AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2389, 14 December 1899, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

At a committee meeting of the Upper Clutha A. and P. Association, held last week, a rough balance sheet was read, which showed that there was a balance in the bank of 6yer £71, and £4- more to come in. The financial results of the show were satisfactory, as the association will come out with a credit bal- j ance of about £30. . _ j A firm of London meat salesmen write 3aa follows on Scotch sheep farming: — "To all j appearances, those hill farms that can only . keep a wether stock will bo ruinous to the sheep farmer, and may be turned into deer forests at- once, as it is no use to grow and feed what is not wanted. With an increase of about a quarter of a million lambs each year from New Zealand and Australia the day is past for aged mutton. The same applies to cattle ; anything prime fat makes a good price, but it is many years since they wore so scarce. The markets are full of half fat stock, which leave nothing for grazing; even small country butchers have to take to American chilled beef- to keep their trade together." The Chaslands Dairy Factory is getting a good supply of milk, much larger than at this time last season ; both vats are in use at present. The " tests " are much lower than they wore last season, but they arc rising. Still a good deal of grumbling is going on amongdt the suppliers at the tests being so low, but I feel quite sure they get all that they are entitled to. — Clutha Loader correspondent. The health of the sheep exercis.es groat influence upon the quality of the wool which is produces; so also does the food which the animal receive*. When an animal which has been in good health for some time becomes sick, or for some reason goes off its food, the development of its wool receives a decided cheek, with the result that when it coraos to be carefully examined under the microscope the wool produced at this stage will bo found to be much finer that that produced when the animal was in a healthy condition. The excellent average of £33 was obtained at the dispersal of the herd of dairy shorthorns belonging to Mr T. H. Cookson, Grandon Farm, near Frome, in Somerset. Several of the cows included in the dispersal met with a very brisk demand, and for one of them — Miss Motto — Sir Oswald Mosley gave 56gs. A yearling, Gustavo, by Lavender Archer out of Gussy, by Scottish Canadian, made HOgs, at which figure he was secured by Mr Hughes. For Lavender- Water Mr Arthur gave 70gs, and for the calf Arrow by the same sire Sir Oswald Mosley gave 54gs. The yearling bulls and bull calvos Fold po well that their average worked out to a fraction over £45 apiece. Mr A. S. Begg, a very old identity, died at his residence, Glenomaru, last week. The deceased, who was a brother of Mr R. S. Bepg, of Malaura, was aged 84- years, and had been a resident of Glenomaru for the past 40 years, being one of the pioneers of the bush district. — Western Svar. The Kerulal and Westmoi eland Agricultural Association celebrated its centenary on September 21. At its first show there were three classes, at its 100th— 130. At the annual meeting of shareholders in London of the Bank of New South Wales, Mr J. T. Walker, who presided, said that Queensland cattle properties were now show ing bettei rebiilts than for years past. The colony had combated the lick trouble bravely. Air Walker also Faid that pigns continue to multiply in proof that Australia is fairly emerging from ihe prolonged Comparative stagnation in business experienced after tho ' financial crisis of 1893. As "it is a long lane that has no turning," we may now hope that the end of the lane is within measurable distance. — Australian Meat Trades' Journal. i To a party of visitors who recently made a [ lour of inspection to Lord Rosebery's Home Farm at Dalmeny, near Edinburgh, and who ' were much struck with the appearance of a j wonderful crop of potatoes then growing on j thf estate, Mr Dryedale, Lord Rosebery's j manager, gave an interesting account of tho course of procedure followed by him in the cultivation of tho nolato crop in that part of the Lothhns. The field upon which the crop in question was growing had received ' 30 tons of farmyard manure applied to the i Ftubble in autumn, and in the spring, when ' the land was being grubbed, it got 4cwt per acre of ground lime. Following this, it was given a further dressing of 4cwt of superphosphate, lewt fermented bone meal, lewt sulphate of potash, lewt muriate of potash, and lewt of sulphate of ammonia per acre, applied in the drill at the time of planting. This was certainly very heavy manuring, and | it was no wonder that it was successful in the production of a quite remarkable crop. According to Mr Drysdale, the average yield of marketable potatoes " ordinarily obtained at Dalmeny is 18 tons per statute acre. Though there has been a distinct hardening in the price of grain during the past ! few weeks, the expected " boom " in wheat .values, »s a result of the South African war

scare, has not materialised, lip to the pre sent: Those "in the know" do not antici-. pate' any sensational advances, but there is every probability that a still further enhancement of values will take place before" the end of the month. As it is, wheat has gone up to fully 32s per quarter in some of tho cross-Channel markets, and farmers in tho leading wheat-growing districts arc displaying considerable reserve in sending their supplies tc market in the hope of being able to do better within the next few weeks. There is an element of risk in it i.o doubt ; but on the whole the weight of evidence is in favour of the policy of delay in effecting sales. — Irish Farmers' Gazette, October 14. Talking about tbe most suitable cross to produce fat lambs for export, writes Mr D. Buddo, of Fernsicle, New Zealand, in " Along tho Track " in the Leader, I am reminded very much of the conversation I heard in tho local market between two farmers. Said the one to tho other, " Did you hear that John Grigg has used the Shropshire down cross with great results — 401b lambs in four months, this season?" "No," replied the other, " but I am not surprised to hear it : any cross would do the tame with John Grigg." After years of experimenting in crosses, continues Mr Buddo, I have come to the same conclusion. It is not so much the cross a<s-thc feed that doe? it, and if the lamb is intended for-export he has^to bo kept moving all the time by good feeding. In a case reported by the incoming mail, where some ; Loudon rnijk fellers were prosecuted for selling milk* containing boracic acid, the presence of the acid was not denied, but it was argued by the defence that it Vias a necessary ingredient to prevent deterioration. The medical officer of health for fsattersea and the public analyst both testified that the presence of the acid in milk was injurious to health, but admitted, in cross-exa-i.tiiintior, that there was a diversity of opinion among eminent men as to the alleged injurious qiiii lilies. The bench refused to .decide the case on the ground that it was impossible for him to come to any conclusion in face of the assertion that there was a diversity of opinion as to the use and application of the acid. Mr M. Murphy, secretary of the'Canierbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, hac, says "Tussock" in the Canterbury Times, received a letter from a northern breeder, in which the writer regrets that purity is not insisted upon at shows and that the aged classes should be retained in the fat stock section, instead of the example of Smithfield being followed. The Taranaki people are already moving in this direction, and have so far altered their rules as to provide that all bulls competing in the purebred classes shall be entered o»be eligible for entry in the Herd Book. Mr Murphy's correspondent concludes with tho hope that before long the age in the fat slock classes will be reduced to three and a-half years. The Melbourne Leader says that an extremely prolific milk producer and butter yielder in the dairy herd of Mr J. Gaul, Mortlake, has just been submitted to a test by Mr T. Coghlan, manager of the Mortlake butter factory. The result is of interest as showing tho high capacity to which cows may be raised. The lest extended over three days, during which time the cow gave 1931b of milk, which, taking a gallon of milk as weighing 101b, is equal to about 6£gal of milk a day. But, besides being a heavy milker, the test shows that the cow is an uncommonly good butter-fat yielder. Her test for the three clays was 5.2, which, according to the Babeoek tables, is equal to a yield of 3. fib of butter a day, or 26.61b of butler a week. The oow, which is a crops between the Jersey and the shorthorn, is about five or six year* old, and was purchased some time ago at a clearing Bale of Mr J. Blain, Kolora. Some stock do not stand the travelling from fliow to show at all well. Mr Ratlibone's fino shorthorn bull, Oxford II Duke of Verdon, which was fhvfl in his class at Hawke's Bay and Canterbury, lost 1501b in weight between Hastings and Palmerston North via Christchurch, so that it is not surprising he was no higher than third at the Manawalu show. Messrs Warn Bros, of Morton Plains station, have, says the Melbourne Leader, introduced into the district several rams of a new breed of sheep, which are most suitable for the requirements of the district. It is designated the " Ideal, " and is from the progeny of pure Lincoln ram and pure merino ewo to pure merino ram, stopping at that grade. This class of sheep, it is claimed, produces bigness of frame, density of wool and length of staple, the three first essentials in successful (jheep-farming.