LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 852, 8 January 1879, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A trial of a self-binding reaper, manufactured by Messrs'. Reid and Gray, took piece yesterday, in a paddock situated a short distance to the north of the town. The crop was a very heavy one of oats, about half ripe, and the machine on being tried, after a few slight alterations worked remarkably well. The cutting was cleanly done, and the sheaves were regularly and firmly bound. It was drawn by two moderately heavy horses with comparative ease, and thus possessing easy draught, the machine should, with other valuable qualities, prove a formidable rival to the imported articles. Iu this connection we desire to notice the laudable endeavor of the North Otago Agricultural Association to furnish an opportunity for farmers to judge of the comparative merits of the various machines competing for public favor, the trial of these machines will be public, and due notice will be given of the time and place of trial. The prize, a gold medal of the value of ten guineas, should induce a keen competition, for undoubtedly the machine that is proclaimed at this trial as the best will secure many purchasers of the same kind. We know that comparatively few reapers and | binders of any kind have yet been sold for this season, but the result of the forthcoming trial will determine which maker is to receive the lion's share of the public favor. We also take occasion to remark that prizes are to be awarded to the best drivers of the machines at the trial. The main points to be considered by the judges —every bona fide agriculturist present—in giving their decisions are speed, lightness of draught, durability, and strength of working parts, and simplicity of mechanism. It is to be hoped that every kind of selfbinding harvester will be represented at the trial.

A pamphlet containing remarks on the agricultural prospects of Fiji has been forwarded to us by the Secretary of the Agricultural Society already established there. As it seems extremely probable that ere long a very intimate and mutually profitable commercial intercourse will spring up between New Zealand and those islands, we shall in our next number give some extracts from the pamphlet, which we apprehend will be extremely interesting to our readers. The pamphlet is writen by John Home, Esq., F.L.S., Director of the Botanical Gardens, Woods and Forests, Mauritius.

The Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association has decided to hold a trial of reapers and binders within a fortnight. During the past year the value of wool exported from New South Wales reached L 5,256,038. An apphcation has been made by Horatio Bunting, of Christchurch, for a patent for an invention for reaping a standing crop, making bands of straw, and binding the same therewith into sheaves.

During the month of October 65,144 acres of laud were sold in the Timaru district for the aggregate sum of L 130,288. The New Zealand Mail says the practice of passing through the thrasher sheaves tied with the small wire employed by the self-binding reaper is deprecated by the agri cultural papers, which state that there is little excuse for it, since the wire could be cut so easily with a pair of shears and pulled out with the left hand. The disadvantage, if not positive danger, of allowing it to go through the machine, and thence in broken bits to the grain, is illustrated by an experience of an Illinois miller, who says that the pieces pass between the burs and into the "reel," where they work " sad havoc with the expensive silk bolting cloth which forms the covering to all the finer size of reels in flouring mills." The possibility of minute bitß finding their way to the flour, and thence to the stomachs of bread-eaters is not referred to. The effect of animals consuming the straw does not appear to be serious—rt least not rapidly or conspicuously so—but doubtless it would be safer to take no risk in this direction.

It appears from the last census returns of live stock that the total number of horses, cattle, and sheep in New Zealand is 14,007,838, being made up by Sheep, 13,069,338 ; cattle, 578,430 ; horses, 137,768. In the County of Selwyn there is the largest number of horses (13,740) and cattle (34,558). Waitaki stands the fifth in the list in number of horses, there being 5198. The return would have been more interesting and instructive if it had shown the acreage in the several counties. One leak on nearly every farm may be found in the neglect of the agricultural im-. plements. In travelling over the country it is no unusual sight to see ploughs, harrows, I waggons, sleds, reapers and mowers, &c„ 'piled in the fence corners, in the fields, lanes, barn-yards, and publio highways. Whenever you see things piled around in this way, you can set it down that there is at least one leak on that farm. An excuse might be found for some farmers of limited means that they are not able to build shelters for their implements ; but we find the same leak on farms where they count their acres by the hundreds, and their dollars by the thousand. Yesterday's Ashburton Mail says:— A heavy fall of rain took place here on Saturday afternoon. ' It poured continuously K>£ three hours, and as the subsequ_e.n.j weathej? has been very genial, in fa<st exceedingly hot, the pasturage and tl\e grain crops have experienced a sort df second growth."

The Canterbury Press has the following on the wire question : —"Many rumors as to the evil effects of the portions of wire which inadvertently and to some extent unavoidably get cut up with the chaff, have reached us, and we must say that from

careful enquiries from professionals and a large number of those who have been constantly using such chaff, wc have not as yet heard of one authenticated case where harm resulted to horse or beast of any kind, we are not disposed to think that large quantities of wire finding its way into an animal's stomach would be productive of no evil effects, on the contrary we believe it would, and very serious mischief too; but then there is no reason to fear such being the case. With the most ordinary care very little wire need remain in the straw at all, and even if it did, it does not follow that it will be cut into small pieces—it has been observed to drag through without being cut by the knives ; on the other hand, this is not always so, as we have seen small pieces collected from chaff, which have been cut just as the chaff was.

The Ashburton Mail of yesterday contains the following :—Farmers are now beginning to get their reaping machines put in order for the harvest, which at some places in the county will be busy in a fortnight, while it will be general in less than a month. There have been some most timely rainfalls within the last ten days, and their eflect on the crops has been on the whole highly beneficial, for the raiu has invariably been followed by fine growing warm weather. It is now admitted, even by :jhe farmers themselves (and their propensity to grumble is proverbial).

that the harvest prospects are now not so bad as might have been expected. The fact is that, with a few straggling exceptions, the crops throughout the country will return a good average yield. A few crops have already been cut in the Wakauui districts, but they are exceptionally early. According to the census returns just to hand, there are in the Colony 25 acres under tobacco. Auckland has the largest extent of land under tobacco cultivation, viz., 12 acres; Wellington has 5 acres ; Marlborough and Nelson, 2 aci-es eacli; and Hawke's Bay, Canterbury, Otago, and Chatham Islands, 1 acre each. Under the heading " Adelaide Wheat" an

exchange says:—South Australia has carried off the first dijilome d'honneur for wheat, the jury describing its exhibit as a collection magnifiqui ; also a gold medal for flour. It sent seven specimens of wheat and flour, and

to each a prize lias been awarded, Adelaide wheat obtained a gold medal in 1851, and has always fetched the highest pi-ices at Mark Lane. The fruit crop on the West Coast this year has been a complete failure. Last season was a bad one for the gardeners on the Coast, but this one is even worse. The Weekly Examiner says : —The anticipations as to the decline in the export of wool from Australia have been fully born out

by the completed returns for the year ending Ist October, which exhibit a decrease of

41,435 bales—say 10,485 from New South Wales, 31,261 from Victoria, and 073 from

South Australia. Queensland shows an increase of some 120 bales.

Mr. Caird, the leading British authority on such matters, estimates that Great Britain will require this season about 13,000,000 quarters (104,000,000 bushels) of wheat from foreign sources to make up the deficiency in home production. This will cost that country 150,000,000 dol., which must nearly all go |to Russia and America. There is such a I feeling of hostility against the former country that this country will probably get the largest share of the business. The Afghanistan difficulties have already had an effect upon the wheat market. Whether war results or not, there is sure to be a good demand for the large orop we have just harvested.—American paper, Few men who handle horses give proper attention to the feet and legs. Especially is this the ease with farmers. Mucli time is spent of a morning in rubbing and smoothing the hair on the sides and hips ; but at no time are the feet examined and properly cared for. Now, be it known that the feet of a horse require more care than the body. They need ten times as much, for in one respect they are almost the entire, horse. All the grooming that can be done won't avail anything if the horse is forced to stand where its feet will he filthy. In this case the feet will become disordered, and then the legs will get badly out of fix ; and with ' "Tsad feet and bad legs there is not much of the horse fit for anything. Respecting the keeping of. Angora goats, a correspondent gives the Sydney Town and Country Journal the following information, which may be of use to those of our readers who desire to grow hair instead of wool : On many occasions questions have been asked relative to Angora goats, their habits and treatment, I beg tq say any climate where sheep can be kept will suit the Angora, but avoid wet, damp, flukey country, as the Angora is liable to all worm diseases the same as sheep. The pure Angora ought to be shorn twice in twelve months to keep the hair from matting and felting; they shed their hair every spring. The weight of hair, if shorn twice V* the. year, is from 2Jlb to 3Jlb each shearing. If shorn once, only from 41b to Sib, of matted and felted hair, worth about half the value of the hair taken off the same goats twice in twelve months. It is a very rare occurrence to see twins from the pure Angora, and I would be very doubtful about the breeding of a goat that would throw twins ; when you get to the five-eighth bred goat it is rare to see twins, and it is very difficult to recognise the five-eighth from the pure Angora, In all habits they are the same as the common goat, and must be shepherded or fenced in with such a fence that will keep the common gpaj; out or in, Wire-fencing erected for sheep is of no use for the keeping of the Angora, as they crawl through, and destroy their hair.

The following, from a New York journal, will interest Australia: "Formerly the greater part of the wool used in the factories at Cohoes came from Australia. Next samples of Calif ornian were tried and found to be of superior quality, though so dirty that half the freight charges were paid, for dirt. To remedy this defect large wool scouring establishments were opened in California, and ever since thea they have been sending clean wool, n.qt only half the cost of freight, but placing the Cohoes manufacturer in possession of a better article than could furnish, As _ a natural cooseqaeii lo ® ibe'Australian wool is now entirely discarded. Sheep raising is wonderfuUy ißcreasing in Oregon, and the prospect is go, good that in a few years the Pacificcoast will have a monopoly of ths wool trade.'j *

The total area of land in the Colony planted with forest trees amounts to 13,298 acres. Canterbury is the largest cultivator, having 4784 acres of plantations. Otago follows next, with 2541 acres; Auckland lias 19S0 acres; Nelson, 1394 acres; and Wellington, 1247 acres devoted to the same object.