AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2151, 16 May 1895, Page 15

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

We hear that Mr J. B. MacEwan has been appointed chief dairy expert for New Zealand, and it is intended to reorganise this portion of tbe Agricultural depar! ment with a view to a uniform and more definite system of instruction ■ and supervision of the dairying iuteiejts. We believe it is intended -bo start the work with two dairy tchools — one in the a&uth aHd one in the north. The foimer, it is anticipate-], will stait operations about June 10, and Mr MacEivan is now in the South Island with a view to selecbißg a su : table factory and making arrangements at orce, as aftsr the Eouthern dairy school has carried on its operations for four or five we. ks the staff will be. rf moved to a su'tibla factory in the Noith Isiaud for the benefit of these desirous of instruction there. Mr MacEv/an's object is to secure a factory as ct ntr ally situated at possible with an adequate nvlk supply and suitable buildings, «nd also, if possible, acccmmodstiou suitable for those who may bo attending. We lupe to give further definite particulars whsn arrangements are completed, in a. few days. At a meeting of tho Canterbury A. and P. Association on Thursday, a sab - committee appointed at a former meeting reported that having considered 'he correspondence from Mr R. Poster, and' after hearing individual experiences of members present and their opinion? on the subject of the footrot, the sub-committee considers that ib is undesirable to reqnest the (government to speoially legislate fur the suppression of the diseese. The subject of reductions in the railway freight on lime was considered, and it wns resolved ou the motion of Sir John Hall, seconded by Mr John G'igg— "That, in thanking the Government for what they had done, regret should be expressed that the reductions, c specially for long distances, were not of a sufficiently substantial nature to cause any material incretse in the use of lime for agricultural purposes, and a consequent increase of truffle." The lands of Mr J. C. Anderson, of Stirling, Molyceux district, are dtckred inftc'ei places under the Stock Act, as it ia reported swine liver exists »mong pigs. Two excellent samples of wheat grown at Cheviot were shown in Christchurch on Thursday. They are of the pearl and Tuscan varieties, and represent tbe produce of 100 acres cultivated by Bteven»on Bros. They were grown after only one ploughing, and averaged 39 bushels to the acre. This is considered by fx t>rts a splendid result. Mr Gilrt th, the Government veterinary surgeon, vieited on Saturday the property of Mr J. Crawford Andewon, at Stirling, and satisfied himself of the prespnee of swine fevor among the pigs. Mr Gilrufh arranged for the disposal of the animals. Some days ago portions of the intestines of pigs bred in that district and which were supposed to have been suffering from swine fever, or pig cholera, as the disease is sometimes termed, were forwarded to Mr Charlton, of Lincoln College, who reported that the lesions were those of swine fever. Consequently Mr Anderson's lands have been declared infected places under the Stock Act. It in%y be added that this disease is prevalent in Great Britain and the United States, and that the Imperial authorities have spent large sums in endeavouring, to eradicate it. The Department of Industries is sending a parcel of prepared rabbitskins to Canada with a vifcW of opening a tnerket. It also hopes to begin a trade with Japin in the same article. A wether killed at the Wauganui Freezing Works scaled 1661b. This is a record for the works. A valuable addition to the reaper and binder lias been evolved from the fertile brain of a Victoian farmer in the shape of an improved twine knolter, which i»said to work "with unerring- precision, making a knot wonderfully perfect in every rrspect." The knife for cutting the twine is c o placed in the knottpr that it safely cats the end of each band with the same action that forms the knot. It cuts close up, leavirjg no wastsi either on knot or retainer. This is a saving" of considerable value to the farmer, for twiDe means money. It requires! no other attachment what ever in tying the knot, and makes the two ends one in cne act. The manager of the Walter A. Wood Company gave it a thorough inspection in Melbourne, and was 80 impressed with its efficiency, simplicity, and the ease with which itcou'd be attached to any | machine that he recommended it to his firm in America, where it has been tent for their consideration. It is satisfactory to ficd that Australia is capable of improving upon the products of American ingenuity. The clever inveutjr of the new knolter is Mr E. Holland, of the Avon Flams distriot.— Queenslander. The settlers in the Braidwood district of New Booth Wales are having a very unpleasant experienoe. They report to the Minister for Stands, who has been visiting the locality, that they oould make both ends meet were it not that a new disease known as liver rot has ployed havoc among their flocks during the past two or three years. During 1894 one 'settler lest 7000 sheep, auo'her 11,000, and a third 16,000 sheep from liver rot and fluke. As most of the owners keep only small flocks, such mortality has almost rained many of them. About 10 days- ago Mr Cowan, of Kawarau station, had among a mob of stragglers a merino nun shorn at the Gibbston woolshed, the wool from which, after leaving fully 3lb weight on tbe ebef p owing to the near approach of winter, turned tbe scale at 451b. The shef p was shorn and weighed in Mr Cowan's presence, therefore tbe return maybe relied upon as being totally

authentic. The ram in question, which was out of a owe which was a descendant of the flock of Mr Gibson, of Scone, Victoria, the bire being bred by Mr Sise, of Moeraki, ia foar years old, and had not been mustered for three years. The fleece when shorn was a perfect one, found in every respect, and the stable was lOin long. We think we tre right in string that this is the record dip for a merino sheep. — Cromwell Argus. The Bruce Herald of the 10th says :— "A large mob of cattle from the E'lendale estate passed through Milton on Wednesday morning en-route to Dunedin. The animals were feeling the effect* of the hard roads and scarcity of feed. The drover complained that the accommodation paddocks contained little or no pastare, and be bad to mnke the most of what was growing by the way Bide." The Frenoh Government is devoting much attention at present to improving the breed of horses. Money is expended liberally to secure supplies of good stallions and to quarter them at the covering depot*. The difficulty does not 1 lie in securing the services of a first-class sire at a moderate fee, but to find a suitable m«o capable of bearing a vigorous foal. Much of the success of the Percheron as a general purpose horse is due to the attention given to the selection of mares. Since ladies have adopted the fashion of driving a pair of ponies and phaeton, pony-breeding promis* 8 "to be profitable. "During the four years in which I had charge of the inspection of hogs for the United States Government," cays Prufe sor John MichMs, late United States Department of Agriculture, "ray attention was drawn to a parasite which was so numerous that it was found almost daily during the search for Trichina spin Us unrter the microscope. This parasite has the appenrauce of an elongated worm with a blunt point at each end. It assumes many forms, eo»a«- fcitnes being narrower and longer, &nd at' other times broader and shorter, and even almost rouud. The interior is composed of granular matter, which with a high power provts to bo embyro*, the worm-like body being only a sac. These sacs are sometimes very numerous in the muscle, whi'e each sac oontaius many hundreds of the embyros ; taken together the number existing in some hogs must bo counted by the million. This parasite, which is considered to be harmless, is called by the United States Department of Agriculture Tarco*peridium, and by the Germans Pnoresporniien, and it is remarkable, considering their great number in a fo >d product, that little appears to be known of their life history.,. I have mide preparations of the sao for microscopical examination, *nd expelled the embryos from the sao, which prove to be the shape of half moans." A number of Wbareami settlers interviewed Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H.R., lasb week in reference to the Rabbit Act. They said that they keliered wire netting to be the only successful method of coping with the rabbit pesf, and ,askf d if there vras not a possibility of inducing the Government to advance this nettit g at a low rate of interest, the same as the cheap money was being advanced. Mr Hogg paid he had always strongly advocated the use of wire netting, and would continue to do so. It was eventually decided that a petition be prf pired by the settlers and presented to the Minister for Lauds through Mr Hoy g. Lawrence Bruner, entomo'ogist of the Agricultural Experiment Station, Lincoln, Nebra«ka, has been repeating th? work doaeat Kansas last year in respect to the destruction of the chiuch bug, which has heretofore been tuch a pest in the wheatfiel<!s. There are at least three diseases wnich prove fatally iufectious to this bug, but so far only the fuagus ' known as Sporotrichum globuliftrutn has been extensively employed. The process is remarkably simple. Dry bugs, whiih have been dead for years, are just as infectious to living bugs as are the live bugs which have just contracted the disease. A few infected bugs (either living or dead and dry) are placed in a large wire gauze cage along with a considerable number of healthy bugs, and supplied with suittblo food, which consists of wheat plants. About the second or third day the whole of the bug* show signs of infection, aad h*lf or more of thesa are scattered about the bug-infested field, whilst a pint or more of fresh healthy bugs ara collected and put into the cage with the eick ones left there. The army of infected bugs is thus increased to any extent required, and as fast a« possible they are scattered over the fields. These infected insects are too 6ick to feed, but run about amongst their hralthy fellows and communicate the disease to them. The more healtey bugs in number there are on the field the more quickly is the disease spread, and within a short time there ii no more trouble from the pest. The farmer then looks carefully after the dead bujo, collects a quart or two, dries them in the shade, and puts thorn away in a ve r y dry place for future use if tbe chinch bug should again iu r est his crops. The popular name of the Sporotrichum U •' white fungus," and it looks like the down upon the mealy bug. The chinch bug is very small, and belongs to the game order as. the stinking vise bug. Mr J. M. Sinclair, Victoria's special inquiry agent in America, has been gathering information on the handling and ihippirg of grain. The reaulbs of his investigations all trended in the same direction — if Australia would make wheat- growing profitable at present prices, the crop must be handled and shipped in bulk. Even where there wss only 6,000,000 or "10,000 000 bushels available for export, said the American merchat.t?, there was room for profitable employmt nt of grain elevators, and a 8 the i Victorian pmluction of whf a^, oats, aud barley amounts to 20,000,000 bushels yearly, it was considered that there was no question about the adviaablene33 of immediately adopting the elevator system. On all roadside railway stations throughout the grain States there are erected either elevators or elevated platforms for receiving grain from the farmers' waggous and loading it into the cars. The elevated platform is the simplest and cheapest of all means used in loading railway trucks with bu!k grain. They are built so that the top of the floor is about 6ft above the level of the rails in the station yard, aud eloping approaches are built at either end, so that loaded waggoßß of grain from farms can be driven right on to them. At the larger country stations grain elevators are used. They are all built of wood, and are from two to three Btoreys in height. They all have storage bins, so that the grain received, if not loaded immediately iuto trucks, can be held until sent away. The general size 3of ordinary country elevators are from 15,000 ta 25,000 and 50,000 bushel capacities. If only of ordinary size they are worked with a small gisoliue engine or by horse power ; for the larger ones steam power is used. The cost of these elevators varies according to their internal arrangement and where they are built. One of 25,000 bushels capacity, with cleaning machinery and steam power, erected in lowa, cost £600. Grain never receives damage by exposure when dealt with by elevators as it does when exposed to rains on platforms and in stacks. Mr D. Budde, M.H.R., t&legraphed to the Premier recently that Canterbury farrasrs were anxious to get information re trial shipment of heavy draught hones and upstanding hunters

to London — time and place of shipment, and Government concessions. Tho following reply was received yesterday :—": — " Re trial shipmont of horses to Londoa. Wo propose that those wishing to make trial shipmant should fix a price on each horse. Animals to ba inspected by Government officer, who must be satisfied that the price is fair. Horses are to be insured. After arrival in London they are to be sold, and account sales rendered to Agentgeneral. If tho horses do not fetch freight and charges Government will recoup owners up to one-ba'f freight. Thtse are same terms upon which we sent timber shipments. —R« J. Seddon." The kernel of the recent agricultural exhibition, a yearly gathering orgiuised by the State (writac the Leader's Paris correspondent), was the show of breeding auiinits, male and female, between sis and 18 months old. It is a successful mart, where the type of animils desired can be found ; bub a smart price must be p*id. Now, the chief attention of purchasers was, in the case of dairy stock, bestowed on the Normandy breed of cattle. D>»pite its huge and ungainly form, with no marked aptitude to fatten, and producing a betf of no lin nws, flavonr, or "aroma," it is patronised fur its yield of milk, its rustic habits, and its readily eating any food, provided enough be supplied. The dairy interest round the capital aro replacing Flemish, Dutch, and Durham oronsinga iv thfir byres by the Normandy cow. The pecoad salient feature of the exhibition was the f.»vonr accorded to the large white York-hire pig and its crossing with the large French Craonuais breed. The French prefer tho long-r,ided pig, with lengthy, soft, and silky h*ir, whe.e not a single bhek hair can be encountered. In tho section of fnt stock a lot of three pigs of the Yorkshire-Craonnais race wao shown, having an average weight each of 4owt 391b (221 kilograrumQs) and aged 10 months. Iv the CASij of sheep, Southdowns were m st iv rep-ate. In the Irish Land BM introduced snd lead a first time in the House of Commons it is proposi d to still further extend the lights of Irish tenants. The Ssed Potatoes Bill, for the b. nefit of Irijh farmers, wns read a second time, ami an instalment of £35,000 was votei out of a total of £70,000 proposed iv relief of distress in Ireland, on account of the failure of the potato crop. , A report has been received at the English Foreign Offica from the British Cjnaul at Antwerp tSat two tthipnunts of CansdUu cattle landed at that psrb a few days previously had been found sufftring from plsiuwpneumonia, and that most Btriagent orders had iv consequence been issued that no further o&rgoes of Canadian cattle should be pormuttd to land in Belgium. At last week's mee'iog o? the Wa ; t*huna Farmers' Club the adjourned debate on the Tuapeka County Council's letter requesting to know if the club was agreeable to a spoci&l rate being s'ruck over tho whole cauuty for the fuither carrying out of the prov'sious of the Small Birds Nuibanco Act wns prodded with. Mr Cjwen was of opinion that as all the settlers in the county were receiving an equal benefit to those who at present taxed themselves, it was only fair and just th«vt all should bear a portion of the expnse of keeping the small birds in check.— Mr Martin Ryau was of the same opinion as Mr Cowen. He pointed out that if the same measures were corai,e'led to be adopted in other r arts of the county as had been carried out for a number of yeais by the Waitahuna Farmers' Club tbe small bird nuisance would soon be a thing of the past. — Mr M'Ara would be in favour of a rate being struck for the purpose if he were sure that it would result in the benefit anticipated ; but. ho thought it was the duty of the county council to take the responsibility of adopting such measures as wore deemed most advisable iv the matter. He did not regard it as altogether fair to the club for the county council to throw the oiiU3 of such a suggestion on them. — After fuither discussion it was resolved, en the roo v ion of Mr Cowen, seconded by Mr Bateraan, jun.— «• That the club respectfully dec'.ine to give an opinion as to the advisability of striking a special rate over the whole county re currying out the provisions of the Small Birds Nuisance Act, and would leave it to the county council to take such steps as they may consider advisable in the direction indicated ; the secretary to forward a copy of this resolution to the Tuapeka County Council." One of the obstacles to the preservation of potatoes for table use ia the sprouting of the tuben. As scou as the tuber is put iuto any place favourable in temperature and moisture it will begin to grow, and consequently deteriorates a? an article of food. A growing potato is always more or le?s a loss, because it is not so well able to feed either man or animal. The nutritive matter is slowly corsumed by the germ, and the tuber subsequently becomes a source of danger to man as well as beasts. Hitherto only one w*y had been known of stopI ping the growth. This comiated in taking the eyes out with a knife, a slow proceeding, and very frfquently in doing it the tuber was braised or otherwise injured. For three years now Modß. Schaibati has tried at the French Agronomic Institute another mode, which has been found effectual. It consists in treating the potatoes with sulphuric acid. Take a large tub and fill it three parts full with water, and add Bulphuric acid to make a 2 per ceut. solution. The potatoes are placed iv the solution and kept there for about 12 hours, they are then withdrawn and dried, and their preurvation is absolutely secured. If the solution i-s stronger, a less time is required ; with a. 3 par cent., live [ to eight bxura immersion is sufficient, aiid with a 4 per cent, solution, three to six hours immereion will be effectual. The dissolved sulphuric acid attacks the germs on the Burface and quite kills them. Borne persons have objected to this method, thinking it is dangerous for man and animals; but this fear is eaid to be chimerical, because the amount of sulphuric acid remaining on the surface of the potatoes is very slight, and the seltzer water used daily by thousanda of people contains considerably more of this acid; Furthermore, potatoes are used without the skin, and tho acid does not penetrate into the flesh. At a meeting of the Royal Statistical Society held on February 19, at the Museum of Practical Geology, LondoD, a paper was read by Mr R. I. Crawford on an " Inquiry into Wheat Prices and Wheat Supply." Dealing Bret with prices, the author pointed out the almost continual decline in England from 7s 4d psr bushel in 1873 to 2s lOJd in 1894. The author summarised his conclusions as fol'owi :— " 1. The decline in the price of wheat has been more or leas uniform in all European countries whose ports are frea to grain. 2. The fall is mainly the manifestation of a natural economic process, consisting in the settlement of new lands, and the consequent extension of the margin of cultivation to regions where the cojt of production is muoh below that of the older centres of culti- j vation. 3. A review of the prices of the last quarter of a century would indicate that the fall has been more apparent since 1882 than in the earlier years. 4. Coincident with the fall since 1882 there ha 3 been an expansion of the wheatgrowing area west of the Mississipi, particularly in Dakota. 5. What is called the fall in price of wheat has consisted largely of an approximation of the prices ia consuming countries to

those in the groafe producing countries, owing to improvements in transit and reductions io the ccst of carriage — that is to say, the full hau been to a great extant a fall in freights. 6. One of the circumstances connected with the chinpe in the price of wheit between 1881 88 and since 1890 has been an increased quantity available for consumption per head."