AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2086, 15 February 1894, Page 11

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

(Continued from page 7),

Some of the farmers along the west coast of the North Island are (says the New Zealand Mail) inclined to doubt the correctness of Mr Charlton's diagnosis of the disease which has caused the great mortality amongst sheep on the coast, for the reason that many have suffered losses in flocks which have not been fed on Yorkshire fog or "tufted" cocksfoot, to which Mr Charlton ascribes the cause of the mortality. Mr Charlton may be correct in his conclusions as far as he has gone, but it would appear that his investigations have not covered the whole of the causes of the mortality, and further inquiry will have to be made. The following is Mr J. G. Wilson's opinion on the matter, as given in a letter to a Hawera gentleman :—": — " Yours of 22nd duly to hand. I should be loth to set my experience against that of Mr Charlton's, but still I suppose I may have an opinion. There is no doubt that were" sheep to eat tufty cocksfoot it might give rise to a serious form of indigestion, and perhaps might kill. I don't believe that sheep, however, will eat it to any extent. Any animal eating the stalks of grass which has run to seed would probably suffer from indigestion, and especially is this the case with a coarse grass such as cocksfoot. Neither can there be doubt that it would be a wise thing for the settlers to run a mowing machine (where practicable) over these pastures and cut the tufts of cocksfoot, as has to be done in many cases elsewhere. The grass then cut would make ensilage. But that the loss of sheep arises from this cause, I should very much doubt. I should not like to offer any opinion without careful investigation ; but I should expect to find that although rank grass may predispose sheep to disease (owing to lower vitality), we must seek for some other cause. I was sorry to see the interim report, as it showed that the investigation was going to be a perfunctory one, and therefore would be of little service to the farmers. I have noticed them in a dying condition even on rape. How can tho sole cause of the great loss be rough cocksfoot ? I am sorry T have not had much opportunity of ! observing iho sheep oKcopt in a run through the district. I trust, however, that our new veterinary h£. u gy~con~ 1 i'lUoiu.s a^ain, Hat make a more extended ! study of what has been the cause of such a I serious loss to onr West Coast farmers." I Aa experioenb in tho freezing of poultry hag (says the Australasian) jusb been concluded with highly satisfactory results. Poultry placed in a refrigerating chamber at the Newport Freezing Works ob December 16 last was examined a few days ago, and found to be in excellent condition for the table. Some birda were chilled and others frozen hard, but the chilled birds were not a success. Messrs Turnbull, Hotson, and Co. have undertaken to supply suffjoient space in one of their chartered vessels, sailing about the 20th prox., for a trial shipment of dressed poultry, and will charge the same freight as for frozen mutton. It is proposed to send 10 cases, each containing 40 birds, some of which will be placed in linen bags and others in cardboard boxes. Mr Hart, poulterer, of Melbourne, has agreed to 'collect and kill the birds free of cost to the consignors, and the Agricultural department will attend to the shipping and the sales in London. Inquiries made through the Agent-general show that the best time for shipping poultry to London is from March to July, during which period the wholesale prices realised range from 3s 9d to 63 for Surrey-fed chickens, and from 2s 6d to 3s 6d each for the ordinary fed birds. These would be spring-hatched birds of an average weight when plucked of from 2£lb to 3£lb. Laudable efforts are (according to the Australasian) now being made to increase the Victorian export trade, especially in natural products. The butter trade appears to be well established, the Ministry are determined to assist in developing a trade in frozen meat, and the Agricultural department is at present giving its attention to such products as cheese and pork. It has been decided to make trial shipments of cheese and pork, and the refrigerating chamber of the Bteamer Australasian, which leaves this port for London on the 23rd prox., has been engaged for the purpose. Something like 100 tons of Cheddar cheese, both white and coloured, and about 50 .carcases of pork, will form the consignment. Every care will be taken by the Secretary for Agriculture that good samples only are shipped, in order that the Home purchasers may be favourably impressed and encouraged to enter into large negotiations with the colony. According to a cablegram in the Argus the frozen eggs sent to London recently as an experiment realised 9£d a dozen. The Secretary for Agriculture states that at the time these eggs were despatched the wholesale price in Melbourne was 2£d a dozen. The private consignments of eggs to England were not a success owing to the methods of preservation adopted, but the frozen eggs referred to arrived in London in excellent condition. An important discovery has (says the Adelaide Observer) been made in the fact that nitrate of soda and any Boils taken from Chili and Peru contain not only the nitrogen that is natural to the fertilisers, but also include multitudes of the aricrobes or bacteria which manufacture nitrates in the soil in conjunction with the roots of the leguminosre (such as clover, &c). There are two distinct orders of microbes or bacteria which act in unison in the production of nitrates in tbe soil, and these are infinitely more abundant in the soils and in manures from Chili, Peru, &c, than in soils from Europe. By "planting" a field with small nodules of soil from a rich field it will result in the great enrichment of the field by the action of the bacteria contained in the introduced soil. We (Australasian) are informed by Mr John Cooke that he has received cable intelligence that an Engl'th company of well-known frozen meat consignees is actually urging the London dock companies to increase their rates for storing frozen meat in their warehouses. No better evidence could be adduced to show the,

darger of allowing this great industry to be stifled by anything in the form of a monoply, and we trust that the counter effort certain to be exerted by other consignees will prove successful.

A Wellington paper states that the statistics relating to the prices of colonial wool during the past six years show that the average value of a bale of wool has been— lßß4-, £13 10s ; 1889, £15 10s ; 1890, £14 15s ; 1891, £13 10s ; 1892, £12 ; 1893, £12 10s. So that, comparing the returns of last year with those of 1889, the producers received £3 per bale less for their wool last year than they did four years ago, and the colony would receive (supposing the export to be the same in both years) £1,051,200 lesp last year than in 1889 ; and there must also be taken into account the wool sold in the colony to Home buyers not considered in the above figures and what is used in the mills of the colony. Of these quantities we have no record, but it must be considerably over 50,000 bales more. It will, therefore, be seen of what enormous importance a rise in value meanß to our woolgrowers, and the passage of the tariff admitting wool free to the United States, and which is to come into effect on August 1 next, is an item of news of the most gratifying character to the people of New Zealand generally. "At present," says the Manchester Courier, " the foreign or colonial mutton which obtains the highest price in this country is that which reaches us from New Zealand, much of which appears in the butchers' shops in a moat attractive form. Its appearance is in many cases even better than a great deal of the meat which is grown and fed in our own country." The Taranaki Herald says that more than £150,000 has been advanced by Messrs Lovell aud Christmas, of London, for butter and cheese made in Taranaki during the season. &■ At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Saleyards Company, the report showed that after making considerable improvements and paying an interim dividend of 5 per cent. , there remained a credit balance of £533. A dividend of 4 per cent., making 9 per cent, for the year, was declared, and £23 carried forward. The totals of stock passed through the yards during the past 12 months were :— Sheep, 422,105 ; cattle, 18,724 ; pigs, 13.331. One hundred and seventy-seven tons of butter have been exported from Wanganui to England during the last four weeks.