FARM AID STATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 14

FARM AID STATION.

(Continued from page 7.)

A6RICULTUR4L AND PASTORAL NEWS. The following is the correct Hat of the Otago prize- wieners *t the recent Intercolonial Fiuifc Exhibition »t Wellington : — Special exhibit of peaches, second award, Messrs Birch and Bennetts (Roxburgh) »ad Dawson (Olyde) ; two bunches of bUck or white grapes grown iv the open air, Mr Dawson (Clyde) and Southland commended; bed; collection of de-ao-t fruit grown in tbe South Island, second awa:d Ot»go, third atvard Southland ; bert di<th of pUims, Bnt award Southland; beet two bunches of black grapes grown nnder glass, Southland commended ;, orchard &pray pumps, Messrs A. and T. Bart; garden spray pump, Mr J, Ailea (Oamaru). There was a very satisfactory land sale at Afthburton on Saturday, over 1000 acres of Clone's farm at Mebhven being sold by auction The land was divided into 10 farms, snd fetched an average of £13 per acre. It was the be«t land sale held for many years in the district.

The following items are from Friday's Wyndham Farmer : — Dnir>ing matters are at present engaging a good deal of attention at Wjnrrhjvm and Bdendale, notwithsfc*odißg that we are now in the b&ck end of the season. The rem citation at Bdendale and introduction at Wyndham of the bnttu'-raaking branch of this important ind natty is the m&in factor ia creating the stimulus. The old plant at Bdenda'e has been entirely renovated, and active operations were commenced yesterday on a portion of the milk supply, the yield being 1601b butter. It is quite probable that a much larger quantity of milk will be converted into this commodity at Ede><dale before long. At Wjndhfctn tha preparations for putting up the new pl*nt are proceeding »pace. The separator arrived yesterday, the cburns will arrive early next week, and the other portions of the paraphernalia a few d&ys Uter. These latter will include a butter-worker, one of the latest and most approved design, now being' made by Messrs A. and T. Burt, of Danedin ; aud a heater and, a cooler, both to be mtnufaetu-ed by Messrs Anderson and Co , also of Duntdin. Mr L»Dg, dairy expert, is at present at Wyndh»n>, superintending the erection of the now plant. It is anticipated that the first pat of the W.D.F make of butter will be turned out in about 10 days hence. Regarding the inducement abd justification for these recent developments,' we may state on good authority that the demand for prime makes of this important item in domestic economy is likely to be very keen throughout the winter season, and that neither Edend*le nor Wyndhtm need have any apprehension, therefore, as to their being able to secure a ready market for all their outputs, and at a fair price. Ooegentleman, whose opinion is worth quoting, declared to us that were two tons of butter available to-morrow ifc would be at once bought up for Dunedin consumption. — As proof of the exceptionally good " rnn " of threshing weather the mill-owners have had this season, the Messrs Jones Bros, report that in four and a-half consecutive weeks (27 Working days) their mill was in actual work for 300 hours. This record does not include the tiraetakenupinshifting from oneplace to another. >— Up to last night the total number of rabbits received at Lambert's packing depot, Wyndham, was 2600— just one week's intake. This represent* in solid cash between £40 aod £50 which has been earned by loo&l rabbiters connte'ed with one- depot alone in six days. Bat when all the depots and the two meat factories, all situated within a mdius of 20 miles of Wyndham, which are. rrcriving like supplies, are taken into consideration, it will be readily Rpprtciated what a large sum of money the furry little rodent is at present responsible for circulating. Dozens of schoolb ys aie mulling good pocket-money by indulging in a few hours' recreation after school is over and marketing their catches of trapped rabbits — for at 4d a pair it does not require many pairs to earn shillings. 'In these approximate calculations the trapper only has been considered, no account. whatever being taken of the earning power of the men who find employment withiu the depots — the carters, the sawmillers who provide timber for the crates, and many others who directly and indirectly find work through the' medium of the incorrigible and nbiquituous Mr Buany. Speaking at the HutiW B v«r agricultural show, Lord Hampden, who has had experience of grazing in England, g&ve some good advice to the aasembkd farmers. "The dajs," he eaid " are over of the happy-go-lucky rule-of-thumb farming, and science will bare to do for agriculture what she has done for other industries. In the future, if men are to succeed, (hey will have to aim at quality, both in their crops aud iv their stack. Yau will find this in the export trade. For instance, in the case of beef it is of no use to send old and inferior beasts to the Euglish market. I find no sale for very heavy beasts at Home. A prime fat bullock of good quality, and from 18 to 20 months. old, is what the butchers will take at best prices. It is the seme, too, with mutton and lamb. It is fine quality that will p.ty ; and the same remark applies with even greater force to the produc's of dairying. If you «re not dairying, there is no stock, I shall say, that you will find bo profitable and reliable as sheep when the soil suito. Inm not speaking now of your staple industry — wool-growing— but of mutton-pro-ducing. For this purpose Ido not think you could have, a better crof s-with the merino than Shropshire, Shropshire is a good mutton bnped, and if you were to cros* uaeritio with Shropshire, and could get good markets for f*t lambs, I do not see why, with the help of lucerne as a fodder crop, you should not get a good and qnick return on your money." The subject of wire netting as an antidote to rabbits came up for dinenssion at the la»t meeting of the W»it»huna Farmers' Club. Mr Craig thought Chat the club should take into consideration the advisability of approaching the Government with the object of inducing them to supply wire netting to farmers at cost price. In his opinion it was the only plan that would effectu-

ally deal with the rabbit pest— that of fenciug with wire netting the districts infested with rabbits. At present tha cost; of wire netting, along with the middleman's charges, made it prohibitive to farmers, and it would bo a gr<-ab boon to them if- the Government could bt? induced to supply the wire netting on a somewhat similar plan to the money loaned under the "Ad/anoes to Settlers Act." Id other words, a certain time should he allowed in which to p*y off iv yearly instalments both principal and interest. — Messrs M'Ara, Livingston, R;*n, Scott, and others took part in the discussion all fully approving of the suggestion and being of opinion that a considerable *aving would' be made in the present cost of the lUbbit department if the Government could be induced to adopt the plan SDggested. No n^w machinery would ba necessary, as the Advances to Sutlers' Board could carry out the plan if adopted. —Mr Crug wai appointed, on behtlf, of the club, to bring the matter under the notice of Mr J^mcs Allen, M.H.R., at his mealing at Waitahuua nest Monday evening. Mr Livingstone brought under the not ; ca of the club the present railway charges for freight on nbbits. Several persons engaged in rabbiting- had m-m plained to him of what they considered exc^ive ratea for carriage by rail, as- it practically shni them out from sending their rabbits to the different factories engaged in canning, and was c»nseqaeutly a serious loss to them. He (Mr Livingston) thought it would be advisable to ascertain if the Traffic department would make sny reduction in the present charges. If that could be done, it would be of great benefit to all concerned, as it would eaourage rabbiters to renewed exertion in clearing the land of the pest. The president w»a instructed to bring the matter under the notice of Mr James Allen on Mouday bvening. Under the heading, " The'Ly tfcelton Dairies," the Lytttlton T?imfS says : — "If anything were required to eraph*s ; se Dr Pairraan's demand for the adoption of better and cloaner methods by some of the milkmen of Lyltelton it would be supplied by a letter appesxiog in our correspondence columns this moroing. The writer, who leadn as by his signature to iufer that he has been engaged in the milk trade for 30 years, evidently entertains the mottb sublims contempt for all the sanitary precautions suggested by the health officer. He* m&infcains, wjth more vigour than elegance, that any object ion to cows being milked in the shed they h&ve occupied all night is 'b-^sb..' It is the cmtorn, he telU m, in the old country, and ought, of course, to be good enough for the people of Lyttelton. He frankly admits that his dairies" are ' used as * convenience,' whatever that may be, during the greater part of the year, and that bh cow* are not famished with a constant supply of water. He makes a special virtue of clr-ausing his own Jhands and the cows' tes.ts when required, but does not give us any idea of the .imoutit of filth that would, iv his opinion, oiaka this pre* CAutton necessary. He thinks the ventilation of milk of ' small importance compared with the exclusion of duat from the cans, and, fiually, pr >tests against the destruction of cows suspected of disease. Altogether, we have here an exhibition of ignorance or carelessness that is truly appalling. A dairyman 'of thirty ye«r«' experience,' who ia content to milk his unwashed cows in the fetid atmosphere of a dirty sleeping shed, and then to distribute the milk among his customers in uuventilated cans, must be morally responsible for a vast amount of inf&nb mortality. If our correspondent 7 !! id=*s of cleanliness are shared by any considerable nutnber of his fellowtrade«men. it is little wonder that Dr P*irman has urg«-d the borough council to take some, steps for the protection of their unfortuuate enstomers." The Fortrose correspondent of the Wyndham Farmer finds fe«diog cows to prolong the milk yield anjthi- g but a payable experiment. He writes :—•' Our dairy factories are gradually drying up for the season. Mr Bobbie, of Toi Tois Factory, ia receiving about 220 gil per day, and intends to carry on to the end or Mny. Most suppliers are^about tired of it for a season, as cows are drying off rapidly, and no one is allowed to feed on l uroips. B=iDg a supplier myself, I tried artificial feeding, and this is how it panned out : 24 cows eat one ton oaten chuff per week, worth 50j ; value of milk per week 42i 6d : — so you can see there was no necessity for my making up a labour bill, coit of grs«s, &c, as the balanoe was already oo the wrong side. Of one thing lam almost sure, however, and that is that my cows are in better coudition to face the winter than if they bad had no cbaff; in fact, I would have no difficulty in fattening them off, which I may do if prices do not improve."