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Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 5

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

One of the most pronounced signs of the times is that there will be a decided Signs (shortage in the wheat crops of ' or Victoria, South Australia, and The Times. Queensland. Now South Wales may have enough for her requirements, as good rains have fallen in that colony in time to save many of the crops ; but in the other colonies the crops are practically ruieed, and should rain come now it will be too late to do much good to the crops. The present season is said, so far, to bs the driest experienced in Victoria for 30 years past. If it keeps up that

reputation to the bitter end, thare certainly must be a great shrinkage in the grain yield and in tho volume of farm produce generally. There must be a demand for wheat, which means considerable importation. Already California is sending in her surplus wheat to Australia, and while supplies are forthcoming from that quarter there is no danger of a wheat famine. It must now be patent to the people of the Australian colonies that high protective tariffs on food stuffs is a mistake. The farmer who has his bushel of who it to sell will benefit to a certain extant, but to a greater extent the consuming public,who have to buy four bushels, will suffer. Another sign of the times, therefore, is that the present high tariffs levied for the beuefit of the Australian farmers alone willbe knocked off "at an e\rly date. Already Queensland has taken the initiative, and it will only be a question of time when all the other colonies resolve to admit grain at any rate on the frea list. „ The public will soon rebel against paying more than the market value for wheat merely to enrich a few farmers and their agents. When once the protective tariff is taken off grain in the Australian colonies generally, and the protective tariff , taken off fruit in New Zsaland, there will soon spring up an exchange of commodities that will amount to a considerable traffic. The export of wheat from this colony i.* not likely to be large, as we are not to any great extent a wheat-producing country ; bat still an Australian market for our surplus wheat and oats would be a great advantage to us. We could easily increase the volume of our export of cereals if a payable demand should spring up in Australia, for the area now under cereal culture is capable of considerable expansion. In the meantime our farmers may safely reckon upon a payable price for any surplus oats and wheat they may have to dispose of after next harvest, which in these straitened times is a mo3t comforting assurance. I believe there is good reason to think that the lambing throughout the paddock The flocks has been better than could Xaiubs. have been expected some months ago, when the severity of the winter was at its worst and the pro3pect of spring feed was rather gloomy. The ewes, generally speaking, were in a rather weak state at lambing time, but the weather for the most part turned out to be pretty favourable, and I think the result is that the percentages, though not quite so high as last year, are fully up to the average that we are accustomed to gat. This is matter for congratulation, seeing that sheep are likely to be rather better property than has been the case for a year or two. Strong, well-grown crossbred hoggets should bring a better price off the shears than was goinx lajt ye^ar, and the returns from fat lambs

are likely to be satisfactory, from, early shipments at any rate. It is to be hoped that provision is beiug made, or has been already made, for turning tb.9 surplus sheep to the best advantage when the time arrives fo<r marketing. A quick return is the best motto for the farmer, and by fattening the btst of the wether lambs for freezing, I thiuk a good and quick return is made that is hard to beat at any later p3riod of the sheep's career. Ten or twelve shillings for a fat lamb less than six months old is very satisfactory, and though I cannot say that such will be obtainable, it is well worth trying for, and that can only ba done by providing succulent, good food on which to top them off and make them really prime freczera. It does not do, either, to depend altogether on the "top-ping-off " process later on ; the ewes should have feed enough to enable them to nourish the lambs well from the start with plenty of milk, and the rest will be easy. In the matter of ! grass we are greatly dependent upon the climate and the season, and unfortunately the growth has been slow during the spring, and in many j instances the ewes have been on rather- short comm ms. Where lhare has been overstocking there will be few fat lambs, but I am glad to see that the grass is not to bear tho burden of keeping all the stock, and that rape, rye, oits, or gome other green crop is to be seen growing on many farms in readiness for the weaners. 16 does nob answer to trust to luck and good seasons. Forethought and good cultivation are indispensable, and by thtir aid only can we deserve success, and perhaps command it. The clip of wool on the low country should not ba much below the average, for The though the winter was severe the Clip. 6tock did nob suffer to any great extent so long as they had plenty of hay or roots to make up for the scarcity of graps. The merino fl >cka in the high country Buffered severely, but the majority of paddock sheep got tb rough the winter pretty well, so far as my observation goes. The condition of the clip at shearing time is largely aft'-cted by the kind of weather tb.it prevails during the few weeks immediately preceding the shearing, as exceptionally cold or wet weather, or a succession of cold and dry nor-'wesbers, prevents the rieing of the yolk in the wool. Much wet or much wind is bid for the ilesce in many ways, and no matter how healthy the sheep or how good the feed, tho wool will lack lustre and brightness after a spell of unfavourable weather. Tne farmer should therefore b3 guided by circumtta.nce3 in choosing the time for shearing, in order to avoid as much as possible the shearing of the clip . when the wool is bound to be in indifferent condition. I know it is extremely difficult to dodge the weather in

this fickle climate, and in some seasons the sheep would not be shorn at all if good weather was considered indispensable during the fortnight before shearing. We must c'en do the best we can and hope for better luck next time. Since writing my note on matted fleeces a few weeks ago, I have heard of another opinion anent this much-debated question. A sheepfarmer of great experience, and whose wool always solh well, is confident that the matting or interlocking of the wool takes place during the last month or so before shearing, and he therefore shears as early as the season and the weather will admit, in order to prevent tha evil referred to as mush a? possible. I cannot say that I agree with this theory altogether, because it seems to me that the fleeces of old crossbred ewes show signs of being matted at lambing time. It may be, and prcbibly is, the case that the evil ia intensified as the season progresses, and that the complete door-mat is only finished on the sheep' 8 back about shearing time ; but early shearing —say, in the last week of October — will not, I tbink, prevent matted fleeces from coming on the board. Aparb from the question of the condition of the . fleece, there is the welfare of the sheep to be considered, and as young sheep thrive much better after losing their fleece, the sooner they can be shorn the better. The irritation caused by the heat of the fleece and the ticks is sufficient to keep them from doing well, to say nothing of the risk of loss through getting " cast " while in the fleeoe.

Undipped and badly-dipped sheep must suffer torments from the blood-sucking The Tick. varmints that are perpetually

drawing tfeeir blood and causing a sort of poisonous irritation. A week or two ago a correspondent raised the question of the origin of the sheep tick. I scarcely think that their first appearance on a sheep is accounted for by the theory that they come through the skin from the blood. The sheep tick belongs to the family of insects called Hippoboscide. The female does not lay her egg, but retains it in her abdomen till it is hatched into the pupa state, when it is deposited on the sheep's skin. The full-blown tick, in time, hursts through the pupa} covering and emerges ready for action. We speak of the brown, oval-shaped pupse as the eggs of the tick, but the eggs cannot be sesn without opening a female tick under a strong magnifying g'as3. Naturalists gay that it is a matter for wonder how the papas, which is as large as the tick's body, is passed in the form in which we see it on account of its size. Ticks must get transferred from sheep to sheep, and no matter how clean a flock may be, there is .sure to be a dirty atraDger or two to 'supply the clean shenp with tormentors. It's my belief that a few healthy ticks got into the Ark op Noah's pair of sheet}, and have since multiplied excead-

ingly and stocked tho sheep of the world. I quite agree with "Drover" in what he says about dippiug often Being done in such a perfunctory manner that few of the pupra are killed, and if that is the case the prevalence of ticks is essily accounted for. The Mark Lma Express of a recent data bewails the present position of A Wail agriculture in Great Britain, from Across and points out the fact that the Seas. the general improvement in trades doss not bsneflt the farmer. There .are many signs that point to the improvement of tradß in almost every department, which of courss means n greater degree of p:o»perity amongst the inhabitants as a whole. Yet the statistics bearing upon the importations of food products show that their j volume is on the increase along with general increase of trade. As an instance, during the month of September the total value of agricultural imports amounted to about twelve and a-half millions sterling — that is, aboir, threequarters of a million in excess of the importations during the same period the previous year. The total increase up to the end of August as compared with tuc previous year was about three millions. Now, although it is satisfactory to note that the returns show an increased expenditure on food stuff-* by the population of Great Britain, the Mark Lane Etpres* deplores the fact that the British consumer is paying his money to the foreign producer. Aud it must be noted in this connection that in the eyes of the average Britisher the colonial producer is considered a foreigner. It is further noted in the article referred to that the importation of butter has increased, more foreign corn has been brought into the country, milk from abro id has cotno into the market in increasing qu<u>t:ties, while the volume of imported beef and mutton ttill grows larger. The writer has apparently overlooked another danger in the shape of imported live stock, but perhaps he deems the stringent regulations requiring the slaughter of live stock at the port of landing a sufficient safe^aurd against that part of the meat trade. Increased importation of farm produce means a continuance of low prices for I home-grown produce, and brings a greater advantage to the man who merchants food rather than to the man who grows it, aud tho cry is that it is to the advantage of the nation to have as much as possible of its food supply produced within its own bemuds ; and it is therefore the duty of the Government to encourage agriculturists, and do all that it can to assist them. So far the Mark Lane Express, and doubtless the arguments made use of will be read with avidity by the British farmer. But there is another side to the question ; and if these colonies

made any effort to shut oub British goods there would soon be a wail of a different kind. The natural protection afforded by ocean freights, &c, ought to be enough in most cases to protect the interests of the British farmers. If outside countries cm undersoil them in their own markets they must ju6t bring their system of farming into line with that of their opponents, for it will not do to lag behind, as they are doing, in the march of progress.

* Mins across a milk record the other day in a

Home paper that might well Breaking the make a Now Zealaud farmer Keeoril for green with envy. Iv a famous Milk herd of dairy cows known as the Production. Whitlingham. herd, in England, one cow yielded last ye'S.r 1206 gal of milk, or over five tons weight. Six other cows gave between 900 gal and lOOOgal each ; other nine cows yielded between 800 gal and 900 gal each ; while still other nine yiolded between 700 gal and 800 gal each. One cow which has become a non-breeder dropped her last calf in 1890, and since that time she has yielded 3433 gal of milk. This famous milking herd belongs to the red polled breed, and the marvellous record brings out in a very prominent way what may be accomplished by careful selection of the best milking strains. When such results are attainable the^futility of keeping inferior milkers at once becomes self-evident. A good milker requires very little more feeding than a poor milkar, and the difference, in value is all on the side of the good milker. Thiß is what every dairy-farmer ought to set before himself, and begin at the very first opportunity to weed out the inferior cows, with the end in view of replacing them with good cows. On the smallest dairy farm half a dozen good milking cows will always be more profitable than a dozen poor milkers. And where the farmer is not in a position to introduce new strain! of blood into his herd in any other way, the cheapest plan is to procure one or two good heifer calves, which are sometimes obtainable for the trouble of taking them away, as many are killed as soon as calved when the cows are wanted for the dairy. Of course pedigree calves could not ba so obtained, but I have kaown a herd of milking cowb to be vastly improved at a very small expense by procuring calves as indicated. When once a good strain has been procured it ia of great importance to keep a daily record of the quantity of milk yielded by the best milkers, and only the very beat cows on the farm should be bred from. To get at the very best results the best cows available are required to start with, and then if carets taken to breed only from the best of the herd the breed can be gradually improved. It would amply a few of the Jarger land-owners ia this colony to huted dairy cows of the best

kind to sell to the dairy-farmere, and it wonW pay tho latter to procure one or two good cowa chiefly to breed .from. The day will come when the pedigree ball will be kept just as the stallion now is for stud purposes only, and with a few good cows to start with every farmer in th« land could work up a good breed at the mini* mum of outlay. Agricola.