NEWSPAPER SKIMMINGS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11630, 11 May 1912, Page 7

NEWSPAPER SKIMMINGS.

A witness (a, farm hand) who was under examination in the Supreme Court at Masterton on Saturday sua tod that he had only worn three suits of clothes in 19 years. Fifty Shornhorn and Jersey heiiors have " been landed at Westport for Messrs S. Keoghan and Col, for the dairying industry. Potatoes are being stored in large quantities. There is a shortage of labor for digging.—Ashburton Guardian. A resident of Allcntou (Ashburton) has a "fine crop of potatoes, many of- which turn 'die scale at 2-Jlb. Land in the Poverty Bay district is changing hands at a very rapid rate lately, and some small fortunes arc reported by those who bought before the present land boom. Approximately GOO acres were sold by auction at. the land sale in Pahiatna on Saturday last. The aggregate amount paid for the different- sections totalled £11.720. which works out at an average of about £lB 9s per acre. A number of men will this winter be engaged in" rabbit-trapping in the outlying'" districts of the Wairarapa. Last season a number of in en were engaged in this work, and although the' we;Vheiconditions were unfavorable, the .trappers did very well, and earned good wages for several months. As showing the magnitude of the Waingawa freezing works as a _bns:ne.--s concern, the large amount of £7OOO "has this season been paid for railway freigh's in transporting the frozen carcases to Wellington.

Much dissatisfaction prevails amongst local fruitgrowers regarding the prices obtained in some of the auctions for fi'lii'- sent down last week. Mr sen has a photograph of some beautiful peaches. !:h;it only realised 1 .Id per I''. — Marlborough Express. Waikanae farmers are humorous and don't want much. Remits to the Provincial Conference of the New Zealand Farmers'. .Jii.iion.. in Pnlmorston this month include one from Waikanae urging that it should be made compulsory to' chain dogs up at night. The ardent lover would not object.

The rough weather experienced during the past week has caused a decided drop in the milk received at the but'or and" cheese factories- throughout the Fketaliuna district. As an instance, at Xirea.hu on Friday the quantity received was 14S1 gallons, while on Tuesday morning, says the Express, it had dropped to 1206 gallons. On the 21st April, the New Zealand Dairy Association. ' Ltd., distributed amongst its suppliers £33.952 Is yd. These payments cover buktor-fat, which was supplied to their several creameries during" the month of March. The corresponding payments last year were £22.534 -Ti3s 3d. Thus the increase for the month, as compared with last year, is £11.417.

"What I am particularly anxious to see is that the people in the backblocks and outiving settlements are served with telephonic and telegraphic communication, and l:his I. am attempting to see carried out. I recognise that the isolation of the- settlers is entitled to every consideration." —Hon. H. G. Ell, in convcrsa'don with an interviewer. At the Queensland Royal Agricultural and 'Pastoral Society's show, held at Toowoomba recently, the champion prize for draught mares was awarded to the Hon. .1. D. Ormond's exhibit, which the judge described as "a splendid specimen of the heavy draught horse, and one that would hold her own in any show jard in the Australasian colonies." A shipment of Nelson-grown apples has recently arrived in London, and report's state' that the consignment was landed in excellent condition. This is the first consignment of fruit- from Nelson, and the mnrkdc returns are being eagerly looked for, as if the fruit sells well, a good market will be opened up.

An Ashburton farmer states that he has been experimenting in lattening pigs with crushed oats wikh satisfactory results. He sold the bulk of his oats at- 2s per bushel, and he finds that by feeding the remainder to pigs he actually realised a profit equal to 4s per bushel.

An interesting operation was witnessed last week at- a. shoeing forge, at To Kuiti.'whon a team of bullocks were shod. The bullocks are intended for hauling on the roads, and the shoes are for protection against the metal. Unfortunately, metal does not- extend a sufficient distance to enable the hauling to be done by horses, yet the protection is necessary for the bullocks.

Rabbit trapping for export purposes is in full swing just now (says the Duns*nii Times), and despite the fact that rabb?:s are fairly numerous at present the price has been increased to yd per pair." Some remarkably good cheques are being made by local trappers —one or two averaging as much as £2 per day, while it is said that a man and his two bovs made over £(j lor a day's work.

The well-known horse-dealer, Air A. Chrystal, of Lochiel (Southland), who left the Domiuion in March last with a consignment of horses, arrived' back the other day. Mr Chrystal's consignment on the occasion of his last visit included one mare and nine colts. All of these he exhibited at the Sydney Agricultural Show. With Sir Col in's Pride he obtained first prize in the class of three-year-old colts. There wer? 43 entries forward in this section. Royal Fyvie. by Baron Fyvie, .secured second honors for Mr Chrystal in the two-year-old colts class, out of 81 entrants. In the aged class Speculation, by Shepherd King, out of a' Lord Lyon mare, was awarded fourth prize against 39 other competitors. After the show Mr Chrystal submitted his horses to auction, with the exception of Speculation, which he had previously disposed of by private treaty, for 180 guineas. Sir Colin's Pride was sold at 180 guineas

and Royal Fyvie at 145 guineas. The dry weather which has been experienced on the other side- of the Tasman Sea- precludes any active demand for horses, owing to the absence of feed. In both Sydney and Melbourne markets the same inactivity prevails, and many consignments taken over by New Zealand dealers of late have been returned unsold. During his stay in the Commonwealth Mr Chrystal met with a nasty accident, whereby he fractured his arm and also sustained injury to several ribs.

■Distension of. the rumen, or paunch, by gas, is "a frequent and troublesome

complaint amongst both cattle and sheep. It chiefly occurs after removal from poor feed, to rich . succulent grasses, more especially if the latter is Avet AA'ith dew or light rains. Fermentation takes place and gas is generated, the rumen rapidly distends, and if not speedily reduced, suffocation ensues. The folloAAing measure —two-ounce doses of liquid ammonia or turpentine given in a pint of cold water —usually has ths desired effect of reducing the gas. Should', however, the animal show signs of distress, a troehar or large knife requires to be immediately inserted into the rumen, at a. point equi-distant between the last rib and the haunchbone. A dose of Epsom salts is to,,be

administered in .either case. The Dutch farmers devote a good deal of care to the cultivation of the* potato crop. The area under the plant is a very large one, second only to that occupied by rye. and the industry lias greatly increased during the last halfcentury. Large sums of money are ex-, pended on manure and labor in the great potato districts. In the important province of Friosland stable manure is applied at the rate of 20 to 35 tons per acre, and is often supplemented by a dressing of 4owt to 6cAvt of iimuioniatcd phosphate per acre. Til the bog districts potatoes groAvn foi- factory purposes are dressed year after year with artificial manures, costing up to £4 per ton, Spraying with Bordeaux mixture is only practised on a large scale in relatively poor districts. Of late years a. powder has been very commonly used. It consists of a mixture of 'sulphate of copper and calcined soda, and is more convenient to handle.

Rome idea of the progress of the dairying industry can be obtained by the following figuresVhieh were quoted bv a sneaker at the deputation to tho Hon "\lr IWaeDonald at Murchison on Fridav: In 1900-10 the output of butter wa« 33 tons, valued at £3444; 101011. 54 tons,'valued at £5883: and the estimated output for the season just closiii" is 70 tons, of .an estimated value of £7OOO. The up-to-date methods adopted by da.irv farmers is shown by the fact that there are 12 milking machines in use in the district, one farmer alone milking 100 cows. The Wairarapa' P. and A. Society is taking a courageous step in providing that all draught stallions exhibited at its slioav shall be subjected to it-A-oterinary inspection. Other societies, Avith a greater concern for the number than for the ouality of their exhibits. haA-o refrained from adopting a rule which is obviously in the interest of the settlers. The time is sure to come Avhen veterinary inspection of stud animals Avill; be made compulsory. That time Avill bo hastened by the action of our Wairarapa friends. ManaAvatu Standard. It is several years now since such high prices Avere current for fat sheep and lambs, and those farmers avlio AA-eut in for purchasing store sheep during the past two months for fattening purposes baA-c made handsome profits—in manv instances up to 7s per head. The entry of fat stock at Tinwald the other day' constituted the heaviest yarding for many years past, and prices, as compared Avith the rates obtaining at the preceding sale, shoAved a rise of from Is to Is 6d per head. Farmers are, still holding a. large -number of fat and-fonvard-eondition stock, and should the Aveather prove anything like favorable'during the next six Aveeks, there is every prospect, Avith the quantity of feed still on hand-, that graziers will h= enabled to get the Avhole of their surplus stock off in export condition-. With the present buoyant state of.the stock market, the future prospects for sheopbrcedcrs and graziers appear most encouraging.—Ashburton -Guardian.