AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2360, 18 May 1899, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

In Queensland last year the number of pigs increased by 15,587, whilst there was a decrease of 134-3 horses, 573,000 cattle, and

418,000 sheep.

At 'the Eweburn Nursery steady progress is being made. There are now over a million of young trees planted out in rows and growing strongly if slowly. During the past month 226,000 were bo planted out. In the autumn of next season the oldest of the plants, which will then be in their fourth year, will be planted oub in their permanent positions. It is intended this winter' to fence in a section of 14 acres adjoining the nursery. The nursery is still under the able management of Mr Roberts. — Mount Ida Chronicle.

Some days ago, writes the Moeraki correspondent of the P. and W. Times, on lifting an old sack on which I had laid some small birds' eggs found in the corner of the stable in the laying s/eason, I was surprised to find over .a dozen maggots of the bot-fly holding fast to the sack, similar to those found in the stomach of the horse. The bot-fly had laid her eggs on the decomposed master, on which the grubß had fed. It required some force with a piece of wood to remove them from their hold.

A gentleman who recently visited the Old Country in connection with frozen meat write? : — "When in Newcastle-on-Tyne I struck a frozen meat shop, and was looking at the moat when one of the attendants asked me if I wished 'to buy some prime New Zealand mutton. He could let me have a grand leg of mutton at 6d per lb. I remarked that the meat had never seen New Zealand ; that I came from there, and ..that we would be ashamed to send Home Buch stuff as he was exhibiting. He stuck to it that the meat came from New Zealand, and the manager, hearing the controversy over it, came out and also asserted that it was prime New Zealand meat. I aaid at last, "Well, I know what it is. It is Sydney mutton, and poor at that." The man immediately retorted: "Well, where's Sydney but in New Zealand?"

An instance of the power of endurance of sheep is furnished by the Nhill Mail. Mr K. Miles, of Denyurrak, near the South Australian border, lost 18 sheep, which he could not find, though he searched through all his paddocks. Eighteen days sfter the sheep were missed he happened to open the door and enter an unoccupied house on the properly, and here found the whole of the sheep, one only of the number missing being dead. It is thought that the animals entered the place for shelter, and that while there a gupt of wind slammed and bolted the door, making them prisoners without food or water. The mortar of the walls was gnawed away arouifd the house to such a height as the sheep could reach by placing their four feet against the walls.

The brnall bird pest was considered at Friday's meeting of the Southland County Council. Du-ing a conversational discussion, says the Southland Times, members compared the results of various methods of destruction in their respective ridings. It would seem that poisoning was not a complete succes.". The linnets took it readily, and in places had almost disappeared, but the sparrows declined. One councillor said that the birds swallowed the poison, but it had no effect. Paying for heads and eggs was a means of eradication that other councillors favoured, and it was resolved that £40 be authorised to be ipent in each riding' foi the mitigation of the nuisance, either in poisoned grain or collection of heads and eggs.

About 15 years ago Mr George Cunnack, of Gastlemaine, one of the oldesC tanners in Victoria, brought from Europe some acorns of the Valonia oak, from which the tanning material is obtained for the finer class of leather work. He planted them near Casllejnaine, and Mr H. Brearlay, the well-known

leather merchant, was so surprised at the good growth they had made that recently jhai waited on Mr .Perrin, the conservator of forests, and. showed him some of the acorns taken from the trees. The tanning material h obtained from the cups, and it imparts aJ whitish appearance to the leather, besides adding to its stability. - Mr Perrin had -not seen such^good spe.cimens before in Victopa^ though he has some of the oaks growing ,ati the Government plantation at You Yaags, and also at' the state nursery at Mdcedon. As the Castlemaine climate seems suitable for the growth of this particular variety, Mr Perrin intends planting^some of the trees in the timber reserves around Mount Alexan-