the oiasaoa coukl have been exhibited, 'inis was notably tho case in tho dairy cattle section. There wu« an absence t»t a properly defined f.lassihcatiou of tho duiertut breeds, and the same thing was noticeable in tho draught horse section. There should l*> a but place for tUo different classes and this bo isidueretl to. Then in tho cattle section thy tin receptacles for tho pun number# wore utilised for tho prize tickets, so that visitors often found it dimcult (if the number on the halter wa« not showing; to discover tho animal's identity. Judges were not enthusiastic in regain to tho eheep oone in tho pavilions. Mae stare too small, and the soft gravelly Mirth ie a distinct drawback. '? space ouiuiot bo spared to give nigh quality animats sufficient room the champions at least should be taker away and shown in specially roomy pens eo that those interested may see them to advantage. It was impossible to view the winning Romney©, in which bo much interest was taken, to advantage, Such sheep should have been in enclosures many times tho size of the cramped pens provided for them. Reference has already been made by an observant patron of the Christchurch and Palmerston shows to the poor consideration shown the shilling patron. There ie no shade on the grounds, no free seats, and no provision for obtaining a fair view of the competitions. The number of shilling visitors tells for success and failure, and it would bo a wise policy wore the society to consider tho comfort of the muss of its patrons. i PAMPEEING OF SHEEP.

BVTDENCKS AT PALMERSTON. Pampering of shoejp is doing moro harm to our wool trad© than perhaps anything else. Toko the case of tne English Leicesters, ae seen at Palmerston show. Some of the exhibits were clothed and pampered practically from the day they were bom- .For instance, y the fleece of a sheep have little or I no natural "style," but by being continually handled the wool ie given an artificial lock/ deceiving to all but the export. Thus in buying such a sire a farmer may consider he ie securing a good typo of the breed, whereas it is worse than ueoless from a wool point of view. The 'effect of using such a ram in a flock would bo disastrous, for ’ instead of improving his wool the farmer will have brought about a deterioration which may require seasons to correct. Wo would like to see such trickery spelling disqualification, A COMPARISON. HOME AND DOMINION SHOWS. Speaking to the writer of the agricultural shows of England and those of tho Dominion, Mr F. File, a son of the noted Romney breeder of Kent, who is visiting t this country, remarked that the mnin difference was in the number of classes provided for sheep. In England tho only classes are for two-shear rams, shearling rams, pen of three shearling owes, pen of three owe lambs, and pen of three ram lambs. There is, however, a class at tho East Kent show for ram any ago. The championship is given for the best ram, any ago, though at tho Royal no championships are given at all. Tho principal distinction, it will bo |een is that there are no classes at ilomo for single ewe*.

A VALUABLE TEST. HOW TO ASCERTAIN PRESENCE OP lAMB. The eminent English agricultural chemist, Dr Oyer, dealing with the question whether it ia bettor to use raw or undissolvod phosphatio manures, lays down the rule that for all crops, when the soil possesses a fairly abundant quantity of lime, superphosphate, or eomo similar dissolved manure, is probably the most economical and efficacious • while on soils decidedly deficient in lime he would recommend bone meal, raw phosphatio guano, or basio slag. Of course a chemical analysis of the soil will indicate precisely how much lime is present, but there is a rough-and-ready way of forming a very fair idea on this point which any careful man can employ for himself, without calling in the professional chemist. Lot a few olods or spits of the soil, taken from various parte of the field, be dried, crumbled, and well mixed together, and a few ounces of the dried soil then taken and powdered pretty finely. Let this then bo burnt to ashes at a low red heat, on an iron shovel over the fire, cooled and put into a tumbler. lot it then bo thoroughly rinsed with water to a thin paste, using sufficient water to well cover the burnt earth, and lot it bo well stirred with a glass rod or wooden penholder (not with a spoon or anything metallic) until air babbles no longer escape. Then lot the operator ponr in an ounce of hydrochloric acid (commonly sold ns muriatic acid; or spirits of salts), and it the some time keep the mixture stirIf the mixture then effervesces fairly briskly it may bo token that the soil contains a fair proportion of lime. If, on the other hand, there is little or no offervtooence. it may bo taken that the Sand is deficient of lime.

COHTA&IOUS ABORTION. ONE OF THE DAIRYMAN'S TAXES. "Contagions abortion. I foresaw in 1893, looming os a danger to tho then infantile dairying industry," says the Chief Veterinarian in his annual report. "Years ago at Stratford I urged the farmers anil others attending the lectures at the first dairy school to beware

of this cloud (then no larger than a | loan’s hand), which might ultimately overshadow the whole of the dairying firmament. In my annual report I renewed the attack in no uncertain terms, requesting that those already troubled should follow certain lines of policy, pursue a certain treatment—-since found so effectual—and give mo definite replies to a series of simple quern#. so that wo j might be able to locate and stem the ; advancement of tho disease. Receiving no replies whatever to tho#© querns, und no request# for further information, ia, i»v then comparative ignorance ol tho agriculturists' apathy, i concluded rashly tiiat tho contagium of the disease potas'Csseb small power, was not spreading. and that 1 had boon unduly apprehensive. That such was not tho case, Ik>wcver, iuture information proved. Ap- . parently tho farmers whose herds began to bo effected felt the position serious; | bat, in preference to attempting to cn- . ergeUcaliy oopo with tho miwiortiuie, j the hitherto immune neighbour was j made to participate (generally to the ) small improvement of tho first farmer) , through tho medium of Uio saleyard. It is only within tho last three years I that this benign but none the less costly disease has been in auy way kept m cheek through the effort# of tho Veterinary Division, which, but for the fact that a Government Department had adopted tho unprecedented course of ©elUug a drug almost at cost price for tho prevention of a disease, would have been of little use in checking its ravages, and would have been practically devoid of information as to its distribution. As it is, so far as legal enactment goes, wo arc still destitute of tho slightest power of dealing with tho spread of the evil. Yet this is th© disease that ab- ! solutcly conto tho colony mote solid cash j than ail tho others put together; not, bo 1 it understood, directly by the death of tho stock, but bv preventing dairy animals returning their full measure ot profit to tho owner. Last year I estimated a direct lose in produce that would have boon available ior sale at a minium of JSWO.UOO, but now, with fuller knowledge, i tun ijwitive double that amount would bo well within tho mark, Tho good which this Division has done may bo in. some degree measured by the number of tabloids tor tho prevention of the disease which have been sent from my laboratory, which during tho last six months has exceeded 40.000."

THE FLAX INDUSTEY.

recent drops in prices. WHAT THEY MEIAIJ. In discussing ■with Mr A. Seifert, the president: of the New Zealand I laxroilleits' Association, the present position of the flax industry, cur Manawatu representative gleanea some rather interesting information bearing on the state of affairs created by the recent drop in prices. , „ „ Since September llth. when New Zealand hemp was quoted on the London market at .£33 IDs per ton, that price “has fallen by *63 ICe, and it is difficult to say quit© when the depreciation in value' is likely to stop. Those figures are rather a contrast to those current twelve months ago, when some lines of hemp brought up to *€4l in London. The highest price obtained in the Dominion, however, was *238, and as it ib usually /•reckoned that the difference between the price her© and that in. London is .£4 10s per ton, it is rather difficult to understand why the Home record was not at least £42 109. ‘ This it should have been, according to general calculation. but as it was not, the only conclusion that can be reached is that Aoo should never really have been paid m New Zealand. It i)3 also rather interesting to notice, as was pointed out by Mr Seifert, that last year - the position was tho very reverse to that experienced now. The London quotations on November /tn, 1906, were d>37 per ton, while, by the 28fch of the earn© mouth prices had jumped to £4Q ss. But this year prices, instead of going up, were steadily dew dining. THE RHASON WHY,

'‘lt ig generally believed,” said Mr Seifert, in response to the query as U> the causes operating to bring about the mil, "that the beginning of the whole trouble is to be found in the very greatly increased supplies of Manila hemp now coming forward. lam given to understand that this year the output of Manila is "reater by some 200,000 bales than it was“in 1906. This, of course, cannot but seriously affect the trade m New Zealand, as our hemp, the sisal fibre and the Manila produce (< are largely used for the same purpose. . That purpose, it was learned, is for the manufacture of binder twine, and this at once suggested another cause for the fall in prices. It is generally known that throughout the world there mb great shortage in grain crops. This natnrally means a lessened demand for binder twine, so that, taken in conjunction, with the increased output of hemp, the' present position is in great part explained. These two factors, in Mr Seifert's opinion, must always mean low prices tor the millers. Ho thinks, however, that the recent break up of the drought over in Australia may have a good effect on the industry, though he also considers that the operations of speculators may have sometlung to do with the drop as well as has the reduction of the grain crops. A CONTINUANCE LIKELY.

The general impression among the millers now is that low prices must be expected throughout the summer, though it is impossible to say how far down they may go. In this respect the man who has no royalty to pay will he in the best position, as ho could still continue to work without actual loss—though, at the same time, without making any profit—oven if New Zealand prices got as low as ,£l7 per ton. That is just about the cost of labour at present, without any allowance for royalty, but it is not likely that millers would keep going just for the fun of the thing. The man who has to pay royalties on his green leaf, however, is in a very different position, as with him .£22 10s per ton hardly covers the cost of production. So that it prices fell below this figure i>c would, if he kept going, be working at a loss. The by-products, of course, have to be taken into consideration to some extent, as tow, etc., always bring in a little extra. This would mean that mills very favourably situated could run at figures a trifle below those just mentioned. Already some mills in Southland have closed down on account of tho decreased returns, but so far there is no mention of any. cessation of work in the Manawatu. THE ROYALTY QUESTION. This led up to on interesting statement by Mr Seifert on the royalty questionone about which a good deal bus been heard just of late. Ho considers that, in order to pay a man to go in for cultivating his flax land to any extent at all, ho must receive at least 10s per ton as a royalty. Unless he can bo assured, of this, ho simply won't bother to cultivate at all. The royalty man, as a matter of fact, according to Mr Seifert, has been very badly and often most unjustifiably abused of late. People, must recognise, ho said, that something at least has to bo paid for the green loaf. It would have been all right to declaim about tho payment of royalties at tho time—not ’ so very long ago—when flax was legarded ns a weed to bo grubbed out aa quickly as possible, but now that men

wore holding their land in order to : | grow It, the position was quite differ- j ent. In fact, if no royalty at all, or j oven a very small one—such as some ■ people seemed to want —were to be paid, it would bo far better for the owners of flax lands to use them for fattening bullocks. They would then certainly get some sort of a return. The biggest royalty paid was 22s €d per ton. that being tho price that was set when fibre was bringing <£4o. The landowners manifested some reluctance m reducing their charges when the libro fell in price, but ©till they had to com© down somewhat. Some millers now were paying about Itte per ton royalty* When fibre was at tho maximum price millers could well afford to pay big royalties, but now some of thorn were really losing money in that particular Ifftpett. LOOKING AHE AD. | Mr Seifert reiterated that at present i ho had no grounds for thinking the position would improve, believing rather that things would continue as they were for , i ©orne time. If there was no further ; drop, miller© would bo able to get along I I all right without losing money, but still j ■ lie, for his part, would not like to see 1 j much more of a reduction. He did not I think, either, that the position had yet ! approached tho serious stage, though it j was certainly bad enough. One thing that made the present prices seem so ! very low was that last year they went • up abnormally high, and it took some j time to get used to auy reduction. THE COST OF PRODUCTION. One thing that had to be remembered wn-i that the cost of production generally had gone up a Jot of recent yea-iv*. Mr Seifert instanced one mill where tho wagis q>aid per day of nine hours cam© ; to ..‘:2 3 s nine yeard ago, but where new i SA te 6d had to be paid per day of j eight hours for practically tho tiame j work.. Then in Foxton eleven years back tho mind's used to let a certain • part of the work by contract at <£6 10s i \ per ton (when hemp was bringing .£10), while now tho cost for th© same operations wn« over .£l2. There w-ua no doubt that these charges had gone up all through. A striking fact mentioned -was that nowadays more was paid out in wag** for the production of one ton of fibre ! than would have been received for the fibre itself nine or ten years ago. THE ONLY REMEDY. The question that then suggested itboU, and which was put to Mr Solfei<j was: How is the industry going to bo earned on in the face of this continually increasing cost of production if prices for tho finished fibre tall very much more ?

Prefacing hie reply by stating that tho award recently given by the Arbitration Court had caused expenses ,to rise more this season than ever before, besides considerably hampering the industry in nanny ways, Mr Seifert said that th© only remedy ho could eee would be to apply for the total or partial suspension o-i* tb© award itself. At prevent, not only did they have to pay high wages, hut they were quite unable to take full advantage of good we/ather by running out au extra amount during th-3 summer tlmo. It ju&t came to this in the end: that millers would not continue to work at a ioefc, so that the only way to keep going at all would be to reduce wages somewhat. This only meant that tho men themselves would be asked to bear at least port of- th© falling off, instead of throwing it all on th® millers.

It w;u fully recognised that they could never ask the men to go back tu the scale of wages paid say eleven years •ago. but it was strongly urged that at least tho men should share in the depression ae they had done in the prosperity.

Reverting to the question of tho fall in values, Mr Seifert mentioned that iooent grjat improvements in : the quality of the output would surely prevent a return to the low prices paid nine or ten years ago. In those days pborxnium fibre wae generally reckoned aa being worth about *26 per ton less than Manila hemp, while now it was usually within £1 -and- even sometimes equal to it in price. That conclusively proved that quality had gone up and so would prevent any very groat further decrease in values of the New Zealand product. >* ' TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS OF MIRAMAR.

DEAR SIR or MADAM,—We have done our best during the past five years to promote and assist settlement at Miramar North. We need not eulogise the results that have been attained from the efforts we have made. Miramar North to-day tells its own tale. Thousands of you have visited the suburb since tramway communication was established, and none of, you require to be told where settlement has progressed. It is impossible to develop and settle a large borough like Miramar without first sinking a considerable sum of money in the formation of roads, the establishment of communication, and last, but not least, the erection of a certain number of dwellings to make the surroundings habitable. This we have done to the full. We have paid our fair share towards tramway subsidy. We have subsidised terry boats. We have established building companies. Wo have been the direct and indirect means of the erection of over 100 houses, and, lastly, we have established Wonderland, the greatest possible advertisement Miramar could have, as it will bo the means of introducing the district not only to our own citizens, but to every visitor to the city from within, or, for that matter, without the Dominion. We are not drawing your particular attention to what we have done in the past for any idle or vain-glorious motive, hut have a direct object in doing so. On tho. 24th October, we incorporated The Miramar North Building Deposit and Mortgage Co., Ltd., with a minimum subscription of .£25,000. The full capital of this company is to be ,£IOO,OOO, and we are now engaged in disposing of the unsubscribed portion thereof. No company has ever been established in connection with Miramar that will have more far-reaching effects in the interests of the Borough, or will do more to assist and promote settlement therein. What Miramar requires to-day, and what she will require for the next 20 years is money. Money to build with and money to fence and plant with. Although the operations of this Companywill not bo confined solely to the Borough of Miramar, we venture to predict that tho major portion of her available funds will find their way into that locality. Every dwelling that goes up in Miramar enhances tho value of Miramar lands, and tho united efforts of all those who are interested in Miramar lands should be brought to bear in that direction. We now appeal to you self-same people who are supporters of Miramar, and are either individually or collectively interested therein, to take shares, be it but a few, and assist this grand project that will dq more for the settlement and advancement of Miramar than at the present moment is even comprehended. Do not wait for your neighbour to do so, as that is pure selfishness. There is a bouudcu duty imposed upon all of us to assist one another right down from the days of tho creation,-and where, we may well ask is this mutual co-operation more necessary than in the establishment of the huge Borough of Miramar? Especially when coupled with the immense benefit that your interest therein will receive from such a venture, you have tho certainty in view of handsome dividends that an institution established on tho lines of The Miramar North Building,. Deposit, and Mortgage Company is bound to yield. Hoping to receive an inquiry from you all for the prospectus of our latest protege, and that such inquiry will result in your becoming a shareholder, we are Ever Yours Faithfully, CHASE-MORRIS AND CO., 1,3, 3, South British Buildings, 457 Lambton quay.