THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21024, 13 May 1930, Page 4

THE RURAL WORLD.

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

By Eusttctts

State Assistance. One trouble with Government grants to a particular industry is that others can Use the precedent to present their claim. And, in fact, if the principle is once admitted, It is wrong to make fish of one producer and fowl of another. So, by reference to what the Government had dona for wheatgrowers, iron producers, fruitgrowers, and pig farmers, the fluxmillers were able to support an appeal to the Minister of Agriculture for financial assistance which it was hoped would be temporary. While Mr 'Forbes was sympathetic—and, indeed, the case presented could scarce be denied —he sagely remarked that “ the question had to be looked at comprehensively.” His earlier remark that the price of wool had fallen below cost of production indicated what he probably'had in mind. If flaxmillers, then why not woolgrowers and dairy farmers? And if these be turned, empty away, it will be hard to explain why wheatgrowers should continue to fatten on a lean community.. Sales of Wool. Messrs Dalgety and Co. report offerings and sales of wool in the Dominion for the Ijf months ended April 30 as follow:

During the month of April, 1930, 27,175 hales were offered, of which 24,679 were eold. Wool sold in New Zealand, this season—June' to April inclusive—- ' amounted to 416,772, or less than for the corresponding 10 months of 1928*29. , , , Exports of wool were 505,501 bales for the whole Dominion, as against 642,902 bales for the 10 months of last season—a shortage of 137,40 b bales. For the mng'e month of April, 1930, exporte were 79,834 bales. Ragwort and Eradication. Such hopeful reports are being received from the country of the lethal effect ot sodium chlorate on ragwort ,ae to , encourage expectation that this noxious weed can be controlled. More comprehensive teats must be made, however, before the complete efficacy of the spray is established. The cinnabar moth seems to have demonstrated once again that there are no short cuts to eradication. Even it sodium chlorate is as deadly as is asserted, it will still have to he applied patiently and consistently. Nevertheless science and invention have made many..things easier on the farm, as elsewhere. It will be a feather in the chemist's cap if he has discovered a remedy where neither ento mology nor elbow grease has yet prevailed. And if ragwort, docks, and thistles ha™ really received their marching orders, the individual and national gain will be very considerable, DOMINION’S EXPORTS. A GENERAL CONTRACTION* REDUCED IN VALUE. PAST YEAR'S FIGURES. A detailed statement of the overseas trade of the Dominion for the 12 months ended March 31 is given by the Government Statistician, showing Eow they have /. contracted in volume in some items, but in value of almost all of them; that is, dealing solely with products of the Dominion. The total exporte of New Zealand produce for the year in review amounted to £49,045,817, and imports for the same period to £49,167,914, leaving a small excess of imports of £122,097. Figures for the previous financial year . are:—Exports, £57,154,343; imports, ■ £45,105,803; excess of exports, £12,048,478, The balance of trade for 1929-30 is therefore £12,170,575 less favourable to the Dominion than for 1928-29, a position due to a drop in exports of £8,108,526, and to an increase in imports of £4,062,049. Values dropped during the 1929-30 period by 8 per cent, on butter, 10 per cent, on cheese, 3 per cent, on lamb, 28 per cent, on wool: Values of beef and mutton increased by 12 per cent, and 1 per cent, respectively. The table below shows details of the principal • exports by value only for each of the years ended March 31, 1929 and 1930: 1929. 1930.

Other New Zealand produce .. .. .. 893,785 898,901 Total New Zealand produce 55,634,781 47.654.733 Re-exports .. 1,519,562 1,391,084 Total exports .. £57,154,343 £49,045,817 The decline of £8,108,526 in the 1929-30 exports as compared with the previous year’s figure is due almost wholly to lower prices. The declared value of wool dropped by £4,965.312, although the quantity shipped was but 32,423 bales . fall of 5 per cent. Butter exports show a very slight decrease in quantity,, but a fall of £1,019,164 in value. In the case-of cheese, the quantity decreased by 90,630 , cwt, and the value by £1,115,591,

Items of interest to those engaged in agricultural and pastoral pursuits with a view to their publication in these columns, will be welcomed! They should bo addressed to “Itusticus,” Otago Daily Times, Dunedin.'

SPRAY FOR RAGWORT. TESTS SHOW GOOD RESULTS. AN'EFFECTIVE WEED KILLER. MANY DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME. An important step toward the effective control of ragwort is believed to have been made as the result of tests with a spray which have been carried out by the Agricultural Department. For 30 years various sprays have been tried for the control of ragwort. Some have been a partial success, but many difficulties have arisen, such as poisoning of stock, excessive costs of material, cost of application, and failure to kill a large percentage of the ragwort plants. During tfee past six months the Agricultural Department has been testing the merits of sodium chlorate and calcium chlorate, with very gratifying results. Where properly , applied the chemicals mentioned give 100 per cent, of kills and have proved much superior to any other sprays which have come under the notice of the department. They appear to be equally efficient in the control of pennyroyal, St. John’s wort, ox-eye daisy, and many of the other soft-leaved weeds, while there are that they will help considerably in the control of Californian thistle and similar weeds. Further work is necessary, however, reliable information will be available in respect of these latter weeds. Describing the . results of the tests, a statement issued by the Fields Division and Plant Research Station,' Palmerston North, says that only a light wetting of the plant with the spray was found to be necessary. Best results were obtained when the plants were young, as long as there was enough foliage to hold the sprays Areas of ragwort from three to nine inches high which were treated in October have shown no sign ,of recovery. Part of another area on which large ragwort plants had been cut was sprayed. The plants on the sprayed portion showed no sign of recovery in March, but the nnsprayed portion was covered with a second growth of plants from lOin to 12in in height. The strength of spray recommended is from 3 to 5 per cent., according to the age-of the plants. Spraying with strengths up to 5 per cent, had little detrimental effect on the grass, but stronger solutions caused considerable burning, likewise dry applications of the chlorates. The best time for the main spraying was found to be in October and November, when the maximum number of plants was visible and before the grass had become too long, ‘ Plentiful supplies of the chlorates are not yet ".'available in New Zealand. The question of costs is receiving the attention of the department and it is stated that the indications are that sodium chlorate will cost from' 4d to fid per lb. -On this basis the tests showed that the cost of materials for spraying ranged from 9d to 11s an acre, according to the size and density of the ragwort. TARANAKI EXPERIMENTS. Very successful results have been obtained by Mr W. Hooker, of Waipuku (Taranaki), in ragwort , eradication experiments conducted, on his farm with the new chaniical spray, under the direction of the fields officer of the Department of Agriculture. These, experiments have beep in progress for over six months. They have been applied to, all sorts of ragwort,, flowering and otherwise, over a large area, and there seems no room to doubt the. complete effectiveness of the solution as an easy method of eradication. Some weeks before Christmas sodium chlorate spray was first introduced on a sloping paddock full of ragwort.. It was then impossible to' step two yards without encountering, the , weed.- -To-day there 'is not a sign of treated ragwort rtithin the area. Through the middle of this.paddock a narrow strip was left unsprayed, but the weed here was grubbed out. To-day it is thicker than ever. When asked about the permanency of the eradication,, Mr Hooker said an official of the Cawthron Institute recently visited the farm to trace the effect of the solution throughout the lengths of the weed’s fibrous roots. He found that the solution had done it|j work extremely well, and that the weed would not seed again. The surrounding pastures have not been harmed by the solution, which is sprayed from an ordinary knapsack sprayer. “PEDIGREE” GRASSES. EXPERT’S INTERESTING THEORY. An interesting,, and. at the same time arresting, conclusion is arrived at by Dr A. H. Cockayne, the well-known grassland expert, in aii article in -the April issue of the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture. Dr Cockayne asserts .that one of the biggest factors in the future, development of farming within the Dominion will be the attention given to the actual strain of the pasture grasses. In other words, he maintains that pedigree is just as, essential in pasture grasses as it is in cattle if the best results are .to be obtained. . . Investigation is already being carried out along this line in New Zealand at the Government’s research plant station. . It has been shown there quite clearly that the running out of pastures, is due" very largely to the types sown being, of a bad or non-permanent character and that, when leafy persistent types are used, all those methods of modern management leading to higher production are renderedmore efficient and economical. So far as perennial ryegrass is concerned, the work is well and other grasses and clovers are being brought under study. The pedigree grass, capable of maximum returns under hard stocking conditions, contemplated by what has been termed rotational grazing, is really as essential as pedigree stock if anything like full utilisation of grass growth is to be realised, states Dr Cockayne, Recognition of this fact, and the application of that recognition, is destined to play an even more important role in New Zealand grassland management than any of the milestones which have been passed in the history of the Dominion’s farming operations. , Failure to establish high-class permanent pasture, even on first-class land after the land has been ploughed, has beeq all too common in New Zealand, and has led to the idea that it is generally bettor to improve existing grassland by liberal management than by renewal. This idea has been perfectly sound where the seed mixtures used, although permanent in name, have been or are temporary in effect. So soon, however, ns reliability can be given to.the strain and real leafy permanence to the seed, very large areas of present permanent established pasture of inferior composition will be renewed, with astonishing results as far as production economy is concerned. Improvement in grass and clover strain and improvement in stock attuned to grassland management conditions—all of which' are being rapidly developed and applied—make it clear that grassland products will enormously increase in the near future, and the estimate of a doubling of our production within a very short time is likely to become a reality, states. Dr Cockayne.

1930. Bales. Offered. Sold. Invercargill 37,532 28,677 Dunedin ' .. 76,670 69,372 Timaru .. ., .. 30,944 27,781 Christchurch .. 72,023 66,525 Blenheim* ,. .♦ 55 30 Wellington .. .. 93,903 76,104 . Wanganui .. .. 49,843 36,823 Napier 66,073 Gisborne .. 618 450 Auckland .... .. 65,080 43,878 495,943 415,722 1929. Bales. Offered. Sold. Invercargill .. 37,592 35,187 Dunedin 90,784 86,800 Timaru .. .. 34,235 Christchurch .. 81,306 77,354 Blenheim* .. .. 142 .93 Wellington .. .. 125,837 116,932 Wanganui .. .. 69,894 61,845 Napier .. ». .. 106,990 100,852 Gisborne .. 7,728 1,446 Auckland <.. .. 63,686 52,090 605,314 566,834 « r r Oddments.

Butter .. .. .. £ 13,141,494 £ 12,022,330 Casein .. .. .. .. 137,025 176,353 Cheese .. .7,296,804 6,180,213 Pish 82,475 84,940 Beef, frozen .. .. 883,404 638,131 Beef, salted .. .. 8,604 4,044 Lamb, frozen.. .. 6,711,865 6,901,305 Mutton, frozen .. 1,909,131 1,988,370 Pork, frozen Meats, preserved 464,907 522,483 222,995 152,933 Sausage ekins 743,740 694,233 Milk, preserved .. 39,585 56,690 Milk, dried ., .. 339,877 302,982 Apples, fresh 438,007 .553,843 Feas .. .. .. 184,180 117,789 Gate 29,079 3,771 Wheat 247 63,070 Hops 21,710 14,378 Potatoes 7,413 14,151 Live stock .. .. 109.122 130,758 Calfskins 297,718 205,565 Cattle hides v . .. 809,042 384,662 Eabbitskins .. .. 554,217 348,439 Sheepskins, with wool 533,718 320,639 Sheepskins, without wool .. .. 1,406,131 1,372,861 Opossum skins .. Wool 102,688 102,429 15,576,291 10,610,979 Phormium fibre 339,830 309,412 Seeds, grass, and clover ... ,. 159,843 183,358 Tallow 794,654 674,740 Coal 200,612 297,810 Kauri gum .. .. 241,223 264,452 Gold 517,992 484,157 Silver 45,481 44,299 Leather Timber, sawn 15,447 12,052 394,346 435,211