AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2390, 21 December 1899, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The Gore A. and P. Association met on Saturday la&t, when a rough balance sheet was presented, showing tho receipts from all sources to be £381 Os od, and the expenditure £319 6s Id, leaving a balance to credit of £61 lls sd. Tho Head of Lake correspondent of tho County Press writes: — The last two weeks were very stormy and wet, which caused the rivers to bo in' high flood. For several days wheeled traffic was at a standstill, and tho swollen waters could not even be crossed on horseback with safety. But now the weather has taken up, and is likely to continue fine for some time to come, which will afford farmers and squatters alike opportunity to get through tho shearing, and have their wool conveyed to the market early now that tho prices are high. What with high prices, good quality, and heavy weight of fleeces, tho sheep-farmers should do well. Sheep-farming nowadays is looked upon as one of the best paying concerns one could have his money invested in — in fact, more so than gold dredging. It is stated that a butter factory in the Taranaki district has soJd all its output this season at lljd per lb on the truck. Mr Hume, of Barrelwell, Scotland, recently despatched, to the order of Mr A. W. Smith, Maplo Lodge, Ontario, a very choice lot of 10 Border Leicesters, consisting of " four ram lambs and six gimmers. This lot, tho selection of which was left to Mr Hume, are individually full of quality, and show true Border Leicester character, with white finelychiselled heads, great cover, and tho true pirl of wool to please the most fastidious. Shearing is now general at Dunb'ack, but the fchowery weather is rather, against this operation. The Shag Valley station is still the principal shed in our district. At one time 80,000 to 100,000 sheep used to be shorn hero, giving employment to 40 shearers and 60 more musterers and rouseaboute. Our system of land tenure has changed all that, and the number shorn now is about half that mentioned above, and affords a few weeks' profitable employment to the sons of settlers around. There is also to be seen upon thf». board those who have shorn at this station each season continuously for the past 40 years. — Palmerston Times.

Shearing operations have commenced in the Waipahi district, and in most cases the sheds aro not full-handed. Shearers seem to,, be scarce everywhere this year, an occurrence that does not often take place; in/fact, I have never previously noticed it myself. When such is tho case in, shearing time, there will be a scarcity of men in the grass harvest, and in the general harvest also. Most farmers are busy preparing the ground for the turnips. Many have been kept .pack by tho heavy rains we had about a fortnight ago, and very flat ground is

owners to do the trapping for them. This being so, if we are to continue to look upon I the rabbit as a nuisance, werwill require legisIlation to protect the rabbiter in his calling. If the capitalist is to be allowed to come in and j screw tho rabbiter down to a starvation wage, ! then wo may speak of it as an industry. The workers have tho I'emedy in a great moasure in thoir own hands. If they are not to be fairly compensated, the boycott can be brought into requisition. A very much better plan would be fori the young men in this district to form themselves into a company, and bo their own trappers and exporters. The Pomahaka Downs- correspondent of the Southern Standard says that, notwithstanding the inclement weather experienced lately, tho oat and gra.33 crops arc growing splendidly. Turnip sowing is well advanced, and shearing operations aro almost completed. Tho outlook for the season is prom-sing. j The Id* Valley correspondent of the Alexi andia Herald reports : —Wo have had 4;ho I greatest diversity, of weather here this last I month that ovei I experienced — thunder ; storms, watei spouts, hail showers, and rain f moro or loss all the time. A good deal of : damage lias been, done to the road 3, bub it • has completely transformed the Valley so far ' as pastoralists and agriculturists arc concerned. j Indeed, thing 3 have not looked so bricjhfc for many years. With abundant feed, a big price for wool, and' ditto ior the sheep, those who have been able to hold on through the bad seasons should pick themselves up a bit this season. The heavy rain at the beginning of the month eventuated in one of the largest floods ever experienced in the Hokonui district. The rivers rose bank high, and soon the low-lying ground along their banks was one vast sheet of v/ater. The destruction of crops alongside the rivers must be considerable. Agricultural work is well forward, and with favourably weather the latter end of the month will see most of it over. A few farmers took advantago of tho recent spell of fine weather to make a start shearing. The clips are very satisfactory, and will, no doubt, command good price 3at the coming sales. — Winton Record. The potato harvest in the Dunbar district, Scotland, is rapidly approaching completion, the weather of late having been exceptionally favourable. The crop is considerably under an average, but is generally sound, blight being 1 found only in exceptional instances. We hear | of several sales by the acre, aggregating about | 300 acres, at from £20 to £30 per acre, and prices aro hardening, one prominent grower saving sold 80 acres at the Tatter price. — North British Agriculturist, November 1. The Glencoo correspondent of the Winton | Record writes: — The late flood has caused a | considerable ' loss of sheep. Ono farmer at Grove Bush lost upwards of 200 fat sheep, which is a heavy loss when sheep are at the present ruling prices. .Shearing has com- [ menced here, the wool being light and dry, \-t\\a result of too much cold weather. , % The following are the results of the weightguessing competitions at tho Southland A. and P. show. Tho bullock weighed 7941b. and the winner of the first prize of £2 is Mr F". A. Price (7961b) ; for second prize there were three equal— namely, Messrs T. C. Maltby (7901b), Wm. Turpin (7901b), Andrew Brown, Woodlands (7931b). The fat sheep weighed 6S9JIb. The winners aro Mr D. Sinclair (6901b) and Mr D. R- M'Rae, Mokoreta (685£1b). The bullock was purchased by Mr T. C. Maltby, and the sheep bs Messrs Joh«