AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 6

AND PASTORAL NEWS.

_ ' According to the returns published in the Gazette, comparing the estimated yield of agricultural produce this jeair with last, there are decreases this season of 653,813 bushels of wheat, 4378 tons potatoes, 29,211 tons hay, and 74,066 bushels cocksfoot and 298,280 bushels ryegrass seed. There are increases of 464,046 bushels oats, and 641,663 bushels barley. The quantity of last year's crops remaining on hand in February when the form's were filled up was: —316,692 buahels'wheat, and 109,014' bushels oats. The number of holdings in the colony show an increase of 104, the total being 35,747, and the area under crop an increase of 54,682 acres. The area of grass-sown lands has also increased by 284,371 acres. The following important and interesting report has been made by the Registrar-general on New Zealand agriculture for. Hie, year,-—lke.

extent 4$ land m cuitivation)~kofodiiig gr»§£ Vowht&rifr and land broken uj> not ia crop, w exclusive of gardens and orchards, in February < 18891, amounted to 7,670,167 acres. aatirA 7,284,752 in 188& Van increase of 385,415.^3 lßl'B7l 8187 pec cent, of this land wag in- artificial against 81-50 in 188&, and 10*35 per cent; wagi^ /grain crops againsfc • 1014 per cent, ih previous ,yeari f The tofel areii^in ? gnun erop y amqtmtea to 793i866 acres, of *aiefi 402,307 acres Wis fo the Canterbury district, and 284,363 in'OW 362,158 acres w.ere. under^wheat at the W^i ning, of 1889. • This v an' increase! of only 4794 acres oh 'the /in J.BBB The produqe jn 1889 was eßtimated^atrs/f^p^ bushels, 1 being *at the average rate of 24-23 Jjusbefcper acre. - Tbiß, as .'compared with ess n&te'dcrop in 11888;1 1888; wW*4 decreate'o'f 653,81$ >bashels in quantity aßd oiJS'ls bushels pec acrtj in the, average rate. The 'total >aveiageeonl sumption of wheat ,in New Zealand for a period of 11 years (1877-87) to'B'4s '-.buifeejj per' head of the pqpulatioririficluding ma^ This increase included the requirement for seed .purposes, estimated at v 'two bushels per acri The • food' consumption, after deducting jthj necessary quantity for seed, averaged 738 bushels per head. Aesaming that the areaundej wheat for next harvest is about the same tg (fag last'' harvest, the wheat crop ..of v . 1889— ; yuj 8,770,246 brasbel^HsboTild, give m-, earplug 'of 3,200,000 bushels for export after suppljj Jttg all, the requirements o£ the colony; In connection with this it may be interesting t<j notice that the wheat crop in New South Ytts , was estimated at only 1,450,413 bushels, inl^l against 4,695,849 in 1888— the yield per acr, ' in 1889 being only 474 bushels^ ThitTerop, there* fore, is less than the quantity required for'coei sumption in that colony by aboats,7oo,ooobaeh^ The number of acres under oats for grain vn| greater than that in 1888. by 30,751, the areij having been 367,225 and 336,474 acres. Tho produce in 1889 .was estimated at 10,977,065 bushels, being an increase of the quantity ints previous year of 464,946 bushels. The averagt quantity per acre was, howevey, only 29$ bushels in : ,1889, against 31*24 bushels in 1686, There was a considerable increase in the am of land under barley— viz., 45,027 acres- inlßlfy against 27,912 in 1888. The estimated .pn>. duce in 1889 was 1,402,537 . bushels, ij the average rate of 31*15, bushels per aorej .against 760,874 bushels, or an average 'rate of 2726 bushels per acre in 1888. The quantity'^ land planted with potatoes ampun'ted'to 20,331 acres,, the crop being estimated at 133,682 tonsequal to 508 tons per acre. As compared with 1888, this is an increase of 993 'acres, bat a dw crease of 4373 tons in the crop. The land in hops was 563 acres, which yielded! 6210cwi~ an average of ll'o3ewt to the acre. The land in tobacco is estimated to render 28,5001b of dried leaf. Besides the agricultural statistics, 1 the follow ing information' as to the number of dairy cow was also obtained at the collection : — Auckland, I 45,314; Taranaki, 23,569 ; Hawke's Bay, 9054;, Wellington; 26,936; Maryborough, 2702 ; Nelson, i 7863; Westland, 1692; Canterbury, 29,065;. Otago, r 43,019 ;— total, 189,214. The system of' making ensilage for winter keep appears to ba gaining ground in the colony, as the retortl' show 296 silo or ensilage stacks. ' The Registrar-general, it is understood, having) been advised that the grain crops of Canterbury were under-estimated, owing to the returns, being asked' for before weather set in which developed a larger yield of grain per'acre, hij 1 asked the several enumerators if, after making due inquiry they fiad the returns were 'not correct, to furnish him with information necessity to revise the statements furnished. To do thi* work effectually (says the Press) it is suggest^ it would be best to take a fresh enameratifln, The returns published by the registrar, it is said, are so far under the mark.with rSgafd Tio ; Nortt' Canterbury as to be at present Hnreliable. r We recently published ; particulars -I* 'garding a new preservative process-bys -by chemicals which had been tried in London and had 30 fir proved successful. Before the mail l steamer Coptic ..left 'London it was determined to send j out by bor a few eggs and one fowl which had ( ! been* treated, by >thfl flew 'process. VBoth tl» fowl and eggs have been kept in the ordinary store room of the steamer, and although it is now 53 days since she left London, the fowl ap« .pears perfectly fresh., Some of. the eggs haw? .been I ' tested* and ori .-being cooked iwere fowl, perfectly sweet and fresh. Mr W. Ji Rbo (thft j purser.) informs us that it is his intention to take 1 the remaining eggs and fowl back to London in order to perfectly test the system. I The rabbits continue to be utilised in the Marlborough district, a shipment of 1000 cas«, I containing about 24,000 preserved rabbits, having ; been despatched to England last week. The Rev. E. G. .Porter, of Boston, who, itw be remembered, lectured at JKnox Church , hatty has been informing the New Zealand Times thit» as the result of his recent visit t6, Japan, he i** lieves an enormous trade, is to be done in wool, mutton, andother products in Japan/ Heal» says :— •" lam surprised at the small amount of trade you db ■wtyhithe We^tetn Pioifio Oo&it'of the United States. -Jlearn tnat you;grow epla* did fruit in this colony, and that you coflw deliver in San Francisco at the' season when Californian fruit is sqarce $qd dear. /Your vnxu too, Ought to command a good market on tbw coast ; and as for your butter and cheese,^ should do an immense trade with the Califoi* nianß. I visited several cheese and butter fM* tories in the South Island, and I am delighted with the quality that is being turned out," • •-. It ought to be good news to farmers to learn that Messrs Nelson Bros., of London, are,i>re* pared to buy sheep, delivered at the freezing works, Dunedin or Oamaru, at 2d perlbfreennj weights.— skins aDd fat for farmers' account. This is estimated to give 14s 3d for sbeep » April and May, 15s in June and July, 15s W in August and September, and 16s 6din October and November. , We (Southland News) are informed that gow land for cropping is in better demand than for , some time, owing probably to the improved con* 'dition of matters in New Zealand. Two'tlW' eacfcions , have come under notice which •". worthy of mention. The Glenhwn Estate qom« pany, near Wyndham, have leased 1300 acres W one crop, the landlords taking a quarter of tn« crop as rent ;' and Mr G. M. Bell has let »w« 2000 acres on Wantwood and Croydon for one crop, at from 12s to 27s per acrei « .' The "corner "in sisal which has canaed an enormous demand for New Zealand fl» "* America is referred to as follows by the St. how Republic :—" A gigantic trust, which wffl pwjj bly cost" the people of America about 20,0UU. | JW dollars this year, has been formed in the raw I materials from which binders' twine, wpe f fr: cordage are manufactured. It is a combmawra I of 82 Eastern manufacturers of binders twme ! for the purpose of cornering and controlliflgj raw materials out of which twine, roP" 1^" cordage are made. They have bought np«J»» sisal fibre in the world, and all the W^sfiKJ obtainable, the two fibres being tnerawmatenw from which these articles are made. wn» fibre is grown only iri the Fbffi^^'JfgJ and sisal fibre only in Yucatan and inone or w» other portions of Mexico. The fajost M« • capital of from 15,000,000d0l to 20,0W,000d0£ and so far has successfully earned ow » aim. Ropes and cordage have «avancea«« the part ttaee montltf alwuli » 5»

and and are steadily advancing. No man Inftws to what price the trust will arise :? -j Daring the year 1«89 it has the power 'its own bands, the country will be squeezed for l!ver»l millions on rope and cordage. All that rte coontry can do, for the present at least, is to ?Lj c to the, music of the National Cordage Company or go without rope, cordage, and Mr W. M'Gregor Murray has (writes the ifairana correspondent o£ the Clutha Leader) a fine stock— about 100— of Berkshire pigs in hand jus* now. The breed is very pure, and the animals *re most cleanly and comfortably housed and well tended to. Mr Murray has a couple of young boars which coßt £2 and £4 Actively as slips. They were bought from Hrßowe.of Cflri3fcchurch, and the latter priced one is off a boar and sow that gentleman imnorted from Melbourne while .paying a visit to {he Exhibition there. They are both really finelookiflg animals, and so are the progeny of the former one, which may be seen at all sizes, from flickers to porkers almdsfc ready for the hamcarer. Mr Murray prides himself in his stock of pjgg, and anyone paying a visit to his farm and Unvoting his fine stock of cleanly-kept darkies jnirtt agree he has something to be proud of. A number of the pigs are sold for breeding purpgjgs to the settlers and others, but the greater are fattened and killed on the pramises and sold to Messrs M'Donald and Millar, the well-known curers at Green Island, yr Murray informed your correspondent that on 9 year he made £100 off his pigs. This in trnly a handsome return for a farmer to make off pigs alone. The growing pigs are feed on cabbsgea, turnips, &c M raw, but the fattening ones jjuve as much grain, milk, &c. as they are able to look at. Last year Russia sent to the United ftingdom the largest quantities of wheat, barley, isd oats, and the second largest quantity of jinaeea". Her policy is to.sell everything she oxl spare, and her wheat rules the market, irregpeotfafl °f Amerura. In au article on the flax industry the Wellington Mail says:— "When it is recollected that £20 to £22 per ton pays very well, it will readily on seen how substantial a profit must be afforded by such rates as £35 to £40. . . . Bafc it will be in vain to expect that this important industry shall maintain its position if producers are induced by the prevalence of high prices to turn out inferior stuff. We observe with much regret that this has been the case already in some instances, and that the blight decline in price — especially in respect of Wellington flax—to which we have referred, is attributed by experts to carelessness in man tincture, induced by the high rates so readily obtainable. Mr Charles Spurling, of 27 keadenhall street, London, has been good enough to forward to us by the mail just trrived some very interesting and instructive observations on this matter. Writing on the 21«fc February he remarked ;—' The market, under pressure of a few sales, has been rather irregular, especially for the medium and lower qualities, which generally show a decline of from 10s to 15a per ton from the extreme rates lately ruling here. Good and fine descriptions, both Wellington and Auckland, have continued to command fully late rates.' This, it will be <een, bears out our statement that really good qualities still command high prices, stud that the (ill has been almost exclusively due to the largo proportion of inferior stuff sent Home. He adds the significant note : — 'Our market closes to-day quiet for common flax, whilst good and fine are still inquired for.' Speaking from 40 years' experience in the sale and purchase of textile fibres both from India and the colonies, and being anxious to see an increased development of the trade of this country in New Zealand fiat, Mr Spurling urges shippers in the future io be specially careful inn the following important points, the observance of which is likely to maintain the improved and favourable opinion gaining ground as to the value of New Zealand flax : — ' Ist. That, .as , far as possible, the colour be uniform, and of a palish yellow. 2nd. That when two or more colours ; exiik they should be separated Into secondary marks. 3rd. That no runners or hard strikes should be found in the .heads or layers, 4tb: That the seed or crop end should be softened and the hard particles carefully removed.' H"e holds that with the high rates still ruling for Manila ,hemp, other substitutes — such as New Zealand flax, Mauritius' hemp, and the fine, soft, well'oleaned aloe fibre-r-are likely still to be in good request in our markets, and that although there may be some temporary check in'"values, this will probably not be to any material extent. We hope that our flaxmillers will pay due attention to these valuable hints, from an expert of wch large experience." In the course of an address on the' ryegrass controversy, delivered before the members of the Cheshire, Shropshire,, and North Wales Farmers' Supply Association,' by their consulting botanist, Mr Robert Holland, that gentlefflsa expressed the. opinion that although the old English, ryegrass which grows wild in Great Britain is truly perennial, its'cultivatibn from feed for 200 years has altered its habit, so that its permanence had become reduced. He sugB«ted that seed should be collected from wild ryegrass in order to raise a fresh stock.

Accordbg to, the North British. Agriculturist, Me Henry Moore, of Bum Butts, has refused a wndsome offer for his gcaud young hackney tWlion Rufus, which won the championship at wefoto Hackney Show in London. Mr Mackie, <X Attchonoairn Castle, Douglas, bid him 3000gs, j| r *2000 and the privilege of 1 sending to the wti6 all his brood mares, which should be kept ™a of expense all the season. Mr Moore "ipulated that before he parted with the Wimal he should have the promise that his "fkshice nominations should have the advances of his services, but as this could not be jjouceded, Mr Moore declined to part with his •laa owners of cheese and butter factories in Victoria appear to have (according to an Aus««ian contemporary) rather a hard time of jt, *"« to suffor quite as much from the proverbial •°v with the iron tail as the private purchaser ~**< The manager of tho factory shrinks from wiling the farmer who supplies him that his milk NW every sign of being unduly watered, because 80 supplier probably becomes virtuously injnaufc and declines to bring any more milk at „' This, however, does not always happen. i. ? certain factory one farmer used to bring in H gal ?f? f alleged milk ?asl? a5ly ' bufe tbe p° verfc y m article was so touching that the manager ' la st declared he could not make butter and oeese out of ifc by any possibility, and he must f0!f 0 ! *° c aa y more. The supplier asked W a ? ot^ er chance, and the next morning he o^p* only 50gal of milk. He had left the jgw of water at home ! At another factory a thR Mu ho 7 a 8 warml y protesting the purity of was £ W k[°a he was pouring out of the can BnT v* c dkconcerted by the appearance of a 22 f fr °g which was turned out with it. Mr Qj*^ ord describes a dairy which he visited in itw •*? ' w here the cream separator was workk »?• r? idßt of » fil%i foul-smelling morass, about l?' 88 Were wallowin S and calves wading LJ' °- c was actually, invited to see this place 2QOI? B .^''•complacent owner, who sends over leL • tfcer every week *° Melbourne, and gets twi pp i nee for ifc - Ifc '« Pleasant to turn from *««««« of dirty dairies and milk-and^ater

farmers to accounts of oleanly, well-kept establishments 'inexpensively constructed, but answering their purpose admirably* and to learn th_afc for every dirty daifcy Mr Crawford Visited 50 clean ones. lie adds that if the men did. theiir part in ths way of cleanliness in "bytes" and in milking and looking after the drinking water as well as the women do theirs in the inside dairy work there Would not be much cause forcomplaint. The two principal points ar« evidently a supply of pure drinking water for the cows and scrupulous cleanliness in the dairy* and it should not be difficult to carry oat these requirements in any country. t , The Clutha Leader says the late Mr George Murray-, of Mangapa 'Auckland; at one time occupied the farm in East Taieri now occupied by Mrs Nimmoj then Akatore, where he made a strong effort, but the fern ridges proved too much for him, as they have proved to others. Leaving Akatore he went to farm, in the Oaraaru district 'and subsequently he went to Auckland. Many gettlers in Otago will remember the fine stock Mr Murray imported to the colony. These included shorthorn cattle, an entire horse, pigs and poultry, sheep dogs, Leicester and Cheviot ewes and rams, which carried off the prizes at the early shows, and have left their mark on the live stock of the colony to this day. The Leicester Bheep had belonged to the Murray family from 1808, and were che progeny of a pure Dishley ram bought at that time at a very high price. Mr Walter Millar, who is an authority, says that the Leicesters imported by Mr Murray were the best ever introduced into the country. He, however, says the Cheviots did not succeed, or they did not seem to suit the country, and their crosses did not do very well. It seems an extraordinary and almost incredible thing that of the many samples of butter examined by the late Professor L. B. Arnold during the last 25 or 30, years only one was considered by him fit to mark perfect. That sample was found at the Bay State Fair, Boston, two years ago. This and* other lots scoring up, to 97, 98, and 99 per cent, were made in the ordinary way by cold setting, acidifying the cream by setting it in a warm place and frequently stirring it, and churning it as soon as acidity appears distinctly, but before it goes far enough to ,cut the flavouring oils. The churn was stopped as soon as the butter appeared in granular form, the buttermilk then drawn off, the butter carefully washed in cold water until it ran away clear, the butter salted by sprinkling on the salt and lightly stirring it in, when the whole was carefully pressed into a solid mass:, and directly packed for market. Simple as this process is, Professor Arnold justly adds, ult is of tener missed than followed."

It has been found, says Mr ThomßS Christy in the " Gardener's Chronicle," that of all substances and chemicals yet discovered there is nothing known more fatal to bacterial germs of diseasee, &c, than peppermint (mentba piperita). It is found that 300,000th partof menthol issumcient to destroy the bacterial germs. An infusion of peppermint, made by pouring ho_t water upon the leaves, and drinking the infusion in hot weather, gives great relief from fatigue ; it feats refreshing as tea, and, it is thought, more stimulating. Menthol crystals, which are sold at a few pence per ounce, aro found to be more efficacious tbau carbolic acid, and without the disagreeable smell. The American consul at Sydney publishes (says the Australasian) some interesting notes on the sheep stock of Auutralasia in his last report. He states that the periodical' droughts in Australasia have affected severely the wool industries, the sheep in many cases dying by millions; nevertheless, the annual supply of wool has shown a steady increase. New South Wales alone increased the number of her sheep during 1887 by fully 8,000,000. It is said, however, that Victoria, Tasmania, and New Zealand are fully stocked, and that the grazing capabilities of South Australia are not likely to augment; unless a further supply of water is discovered.' Western Australia, with its hugh, unwieldy territory, is almost at a standstill, with something, under 2,000,000 sheep, dry and .barren country and. poisonous plants preventing any increase in consequence. In Queensland there is much country outside the tropics which is as yet barely stocked, and an increase j of say 15,000,000 sheep may be looked for dur- \ ing the next 20 years. As regards New South j Wales', "it is difficult to estimate what is the averagejaumber of sheep it will catry. A good lambing season would give that colony this year fully 56,000,000, or 15,000,000 more than the colony ever before faced a drought with. The consul says that the stock has for years been suffering from. '.the want of fresh blood from other countries. The quarantine laws which prevented the importation of arrivals from Europe and America have been repealed in most of the colonies. The stock conference which met in Sydney in Obtober 1886 strongly urged the removal of the restriction, but uone of the colonies took action until the latter part of 1887. South "Australia, Queensland, and Victoria were the first to' act, then followed New Zealand, Tasmania, and New South Wales. The New South Wales act does not admit of the introduction of sheep from the United States except by way of England. The law, however, as it stands is, the consul says, a vast improvement upon the old one, which prevented sheep being admitted from any country outside of Australasia.

Anew method' of preserving milk is being practised in various localities in Europe, the method being to freeze it solid by mechanical processes, in wbioh condition it can be preserved fresh and sweet until thawed. In getting the yield of cream, and in every other, respect, the frozen product is pronounced to be quite as good as new milk. Butter and cheese can be made from it. It is thought the industry of freezing milk may yet become a leading one. Notwithstanding the phenomenally favourable season experienced by farmers during harvest time .complaints are made of damaged grain being sent to market. The Canterbury Times puts the'ease thus: — " We regret to learn that jn not a few individual instances farmers' wheat has to some extent suffered deterioration, and a proportion has, had to be rejected as unfit for shipment. In some cases the damage has been suffered through insufficient stack thatching. In others the injury has been inflicted by exposure to wet in the sacks ; while in others again the mischief has occurred through the sacks of grain having been stored on the ground without proper dunnage protection, so that plenty of air could play under them and prevent dampness. In one case we know of, no less than 150 sacks, the property of a small farmer, had to take the ' unfit for shipment' stack, thanks to the last-mentioned cause. Although a proportion of the grain is coming to hand in a more or less faulty state, it cannot be said that any very considerable proportion of the main crop is affected ; but farmers would do well to remember that their care of the cereal produce of their land does not; cease until they have passed it on, in the best possible condition, ttf the hands of th.c buyer." Mr J. Cauper, of Gympie, Queensland, has forwarded to the clerk of the Executive Council (Mr $. Wilson Brown) a report received by him from the chief inspector of stock of that colony upon the subject of the liability of horses and other animals to be. stacked by mange, That

officer admits that it is urgently necessary that a thorough inquiry should be held into the immediate and indirect causes ef the disease termed " horse 1 niange)" and he expresses the belief that it will not Be eradicated untij the first cMdH is discovered. A. board was appointed in Queens' i&nd dome time sinrjej when a nock of sheep was affected with the disease) to inq'uire--(l) h ibe disease infectious or contatgious ? (2) Is it caused by, animal or vegetoid parasites? (a) Is it amenable to treatment ? The evidence submitted to the Board in regard to the first subject of investigation was most conflicting, many experts being tioavinded that the mange wds riot contagious. It was held to be proved that the mange was not due to an acariis, and there was abo every reason to doubt that it was of the nature of the ringworm 1 . Many temporary remedies had been fotjnd for the mange,- but in the case of the majority of animals treated it reappeared with che return of the humid weather of January, February, and March. The chief inspector points out, in conclusion, that it is remarkable that the disease in no way reduces the condition of the cattle or horses affected.

Mr J. Fulton, secretary to the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association, Canterbury, has (according to the Time?) developed a; little hobby for the collecting of black merino sheep. Starting some months ago with four, he has by breeding and collecting increased his stock to 50, the latest addition being 25 from St. Leonard's station; He is looking forward to a nice little clip of black wool in the coming season. There is (says the Tasmanian Colonist) one thing very peculiar about dairy cows, and that is the rapidity with which they lose flash when subjected to extreme wet and cold, and especially if they have not been accustomed to exposure. While it may take, and generally does require, months of good care to lay on an.ettra amount of flesh, all this can be lost by. a cduple of days of severe exposure, and while it Will not require quite so long a time to regain the flesh lost as it did originally to put it on, yet the loss in feed to accomplish this end is very considerable. You will find it is so much that it will frighten you, and probably soare you into being much more careful the next time in allowing your cattle to be unnecessarily exposed. While more and extra feed will in time bring the herd back to its original condition in respect to flesh, it is not so as to milking capacity. What is once loot here can never be regained until the cows come into the milk fresh again. No amount of extra feed and care will induce them to give the same amount of milk they did before the exposure took place. The lesson to learn from these facts is to be careful to have your stables and lofts in good order before severe cold weather sets in, and if a great change for the worse occurs in the night, do not sleep while the cows Buffer, but get up and open the stable doors and call them all 1 in. Be sure that none are overlooked, and especially the young thiugs. Dry cold is not half as dam- ' aging to the herd as a cbld rain, and for this ! reason there should always be sheds around the stable lot, not filled , with waggons and farm machinery, so that the cows can get under them while it rains. If for any reason you should be called away from .the farm be sure and instruct some reliable person before you go to attend to 1 this matter.

One of the most interesting breeds of sheep in England is the herdwick, the more so that they originally came from Spain, the original home of the merino, and, like the latter, have been maintained in their original purity. Very little was known of this interesting breed until 1856, when their history was written by. " The Druid " for the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society. Ifc appears that " 40 small sheep managed to save themselves " from the wreck of a small vessel belonging to the Spanish Armada, wrecked on the coast of Drigg, and were claimed as jetsam and flotsam by the then lord of the manor. As their number increased, and as they proved themselves eminently suited to the mountains* a few were appropriated to each farm, and thus originated a custom still adhered to of letting the sheep with the farm ; and from this also originated the term " herdwick." They differ greatly from the merino both in shape and wool. In both these they resemble the black-faced mountain sheep. The only resemblance to the merino is in the horn. There are many flocks of the breed in Cumberland and Westmoreland, which have been handed down from father to son for generations without the slightest admixture of blood, and, like the hardy highland sheep, no cross ever tried can improve them. They are much prized for the quality of their mutton, their small joints and lean meat being unequalled. It would be interesting to know what was the quality of their wool when they first landed on the English coast, and whether their present loug and coarse wool has been the result of the climate and rough pasturage of the English mountain districts.

Application (says the Australasian) has been made to the Premier by the Government of South ) Australia) that the Victorian stock authorities should consent to temporarily suspend the agreement existing between the colonies that the importation of swine into Australia shall be absolutely prohibited, The explanation is given that this request is preferred in the interests of Mr J. H. Angas, pastoralist, of South Australia, who has imported from Great Britain several valuable pigs. The animals are at present detained on board a hulk at Fort Adelaide in quarantine. They have been examined there by the South Australian stock inspectors and the local medical officers, who have certified that the animals are absolutely free from disease.. In view of the receipt of certificates to that effect, the South Australian Government state that they apprehend no risk from the introduction of the pigs into the colony. This application was referred by Mr Gillies to the chief inspector of stock (Mr E. M. Curr), who has advised that to grant it would be to set a dangerous precedent, and to imperil the whole of the herds of swine in the colony by the introduction of some contagious disease. The Government have adopted Mr Curr's views, and have written to the South Australian Ministry declining to comply with their request to assent to the landing of the pigs. Ever since the great American horse show (says the North British Agriculturist) a vigorous correspondence has been going on in the American agricultural journals as to the relative merits of the rival breeds of draught horses./ The Clydesdale seems to be considered above party strife, for the fight has resolved itself into' a discussion of the merits of the Shire v.^the Pcrcheron or French horse. ' The championship of all breeds was, it will be remembered, awarded at the late show to a specimen of the latter breed, the Clydesdale Lord Lynedoch, being reserve. In a late number of the Breeders' Gazette (Chicago) Mr G. A. Brown, who champions the case of the English horse, makes the following novel proposal to test his contention that the. Shire breed is better than the Fercheron : — I will deposit at Second National Bank, Aurora, lOOOdol, subject to the order of three* good, candid, practical horsemen, one chosen by Mr Dunham, one by myself, and the third by those two'; Mr Dunham to deposit a like amount at his bank, and we five will start for Europe nest May on a tour of inspection. We will visit Scotland, England, and France. We: will each Bhow up our respective horses in all the ways wo can, leaving the three men to' rnafce careful notes, by the way, and report on

their return which she 6t the channel tfoey found the largest percentage <tf good horses and thesmallestp6roentageofpoorone4/*'Bat(fd<!i/^sdr. They shall also aeoertain, as near as how many stallions have been sold from 2teg- , ldnd mto France for breediog purposes during 1 tbfl loft 12 year's, and how msny have been sold from fcaflc-e-into England donng the same i time, and the breed th»t snfleft the most by , I the 'coniparisoii must pay the expense of the e \rM*rtfa Heafcey, of fctfwfcttW, infatms US (Cromwell Argtfa) that, Having seen a paragon in a 1 recent issue of the Cfcago Witness r> making butter,- he has tried it with' satisfactory results. The process is an easy one,- and dfe|ten3«s withja churn. ■ M\ that .is required to be done is id pttfc the cream into aolotfc, place it in the, ground, and cover it withoiri of soil j leave it there for 2« hours, 1 afnd the butter is rtfdde. All traces of the butterWky strange to say, afff gone. Mr Heaney is of opinion that 1 m cold weatnef it is 1 necessary to ajlow ihe cream to remain a 1 littfe longer under fjround. The following resolution W*j passed' at a'recent meeting of the Hatfke's Bay and' Pastoral Association :—"That a circol&r bo sent to all the A. and V. societies in the colony urging them to join in redDtaWi'ending Ministers to introduce a bill during tfie next session of Parliament to impose an annual fee oi »10 upon all entire horses of three yeare old and upttatds after the Ist November, the age of horses to date 1 from Ist August in each year ; that all such sums received by any A. and P. sooiety be given as an annual premium to sire horses standing in the district in which the tax is levied." A farmer in the Brunswick district (according to the Wanganui Chronicle) last season put two paddooks down in wheat. One of these he had time to plough twice, the other only received the usual amount of attention. Both were sown With wheat of the same sample, but he has marked the result, and so may our readers', 71 bushels on the twice ploughed land, 25 on the other ! The wheat is red Tuscan, and is described by a milling expert as about the best he has ever &£eh. For some time past the question of the per- 1 manency of ryegrass as a 1 pasture has been discussed, and as a contribution to 1 the subject we (North Otago Times) may mention that in 1872 Mr Jas. Gemmell, of Incholme, sowed a paddock with ryegrass seed, and since then the paddock has been frequently cropped, and in the process ' of ploughing and cropping the ryegrass died out, but in its' place there came a grass that Mr Gerdtneli says he has never noticed in other parts of the district. Each year the grass be- ! came more plentiful in the paddock, until now j there is a solid sole of it^ The grass is remarki ably luxuriant, and stock like it and thrive on it. Although the seed has sometimes been buried In | ploughing for crop, it has always sprung up j again more thickly than before. Mr Gemmell, who is not aware of the name of the grass, saved : some of the seed last year, and has hown down | about' 10 acres with it for seed, for the purpose of increasing the pastures on his property. The grass has the peculiarity of throwing off runners 1 like statvberry plants, and these runners take | root in the ground and thus increase the sole. \ Samples of the grass can be seen at Mr Conneli's stores. We do not pretend to have any special ! knowledge of grasses, but those interested should view the samples for tbeir own information. Mr Walter Cole, of St. Kilda, claims to have discovered a new and improved process of making butter, 'and he is exhibiting his novel system lat 135' Collins street East. The new process obtains butter without churning. Instead oi churning by concussion, air is passed through the cream, and the effect of this is to create certain chemical changes which separate the globules of butter fat 'from the easiae, and thus produce butter. Many advantages are claimed for the process, such as a saving of labour and the production of the best quality of butter from cream which is tainted by lucerne and other strong fodder, or soured by being kept too long. For the purpose of demonstrating the principles of the process, three strong glass vessels are provided, which may be called the churns. These will make about j 801b of butter ab a time. There is a 400-gal iron tank and a small intermediate vessel. The tank is .empty, and a stream of water flows into it from a f -in pipoj. This stream of water displaces the air in the tank, and gives the required pressure. The air passes through a pipe taken from the top of the tank, also through i the intermediate vessel and into the churns. The intermediate vessel contains water with I some perfectly harmless natural element in solu- j tion. The contents of this vessel are not revealed, but the air in passing through 'it is purified and otherwise rendered suitable for ; producing the desired effects upon the cream. The air pipe opous into the churn near the bottom, and a slight bubbling effect is produced. Gases of various kinds are driven out, and in the course of time small granules of butter are formed. The butter rune to the top of the churn, and the buttermilk is run off from a tap at the, bottom. Water is then run into the churn, and when the buttermilk has been washed out by this means the butter is removed "to the butter table. The process I lasts from 20 minutes to 40 minutes, or 60 minutes, according to the condition of the cream, the state of the weather, and other circumstances. A small pair of bellows, worked by a treadle, sent a current of air through a vesselful of rancid cream, and in about 20 minutes the offensive odours were driven off, while minute globules of butter were formed. The globules w«re very small, but it was explained that the close condition of the atmosphere was the cause, and the inventor felt sure that the butter would make up well after remaining overnight. There was no question, however, about the sweetness of the butter in the granular state, a condition which waH not expected from puch sour cream. The temperature of this cream when being operated en was 70oVg, aiul the inventor claims that he can make good butter with too cream at 74deg. Whetv the process is properly carried out the air I is cooled, so that the cream is about lOdeg lower ! in temperature than the atmosphere of the 1 dairy, The process is a promising one, and its full development will be watched with interest. Commenting on fche recently preferred guarantees of Nelson Brothers and the refrigerating compauies, the Oam aru Mail says : — " This competition is due to something more than a disruption between the elements that have hitherto controlled the trade. The Imperial and Colonial Trading Company has entered the field aa competitors, and such a competitor too. With a million capital and five 10-knot steamers capable of carrying nearly a million caicasses a year, and of doing the trip in 50 days, and with cool chambers for all kinds of produce, and with reasonably good management, this new candidate for the favour of .the sheepowners of New Zealand will, to a certainty, effect a revolution id the frozen meat and dairying industries that will place them on a permanent and lucrative footing. It is to be hoped that, whatever may be the advances made by Messrs Nelson. Brothers, the .Refrigerating Company, or any other of the organisations who h*ve contributed to make the trade so unsatisfactory to.the producers, the new company will meet'with $h© fullest encouragement. Ife must be obvious to all tb&.t but; little reliance can be placed, in ffal-

[sonl. BVosv ws»«> mauaged matters Khat they iftft the settler* wfcfc Kttleor no profit •; or im \ the Skftigerattog Company, who had no BMite- ' tion in re«omfiwn<Jfng seller* to accepta certißtt price and the* o#ered them more; or mtm jmippibg companies, who, in order to maintain pr?ces','fiave come to a common understanding.^ play few* each other's hand* and buy out opposition. Tfce* will probably have the Imperial and Colonial TradhJjr Company to deal with now—a company that m%- we understand, either pur* chase here at a reasonable price, or cany on shippers' own acCKWflf, and that will establish a system of disposal that will permeate every part of the Urttfed Kingdom. These are arrangements from which producers may reap considerable beneSt, if -they only will. The destiny of this- gigantic expefifiten* is entirely in their hand*, It » feeing m&te fa their interest. If they Mpporfe it, it must sGCftcftd and promote their pwtf «£ 1 vantage. If they, enticed by offers tbaln^ feeen opposition will ptob&bly wring from other* withhold their support ftoffi the new venture, ' then it w«f probably collapse and leave them ' again at t&e imtty of those who, not, satisfied with the result* pi the ordinary awl creditable , mtethods of trade, ctwaftned to exact from th» utmost farthing." I