OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

Otago Witness, Issue 2369, 27 July 1899, Page 14

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

(Fhom Qim Own Corrkspondbnt.) CHRiSTCHURCH, July 24. The weather this month has been just as bad as that of last month was faThe i Farming vourable for farm work. It .Situation, j^ b een e it,her frost or rain, sometimes both, daily, and the land is wetter and stickier than it has been for years, all farm work— except feeding horses and other stock — being stopped, and potatoes rotting in the ground (worth only 10s per ton when lift&d). Some farmers say that horses have had as much idle time this winter as they had in 1886, but this can be true only in very few cases, a3 I remember in 1886 being told by a' large farmer that his horses had not had harness on for ten weeks, and there has been no such long wot period this winter. Still all farm, work is very backward, and it would need a fortnight's fine weather to bring the land into workable condition.- A- good deal of wheat 'has been sown one time and another, but only a fraction of what was in and doing well at this time last year. The bulk of the .sowing has yet to be done, and that it will be a big bulk is shown by the continued demand for working horse 3, which aie being bought by farmerd whenever they offer at well up to the highest prices of tho last twelve months. The implement makers and ajjents say they are as busy as they can be, and very few useful men are out of work. Good farm hands are getting as scarce here as they are in England. The weather has been bad for .sheep on turnips, but there is a good supply of fat sheep of all kinds at the various markets. Prime freezers are the scarcest class, most of the sheep answering to this description being bought on the farms and sent by their buyers direct to the works. Many of the largest producers of prime freezers ship on their own account, and they also send direct to the works ; so that the quantity seen in the public markets no more represents the production than that exposed at Smithfield represents the total supply. Shippers have lately been doing particularly well, but they have not been such keen bidders the last week or two, and prices have fallen here quite as much as they have in Xondon. There is a general impression that both mutton and lamb will be lower immediately. There is a heavy stock waiting shipment, but this will be lightened by the Kakaia this week. Store sheep have for several years past fallen in price at this time, but there is no sign of such a movement this . eason — farmers have toe many turnips and too few sheep. Further purchases have been made in Otago tha last fortnight. A few lambs have put in an untimely appearance, but the general farm lambing will be later than last year. rhe snow on the hills has been heavy, out s^jsonable, and no damage is likely to have been caused. The hill sheep are in the best of condition, and a good l&mbinjK and? good dip are looked for. The

runholders are haying a really good time, with the rise in their classes of wool — merino and halfbred — and high prices for both fat and store sheep, besides many of them .selling their lambs fat. xiie wet, dirty weather has renewed the agitation for the removal of the Abattoirs ami stock market from Addington. Markets. 'j;h e y ar d 3 themselves and the roads converging upon them are in a most villainous state, and the local bodies will have a. nice bill to pay for roadmending. Everywhere the roads are bad, and the difficulty of dealing with them is increased by the high cost of labour and the fact that one of the stone quarries has stopped work. The yards cannot be flushed, and so one week's filth is added to the next, and on such a day as last Wednesday the sheep . were in a deplorable mess, and progress through the yards meant wading, even in the paved alleys. The proceedings" towards constituting a borough of the district which surrounds the yards on three sides are being pressed on, but the Saleyards Company has ; been joined in opposition by tho Agricultural and Pastoral Association, whoso showyards are in tho proposed district, and the Charitable Aid Board, which owns a large block of land adjoining tho "sliow grounds, the bequest of Twigger, deceased. None of the bodies will increase its popularity by tha action, and neither ha<j any "to spare. If there was any enterprise in the City Council, two bird_9 would be killed with orio stone- by establishing an abattoir and market in conjunction. A resolution to . establish tho former has been passed, but the two should form one .«choma. XL is by no means certain that even the abattoir soheme will be consented to by the ratepayers, as both at Islington and at Belfast (the former under Government inspection) stock are killed for butchers at rate* which could not be approached by a separate abattoir; while several butoherj are iv,.ung at a proprietary slaughterhouse at which there is a Government inspector. The city inspector of meat, who has no veterinary or other qualification, is announced as inspector of meat at Belfast — not a Government' appointment, it neod scarcely be said. He seized two quarter 3of beef in one of the Christchurch Meat Company's shops a few days ago, though they bore tl-o Government inspector's stamps. Tlve shopmen refused to give them up, contending that tho inspector had power to seize diseased meat only, and this was sound. However, after an interview with the magistrate it was arranged to give up the meat, and that it and an alleged tuberculous gland which the inspector produced should be sent to Wellington for examination. The examination proved that both meat and gland were free from tuberculosis, but the shopmen were lined 5s each for the technical obstruction. The city inspector's action in. the matter is to come before the Supreme Court by way of an action against him for £750 damages ; the council has instructed its Sanitary Committee to inquire into its liability in the matter. There is more than meets the eye in the case. In this matter a& in providing a public abattoir the difference between Tho Agricul- Christchurch and Dunedin lural Hall, energy is most striking. In Dunedin the abattoir, once determined upon, was pushed forward until completed, and the Agricultural Hall shares were subscribed for in a few days. In Ohristchurch the only idea in regard to an abattoir appears to be how not to do it; while the »l1 Company has so far had the aid of only about two members of each of the two bodies who are promoting it. There was some plain speaking about this at the meeting of the A. and P. Association's General Committee the other day, when the appointment of directors came up. Mr W. Recce, the nresent chairman of the Hall Company, told his fellow-members of the committee that unless they gave him something more than nominal support he would have nothing more to do with the matter. Mr E. G. Haveley followed in the same strain, strongly animadverting upon the absence of interest on the part of the committee and the members generally. The replies were in the form of protests against other people's want of energy, and ultimately the two members named and the president were appointed the association's representatives on the directorate of the company. The other members will belie the traditions of the committee if even this incident awakes them to action. Out of the 24 members of committee only about half a dozen are workers, and unless this is altered the downward course of tho association will be rapid. Half the committee are re-elected year after veai out of mere compliment, and while thi3 continues to be the ca=e the support of the farming community cannot be ex-

pected. The Winter show aocounts show tha| . there was _a loss of about £100, but with such' inadequate accommodation nothing else could be looked for. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Far-< Farmers' Co- n* er 6' Co-operative Associav* onerative *? on °* the r , ec t°r§' action ico« n - n «« nn passed off with no more quesAssomtion. 1^ q{ Oanterbury ( Lin s ted y than the usual contentions by shareholders and; customers that each respectively should receive a greater share than the other of thd profits. Tho profit on the year's working was £11,914, and the directors recommended the payment of 6 per cent interest to capital, 3£ per cent, bonus on. capital, and th« sarae v on> merchandise sold and wages earned, 20 par; oent. bonus on net commissions earned, to' add £1000 to the reserve, and to write 10 per cent, of tho machinery and office furniture accounts. This leaves a balance of about £2500 to carry forward. Two thoiisand new shares are to be issued at 8s premium. The cEair-' man's speech was a review of the position o£ i the company and of the farming situation** He spoke specially of the importance of keeping up the quality of Canterbury wool and mutton, and said that " the signs of the times all point to the exercise of the utmost care in the conduct of our agricultural operations. The prices of wheat, oats, potatoes, etc., are below the cost of production m%v Zealand ;, on the other hand, the prices of woollen goods, iron, and jute goods, ancl almost all other ; farm requirements are largely on the rise, and, i in addition, we have to face the_ great Australian federation question." Opportunity was also taken to give Mr Thomas Mackenzie a favourable testimonial, but tho hearers obBerv.ed that nothing was said as to the 'reason for his ceasinig 'to represent the association in London. A bulletin just issued gives the yields of potatoes grown last season Potatoes at at the Agricultural College * Lincoln Farm, Lincoln. The potatoes. College. were planted on October 13 and 14, and the following are particulars of the kind, the yield per acre from, whole and out seed respectively, and the date tire crop was ripe : — Ruby Queen, whole seed, 2 tons 14cwt. cut seed 2 tons 6cwt, ripe March 1 ; British Queen, 11 tons so.wt, 11 tons 15cwt, April 8 : Pink-eyed russet, 6 tons 6cwt, 7 tons, April 13; Snowdrift, 3 tons 18owt, 2 tons 15cwt, March 15; Eighty-fold, 6 tons llcwt, 6 tons llcwt, March 15; Conquest, 8 ton 3 12cwt, 6 tons Bcwt, April 10; Challenge, 11 tons 15ewt, 9 tons 4cwt, April 10 ; Aurora, 8 tons lewt, 5 tons 13cwt, April 10; Exhibitor, 16 tons 7cwt, 15 tons 7cwt, May 7; Jeamnie Deans, 12 tons lewt, 15 tons 2c\vt, April 15 ; Early Beauty, 12 tons, 12 tons 7ewt, April 15 ; Lady Francis, 13 tons, 12 tons, April 15 ; Lady Boscabelle, 13 tons, 12 tons 17cwt, April 15 ; The Bruce, 14 tons 9cwt, 14 tons lOcwt, April 20; Up-10-Dato, 18 tons 14cwt, 16 tona^ llcwt, April 20 : Her Majesty, 10 tons llcwi', J 15 tons,. April 2G; Good Hope. 13 tons 15cwt, 14 tons 12cwt, April 25 ; Farmer's Glory, 8 tons 14cv.'t, 9 tons 16cwt, April 20 ; Early Regent, 4 tons 2cwt (cut seed not sown), March. 1; Queen of the South, 2 tons sc\rt (cut seed not sown) , March 1 ; Climax, 5 tons lewt (cut seed not sown), March: 1 ; Brown's Favourite, 10 tons 15cv.'t,, 6 tons 13cwt, March 15; Beauty of Hebron, 12 tons 19c\yt. 9,tons, April 18 ; Saylor's Ironclad, 15 tons, 9 tons, April 38; White Elephant, 11 tons scwt, 10 tons lOcwt. April 18; Magnum Bonum, 13 tons 16cwt, 9 tons, April 20 ; Early Puritan, 13 tons llcwt, 13 tons 15cwt, April 20; Main-crop Kidney, 14 tons Bcwt, 14 rona - 3c\vt, April 20 ; Northei'n Kn'ney, 11 tons 13cwt (cut f-ecd not . sown). April 20 ; Berkshire Kidney, 9 tons 4cwt, 14tons 3c\vt, April 20 ; Tmperator, 11 tons Bcwt, 13 tons 7n« t, April 20 ; Blue Derwent, 11 tone. 11 tons, May 4. Some of tho results are very curious,' and it is to bo hoped Mr Bayne will give soino notes which will elucidate them. Though tho final official estimate of the grain yield of last harvest in CanltemH. <ierbury has been increased to averages of SS^.bushels wheat, +1 bushels ni oats, and "K> bushels of barley per acre, there are many who hold that even now the production is under-e3timnted. Importers of stud stock should lake warning from the case of Mr G. il. Rhodes's Highland cow, which cost in Scotland, it is fflrid, 120gs. bei'iig a winner at. one of the Highland and Agricultural Society's shows. She proved barren, and after trying her for five years, she was sold tins week at Addington Yards <o the Christchurch Meat Company for £26— an^ad-.. vertising price. She did not kill extra well, but every joint could have been -sold three iitna over at Is per lb, and offers of 50s for her hide and 30s for her head and "horns were refused. This ha 3 been the dullest winter in stock and agricultural matters that I can remenibei. ■ There is nothing' new in. farming, and nothing, more exciting in agricultural polities than the Auctioneers' (anti-trotting) Bill, which the South Cahtei-bury farmers are determined ' shall be passed in some 'ifficient fonsi. A poultry-breeding station has been started at Burnhani by the Agricultural Department. Eight varieties of fowls are to be kept there. Il is hoped model yards, suitable for small farmers and settlers, will be erected, as instruction in ' this part of the business is badly needed. Arrangements have been made for tho export of frozen poultry next, season. The question of compensation for condemned meat is coming to the front amongst butchers. One of them had three out of five prime bullocks condemned two or three weeka ago, and afterwards two more out of the same line. It is stated he got compensation privately from the grazier, but others have not been as fortunate. I hear that a cow was condemned on foot by the inspector, and in tlus case the butcher is supposed to have a claim on the Government for half the value. Lincoln College re-opens to-day with about tho same number of students as before — that is, 30. Mr Bayne spent most of his holiday in Otago.