THE FARM COMPETITION.-MR A. RANKIN'S FARM, GOWRIE

Otago Witness, Volume 01, Issue 2123, 1 November 1894, Page 6

THE FARM COMPETITION.-MR A. RANKIN'S FARM, GOWRIE

OF the six competing farms in the class under the 400-aore limit, two are on the Taieri, to one o? which— Mr Walter Blackie's— the prize wa» awarded, the other, the subject of the present notice, has been occupied by Mr A. Rankin since February 1881, aud is the homestead: section of the late Mr Peter Grant's Gowrie property. Mr Rankin's holding includes three 75-acre blocks of the old well-known farm, and is situate about a mile from Shand'a Crossing on the Mofigiel-Outram branoh railway, and bordering on the road from thence to Greytown, from which station on the Main Southern line it is about a mile and a-balf distant ; it is cour sequently next door to our markets for live stock aud farm produce. The surface soil is a clay loam, on parts of fche farm not more than sin, while on other portions quite 18ia deep, and resting on a clay sub* soil. The main subdivisions of the farm are six in number, but three of them are intersected by iron standards and wires, and thus means are afforded for giving the pasturage a spell «fe intervals, and for keeping the different classes of farm stock separate. The boundary and dividing fences are mostly gorse, bat some awf thorn, and all of mature growth Theirprimming has been attended to in the past, but »6 present they are certainly not in show form. With the exception of four all the gates are old and of the most primitive description^ They are a eorfc of batten affair hanging on very flimsy posts, and when closed kept so by by tangles of fencing wire. Doubtless «M»0 contrivances for gates have the merit of economy, but at the expense of utility and con* venience. Where they ceaso to be the? means of ingress and egress to and from the adjoining paddock?, the stranger-vislto* will quickly recognise that he has reached a boundary of the holding. Close to the entrance gate to the farm, and with an outlet for overflow channelled underneath the mam roadway, there is a creek, or rather a narrow, tortuous lagoon, post and wire fenced on each Bide to if* bend hato the wtxame eastern paddock, *Wod

ft trmrsw, and with another outlet for flood■witer under the road. From the bend of the fcnotk a •trip of weil-groim and judioiouolyfcpaced pin«B fasignifc with, a high thorn hedge at. back extend* alongside the atenue past the dwelling and a portion of the outoffices. On the avenue side up to the gateway to the farmy&id a thorn hedge has been oat back close to the ground, and might well be dispensed with altogether, so that the stook depjuturing in the avenue paddock might have no impediment to the enjoyment of that they dearly like— a lie dawn among the trees. There 18 other tree shelter on the farm, but that provided by the plantation of gum trees alongside the extremity of the south-western boundary must be found to be particularly valuable. On account of the illness of Mr Bankin, and of an engagement pleaded by his son, the inspection of the farm was. necessarily an exploration, but with the advantage of being untrammelled by effasive laudations of fancy practices or by excuses for shortcomings, fa the first plaoe, it appears that the portion of the farm devoted to tillage from year to year varies greatly both as regards area and the Grogs grows. Thus, as the. foxemaß, who. waa busily engaged potatoplanting, explained. "Of this Ttacre block naif was in wheat la*fr year and the other half intarley, and then seven acres tn turnips and jjofcatoes made np the cultivation. This year IB acres are in oafs, and about the same extent will be in turnips and potatoes, as Mr Rankin Is going in for cattle-keeping, and so must have toots' for winter, feed." It will be perceived that the success of the management in a pecuDitry tense greatly depends on the quality and condition or the pMVates atjd the quality and classes of the live stgok kept, and tbe*#»re<en titled topreoedence in the notes taken on the oocasion of the recent inspection. To begin with, the paddock in front of and reaching Dp to one aideot the homestead and orchard is subdivided by a standard and wire fence, the smaller portion, convenient to the farm buildings, feeiog kept in reserve for brood mares, rams, &c. On this there is at present excellent grass and clover feed, and within the enclosure were two brood mares (one with a foal at foot) of a stamp that should breed good hackneys, and a few fairly good rams. The larger division had been' closely fed down, and was cleared of stock. The sole of grass is thick and free of weeds, but is sadly in need of moisture. The field to the left of the avenue and plantation is also intersected by ft standard and wire fence, and within the* upper division a- few superior thorthorns and the ordinary sorb of milkers were grazing. On the portion bordered by the Main road others of the shorthorn herd and a flock of excellent Border-Leicester hoggets were having the run of the best pasturage on the farm. A dividing -fence of rather straggling, gorso separates these' divisions from a large paddock in which, the: ewe-flock with lambs at foot were feeding. The owes- are said to be all purebred Border-Leicester, and certainly 90 per cent; of them are high class sheep. They have a large proportion of twins and: a few triplets at foot, the increase being reckoned at over 14D per cent. Considering the circumstances^ the majority of experienced sheep-farmers would have these ewes and lambs on the prime pasture that ia given, np to hoggets and a few head of cattle. The pasturage on which the breeding stock id feeding Is now scanty enougb, and . as there are growths of rushes and thistles here and there the paddock would be greatly* improved by drainage and considerably: deeper tillage than ever it has been, subjected to. From this field to the western boundary the land, with the exception of about four acres prepared for seeding down, is all in grass and devoted to the keep of a mob of store cattle of all ages. The foreman in reply to an inquiry said that of these store* 35 cows with sucking calves at foot were- bought " in a- line some months ago " with the intention of' rearing the calves and fatting the cows afterwards. None of the wheat and barley sucaw off. the five-acre crop was sold, the bulk of it having been fed to the store cattlo during the winter. The beasts are at best of very inferior quality and now in very backward condition indeed. Were Mr Bankin to publish particulars of the buying price and cost of keep of the 35 cows and. their calves, with the selling price when marketed, he would impart a valuable lesson to inexperienced stockowners. It appears unaccountable that such iufarior animals should find harbour on a farm where appreciable efforts are being made to breed shorthorn cattie.. The grasses down with last season's" grain crop, to the extent of 35 acres, are the reverse of promising. The coil near the southwestern boundary is very foul. The youDg grasses and clovers struggling through have been pinched close and the surface poached by the stole cattle. Adjoining the newly laid down pasture there is an 18-acre field of oats in braird, the preparatory tillage for which must have been very rough over a considerable portion at least. The tilth of the soil intended for potatoes, and where planting was in progress is far from s&tirfaotory, whilst the portion for the current season's turnips in still mostly in sun-baked plough-furrow. Owing- to Sir Rankin's illness, particulars of the numbers of the several classes of live stock on the farm atd of- the breeding of the shorthorn cattle were net Obtainable. The stud bull in use was first in his class, and champion shorthorn sire at last year's show in Tahuaa Park. He is in excellent form, and being rid of the top-hamper of flesh with whioh he was encumbered at the exhibition, he has now a truer outline, is better let down on the thighs than he was, and bus lightness of flank is less noticeable. A young red ball, reputed, to be of pure deccent, was in an exercise yard. It is doubtful if this animal will, ever meet the approval of judges. The farm horses are rather of an ordinary description, but Mr Bankin possesses an exceedingly nice hackney sire in Cock of the Walk. The only objection the moat captious critic could urge against this horse is in regard to size. He is on the 6mull side certainly, but his form and action are just about perfect. Almost surrounded by vacant buildings, the piggeries are fully occupied by yaakabire, Berkshire, and crossbred pigs. The SJorkshires axe apparently the favourites, as all the young litters are white. The* dwelling is commodious, aad almost -bidden in a well-kept orchard and garden. The jEarmyard building? are far beyond the requirefnent» of a farm of 225 acres, as will be understood when it is explained that they were erected foe the needa of the originally extensive Qowrie farm. In concluding- this notice, it is •aue to Mr Rankin to state that his farm was entered in tha competition for the Lawes Shield Mthout hfe knowledge, and probably he now regrets he id not withdraw it in time. .As. showing the value, of fc^e Jewish regula.lions with regard to the animals slaughtered for their food, the Chief Rabbi of New Zealand States that amongst the 209 oanoar oases treated |n the Wellington Hospital during the last weight years there has not been a single Jewish uatient. Oat of the 6767 deaths registered in tfow Zealand daring 1693 there were 1091 'paused by cancer and tubezoulooj diseases— , two ailmenw which we veer Bwru&b among*]) battle*