AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2397, 8 February 1900, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Rumour has it (says the London correspondent of the "Australian Pastoralists' Review") that "Jt.Tr Acton-Adams is to advise the Belfast Company to make arrangements to open a stall in the market here. Would suoh a step be wise in the case of a company doing c.i.f. business? By opening a stall and dealing direct with market buyers a colonial -meat shipper would, 1 suppose, be entering into competition with many of its best customers. i The Riverstone Meat Company certainly has I a stall now, but I imagine that its business is not on all fours w ith the Belfast Company. | I maintain that the opening of the Cardiff ! shop by the Climtchurch Meat Company | was never a matter of competition with London salesmen, but rather a step which would help them by stimulating the country demand for prime Canterbury meat, but a | stall in Smithfield Market is another kettle of fish altogether." The estimated number of sheep and lambs in New Souih Wales on the 15th December' was 35,608,058. | A resident of Winton has been experimenting in tire preservation of eggs by wrapping them separately in paper and depositing them i in an_ air-ught box, so far with success. An I experiment i= to bo made-on a large scale. | The wheat above Olautau is looking tplen- | did, and promises a big yield. I Messrs Walsh Bros., Otakia, recently lost- [ a horse, which died suddenly. A post morl tern revealed that the stomach and intestines wevo perforated by bofc flies. The Ngatimoti correspondent of the Nelson | Evening Mail writes that the Continued dry wGother is iniuriously affecting the local crops of hops and raspberries. 'ihe Waverley Dairy Compairy, which recently established two creameries in the" Rangitikei district (at Silverhope and Tutaenui respectively) has been so successful that it is now proposed to establifh a third at Crofton. A number of farmers in the Kingsdown district (South Canterbury) are complaining of the destruction done to the wheat by the Hessian fiy. The wool clip in the Forty-mile Bush this season has (says the Ekeiahuna Express) been very heavy, beating the records of previous years bya good deal. The Isews stales that the botfly is particuI larly active in Coromandel. Horses' forelegs and manes are literally covered with the eggs, whieli, when licked off by the animals, develop internally into the parasite grub, which is responsible for so much mortality amongst horses. j _ The Waipawa correspondent of the [ Hawke's Bay Herald says it is reported on seemingly goodg o od authority that it is the intention of the Government to acquire, under the Land for Settlements Act, one of the following estates in this vicinity : — Abbotsford run, Stokes " The Brow," or Tamumu station. We (Timavu Herald) have heard from several sources that brown-grey caterpillars aredoing great damage among some of ihe crops in the neighbourhood of Geraldine. They do not attack wheat, but show a strong preference for baripv- and young gra.33. The sparrows do not touch t' em, but the starlings are doing their best to eradicate the pest. The Wellington corresjjondent of the North Otago Times telegraphed from Wellington on Thursday night : — A line of stud Romney Marsh rams, bred by Mr John Reid, E'derslie, was sold 10-day at the Lower Hutt ram and ewe fair by the New- Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company at 11^ guineas each. This was the highest figure obtained. Mr James M'Lay, of Toi Toi. has received notification of his appointment to the position of farm overseer at the Lincoln Agricultural College, and will leave Wyndham in time to take up his duties at that place on March 1. The Nelson Colonist learns that the clip on Messrs Carter Bros.' Hiller^den station, Wairau Valley, totalled 875 bales of merino wool from 52,000 sheep. The whole lot was sold to a German firm at Is per lb for fleeces, 9d for pieces, and 4d for locks, the value being over £15,000. At the Invercargill Abattoirs from January 8 to January 25 133 cattle, 743 sheep, 165 lambs, 13 pigs, and 6 calves were slaughtered, of which 3 cattle^ suffering from generalised tuberculosis, and lour sheep, suffering from hydatids, were condemned. An Interesting Growth of Wool. — In forwarding a. sample of wool to this office, Mr G-. B. Ogilvie, who has charge of the sheep on Omarama Station, writes: — "Enclosed you will find staple of merino wool, which you will s-ee is of very unusual length. It was obtained from -a full-n.ioulh.cd, long-tail sheep, showing 'hat from birth it had never been mustered in to the station. The sheep in question was brought to Omarama to-day (January 23rd), it being mustered off Longslip Station [presum-

ably a cattle run]." The length of fibre, without any tension whatever is nearly 12£ inches. Half an inch at the tip shows signs of the easting of a previous growth, though the weakness and separation at the extremity may have Been caused by entanglement in underwood. It is therefore, not possible to say definitely that the fieece is the entire growth from birth. The staple is unbroken and without signs of weakness in 12 inches of the length, and is very heavy in grease, showing that the ewe was well nourished and had foraged well for herself while outlying. Experts to whom the sample has been shown class it as of " good average quality merino combing wool." As regards the retention of wool for a prolonged period, in "Youatt on Sheep" ifc is stated, "Lord Western has retained the wool j of the merino, without the slightest dis- i position to separate from the skin, dur- , ing three years. The experiment was also tried at Rambouillet, and the fleece remained on firm and healthy during five years. It had attained its utmost growth at the fourth year, when it was 13 inches long ; . "but it had no disposition to separate from the ', skin, and probably it would not have fallen ■ off during the life of the sheep. There were not merely a few cases of this, but the experiment succeeded in every sheep on which it i •was tried." The firm retention of the wool . growth on the pelt, or its weakening and ulti- , mate casting, is altogether dependent upon j the food and treatment of the sheep. J The Ratanui correspondent of the Clutha : 3?ree Press writes : — Play operations here have . been greatly impeded by the rough weather J experienced lately, and much of the hay is < still unstacked and even uncufc. In spite of i the insjjeetors, poison, etc., the rabbits are I again getting very numerous, but the trapping is coming on, when I expect bunny will get a reverse. The milk supply at the daily factory is steadily decreasing, and at present is about 350 gal daily ; but the test is rising (which is one consolation), and is now about 3.8. j The showery weather experienced last week . iii the Bruce district is proving most unsuit- j able for the grass harvest, says the Herald, > and farmers who intend saving portion of their grass for ssed are at their wits' end to know how they can best deal with it in order to get it threshed in decent condition. The ease ■ with which the seed is shaken out and lost by too much handling renders this a work of extreme difficulty. i The turnip crops at Hedgchope are looking in the very best of condition. The wet weather has suited the high ridges, and all kinds ■ of crops so situated are in the best of condition. — Southern Standard. j To make the United Kingdom independent of colonial and foreign food supplies, Mr R. F. Crawford told the Royal Statistical Society recently that 23,000,000 acres would have to be added to the 47,800,000 already under cultivation. There are only 77,671,000 acres in the whole kingdom. To supply the wheat ol ' ■which our home production is short 6,000,000 acres would be required ; a similar tract would be necessary for the prodxiction of the 90,000,000cwt of cattle food which is imported, and 11,000,000 acres more would be needed on which to raise the meat and the milk products which now come from other countries. Tax burdens are heavy in the Argentine. On cattle brought into Buenos Ayrea for shipment abroad or sale for consumption from districts near the city, the various taxes to be paid before an animal is sold sum up to lOdol per head. These are national, provincial, and municipal taxes. This condition of affairs cuts all profits for the farmei*. The effect of high protective" duties on the one hand and excessive taxation on the other restrains the natural tendency to expansion, and restricts in all directions the prosperity that should ensue from the wealth of a fertile soil and beneficent climatic surroundings. j The harvest in the Otiake district is now in full swing, and but for the wet last week the cutting part of it would have been half over. The crop, I think, will be a fairly average one. There is no extra straw, but I will be surprised if it does not thresh well to the bulk, as what I have seen looks sound and healthy, with a fine golden colour. Weather permitting, eight or ten days more ■will see it in the stook. Grass is plentiful, and stock are looking well. — Correspondent Oamaru Mail. Barley has never been a favourite crop with farmers in the Bruce district, the dampness of the soil and_ the climate generally being considered unsuitable for the production of a good sample. A certain amount, however, is always grown by some of our farmers, and this year we notice several nice fields about. Among others a large paddock of this cereal is to be seen on Mr D. Drinnan's farm, near Milburn. It is looking especially well at present, and with favourable weather should give a very large yield. — Herald. The crops on the Black Swamp, near Lumsden, says the Gore Standard, are very high this year. Before shooting, they were as high as a man's head. If the harvest weather is windy, a lot of it will be unfit to out, as the slightest wind will cause it to lie. A noteworthy milking record has been established by the red poll Crocus, which belonged to the famous Norfolk dairy herd at Whit-" Jingham. She gave "birth to her third calf on May 11, 1890, since which date she continued uninterruptedly in milk until September 28, 1899, a period of over nine years, her milk yield in the last week of her life being at the daily rato of 43^1b, or nearly 4£gal. During the nine years four months that she was continuously in milk she yielded altogether 50,4281b, or nearly 23 tons of milk. Over the last five years the average quantity of butterfat in her milk was as high as 4.3 per cent.

Her live weight when, sent to market, after being on grass feed for the last six months of her life, was lOcwt lqr 111b. In the nine years since her last calving she gave something like 45 times her own weight in milk, and her average production during that period was 5.4031b of milk, or considerably over 500 gal per annum. For a moderate-sized cow this is a remarkable performance, which has aroused much interest amongst the breeders of red polls. — North British Agriculturist. Messrs Turnbull, Martin and Co., the wellknown shipping firm of London, Glasgow, and Dunedin (New Zealand), owners of the "Shire" line of large vessels for the carriage of Australian frozen meat to the British markets, have completed arrangements for opening an office in Brisbane for the direct and thorough management of their Queensland business. Mr E. B. Harris, who was an officer of the 8.1. and Q.A. Company, and has been connected with the Brisbane frozen meat export trade from its inception, has been appointed representative for Turnbull, Martin and Co., in Queensland. Speaking on December 2 at the first anniversary of founder's day of Lady "Warwick's Hostel at Reading, Mr Asquith confessed that when he first heard of Lady Warwick's Hostel scheme it appeared to him to have somewhat of a Utopian flavour, but he was there that day to acknowledge that lie was converted by the logic of accomplished facts into a firm and fixed belief in its practical utility. He did not think it was possible ) imagine a better conceived or better carried out scheme, and that, too, with the institution in its infancy. In the space of one year there were two hostels with 41 students, instead of one hostel with 12 students, and the ground acreage had jumped from two to 11 acres. Any prejudice or hostility which might have existed against the employment of women in agricultural capacities had now almost completely passed away, and Lady Warwick's scheme had assisted to dispose of a problem of very great national importance — namely, how to find proper and remunerative employment for women. Mr Roderick Scott presided at the annual soiree of the Glasgow Fleshers' Society held in December. In the course of the evening, the chairman, in a speech, said that in the cattle market for the year ending May 31, 1899, there were 79,866 cattle, 428,171 sheep and lambs, 6593 pigs, 253 calves, or a total of 514,883 animals, against 485,599 last year. There had been slaughtered in the three public slaughter-houses 52,805 cattle, 284,260 sheep and lambs, 49,450 pigs, 2092 calves, making 388,307, as against 356,932, or 31,375 more than 1898. In the meat market, Moore street, there were sold 62,627 carcases of beef, 169,057 sheep and lambs, 34,185 pigs, 174-1 calves, together, 267,610, as against 240,814; increase over 1898, 26,796, or a grand total of 87,455 animals over last year. These were all homebred and home-fed. These numbers did not include the large arrivals of American and Canadian cattle at Yorkhill foreign wharf. Now, these figures were substantial and satisfactory. Consequently, they spoke volumes in favour of the fleshers of Glasgow, and showed they were as energetic, as industrious, and alive to the wants of the community as ever. He wanted the boys, who would be the future fleshers of Glasgow, to remember and take heed that they belonged to one of the most important and honourable trades in the kingdom. — Exchange. Energetic efforts are being made to improve the quality of the beef herds in Canada by the introduction of pedigreed shorthorn and other' cattle from Great Britain. It is a remarkable fact, says the North British Agriculturist, that shorthorn cattle not only thrive in Canada, but that they actually improve in , constitution and quality. A huge specimen of ! the Canadian crossbred oxen, named Royal Canadian Duke, will be shown at Paris. This animal has been bred and reared at Bow Arrow, near Brandon, Manitoba, and is probably one of the most remarkable fat oxen ever exhibited. The following were his dimensions, taken on November 16 this year: — Length from tip of nose to butt of tail, 10ft lOin; ' girth round the heart, 9ft 7in ; height 3t . shoulders, sft B_in. It has not been thought . advisable to finish fattening him, in view of I his projected Atlantic passage, but at the > date when the above measurements were taken his weight was close upon 35001b, and it is anticipated that it will tip the scale at two tons by the time he is exhibited at Paris, besides being a marvel of symmetry and good quality. Royal Canadian Duke bears testimony to the breeding value of the shorthorn, and to the great feeding value of the natural grasses and the healthful climate of Western Canada. j Owing to the rise in the price of fibre, conI sequent upon the war in the Philippines, the I price of flax is now high enough to enable flax fields in the remotest parts of the colony to be profitably worked. The re-opening of the flaxmill at Makarora by Messrs Patty and ; Austin, says the Cromwell Argus, will lead to the employment of a lot of labour, and will give a much needed fillip to the place. At a special general meeting of members ' of the Timaru Agricultural and Pastoral Association, on Saturday, 27th ult., a petition to Parliament, praying to have a measure passed to "totally abolish and prevent the illegal, fraudulent, and demoralising practice of 'trotting,' or bogus bidding, at auction sales of live stock and land," was adopted, with one dissentient. Copies of the petition will be sent for signature to kindred associations. The exports of grain and produce from Lyttelton for tho week ending January 27 included the following line 3: — 1336 sacks wheat, 1292 sacks and 2450 bags of flour, 34,524 sacks

oats, 62 sacks meal, 47 sacks oatina. 648 sacks barley, 1507 sacks malt, 243 sacks sharps. 180 sacks pollard, 1062 sacks bran. 150 sacks chaff, 76 sacks peas, 12 bales hay, and 933 bales oaten sheaves. A butter factory is about to be erected in the Kokotahi district, near Hokitika. The factory will be capable of turning out a ton of butter a day, and will be on the most up-to-date lines. Killing operations are now in full swing at the Mataura Freezing Works, some 500 lambs being operated upon daily. The dynamo for the electric hoist into the new storage rooms is expected to arrive by the Ruahine in a few days, and will be placed in position in ample time for the rabbit season, to meet the demands of which it was partly intended. — Ensign. The fat stock shows of 1899, says the Field, will long be remembered as remarkable for the success of the royal herds and flocks. It is far from a new experience for her Majesty to win the championship of the Smithfield show ; indeed, that coveted distinction has probably been gained oftener by the Windsor herds than by any other herds the property of one exhibitor in the kingdom, and that, too, in spite of the uncommon limitation in her Majesty's case in that she shows only animals of her own breeding. But, brilliant as the past records of her Majesty's herds have been, it is doubtful if they can furnish a moie remarkable series of successes than has been won, and handsomely won, during the past few weeks. For one thing, the achievement of the Hereford steer in winning the triple championship — at Norwich, Birmingham, and London — has but one precedent, that of Mr Wortley's crossbred General in 1897. Then, again, her Majesty won all the first tickets for Herefords, and the breed cup for Devons, while the carcase of an Aberdeen-Angus bullock from Abergeldie Mains championed the slaughter classes. The feat of winning champion honours in both the live and dead sections is quite unprecedented. Nor must the success of the Sandringham exhibits be over- \ looked. The champion pen of Southdown sheep, and the second best sheep exhibit in the show, the cup pen of middle white pigs, and a pair of first prize Dexters maintained | the high reputation of tne Prince of Wales's > herds and flocks. The Tapanui Courier says that the few days of summer experienced lately in the district ' have been greatly appreciated, and a month of such weather is needed to ripen the grain. The harvest this year will be late. Some very heavy crops are to be seen in various parts of the district. The small-bird nuisance threatens to be troublesome during the present month. Mr G. G. Stead makes the following appeal, through the medium of the Christchurch daily papers, to the Canterbury farmers: — Oats, oaten-sheaf chaff, and meadow hay are wanted to feed tli6 horses for the Canterbury Troop. I confidently appeal to the generosity of the Canterbury farmers to supply the quantity required. Any quantity from 10 sacks of oats j or one ton of chaff, and upwards, consigned to ] the War Fund Committee, Addington, will , be gladly accepted, and acknowledged. The heavy harvest is very late in the Pareora district, on account of the unsettled state of the weather, and it is just about ripe now. It is to be hoped that the weather has settled, for everybody will soon be busy harvesting, j There are already some paddocks in stook, including a few fine paddocks of wheat on the Pareora River bed. — Correspondent Timaru Post. ! The cargo taken by the steamer Claverdon from the port of Oamaru, says the Mail, was 25,445 sacks of oats, being by far the largest shipment of oats ever made in one bottom here. ! The following items are from the Western Star: — The oat crops at Merrivale, Orawia, and Eastern Bush are rather on the short side, but they may take a spurt during the next few weeks. — A considerable quantity of grass has been cut for seed in the Otautau district. The price of seed is low just now. Many farmers are complaining about the scarcity of labour. It is almost impossible to get boys to go out to do farm work. They seem to prefer being cooped up in offices quill driving, letter entering, or docket checking at a miserable pittance to the more healthy and exhilarating life of a farm hand at so ' much a week and found. The fault of this, according- to pome, lies with the parents, who, ' if they could only see it, would be doing their boys greater justice if they brought, them up to , the manly and independent life of a farm, where they -would get an opportunity of mental and physical development impossible of attainment in cities?' which yearly turn out automatons by the' thousand. These, once they are stuck through inability to get work at their own particular calling, are lo«t. The beat men come from the country, and to make a boy a man that is the place to send him if he has grit. Brainless boys had better stay at home. — Exchange. j We hear so much of the advisability of , teaching agriculture in our elementary schools, I says a writer in a Home paper, that it is worth j while to inquire if the teachers are competent ( to teach that subject, and we are afraid that., there are very few who have the merest rudi- [ mentary knowledge of the practical part of . farming. At a meeting recently in Dublin, i an instance was given of a certain gentleman i acting as examiner who did not know the difference- between a mangel and a turnip. Another instance is referred to by the Farmers' Gazette of a case in which a gentleman had successfully passed the notoriously stiff , examination that school inspectors have to undergo. He afterwards visited a farm not

half a dozen miles from Dublin to acqiiire information to enable him to examine pupils in elementary schools. In working tip for his examination he had simply stuffed himself with book lore, but he confessed that although lie had read thai some sheep had white heads and some coloured . he did not know whether the colour was red or blue or green. The same gentleman admitted that he could not distinguish a sample of wheat from a sample of bailey. Onts he could manage, as he had seen them given to horses. If .such is the state of agricultural knowledge on the parb of inspectoi'd, what are we to expect from the rank and file of the teachers? These, no doubt, are extreme cases, but it cannot be denied that hitherto the teaching of agricultural subjects has been an absolute failure for practical purposes. It is anticipated that from Oamaru to Ngapara and adjacent districts the wheat yield will, on the average, be fulby 60 bushels to the acre. The New River Valley correspondent of the Southland News writes: — Farming affairs generally are most promising this season. Since the New Year the weather has, on the whole, changed for the better. Crops, as a mle, are looking well. Wheat and oats, with seasonable weather until harvest, will be, if anything, above the average. Turnips may be classed from fair to good, but, owing to so much rain during December, they are rather later than usual. Grass is in abundance everywhere, and stock of all kinds looking well, although here and there one can see signs of scouring on the lambs, owing, I expect, to so much wet grass last month. There are hundreds" of horses and thousands of cattle in the Hawaiian Islands which never take a drink of water throughout the whole course of their lives. On all the islands the ripper altitudes of the mountains are given up to cattle ranches. The cattle run wild from the time they are born until they are sent to the slaughter-house. Except during possibly two or three months of the rainy season, there are no pools or streams of water in any part where the cattle range. But everywhere there grows a recumbent, joined grass, known by the native name of maninia. This is both food and drink. Horses and cattle grazing on it neither require water nor drink it when offered. Large orders fdr preserved meats for the use of the troops in South Africa were receiveri from the Imperial Government by Melbourne merchants on Saturday. They included 44,8001b of tinned beef, 48,0001b of corned beef, 26, 8801b of tinned roast mutton, 43,0001b of mutton chops, 72,0001b of boiled mutton. Orders for fodder are still being extensively placed in Melbourne by the Imperial Government. The arrivals of cattle, sheep, and fresh beef at Liverpool during the week ending December 16 from American and Canadian ports included a total of 4020 cattle, 3117 sheep, 21,142 quarters of beef, and one refrigerator of beef. Compared with the arrivals of tho previous week, they show a decrease of 1112 cattle, 1266 sheep, and 4875 quarters of beef. The importation of eggs is steadily increasing in Great Britain every year. That we phall ever succeed in producing sufficient eggs in Britain to supply our own needs we are greatly in doubt. In fact, a large quantity are sold at such a cheap rate that it would be impossible to produce them, in this country for the money. Irtdeed, we could not wish for our countrymen to be reduced to the methods of living adopted in some of the countries from which we draw our egg supply. Many of them never taste a fresh .egg, as they cannot afford such indulgences. They can, or rather do. only eat such as are overripe, and they eat them without a grin, but all the saleable ones have to go to market. But, whilst we should be sorry to see our own farmers driven to such self-denial, it is a pity that they do not keep in this country a little more of the money that is spent every year for foreign eggs than they do. Up to the end of October no less than £4,101,944 of this country's capital was paid away for eggs since January 1. Out of every 10 eggs used in the United Kingdom nine of them are produced abroad. This should not be. Farmers are very favourably situated for keeping fowls profitably, and it is inexcusable to neglect so important a source of revenue. The series of poultry-keeper's balance sheets that have been appearing in our columns of late have proved' that fowls will pay splendidly if intelligently managed. — Scottish Farmer. As showing the tremendous trade that is now being carried on in Great Britain in frozen mutton and lamb, we may tell our leaders that there are over 6.500,000 carcases sold yearly, or about 18.000 a day, and preparations are being made by the increase of cold storage to increase the quantity. New Zealand and Australia have, up to the present, supplied the greater part of the foreign mutton received in Britain, but it is reported that a very serious effort is now being made by the Falkland Island farmers to land some of thpir mutton in this country, either cooked or frozen. The distance has hitherto stood in the way of commercial success, but experience will .soon enable the farmers of those countries and their merchants to overcome these difficulties, and undoubtedly they, too, in the end will help to swell the tide of opposition to our farmers. It appears that Scotland is vtot the only country where it takes three acres to feed a sheep. In some parts of Western Queensland, in ordinary seasons they only run one sheep on four acres, and runs that will carry a sheep to the acre are considered good pasturage. — Scottish Farmer. The decline that has taken place in the re-

venue derived by British farmers for their grain crops during the century has recently been well brought out in the Daily Graphic. At the beginning of the century tho revenue from an acre of wheat of 30 bushels to the acre was £17 ss ; to-day, all that an acre yields is £4 17s 6d. The revenue from an acre of barley in 1880 was £12 7s 6d for a crop of 33 bushels to the acre; to-day, £5 7s 3d. Oats gave a return for the average crop of 40 bushels to the ace of £10 to the acre ; to-day, the return or revenue is £4 3s 4d. As a matter of course, corn-growing was the princiw' indu=>tri- in farming at that time. The greatest decline took place in the first 50 years oi me centuiy for all (>rain, and in the last half of the century the decline in the prices of -barley and oats has been but slight. Barley stood at £5 15s 6d in 1849, and oats at £4 10a per acre, thus the decline for barley in the last 50 years has only been 8s 9d per acre, and 6s 8d for oats ; but the decline in the same period for wheat has been £3 9s 6d. The question now presenting itself is — What prospect is there of a further decline, or is there any li^ihood of any improvement? The possibility is that, unless there is a check put upon the decline by fiscal arrangement, it will go on, and only stop when the price falls below the cost of production abroad.

As showing the tremendous amount of money paid away for meat alone in Great Britain, up to October 31 last there was an increase in the imports of nearly £3,500,000 sterling of dead meat over last year, amounting in the aggregate to £27,410,362, and the imports of butter at the same date amounted to £14,000,000, being about three-quarters of a million more than last year, and £4,457,195' worth of dead meat over last year, amountmargarine, £2,083,779, making a total of j-47. 651,338, without counting eggs or wheat and flour. It we tack on the value of the imports of corn and flour we get the enormous total of £96,030,177 for human consumption alone.

The following is the number of foreign cattle and sheep landed and slaughtered at London, Liverpool, and Glasgow during three years ending October 31, 1599: — London. — Cattle— 1896-7. 222,655; 1897-8, 226,388; 1898-9, 163,802. Sheep— lß96-7, 283,642; 1897-8, 038,596; 1898-9, 312,861. Liverpool.— Cattle —1896-7, 271,061; 1897-8, 259,630; 1893-9, 255,379. Sheep— lß96-7, 290,862; 1897-8, 276,863; 1898-9. 284,017. Glasgow.— Cattle— 1896 7, 74,750; 1897-8, 55,710; 1893-9, 45,136. Sheep— lß96-7, 30,962; 1897-8, 27,948; 1898-9, 19,253.

The following items of news are from the Timaru Herald: — The harvest on the plains is now becoming general. Several stacks can be seen making their appearance, and here and there a machine is to be heard threshing out of the stook. The yields so far have been up to expectations. — Several new threshing machines have been imported into this district this year. Messrs Wooding Bros., of Woodbury, Messrs Preddy Bros., of Temuka, and Mr W. Greig, of Gleniti, have each imported one of Clayton and Shuttleworth's latest improved machines for the coming season. They have lately been in the yards of the South Canterbury Engineering Company for the purpose of getting elevators and chaffeys fitted on, after which they will be ready for work. — On sale day at Temuka, last week, Mr James Guild was instrumental in getting 122 signatures to the petition against "trotting" at auctions.

As a settler named Prattley was returning to his home at Clandeboye on Tuesday, the 30th ult., says the Timaru Post, he observed someone strike a match in the vicinity of a newly-erected shed belonging to him, and afterwards the place broke out in flames, with the result that the shed and its contents (some 20 bags of wheat and some harness) were totally destroyed. In addition to these, new horse feeders, with a large quantity of chaff close by, were also burned. This happened about i 0 p.m., and no clue has so far been. got to the perpetrator qf the deed, though, strong suspicions are attached to a certain individual. Mr Prattley is a heavy loser by the fire, and can ill afford such a set back.

The Timaru Morning Post discourses in a cheerful strain on the farming and pastoral prospects in South Canterbury : — The weather for some time has been all that could be desired for harvesting operations, and all around the district there has been a large amount of grain cut. In a number of cases wheat is being cut on the green side, and where this is the case inferior samples may be looked for. Doubtless farmers act with the best intention in cutting their crops early, thinking to avoid any chance of the dreaded nor'-wester shaking the crop, but it is better to risk a little wind than to cut wheat before it ig thoroughly ripe by reason of the loss sustained through its shrivelling. Oats, on the contrary, are none the worse for being cut a little on the green side. There is not so much straw this year as was the case last year, but the heads are almost as well filled, and that, of course, is the main consideration. A good feature of the grain crops this year is the absence of smut in them, and also of the rank undergrowth, which so much impedes their cutting. There is a fair amount of bar* ley being grown in the district this year, and the local brewers should have no difficulty in filling their requirements. A few good crops of rape, oats, lucerne, and tares are to be Been about, and as for swedes and turnips, judging by the excellent "strike" of these two latter commodities there is every promise of splendid returns all round. Sheep of all classes still maintain a good price, and it i» difficult to secure them at any figure, and in consequence there has been a good deal of feed left go to waste, for, with no ahan.ee of

making anything out of them, farmers find it just as well to let them alone. Cattle aie in greater demand than has been the case for some years, owing no doubt to the fact oi sheep being so high a price, and though they generally go back in price at tins time oi the year when the flush of feed is over, it is not likely they will do so thi* year, with so many good root" crops in prop cl. Hay-making bag been the order of the day for some weeks past, and between this and roots there should be , no lack of feed during the coming winter. All that is wanted now is fine weather tor harvest, and if the grain is got in in good order and condition, with every prospect of high prices ahead, a general prosperity will be the result all round. Several settlers along the Waiau road have splendid crops ; some of the wheat would be •hard to beat. In the early days of settlement no one would believe that wheat would grow here at all. Cattle are mud fat, and the dairy factories are being well supplied with milk.— Orepuki Correspondent Southland Times. ' " , We (Tima.ru Herald) ate requested to draw the attention of the Levels County Council to an insanitary practice which prevails within their jurisdiction as Local Board of Health. Whenever a sheep drover has a death among his flock whilst on the road, we ai>o assured, the practice is for him to skin the sheep (if the ekin is worth anything) and fling tho carcase into the ditch or the hedge, as the case may j be, and leave it there to decay; an offence to / all passers-by for the next fortnight O£ three j ■weeks, and not improbably a danger to the iealth. of some of them. The county council, ,we are aware, have taken action in cases where the carcases of horses have been left uuburied on riverbeds, and they would be doing a pro- J per thing in the interests of the public at J large if they gave similar attention to the class of cases above referred to. The Scottish Farmer, commenting on tho report of Professor Wartley Axe as to tho question of tuberculosis and its generation, points out that, according to hiß conclusions 1 , the only way to ensure freedom from the jßcourge was never to allow animals inside four walls or under cover of any kind. Mr C. W. jlorrensen, of Manchester, has lately been pointing out that the conclusion that an outdoor life as a safeguard is not a sound one, fo.nd illustrates his contention by stating that j the dairy cows of New Zealand, which aie ; iXiever housed, are affected to the extent of j from 25 to 30 per cent., and what is moro ccnclusivo still, that an exclusively out-door life » Js not an absolute safeguard against '.ha disease. He states that in a herd of half-wild cattle that' had lived thair whola lives out of doors, in one of the sunniest and healthiest climates in the world, 45 per cent., on slaughter, have been found affected with tuberjulo- . sis. Perfection, doej? not seem to lie in U l^ "

direction, it is evident. It seems certain that if an exclusively outdoor life was an absolute necessity during the winter momhs, a diminished yield of milk would inevitably follow. Exposure in winter would render it imposcible to supply it at present prices. But our purpose in referring to the matter again is to point out that it is quite evident that an outdoor life is not an absolute safeguard against tuberculosis. A letter to the Auckland Herald states that the maize and potato crops in the Urewera country have been completely destroyed by late frosts. The Government will probably be asked to assist the Natives. A good many meetings have been held by the Departmental Committee on the Use of Preservatives and Colouring Matter in Food, in England in November and December, and the evidence of a number of authorities representing the medical profession, analysts, or traders, has been taken. It is hardly necessary to say that a good deal of diiference of opinion has been manifested. So far, how;ever, there is a great preponderance of evidence on certain points. For example, nearly all the witnesses contend or admit that tho moderate use of boric acid is essential to the prefervation of bacon and hams, now that consumers inpist upon having them mild-cured. Most of the witnesses go as far in reference to butter, and especially to butter sent to us from our colonies. Further, the majority of the witnesses held that the quantity of boric acid commonly used for bacon, hams, or butter is not likely to be injurious to health ; but many of them would like to see a legal limit to the proportion used in either case. On the other hand, the use of any preservative in milk is pretty generally condemned, and its use in cream is objected to by many witnesses, because it is held that commodities often consumed in large quantities by infants and older children may contain enough of even the least harmful preservative to be injurious to health. As for preservatives other than boric acid and borax, they find few, if any, defenders, and some of them certainly ought to bo absolutely prohibited. This is to be said also with respect to such colouring matters as salts of copper in food. In some experiments in mangels carried out on the Cumberland County Council farm at Newton Rigg during the past season, tho greatest crop, 30 tons per acre, was obtained on a plot dressed with 10 tons of farmyard manure-, l£cwt of nitrate of soda, lewt of kainit, and 2cwt of superphosphate per acre. Where doublo the amounts of artificial manures were used without farmyard manure, the yield was 26 tons 12cwt per acre. Where 20 tons of farmyard manure were used, without any artificials, the yield was 28 tons 14cwt. This appears to show that the additional 10 tons, which cannot be set at a less cost than 50s, gave a, smaller increase than the small, dress-

ing of artificials, costing only 20s 9d. But some allowance must be made for the unexhausted value of the large quantity of farmyard manure. Where 4cwt of basic slag was Used instead of an equal quantity of superphosphate, with nitrate of soda and kainit in both cases, the yield wa- practically the Fame ; but where sulphate of ammonia took the place of nitrate of soda, the yield was greatly reduced — much more so than would have beon the ca&e probably in a. wet season. On the un manured plot the yield '.vas 9 tons 4cwt per acre. In an experiment with potatoes the best crop, 10 tons. Tcvit pi-r acre, was grown with the help of 12 tons of farmyard maniire alone; but where bait this manure was used with |cwt of nitrate, lc\vt of kainit, and 2cwt of -superphosphate, costing only 14 s, the yield was only lev, t le=?. — Home paper.