AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1861, 22 July 1887, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

It is satisfactory to learn that the reported outbreak of disease in the Wairarapa district does not bear anything like the serious aspect after investigation that it did before. Mr Orbell, who was despatched by theGovernment to report on the matter, alleges that the disease is due entirely to ergotted pasture, and this caused gangrene, resulting 1 in the hoofs dropping off as alleged. This is, to say the least of it, a most unusual result of ergot poisoning, and we are inclined to await further developments with a certain amount of interest, A noticeable feature in the outbreak is the rapidity with which the disease ran it course, 15 cattle out of a mob of 21 being lost before tho expiry of a week. This fact points to the probability of a pr edisposing cause — possibly to close inbreeding and consequent weakening of the constitution, or, on the other hand, strengthening of the tendency to contract a particular form of disease as soon as favourable circumstances presented themselves. We trust that whatever may be the true state of the case the Government will make arrangements to have the diseased herds closely quarantined* and vigilantly watched by competent authorities, so that should it make its appearance in cattle away from the ergotted pasture prompt action may bo taken to destroy the diseased animals and isolate the remainder of the herd.

New Zealand has been remarkably free from stock diseases for some years past, and it is a great pity that this scare should have occurred at the present time, when so many dairy cattlearebeingexportedfrom the South to the sister colonies. If, however, it directs, attention to the necessity of some provision being made for passing veterinary examinations in the oolony direct good will result from passing evil. A chair for this purpose could be added to the Otago Medical College, and would, we feel sure, be almost self-supporting from the beginning : at worst it could not possibly cost a tithe of the money frittered away yearly on the present useless Agricultural department, or the almost equally absurd Forest department As, however, it would probably prove of practical use, and not offer a means of rewarding political services rendered, we are afraid it is useless to expect the suggestion to he received favourably by the present Government.

A series of feeding experiments on the different breeds of cattle is being made at the Michigan Agricultural College, and Professor Johnston reports an the result of the test at the end of 10 months. It appears that the Shorthorns made the best gain (6Hlb a»d Sslb per month), the Galloways sec.csftdj an,d the Holsteins third. It is also noticeable that the. Jerseys made very creditable gains, better than the Hereford and Devon fed.

A correspondent in our last issue made a suggestion for utilising the carcasses of rabbits killed, trapped, or otherwise destroyed save by poisoning. The idea was to have pigs located in various spots contiguous to the places where the pest is most plentiful and to fatten the animals with the carcasses. Although this might be practicable in some cases it would not be so in all. The Melbourne Weekly Times advocates the adoption of canning, and 'remarks : — "Cannot the experience of Colac and Carapercown be repeated in other rabbit-infested districts by the establishment of preservingfactories ? Tinned rabbit flesh is a delicacy as well as a nutritious, wholesome, and palatable, food, and when preserved it can be kept sound for years. la there any insuperable objection to its use as an army food ; for provisioning volunteers at reviews; for use in gaols and charitable institutions alternatively with other diet? Can it not take a plaoe beside Australian or Chicago tinued. beef or ' salt horse ' for, victualling

soldiers and sailors during a campaign? Cannot extensive markets be opened up for preserved rabbits in countries where cheap food is in demand ? There may be a limit to the demand for this food, or there may be insuperable obstacles to utilising rabbits in this way at all ; but the success of the operations at Colac and Camperdown justify the question being looked into by the Government and by landholders, whose present expenditure upon rabbit destruction resembles pouring water into a sieve — all is lost, and there is no return."

In connection with our article on lucerne in last issue a few particulars of the lucerne paddocks on the Glengallan estate, Darling Downs, given by a writer in the Australasian, may be of interest. He writes : — " My first excursion over the estate' was among the lucerne fields, which are famous throughout the district as yielding a heavier crop of fodder than is obtained anywhere else on the downs. This large growth is due to the presence of underground moisture within reach of the roots of the plants. Late as it was in the season, the fields were looking remarkably well. In many of them there were grazing two sheep to the acre, and it seemed to me there was ample food for more than double the number. There are on the property 1300 acres laid down with lucerne, which Mr Slade has utilised during the past season for fattening large crossbred wethers — no less than 19,000 fat wethers having been turned oi? the same fields during the year. This is the" only experiment of the sort I met with on the downs, where of late the lucerne has been chiefly employed to keep the stock in healthy condition in theabsenceof grass, and to furnish green food for the ewes in winter lambing. On the Glengallan flats I saw lucerne in good order that had been planted over 10 years, and it had been heavily grazed all tho time. Mr Slade is so well satisfied with the experiment of fattening sheep on lucerne that he intends carrying it on. Prairie grass grows remarkably well on the rich black soil of the flat. Already Mr Slade has laid down 300 acres with this valuable fodder plant, and it has given such excellent results that he contemplates increasing the area under prairie grass. It is an excellent change from lucerne, and is much safer for hungry stock, lucerne, when in rank growth and wet, being very apt to ' blow' both sheep and -flattie."

Various influences seem to be conspiring to produce, in this district (says " Atticus," in the North Otago Times) a revival of wheatgrowing. Wo can all remember the halcyon days when this was the favourite crop before, and since then almost everything in the farmer's catalogue has had its turn. Some time ago it was sheep that gave the best return to the owner, and it seemed to be quite settled in some folks' mind that New Zealand was to be a grazing country from the North Cape to Invercargill. But wool went down, and frozen mutton went down, and so the sheep bubble burst. Then the dairy factory agitation started, statistics were quoted, and we were all going to produce lots of milk, and to grow prosperous at last. But old Sol frowned, and under his scorchingglance of displeasure the green meadows turned to brown ugly (jLcserts ; the milk supply was curtailed by half, and without milk we can't make cheese. Potatoes, too, have been haying their day. Tempted by the splendid crops that can be grown, and by the brisk inquiry for them that used to exist the inhabitants of the district all took the potato mania. Nobody was content without his potato patch, every mun who could manage it at all leased a bit of ground somewhere, till it seemed as if there wasn't a farm anywhere that wasn't bounded by potatoes on the north, south, east, and west. So the game went on till the merchants cried " enough," prices went down with a crash, and the spell was broken. Now the reaper and binder, heralded by many a flourish of Yankee trumpets, has appeared on the scene, and its superiority being proved conchasively, the former finds that wheatgrowing will now pay better than anything. Wheatgrowing accordingly it is to be. Commenting on the Wairarapa scare, the Southland News says :— " So far as we are acquainted with the effects of ergot, which have been discussed from time to time in tbis colony during a long period, it does not operate with the terrible rapidity of the disease noticed at the Wairarapa, Ergot is constantly met with in this district, affecting the native as well as the artificial grasses and cereals. Its effects, however, have been confined to causing functional disturbance among breeding cattle .and mares. No instance that we know of is on record of such rapid gangrene as that described. On the Continent, in the northern portions, where rye is used, the people at one time suffered greatly from ergotism. The presence of a proportion of diseased grain in their bread ! did not cause it to be unpalatable, and it was therefore eaten unsuspectingly by many. The ill effects of the infected grain were glow. There was constitutional disturbance, emaciation, symptoms allied to those _ of scurvy, and, finally, a gangrenous condition allied to that of leprosy in its adyanced stage. Months, and sometimes years, elapsed before this was reached. Consequently, Mr Buchanan is in error when he states that the symptoms are the same as those of ergotism. It may be added that, thanks to scientific discovery and the use of proper appliances f or separating the diseased from the healfchy grain, ergotism in the human ' subject has almost digappeared. Having regard to the widespread disaster that would ensue upon the dissemination of a disease so fatal as the foot-and-mouth, it would be unwise to accept unquestioned the opinion of any person, or, indeed, of socalled experts. The Wairarapa district supplies certain parts of the South Island ■with fat cattle, which are, of course, often yarded with local stock brought in for sale. There is thus a ready means of spreading the evil, and it will he the duty of the Government to at once take preventive measures. In the Home Country veterinary skill was of no avail, and the highest authority there (Professor Gamgee) gave his sanction to proposals for " stamping it out." 'The meaning of this phrase scarcely needs explanation, further than to say that as fast as cases of disease occurred the animals affected were killed, and their remains destroyed by fire. The same course should be adopted kere df,..upou investigation, it should •appear tiaat the disease is not due to ergo-

tism. Meantime the herd should be kept carefully isolated ; indeed it might be the best and cheapest in the long run to treat them as if the disease were known to be communicable. If they are in the condition stated it would, in fact, be an act of common humanity to put them out of their misery. As a further method of precaution the exportation of stock from the North Island to the South should be prohibited. No great harm would be done, for there is really no scarcity of fat cattle in the South Island."

Grass and other food being scarce this season, the rabbits are reported to have taken kindly to the poisoned grain. Wherever grain has been laid, the dead carcasses may be picked up in considerable numbers. Altogether, this season's poisoning should have done good work in thinning out the pest. Gangs of rabbiters engaged on the various runs are credited with making big wages. The skins are very heavy, and the present price — Is 8d to Is iodperib — should more than repay runholders. — Tuapeka Times.

The depressed state of the chaff market (writes the Waimumu correspondent of the Southland Times) has caused a number of sheepfarmers to feed their flocks upon the commodity ; intending to produce more wool and of better quality. This will certainly pay better than selling chaff at £2 per ton. The mode of feeding the sheep is by tlie self-acting feed box. This box ' is no doubt the acme of sheep-feeding apparatus. The waste of chaff is reduced to a minimum, and besides, there is no daily labour as the feeder is built to hold half a ton.

Referring to the attempt at present being made to open up a market at Calcutta .for New Zealand dairy produce, the Southland News says: — "The opening of a new outlet of such importance would mean a most encouraging ' boom ' in the dairy factory business. With a large and constant demand the cost of production would be relatively diminished, so that a comparatively low price would yield fair profits. Southland farmers have had to bear their share of depression caused by the enormous increase of wheat production in India. It may be that if the expectations entertained are realised they will yet derive some compensation from the increased ability of India to purchase goods for the production of which New Zealand is even better adapted than for the growth of breadstuffs. In view of what is in progress it may be remarked that the dull times experienced of late may not ultimately prove an unmixed evil. They have, to soms extent, shaken people out of the old grooves and set them thinking as to whether there were not other modes of turning land to profitable account than by drawing upon its fertility for the continuous production of cereals. As everyone knows this is an exhaustive process it is only a question of time for the richest land to become grainsick. There are thousands of acres m South Australia given over to sorrel and other weeds, and immense areas from which the farmer derives but scanty reward for his labour. Grazing and dairyfarming have a distinctly opposite tendency to graingrowing, With due care the land goes on improving, while yielding better returns to the farmer. It is true that he will have to devote a closer and more intelligent attention to the management of his business, but to make up for that he will be less subject to ruinous fluctuations of value."