AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2371, 10 August 1899, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The movement initiated by-Mr H. W. Potts, j the dairy expert connected with the Victorian : Department for Agriculture, of giving lessons, or lecturettes, to children attending the \ipper classes in the State school in each dairying centre has so far proved very encouraging. The tuition consists of elementary instruction in the simple facts of modern dairying, including chemical composition and physical properties of milk, the rudiments of bacteriology, the production and rational hand-, ling of milk, suitable treatment of dairy cattle, and the principles of dairy management, so as to ensure a cleanly, healthy, and pure milk supply. The methods of estimating the butter fat values of milk are demonstrated, with payment by results, its principles and" computations. The lectures waro commenced last year, and so far 63 have Ixien j delivered in 28 schools, with an aggregateattendance of 3776 scholars, and 359 teachers. Some apparently mysterious disease which is decimating the sheep and cattle in Tokoj mairiro, especially the southern portion o£ ! the plain, came under discussion at last meefc- ! ing of the Farmers' Club. We (Bruce Herald) learn that fully 200 sheep and a few head of cattle, which were in good condition, have' been quickly carried off by the disease. It' was suggested that steps should be taken to. have examinations' made by one of the Government veterinary surgeons, but' no resolution was. passed on the subject. The Taranaki Herald learns from Mr Deem, stock inspector, that several cases of anthrax among cattle have occurred in the district* In two instances farmers adopted the very un-, wise course of feeding their pigs with the affected animals, with the result that their swine stock has been largely reduced in number. The Hawera Star, hears that the white grub is doing a deal of damage in certain parts of the district. In some places in the bush district the pasture is quite dead, and when kicked with the foot tuft 6 of withered cocksfoot leave the surface without any resistance. To encourage the breeding of Jersey cows in Australia steps have been taken by a number of gentlemen' interested in dairying pursuits to form a society to-be called the Jersey Cattle Society of Australasia, one of the principal duties of which will be to compile a herd book for the breed. Great trouble is being caused amongst the farmers in the country districts of New -South. Wales by caterpillars. Not only do they eat off the shoots, but burrow down to the seed roots, which they also destroy. In a number of cases the farmers had to re-sow the ground. One farmer of 48 acres of wheat has only two acres left upstanding in part of his • homestead, and others are similarly situated. The Lyttelton Times says that two beasts with histories were offered for sale at the Addington market on the 2nd. They had both come. from Pelorus Sounds, and one of them had had the honour of winning the Bullock Cup at the Havelock races while the property of Mr W. Cullen, of Mahakipawa, whore the race was- run, with jockeys and colours in the orthodox fashion. The other is a steer which, when being driven down with the mob, took to the sea at Kekerangu, and swam out^to ""11" 1 some rocks more than a quarter of a mile from the shore, and it was with the utmost difficulty that it was induced to return. The extraordinarily large exports of chilled beef from the States to the United Kingdom, this year, in face of the large diminution of live cattle, is said to be the outcome of a desire on the part of the firms engaged in tho American trade to oust one of the new-comers, and tliis is how they are going to work. It is supposed. that Mr Armour is aimed at, as he has only recently gone into the fre3h meat export business. It is expected that considerable loss must accrue to shippers at present prices. The Chief Inspector of Stock at Brisbane reports that over 500 cattle have been put through a tick dip without hitch. Tho ingredients used were those of tho "Christian's dip," namely arsenic, soda and Stockholm, tar. No trouble was experienced, and tho weakest cattle walked out of the dip. No ticks can now be found on any of these cattle. At tho annual meeting of the National Hor3e-breeders' Association, held at Chicago in March last, Colonel P. J. Berry, the president, in his annual address, made the following statement in regard a the kind of horse to breed : — " The American horse-bree-ders have had a severe lesson. It has taught them that every horse should be bred for a certain purpose and of a certain type and of 1 a specific clas3, with all the size, shape and quality that the market demands. The small horse is a tiling of the past. It has proved a failure and an unsatisfactory investment Tho grade has been raised every year during the last few years, and each successive year requires a larger horse and one of the better, quality to meet the demands of the market. He must be a horse of his own class and be an up-to-date market horse, and to be the most saleable he must be decidedly one Seed Potatoes, Strawberry Plants, Rhubarb Roots, etc., are now obtainable from Nimko and Blaik, who advertise all the latest varie* tiea introduced in tho horticultural world.

of the following classes, which are known as the export classes of horses, and at the same time they are the most saleable and profitable for all American markets: — No. 1, road, carriage, and coach, horse; No. 2, a cab horse; No. 3, an omnibus horse; No. 4-, a draught ihorse; No. 5, the American trotter or road horse. Here is the type set for breeders to aim to produce, as the old way of breeding without system proved so disastrous and a great failure. A proper study of these types .will enable the breeder to meet the demands of all markets." The committee of the New South "Wales Sheep Breeders' Association is congratulated by the Sydney Mail upon the success which attended a departure at this year's show in inaugurating a wool scouring contest. Bales of scoured wool were sent in from New England, Queensland. Goulburn, Botany, and elsewhere, and these formed a very attractive feature to a large number of those who visited the show. A grand bale exhibited by Messrs Hinchcliffe, Holt and Co, and scoured by MesSfs "Wright and Abbott, of the Lakeside "Works, Botany, was selected for first honours. The Weinholt Pastoral Company, Queensland, showed a bale of strong combing merino, which was highly commended, there being no second prize. The winning bale attracted great attention owing to the splendid colour of the wool and the perfect manner in which the original staple had been preserved by the 3courer3. We learn from the Sydney Mail that news liaa just been received by Goldsbrough, Mort and Co., Limited, that the ram Senator, bred by Mr W. H. Gibson, of Fairfield, Epping, Tasmania, and Champion of the Midland County Show at Tasmania, and who took firat prize in his clas3 at the recent Sheepbreeders' Show, has been shorn and cut 52^b of wool ; one of his sons, a four-tooth, cut 32£lb, another of the same age 261b, and another 241b. Whilst sires of this class are bred, there is no fear that our average clip will be reduced. We understand that these sheep will be offered by Messrs Goldsbrough, Mort and Co, Limited, at the stud sheep sairs in July. 1900. The Lyttelton Times says that the condemnation of fat cattle which, from outward pppearance3, ought to have furnished the prianest of beef, still continues. During the p.ist week Mr A. Crabb, Government inspector at Mr Wootton's abattoirs, has condemned three animals, two from North Canterbury and one from the Rangilatn, district. It is understood that the butcher 3 intend to take oombin<»d action to have all fat cattle sold at the pub'ie markets guaranteed before the sale, as in the present stale of the law the buyer has to stand the loss iinless the vendor voluntarily comes to bis assistance. Messrs Turnbull and Co., the new proprietors of the Auckland Freezing: Works, are spending between £3000 and £4000 on the works, and expect that, as a result, the freezing accommodation will be increased fourfold.