AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2010, 1 September 1892, Page 10

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

(Continued from page 7.) The Taieri Advocate gives the following particulars of a trial of M 'Donald's drain plough at . Maungatua : — " The ground operated on was a stiff lea paddock three years out. The traction engine was stationed at one end of the field, a wire rope 15 chains long being attached to the plough as it stood in position for a start, the cut being of the depth of 22in. The signal being given to the enginedriver, away it went, easily and smoothly, or as some expressed it, 'as if cutting cheese.' The time occupied in the first drain was 10 minutes, and reversing the plough, hooping on a pair of horses, driving it back into position for the second drain, and moving the traction engine forward occupied other 10 minutes. Thus three drains per hour, each drain being of 15 chains, 7yds apart, was the result, which means an acre and a-Tialf." The Melbourne papers report that an important sale of station properties was held at Scott's Hotel on the 12th August by Messrs Powers, Rutherford, and Co. The first properties offered were the Nelyambo and Barnato's stations, situated on the Darling river, in the Albert district of New South Wales, and consisting of 3255 acres of freehold land, and the Nelyambo Pastoral Holding No. 13, situated in the western division of New South Wales, the leasehold area wherof contains 424,830 acres or thereabouts, and the resumed area 406,315 acres or thereabouts. The stock comprises about 121,300 sheep, 400 cattle, and 200 horses. This property was finally knocked down and sold to Messrs Lewis Bell, Willie Armstrong, and George Armstrong for L 75,000. The next station offered was Multagoona, situated near Bourke, in the Albert and Warrego districts of New South Wales. This property comprises 360 acres of freehold, and the Multagoona Pastoral Holding No. 228, situated in the western districts of New South Wales, the leasehold whereof contains 93,853 acres and the resumed area 34,535 acres. This property was finally passed in at L 21.000. On the suggestion of Mr Ritchie, thdSecretary for Agriculture, a visit is now being paid to the Lincoln Agricultural College orchard by Mr L. Hanlon, .t£e Government fruit expert. Mr Hanlon has instituted a number of experiments for the treatment of apple scale, American blight, and red spider. He has also tried a French specific for the grass grab, so abundant this year. This specific consists of the spores of a fungus (Botrytis tenella), with which a number of grubs are inoculated, and, being again placed in the soil, are said to spread the disease. The results of Mr Hanlon's experiments will be published, and will be looked for by fruit-growers and farmers with interest. The Orange correspondent of the Sydney Mail writes :— " Mr Melhuish, of Spring Hill, has invented a new bagging machine. The apparatus is combined with a chaff cutting machine, both being on wheels and easily drawn by. one horse. There is a hopper, which sifts the chaff. The cut hay is raised and emptied into the baggers, whence it passes into the bags by elevators on a revolving belt running in a wooden shoot. The invention differs greatly from the machines hitherto in use. Other baggers compress chaffby a screw, but the machine under notice compresses by stampers. The contrivance is simple an 3 not likely to easily get out of repair. It is stated that the machine, driven by a 4 h.p. engine, will put through 10 tons ' otsheaved hay per day, and will bag between two and three tons of chaff per"hour. The bagger is greatly in use' among local farmers. Mr Melhuish claims that the machine does not 'pulverise' the chaff as the screw machine does, but simply compresses without breaking or grinding." Many of the visitors to the A.S.B.A. Show were '(writes "Bruni" in the Australasian) much impressed by the advantages of single judging, and it is not unlikely that this system will be tried at some of our leading shows. The judging in the strong-wool classes was got through so expeditiously and so satisfactorily by Mr Lobb that the merits of the system of single judging were made manifest in a way that weeks of talk could not accomplish. From closely noticing the judging in the fine wool section, where two judges were at work, I feel satisfied. that either Mr Clark or Mr Philips would have done as well if acting singly. It is no argument against single judging to say that the two judges could not agree, and that occasionally a referee .had to be called in to decide. Calling in a referee is simply single judging being resorted to when judging by two has failed. It is difficult at timP9 to get a gentleman of sufficient skill and experience to take the position of^judge by himself, but the difficulty is enormously increased when ib is attempted to get .two or three such judges. Now that our merinoes are to bo. divided into two sections, more judges .will be required v two judges are fcoVba employed, therefore I would suggest that single'judging be given a trial. ' - , _ , Of farming in Victoria the Leader says :—: — . '•The 'one-crop' farmer will soon be a I curiosity, worthy of being placed in a museum, - where real farmers can gaze at him, and wonder : how he managed to exist upon the one crop a year, and in what manner he filled up his time • between seeding and harvest. Those who have tried tho 'one-crop' plan know well enough how bard a life it was, and can tell of year 1 after year of constant and almost unremuner- / ated toil; but still the true 'farmer,' who '. grows crops all the year round, and who works • really no harder, will not be able to make out how the 'one- crop' man could make hard work of it for 12 months, and yet raise only the one crop. There are many farmers now who raise all sorts of cereal crops, fodder crops, fruit crops of many kinds, grapes included, for pale, ' fresh, dried, pr preserved, grow vegetablea,

raise pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, poultry, make butter, cheese, bacon, and 50 other things, which bring in a constant income, and keep work going all the year round ; but yet they work no harder, or not so hard, as the poor old 'one-crop' farmer."

The Australasian Pastoralißts' Review says : —"Mr "William 1 Lane (' John Miller'), editor of the Worker (Queensland), is about to shake the 'Just of Australia from his feet. The Brisbane Courier thus refers to Mr Lane's departure: "« The '^reconstruction of society on communistic Htles has proved an impossible task in Australi&j'and it is understood that at length its apostle 1 in 1 Brisbane has resolved to win his future laurels in the more congenial sphere of Argentina. Possibly his departure •will be regretted in new-unionist circles, but the public generally will trust that the change will be as advantageous to him as it is hkelj 'to be to the colony.' Mr Lane is president oE the New Australian Co-operative Association, the object of which is to acquire a large block or land in the Argentine Republic, where it is proposed to found a colony, to be called 'New Australia,' on strictly communistic principles. The association some time since despatched an agent to the Argentine to open up negotiations with the Government. It is understood that a block of 416,000 acres on the- Rio Negro has been offered to the association on most favourable terms, and Jwo members of the Australian Labour Federation are now on their £•£ to Booth America to explore the land and

report to the association. If their report is as favourable as is anticipated, it is stated that about 500 tried bushmen will at once start out under the leadership of Mr Lane, and upon their arrival will proceed to erect houses and otherwise prepare the place for settlement by their comrades. Meanwhile the agents of the association now on their way to the Argentine will return to Australia to carry on the work of organisation, and will take over the second contingent. As soon as possible a third expedition will set out, says a labour paper, ' under the leadership of a gentleman who was prominently before the public during the great strike of 1890, and is one ,of the shining lights of Australiafftrades unionism/ Would that he were accompanying Mr Lane with the first batch of emigrants ! It is stated that within the next two years between 15,000 and 20,000 persons are expected to leave this country for the new colony, and that — 'a consummation devoutly to be wished ' — more than one member of Parliament has already signified his intention cf throwing in his lofc wifcn the new crusaders."

New South Wales dairy factories pay from 6d to 7*d per gallon for milk. During July the Manchester Square (Sydney) Butter Factory paid 7d for 6391ga1, Burrundella 7fd, Mudgee 7d and 7id, Cooyal do, Jindiandy Co-operative 7£df0r34,864ga1. Of late we (Queenslander) have made frequent references to the satisfactory manner in which the wraogemepfcs for the export of

frozen meat from Queensland to England are progressing. Everything points to «, successful trade between this colony and : ' Great Britain and the Continent of Europe being carried on ; and the information respecting the outlet for a. portion of our surplus stock in Egypt must have been read with interest by everyone having at heart the welfare of Queensland. Dalgetty and Co., Limited, in their Newcastle (New South Wales) circular, of date 29th July, thus refer to tho export of frozen meat from that pott : — Since the despatch of the steamer Port Douglas last February, with the first consignment of frozen meat from Newcastle to London, regular shipments, amounting to 83,000 carcases, have been made from the Aberdeen Freeziug Works, and, we are pleased to say, with highly satisfactory results to the promoters. The steamer Duke of Buckingham is now loading, and will be despatched in a few days with upwards of 40,000 carcases mutton and sundries.

At the bone mills of Messrs Blyth, Irvine, and Binney, at Footscray recently, a cow was being prepared for the boiling vats, when a gold wedding ring and keeper were turned out of its stomach. Both the rings were in very fair order.

A novel mode for exterminating rabbits was (says the Sydney Mail) adopted recently by Messrs Hedderwick Brothers on the Glenpedder estate, Greendale. Public notice was given that all surrounding neighbours who should present themselves with guns would be supplied with ammunition. The result was that 16 or 17 sportsmen hailed with delight the captivating offer, besides the pleasure of rolling over 200 or 300 bunnies.

Tasmania is about to establish a travelling dairy on the Queensland system. The conditions are : — Any society or committee of farmers applying for the dairy to visit their district must provide carriage of plant from nearest railway station, a building for housing the plant 20ft by 15ft with flooring (for plant alone), horse to work the separator, a daily supply of at least 50gal of milk, a labourer to assist iv the rough work, a sufficiency of clean water for washing butter and cleaning up. In return for this the society or committee may nominate 10 pupils, either male or female, for a course of special instruction — if accommodation suitable extra pupils maybe taken— the dairy will work 10 days at each place in the district, will operate at all places required in that district before leaving for another, and the produce of the milk will be returned to the society or committee. At each place the art of butter and cheesemaking will be practically demonstrated, and the manager is required to explain all details and answer • any questions to any farmers who may visit the dairy. .