NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1651, 14 July 1883, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The New Zealand Refrigerating Company hare received a cablegram from London, dated July 4, stating that the Fenstanton had arrived. Her machinery is reported to have worked well, and the condition of the' meat is satisfactory. Some portion of it has been sold at 6^d per lb.

The New Zealand Refrigerating Company received a cablegram on Friday from T-ondon, dated the sth, stating that the "Fenstantons cargo of frozen mutten is turning out in very good order, and is realising an average of 6£d perlb." The desideratum of an almost faultless hedge rclant seems to have been found in the African box-thorn, if all we read of it in the Melbourne Weekly Times be correct. Our contemporarj sayB — We have received lately a few moie practical ideas respecting the hedge plant we noticed last month ; we refer to the African box-thorn. There is no doubt but that th^ demand for this plant is increasing fast, and the nurserymen and others are now quoting the price per thousand. Our informant has, it appears, assiduously cultivated it and encouraged it ever since its first introduction to the colony, and he speaks of it in the most enthusiastic terms. As an evergreen it is profuse m foliftge, particularly in the winter time, when protection from our cold winds is most needed ; and being of wonderfully quick growth, will, in three or four years, make an impenetrable fence. It will thrive in all soils, though re quiring different treatment according to then nature. Stiff and naturally strong soil particularly suits it ; but this latter ought to be sub soiled at least 20 inches deep, and have an outlet in the shape of an underground drain. If the drainage is not attended to the fence will not progress favourably, however favourable the other conditions may be. Stagnant water is as injurious to a live fence of any description as it is to a cereal crop ; Where the ground is light, deep, and friable, tbi African thorn will thrive admirably, ana such a soil will only require ploughing oi digging a single spit, and if the strip of land is poor in quality it will pay well to allow it a coat of manure. The seeds ought to be sown this month, and when about two inches or three inches high be cleaned thoroughly. The plants ought to be n good size next autumn. One foot apart is the usual distance between plant and plant. Some growers prefer a double row of plants, but thih involves a great deal of extra trouble and expense. The seeds are about 2s an ounce, and require a carefully-prepared seed bed. Our informant, however, prefers sowing the seeds on the line intended for the fence, and not to transplant. By this procedure the seeds may be sown as early as May or June, the date varying according to the nature of the soil and difference of climate. By the adoption of this plan a considerable advance will be gained by the hedge. The sowing of a few radish, turnip, or rape seeds in the line of the fence and with the thorn seeds will serve to mark the "line long before the hedge plants appear above ground, and this will admit of hoeing and cleaning the line if it be necessary. As soon an the plants become fit to handle, say, 2in. high, they require singling 6in. apart: some growers prefer 9in. When it is grown to about Ism. high, it ought to be cut down to within 2in. of the soil. After this operation quite a cluster of sprouts is produced, and this forms a compact dense bottom for a fence. When the hedge has grown 2£f t to 3ft, the second cutting ought to take place, and at this operation the plants may be left fully lft. high, and be afterwards clipped at both sides, and upon the above treatment being strictly adhered to depends the future of the fence ; the after treatment will depend upon the height, width, and shape desired by the owner. The fence in question has the credit of withstanding bush fires, or, rather, of quickly attaining its original strength after a fire. Owners of live hedges too frequently find gaps in the lines, and it has been difficult to fill them, but our coirespondent has found' it possible with the b)X- thorn to fill them, and his plan is to cut the adjoining plants down nearly to the ground, and then transplant some young and vigorous thorn plantß in the gap. " This plan wfll' not succeed with either acacia or whitethorn. When in the Berwick district last month, we noticed a new plan for filling up gaps m hedges; this was in transplanting small but healthy ti-tree plants. The appearance was very pleasing, although, perhaps, these spots were not so strong as when the box-thorn was alone ; still, when a wire is stretched in a line about 2ft. or so from the ground, it remains very strong and resisting.

The New York Tribune publishes comprehensive reports of all the wheat growing sec tions in the United States. They show that the proßpect of an average crop is better than it waß a month ago. The heavy snows in the winter kept the roots of the winter wheat in good condition, and melted so gradually in the spring as to leave the ground favourable foi the early. Bowing of spring wheat. The prospect is now good for a crop nearly or quite equal to that oflaßfc year. This is an early estimate,'

and may be materially altered either way during the next few weeks.

The Canterbury Weekly Press makes the following remarks on the growth of European flax for the manufacture of twjne, linseed oil, and oil-cake ; — Efforts are being made to introduce these several branches of the industry, as our readers are aware. The Canterbury Linseed Oil and Fibre Company has been formed for that purpose. They have_ not only imported machinery of the best description for scutching purposes — one of which is now at work at tho company's works at Southbridge, but it is contemplated to import spinning machinery so soon as there i 3 a reasonable prospect of their being a sufficient quantity of the fibre produced to warrant the expenditure of the necessary capital. The company are also making arrangements for placing scutching machines at Lincoln, and probably at Ashburton. It may be claimed for the company, that the industry has been fairly started, and it will remain with the farmers themselves whether it shall be a success or otherwise. This will be determined by the support they accord the Company in the way of sowing flax in the coming season. Sanguine as many persons were with regard to the suitability of New Zealand for the production of flax, these expectations have been far exceeded by actual results, for wherever flax was sown in suitable land and properly treated the results in seed and fibre have been most encouraging, from 20 to 30 bushels of seed and 5 cwt of dressed fibre being no uncommon yield. The prejudice which was deep-seated in the minds of some as to the possibility of obtaining fibre, of any value out of straw which had ripened its seed has been quite removed. We had no doubt but that this would be so, for the reason that the practice has been common in Europe for many years, and that in countries which produce the very best of all fibres. We refer to Courtrai. The profit from a properly treated crop of flax is infinitely larger than from anything which can be grown, and if grown as part of a regular rotation it need not necessarily be an exhausting crop. We understand that the company above referred to are making arrangements to purchase the straw as soon as pulled or cut. This is a step in the right direction, for it is here that the expense comes in, if there are no proper places or appliances for steeping and drying the straw. The company propose to pay a certain price per ton for the straw with or without the seed removed. Those farmers who will thresh the seed themselves will be acting in their own interests. The best of the seed may be sold, and the balance kept for feeding purposes either for calves or milking cattle ; indeed it is invaluable for all kinds of stock, and no farmer should be without a supply. . It was complained that the cost of pulling must deter persons from sowing as much as they otherwise would, but this drawback can be met in a measure by sowing the crop as early in August as _ the state of the weather and soil -will permit, by which plan the crop will be ready for pulling just before the corn harvest commences. At a time when farm hands are most plentiful the operation of pulling should not cost more than £2 per acre Phis price will be found cheaper in the end t.han 6s per acre by machinery, that is where the crop stands more than 30 inches high. The necessity for early maturity in stock to supply t,he demand which must soon spring up to supply the frozen meat trade, will create a market for all the oilcake which we are likely to produce for some years to come. There is already an oil factory in Dunedin which is, we are glad to learn, likely to succeed. The oil is manufactured from linseed grown in the colony and imported. "But to make flax a profitable crop the fibre must be utilised as well as the seed. We notice that there is likely to be a company formed in Wellington to commence the culture of European flax for the seed and fibre, to be worked by Chinese in the Hutt Valley. Perhaps when it is shown what may be accomplished by the persevering industry of the Chinese our farmers will be induced to enter into the business with more spirit than they have hitherto shown; Let us remember that next season we shall have to import something like 400 tons of twine, every pound of which should be made by ourselves, as well as all our seaming twine. The flax industry is worthy of every attention at the hands of our farmers, and we wish it every success.

An English journal says :—": — " Rabbits can bo excluded by wire netting if it b9 fixed properly. The best method that has come under our notice is adopted with great success in the woods of a large estate where rabbits abound. When simply sunk in the earth vertically, no matter to what depth, the animals burrowed under it ; but when the lower edge of the netting was bent at right angles, the flange facing the point of attack, and covered an inch or two deep with Roil, the netting was rendered rabbit proof. These animals almost invariably commence scratching close to the netting, continuing perseveringly until they can pass under the fence ; and as they no not appear to possees the sagacity for commencing their attacks six inches from it, the present method of fixing the netting forma practically a complete barrier, as not one rabbit in a thousand finds its way under the fence."

There is another very useful root crop, and which we drew attention to briefly a few months since, and which has succeeded well in this colony when tried. We refer to the khol-rabi. We saw a patch at Malvern last month, and which promises to be as heavy a crop as any owner can wish for. The " turnip cabbage," as some call it, is good both for the table and the stock, and is quite equal, according to the opinions of those who hav9 for years used it, as food, especially in the dairy. It can be sown or grown either on the flat or in ridges, or it, like mangels, &c, can be transplanted. We have grown this plant these 20 years, both at Moonee Ponds and at Kyneton, and, from our own experience, we are of opinion that it will prove a desirable change for stock, and the yield per acre is exceedingly heavy. — Melbourne Weekly Times.

Among the farm occupations (writes an American on a visit to Europe), that which most took Of my eye in Scotland was the furrowing of the land for turnips and potatoes, it is done with such absolute precision. It recalled Emerson's statement that the fields in this island look as if finished with a pencil instead of a plough — a pencil and a ruler in this case, the lines were so straight and so uniform. I aßked a farmer at work by the roadside how he managed it. " Ah," said he, " a Scotchman's head is level." Both here and in England ploughing is studied like a fine art; they have ploughing matches, and offer prizes for the best furrow. In planting both potatoes and turnips the ground is treated alike — grubbed, ploughed, cross-ploughed, crushed, harrowed, chain -harrowed, and rolled. Every sod and tuft of upiooted grass are carefully picked up by women and boys, and burned or carted away, leaving the surface of the ground like a clean sheet of paprr, upon which the ploughman is now to inscribe his perfect lines. The plough is drawn by two horses, inßtead of by one, as in America. It is a long, heavy tool, with double mould boards, and throws the earth each way. In opening the first furrow the ploughman is guided by stakes ;

having got this one perfect, it is used as a model for every subsequent one, and the land is thrown into ridges as uniform and faultless as if it had been stamped nt one slroke with a die or cist in a mould. It is so from one end of the isUnd to the other.