AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The Ekelahuna Express says: — We hear, from a prstty reliable source, that the Government has in contemplation the closingdown of the Advances to Settler* Oilics lor a time. The reason given is that the rise in tl c price of Money precludes l':e making of advances at rates specified by la.w. A TVjraiiga paper is informed that something like 20,000 sacks of maize are still in reFerve at Whakatane alone, being kept back in the hope of a material rise in the market before the new season's crop comes in. The harvest in the Manawatu district is being ruined by continuous wet weather. The value of rabbit? sent away from Waitahuna represents something like £160 a week.

Mi- Wilson Hall, of JRiversdale, has now six binders going every day, and the harvest ia coming on so fast that tlnee mo:e machine? will require to be put en. The- exports of grain and produce from Lyttelton for the week ending 24-th ult., included the following lines: — ]4.220 packs wheat, 1799 sacks and 978 bags flour, 21.731 sacks oats, 252 sacks barley, 1047 packs malt, 48 sacks meal, 24-9 sacks bran, 83 sacks shams, 144- packs pollard, 7E6 sacks chaff, 214- sacks peas, 6 sacks beans, 45 gunnies and 4-7 racks onions, C 6 sacks poiatoes and 24 bales hay. Mr W. Nicholas brought to our office (fays the Waimate Times) a sample of a finebearded wheat, entirely new to this district, which lie has grown on his fr.rni at the Eook. '" About five years ago Mr Nicholas was given a single head of the grain, which he sowed, and now this year he has eight acres growing, the yield from which is expected to be from 35 to 40 bushels per acre. Mr Nicholas did not sow the wheat until as late as the 15th of September, and the crop is a good one. The straw (purple) is from 4-ft to sft. The crop is on the green side yet, but will be ready to cut in about a week. A paddock of pearl adjoining the above was sown a fortnight earlier, but compared with the new wheat,, which is known by the name of Cubanka, is almost a failure. An Oamaru expert, who knows the new wheat, says that it is a good milling wheat, and north more than any other kind. One thing is evident, the soil and climate here suit its growth, and though sown late in the spring, it does well. The wheat is csrtainly worth the attention of farmer. 0 . An immense area of Australia is still sorely afflicted with drought (says a Melbourne exchange), and before the next winter many large pastoral properties in the drought-siric-keu districts will be entirely denuded of sheep. - Where it was possible, many sheep have been removed ; but ifc was not always possible to remove stock, and the majority of the unfortunate creatures were left on the pastures, the bare soil being now whitened by their bones. Jn many districts the water has eithc-r given out or is very greatly reduced, while the surface of the land is absolutely bare. Every vestige of grass*, has long since disappeared, and the edible bushes are eaten down to the stumps. Every particle of moisture has been drawn out of the soil, and all vegetation hasceased. Elderslie never looked better than it does now. The success of the crops has been remarkable. The threshing of the oat crop on section 25, Government Plan, has just been, completed, and the average yield ay,-< 126 bushels to the acre, notwithstanding that as the crop was badly twisted, a consideiable number of bushels were left on the ground. On sections 20a and 15, tlie crop looks nearly as heavy, and the wheat on sections 21, 21a, and 25 is expected to thrash out upwai-ds of 40 bushels, and the sample is first-rate. This is encouraging, and shows ti.at the weather, which caused so much worry, was, after all, just what was wanted. — Oamaru Mail.

Good progress was made with the harvesting in the-Metliven district last week, and the bulk of the grain is now in stack or threshed. The threshing- machines are at work in all directions, and both yield and sample are Turning cut up to expectations. The root crops are jooking healthy, and the potatoes promise a good yield, except in the reclaimed swamp district, where the frost did serious damage. — Lyttelton Tims*.

Several varieties of American maize grown in the Clarence district (N.S.W.) , from seed exhibited by the Department of Agriculture, are exceeding anticipations, and are giving very enc-juraging results. The rairfield Freezing Works Company have slaughtered over 90,000 sheep this season, most of which were lambs. The works are still busy, a large number of hands being employed.

The sheepowners of Cootamundra (N.S.W.) are forming an association to subsidise prosecutions for stealing, which is said to be increasing to an alarming extent. One pastoralist estimates his loss at 1000 sheep yearly. The Timaru Post says: Splendid weather is now being experienced in the Geraldine distr'ct, and harvesting ha? become general. The thres' intf mill-j are all out and doing good work. Through th e lateness of the sowing season, owing- to the bad weather, the area, sown v. as but iimired, so that the harvest is small, but the yield, as far as can be ascertained, will be excellent. — All along the main road from Timaru to Waimata, harvesting ia in full swing. There are now not half a, dozen crops standing, and carting in is tlio order of the diy. Several mills are threshingout of the stook, and the splendid harvest weather favours what is at best a rather riskyoperation. A fanner at Willow Bridge, near "Waimale, has threshed a crop of barley which averaged 90 bushels to the acre. A neighbouring crop averaged almost 80 bushels. The barley is now on trucks at Morven, having been sold at 3s 3d per bushel. Harvesters are very plentiful this season, and along any road may be seen men looking unSiieee sfully for work. T _The Western Mataura correrpoinlent of the ■\Vyndham Farmer supplies the followingnotes: — The Woodlands Meat Preserving Works opened the season's operations on the Ist of March. Rabbits in the surrounding districts are vei-y numerous this year, and a. good trade is anticipated. — The milk supply at Woodlands Dairy Factory shows no sign of diminishing, although Ihe Sxislx of ths season is over— &t least, till the autumn ''after grass" comes in. Mr Christopher Souness (late of Edendale) is giving every satisfaction as checsemaksr. — For the convenience of Oteramika settlers, Mr G. 0. Tothill (Invereargill Dairy Supply Co.) is having a creamery erected at Kapuka. Cow- are, in consequence, in good demand about Otcraniika. Of harvesting operations in the Levin district tha Manawatu Farmer <aj-&: Perhaps a more disappointing season titan the present, one has not been experienced for some considerable time. Many of the farmers of tha district, who have had splendidly-grown, crops, and who have looked forward to an abundant harvest, have seen their crops laicl down by the wet, and then, as if to complete the disaster, inclement weather set in jiiat as ihe crops ripened, and caused the grain to shell out. There are now several hundred:) of acres of crop that haye beeu cut, but owinfif

to the 'bad weather the crops are all in stook in the fields, some of them considerably damaged and totally unfit for chaff. The weather at Tuturau for the past few weeks has been somewhat unsettled, strong winds 'blowing, mostly from the N.W., followed .by heavy rain. So far as the pastures are concerned, this has been one of the best seasons that we have experienced for several years, grass being plentiful everywhere. Although grass has clone well, yet, strange to say, several paddocks that were sown down without a grain crop do not appear to have dose well, owing, no doubt, to the cold and wet in the spring checking the growth when coming through the ground. Stock are all in good condition, owing, no_ doubt, to two reasons— viz., grass being plentiful and stock scarce. The high prices ruling for sheep have enticsd the farmers to sell every hoof they could possibly do without. _ Taking into consideration that stock and farm produce of almost every kind is a big price, the farmers must have a lair innings this year. ■ — Correspondent Wyndham Herald. In the Hawera district, says the Star, harvesting is being proceeded with rapidly, and reiDortt, come to hand of exceptionally heavy oat crops having been reaped. Those farmers who have threshed are more than satis-

fied, and a better year than the present has not bean experienced for a long time. A paddock of oats on the Plains returned over 60 bushels to the acre. The straw was afterwards cut into chaff, a ton of splendid chaff being cut off every acre. Had it not been that the stubbles were 15in long, the return of cliaff would have been considerably larger. Cocksfoot seed is now being "brought to town iri considerable quantities. Harvesters, expected a higher prico than 3d per Ib, but it is- not 'forthcoming. commenced, in this district last week, and wi'l be general after a few more dpys of the fine" ripening weather that we are experiencing. All over-the district, ihe crops are much better than they have been for years, although numerous -pitches of inferior oats ara to be sesn. The good returns, combined with the high prices of cereals and the improved vVue of horses this season, will have the effect of making the farmer's lot a better one than it has been for some time past. — Southern Standard. In the Oust district, the harvest this year is proving unusually gooxl. The straw is somewhat short, but the corn is of first-rote quality, and more in quantity than was anticipated. Rcot*crops, too, are looking well. — Press. The Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times writes as follows : — The Lands department has completed arrangements for throwing open the following settlements for lease in perpetuity: Takitu settlement, nine and a-half miles from Hakataramea station, 9674 acres, to be open for selection on March 1. The block is subdivided into small grazing runs, averaging from 1400 to 2500 acres. Fencourt settlement, three miles distant from th« borough of Cambridge, Waikato, 7047 acres, acquired from the Assets Realisation Board, all good agricultural land, subdivided intc 34 sections, ranging from 42 acres up to 869. to be open from March 12. Elderslie, Nortl: Otago, 11,497 acre?, subdivided into 25 agri cultural areas, ranging from 96 acres to i? 22 purchased from Mr John Reid, ..o be open or March 20. Pareora No. 2, purchased by the Government from the New Zealand and Axis

tralian Land Company, comprising 8065 acres subdivided into 32 farms, running from 93 tc 603 acres, open on "March 22. Aorangi estate 1753 acres, purchased from Mr James Bull situated one mile from the borough of Feild ing, 37 good agricultural allotments, ranging from 5 to 177 acresj open on April 5. Pun aroa Eettlement, comprising 7035 acres, on th< Mackenzie Main road, three miles north-wes of Fairlie township, subdivided into 16 see tions, areas from 66 to 795 acres, all splendic agricultural land, open April 19. Rautapiri situate on the Main South road, Canterbury one mile from Winchester railway station area 113 acres, in sections ranging from 17 t< 20 acres, very high-class agricultural land open April 15. Papuka settlement, two mile from Pleasant Point, and 11 miles from Tim aru, comprising 1562 acres, subdivided int< nine farms, ranging in area from 90 to 22i acres, open April 15. The fine weather lately experienced, say the Clutha Free Press, has rapidly ripenee the crops ,and on several farms on the mail road between here and Milton, oats in stool are to be seen. In other portions of this dis -trict cutting has been commenced, and th harvest will soon be in full swing throughou the district. The farmer-novelist, Mr Rider Haggard, al ways sends to The Times his balance sheet f o a small farm which he works in Norfolk. Las year the outcome of operations was a loss o £40, nothing being allowed for rent upon two thirds of the property oi for interest ; in 189 the result was a gross profit of £422. The 10-\ price -of -cereals is "the only explanation whic. Mr Haggard can- give. D?he decline in the value of wool is ver; difficult to explain in view of the small suppl; available, and the increasing -prosperity of th consuming.countries. No new feature has dc velopedin the situation to which the fall ca; be satisfactorily attributed. Any inclinatio: in -November -to over-estimate the deficiency in Australia, is more than compensated by th failure- of the Cape supply by some 40,000 t 50,000 bales, owing to the present war, while the Argentine clip also shows shortage. American trade is reports' to be ainprecedentedly .progressive, and th igti&maA ihas given prooi that 'British -ani

I European trade is not being distrubed by j the war, which might have been anticipated I in November. If prices were not at so high a level, there can be no doube that there would be a keen demand under the conditions now obtaining. At the same time, it is possible that prices went too high in November, and that this is a reaction caused by the manufactured article not being able to find a sale at the high price necessitated by the rise in the price of the raw material. Probably the desire to hoard gold on the Continent in view of war possibilities, and the consequent refusal of the French and German banks to finance further wool purchases, is a factor. And some think that the mysterious speculations in the continental "futures " market are at the root of the trouble. So far as we (Australasian Pastoralists' Review) can judge, there is a reasonable chance of recovery later on in the year, unless a European war breaks out after the close of the Paris Exhibition, but it must not be overlooked that present prices would have been regarded as eminently satisfactory a few months ago, and are very far above what may be termed the normal standard on the average of years.

j Information recently received from Broken j Hill indicates the extent of the drought experienced in that direction. The figures have . been compiled by Mr Wilks, the Government | Stock inspector, and they show that at 'the end of 1F94- there were 11,623 large stock, ' horses and cattle, and 1,166,100 sheep in a i given area. Then the drought started, and ' the losses became heavy. Over 163,000 sheep perished in 1694, and by the end of that perfod ' the flocks had been reduced -to 492,212. One 1 station, which in a good season could com- ' fortably carry 140,000 sheep, had but 62.500 at the end of I£9B. A year later there were | not 20,000 on the Earns run. On another station there were shorn last September 34,000 sheep, and, knowing that nearly all of these ' would perish if they were not removed, the , \ owner sent 12,000 into Victoria to seek pas- ' ture. The remainder had to stay at home ' and die. Since last September 20.000 have succumbed, and of the once splendid flock not ' 2000 are now on the run. Other stations tell the same tale. In the face of sue 1 } disasters stout-hearted lessees have gone on, still making improvements and subdividing their proj pertics, so that when good seasons dp come ' along they ought to be able to take advantage of them. ■■ J Die following recipe for rabbit poison has been used by Mr P. Howard, manager of I Tyrrell Downs estate, Victoria, with great ! success : — 41b dried apples, lib sugar ; add sufficient water to keep them boiling as re- . quired until they are boiled to a pulp, when : ; they will weigh about 161b. Mix well by • ' stirring. One ounce strychnine is sufficient j ' for this quantity. In laying the poison put ' about as much as would rest on a shilling L jjiece on bits of fresh bark oi willow, dogr wood, or pine. " { Despite the bad season 'through wnich the J ( colony has passed, the Queensland Meat Ex- > port and Agency Company signal the ccm- > ' moneement of the new year by placing them- > selves on the list of dividend-paying com- > panics by declaring alO per cent, dividend, 1 in addition to which they have transferred ■ £35,000 to reserve fund as capitalised profit, j and carry forward over £4000. This very 1 satisfactory result, we are told in the repoit, 3 is due to profitable sales of frozen and other ■ , meats (to which no doubt the Transvaal » trouble has contributed), and the directors 3 consider the rfitlook encouraging, notwith- > standing the scarcity and dearness of fat > stock.

} . I Writing on the hot. fly, the Chief Inspectoi ' . of Stock in South Australia (Mr Valentine) s ! says : — To try to remove the bots by medij. cinal treatment after they are fixed to the stomach is labour in vain. They resist j stronger poisons than would be safe to give to a horse. The only time promising an effective removal of the larvae is when young and ' covered with a less impervious vestment than is the case after several months. A powerful drench administered soon after the horse g has been infested may prove of great service. Preventive measures are best. Grooming and 0 otherwise well looking after the horse will 3 prevent the larvae being taken in. The long I hairs could be cut off,' washing the narts most frequented occasionally ; and horses run!j ning in paddocks could be rubbed over with 1:1 carbolic oil now and again, or even fat might £ be rubbed on the legs and other parts during the season when the bot fly deposits the ! " eggs. j. Woolgrowers and others connected with the pastoral industry will, doubtless, be interested by "the following particulars relating to the l~l ~ " Table Top " clip, from near Albury, which '£ is now so eagerly sought after by buyers ope- '•; rating in the Sydney market each year. The '* owner, Mr James Mitchell, has, by giving ] ~ the most careful attention to the breeding of " his flocks and having his clip prepared for ' v market by thoroughly competent classers k only, succeeded in establishing a reputation i for his brand which ensures for.it the keenest y possible competition when it appears in the y sale catalogue?. The " Table Top " flocks c include both merino and crossbred sheep, and i- the prices secured when the mark was subn mitted in November last speak volumes for n the quality of the wool. The merino fleece y sold up to 17^d, -while the pieces of the same c description reached 16gd. The exceptional o and record price of 17|d was obtained for it the top line of comeback, and up to T7id a was offered and accepted for the crossbred d — --the highest price ol 'the season for' this ie description. The average return per head d 'from the whole of vthe merino shea® was >8s

lOJkl, while the eropsbreds gave an average of 9s 3^d. The yields of wool from the different classes of sheep are as follows: — Merino wethers, 91b loz, returned 10? 7^d per sheep ; merino hoggets (11 months' growth) , 71b loz, 8s 6|d per sheep ; crossbred wethers 91b 3goz, 9s 10£ d per sheep ; crossbred ewes (including breeders), 81b l^oz, 8s B|d per sheep. — Australasian Pastoralists' Review.

Referring to recent reports concerning fescue and d&nthonia grasses for poor lands, ths chief forester at Rotorua writes concerning the Rangatakia block, which lies to the south-east of Rotorua, near Galatea. It is, in fact, a portion of the Kaingaroa Plains, so notorious for their barrenness: — "I am now pleased to say that Chewings's fescue is doing first-class on the pure pumice. It is also spreading fast, even beyond the boundary fence. The only other grass doing well is tall feocue, but on account of its liability to act as the host of ' ergot , it may be wise to leave this variety out during subsequent sowings. Danthonia semi annularis is also spreading fast."

The Victorian Government have made their first purchase under the new Land Act of an estate for cutting ur> into small pettlements. The estate purchased is that of Wandovale, belonging to the executors of Mrs Nicholas, and consisting of 10.400 acres of good agricultural and pastoral land in. the Ca&teiton district. The price paid was £6 2s 6d per acre, amounting to about £64.000.

This time last year, says the Australasian PastoralisU' Review of the 15th ult., there was an outcry in New Zealand that it was impossible to keep up a meat export of 2% million carca-es on a sheep stock of between 19 and 20 millions. This year the export exceeds 3a millions. That this must mean a considerable reduction of the sheep stock can hardly be doubted, and the demand made last year for a elope season for ewe lambs and maiden ewes is emphasised. The tone of the sheep markets mpkes it clear that the number of sheep is not overtaking the carrying capacity of the colony. The difficulty with sheep in New Zealand is always that of winter feed, and it is gradually being met by more complete tillage and cleiner farming.

At the monthly meeting of the AVaitahuna Farmers' Club, held -last week, Mr Moggath wrote stating that owing to continued illhealth he had been convneiled to resign his position as secretary. The resignation was accepted with regret. The_ members present testified to the earnest, and efficient manner in which Mr Moggath had discharged his duties, and referred to him in kindly and sympathetic terms.

Harvesting on the Hawea Flat, says the Cromwell Argus, is well forward, the greater part of the grain being cut and stookecl. Most of the farmers are now taking advantage of the fine weather to get the grain into stack. There is a greater area under oats this year, but the yield will be below the average. Harvest at Lumsden, owing to the unsettled weather, is rather later than usual this year, and a general start has not yet been made. I am informed that there ara some wonderful crops this reason on the N.Z. and A. Company's ground. In the Black Swamp, a few miles out of Lumsden, the straw is fully 6ft long, and well-headed ; a farmer would prefer the same head and less straw. Good reports come in of the oat crop, but unfortunately, while I am writing, a fierce gale is raging through the district, which means a bad stroke for crops anything near maturity. Preparations are going on for the reception of trapped rabbits. Several new buyers are in the field, amongst them Mr George Johnson. From all quarters we hear that bunny is strongly in evidence. It is openly said here that the stock inspector need not go many miles out of Lumsden to find country every bit as badly infested as that for which the responsible persons were up last court day. Anyway, it is cheaper for a landholder to stand a fine of £5 than to put on a dozen men for three months to poison or otherwise destroy the pest ; and imtil there is a fine commensurate with the amount it would cost

to go in foi- a proper system of destruction bunny will have a show up this way. From what I know-the inspector for this district is no great friend to trapping. I can safely say that under no other system have so maity ' rabbits been destroyed in one season, and I hope to be able to show this by sending the | number of carcases put through Lumsden monthly, irrespective of where ihey come from. — Correspondent Southland Times. j The following agricultural notes are from last week's Canterbury Times: — Considering the severity of the nor'-weat gale last Wednesday, the damage has been very slight indeed. A few stacks were slightly damaged, and some heaps of grain in sacks, that had been carelessly covered with straw, were • bared ; but as no rain followed, a little extra labour and a slight delay in stacking were ' all that the gale was responsible for. The wind in some parts of the Ashburton district ! was stronger than anything felt this season, but it fortunately did not last long, and, what ' is still more fortunate, it came at a time i when most of the grain was cut. To show

that it was the strongest blow this year, it I may be stated that the old stacks were da- ' nmged more than those newly built. The gale was not general; it was felt severely in

\ the northern district, about Christchurch, and j as far south as Timaru, but towards the hills it was not very sovere, except in one or two I localities, and in the Geraldine district it soon turned to rain. Most of the grain in Canter- ; bury is now safely secured, and threshing maichines are busy, either with what has beei left in the atodk for them, or with the early

stacked wheat. At one or two back stations up the Ashburton Gorge the shearing is only just .finished. It has been the longest for many years past, owing to the constantly showery weather. Mount Possession started shearing on December 15, and only finished laFt week. There has been no great quantity of rain ; in fact, the ground is too hard and dry for the oat crop, but day after day, for weeks together, there were show.ers sufficient to delay shearing, and it is only the last week or two that the weather has been anything like settled. The delay this year has been more than usually annoying, not only because it is bad for the sheep to be shorn so late in the ssas'on. but also because the wool market has been steadify on the decline, the differencs between the prices obtained at the first fcals and the last being very considerable. It would be hard for any war to starve out France. According to the statistics for 1898, lately published, she had that year 17,200,366 acres of wheat, 3,643,040 of rye, 2,001,723 of barley, 9,602,137 of oats, 1,406,364 of buckwheat, and 1,387,370 of maize, besides over half a million of meslin. This is a good supp'y of cereals, seeing that in '98 the average produce of wheat per acre was 20^ bushels, and of oit- 23. Mangels and sup.ar-beot were heavy crops, and there were nearly four million acres of potatoes. There were more than 13 millions of cattle, and over 21 million of sheep. With her Use climate, the varieties of her productions, the good balance between arable, * pasture, and forest, the economy and industry of her inhabitants, the great number of peasant proprietors, her resources, notwithstanding the drain on them from an enormous army, must be something wonderful.

The turn of the tide in movements of sheep has already set in. We (Tapanui, Courier) hear of a line of 4000 wethers coming from ihe ncrth to the s"iith for fattening into Prime Canterbury. A representative meeting of those interested in the administration of the Rabbit Act was held at Waitahtina on the 24th ult., when Mr Bamctt moved the following resolutions: "That this meeting considers the action of the Rabbit department in trying to force the landowners to poison at the pressnt time unjust, harsh, and contrary to the well-being of ihs country." '"That this meeting considers that trapping at the present time does help to abate, and is the most successful means cf abating, the rabbit nuisance, besides being a profit to the country, inasmuch as large sums of money are brought into the country and distributed among its woikers." "That it be brought under the notice of the Hon. John M'Kenzie, as Minister for Lands and head of the Agricultural department, that his action in allowing the Rabbit department to so hamper the rabbit-trapping and freezing industries tends to make the landowner and worker believe that he is rather an enemy than friend to them." "That the representatives of this and of other districts be asked to bring aboiit such amendment of the Rabbit Act Jiat every man charged with breaking that law shall have the opportunity and right to defend himself." The resolutions, having been put to the meeting en bloc, were carried unanimously, after which they were discussed and passed seriatim. Mr .Button, of Rangitata, who has just finished threshing his last year's crop, in- . formed the travelling correspondent of the Canterbury Times that he was surprised to find that, instead of -being overrun with rats and mice as usual, he found, the stacks almost free of vermin. He could not understand the cause until he found in one of the last stacks threshed a nest of young stoats with their mother. These he was careful to preserve, as he attributes to them his freedom from vermin. Mr Button says that he has constantly seen stoats round about his homestead, but he has never lost any poultry, although he keeps them in 1 large numbers without any special protection. He looks upon the stoats as a blessing to the farmer, and it is gratifying to find that some one has a good word to say for them. Reports from Isla Bank say the late sown turnips are doing well, but the early were outstripped by weeds. Skim ploughing is going on to reduce these. — Western Star. Most of the threshing mills are now engaged on the grass seed. The samples are none too ,good, and the price is about the lowest on record. — Tapanui Courier. Several truck-loads of rabbits migh*- have been seen lately at various stations between Mosgiel and Lawrence. The rabbits had no cover of any kind, and were all exposed to

a sweltering sun. Failing a supply of properly ventilated trucks, say? the Taierj Advocate, the rabbits should be protected from the sun by some covering. The growth and decline of the Victorian draught horse is treated in an article in the Australasian. * Starting with the sale of Lord Lyon in 1867 for £730 ,the industry went on improving through the seventies, when the record price was £1165 for England's Glory, and the eighties reached high-watei mark with £1365 ii> 1888 for Lucky Willie. In 1883, the total amount realised at the.annual sale of sires was £21,000, and the following year the sires "catalogued numbered 180_, of .which 150 were colonial-bred, which realised as high" as £425. In the later eighties, importation became less frequent and the quality of the sires fell off, and 1890-94 saw things go from bad to worse, Messrs Campbell's catalogue for 1893 numbering only 14 horses. J The Liverpool Daily Post congratulates that •city upon the advent by the Medic of the first •cargo of Australian wool seen in Liverpool for many years, and points out that this Bhould

bo the beginning of an important trade, as wool can be delivered to Bradford much more speedily via Liverpool than by the jmeans now - generally used-:— viz., in London and Hull. The , Medic docked at Liverpool on a Monday, and her wool, amounting to several thousand bales, was delivered in Bradford on Tuesday morning at the wool and combers' sheds. This is a record on conveyance and delivery. The Register has published its annual estimate of the South Australian wheat harvest. It calculates that of 2,000,000 acres sown, 1,700,000 were reaped for grain, and that the average was six bushels per acre. This will give about 180,000 tons for export. Very little is doing in the way of freezing in Victoria, all the works being virtually closed with the exception of Newport, which is still doing a little. Prices of stock are much beyond London buyers' limits, and what is nowj treated is mostly for Durban and Capetown. In an article on the rabbit industry, the Cromwell Argus says : — Encouraging the rabbit freezing industry instead of trying to hamper it would do more to solve the unemployed question that generally crops up in winter than the establishment of half a dozen labour bureaux. The project of establishing freezing chambers in this district^ has been mooted several times, but so far nothing has come of it. The establishment of such a business would be a great thing for this district, as it would employ a lot of labour, and would also_ return good interest upon the capital invested in it. ' And it would possess the element of permanency 'in a far , greater degree than the dredging industry, for the life of a dredging claim can be measured by a few years, whereas a rabbit factory could operate for all time, unless — a most improbable contingency — the rabbit was utterly exterminated by the energy of the trapper. We would like to see this project taken up and .carried to, a successful issue. It would employ n Inf. nf lylVirmT 1 nnri r\ni» J-liieinnee ninn wmilrl

almost certainly reap more benefit than by the^ building and working of a dozen dredges. Tlie second draft of the fat lambs of various crosses produced this season at the Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, as a test of the most profitable cross, was sold at Addington Yards, last week. In the experiment, Lincoln-merino half bred ewes, from Waikakahi, were put to rams of various breeds, and the draft realised as follows : — By Romney ram, 20 lambs, average livo weight 33 3-201b, 12s 7d; by Lincoln ram, 20, weight 841b, 12s 7d ; by Border Leicester ram. 10, weight 621b, 12s 7d; by Shropshire ram, 22, weight 821b, 12s 9d; by Southdown ram. 18, weight 811b, 12s lOd, by English Leicester ram, 14, weight 761b, 12s sd. At the same time two pens of lambs by Southdown and Shropshire rams respectively, from cull purebred ewes, equal numbers of English. Leicesters, Border Leicesters, Lincoln and ilomnsy, both pens averaging 831b, sold at 12s lid and 12s lOd respectively.- The lambs were very late, being under five months old, and the handling which they had been subjected to, each one being weighed, and most of them examined by several students, was against their appearance, so that they must be held to have fetched grand prices for 401b lambs, which they practically were. The higher price realised for the rams from the cull stud ewes is held to show the better results which are to be obtained by breeding from well-bred ewes. — Lyttelton Times. The Seadown correspondent of the Ttmaru • Post writes : — Most of the crops on the Levels this year are not up to the average' by a •

Qoocl deal. One farmer, however, had nearly 50 bushels of wheat and 90 bushels of/ oats to the acre. . < . The fifty-eighth/half-yearly meeting of the Sydney Meat Preserving Company (Limited) . was held on the 14th ult., Sir John Lackey presiding. The directors' report, which was adopted, showed that its purchases during the helf-year comprised 272.179 sheep and 554cattle, making a lotal for the year of 638,619 sheep and 1438 cattle. The trade demand for preserved meats iv the United Kingdom was reported as active, having absorbed all shipments as they arrived, and the military forces in South Africa were also largely supplied. The branch factory at Darling Harbour has been completed, and busily engaged during the last five months. The balance sheet showed the receipts, including £28,367 carried forward, amounted to £196,697. and the expenditure to £171,044, leaving £25,653 to be carried forward. Enormous quantities of provisions and fodder are being shipped from New York to South Africa fo the British army. The steamship Sabine sailed foi Capetown on January 4 with a million and a-half pounds of fresh beef and 500 tons of hay. Mr Charles Lewis, M.H.R., sold a draft of cull ewes from his Halswell House flock of purebred Shropshires at the Addington saleyards last week. Twenty-eight two-tooth ewes were sold at 3£gs to Mr J. M'Crory, 8 two-tooth ewes at 2|gs to Mr Burrows, and 31 four, six, and eight tooth ewes at l^gs to Mr J. O. Amyes. — Press. The crops in the Oust and Suminerhill districts, says the Lyttelton Times, are turningout considerably above the average, and in addition to the four threshing machines which generally do the work of the district, a fifth has been added by Mr W F. Conway, who, like the others, has his work cut out to get through. The unusual rush of work in this direction is attributed to the pressing demand for oats in South Africa. I A London contemporary, describing the manner in which meat is condemned, thus informs us of what becomes of the condemned article: — "Immediately after condemnation, the meat is taken into a shed and plunged into

chemical baths, the action of which is to render it so unsightly that no one could possibly buy it for food. After this bath, it is put into carts specially constructed for the purpose, in the bottom of which is a deodorising fluid, and with padlocked doors is carried, away to the contractor's premises. The next stage is the breaking- up of the meat, performed by a mtfohine invented by Dr ders himself, and known as Saunders's .Devil. The product turned out by this machine, an exaggerated mince-meat, is then put into evaporating pans, and the temperature raised to a point at which fat liquefies. The fat, which i 3 a valuable commercial article, is used for the manufacture of cheap s>oap«, and for the production of railway and cart grease, while fronn the rest, of the meat ammonia is obtained, whioli sells for £3 to £15 a ton, and is used for manufacturing purposes."

Some interesting statistics regarding the world's meat supply have been going the rounds of the foreign press recently, based chiefly upon i>he report by a member of the Briitsh Board of Agriculture. According to these reports there are to-day more cattla per 1000 acres in every country of the world than there were 30 years ago, but the increase in cattle has not been proportional to the increase in population. In the principal European countries the increase in population during this period was 21 per cent., while the increase in herds and flocks" was given as 21 per cent. In America, it was claimed, the number of cattle per ]000 ol the population had fallen from 559 io 365, or from a total of 37,000,000 cattle in 1888 to less than 28,000,000 in 1898. In Australasia, it is claimed, similar facts' are found. Thus in New South ■Wales the number of caLtle per head of the population had decreased by more than onejhalf. In New Zealand and West Australia there was a large decrease, while Queensland and Victoria showed an increase. The decrease in sheep i 3 even more marked. In Germany the numbei of sheep per head of the population is but one-third of what it was 20 years ago. In Belgium but one-fourlh, in Holland, Switzerland, and Hungary, but onehalf. In the United States there were 1060 sheep per thousand of the population in 1888, and but 537 in 1898. In the Australian colonies alone and in South Africa is there shown an increase in tho number of sheop, the increase in Australasia being froir. 51,000,000 to 103,000,000.

Mount Ida Chronicle correspondents : — Hamiltons: Our farmers have all done well -this season. I think the crops are the best in general that have been seen since settlement commenced. There is plenty of grass, and a good price for wheat, and everyone seems to be happy. Stock of all description look. well. Some of our small runs have changed hands. Mr P. M'Atamney has sold "out his run'to' Mr W. H. Tregooniug for £550,

without stock. He takes possesion on March 17. — Kyeburn : Harvest is on, and the weather, with the exception of one day last week, which was rather windy, is all that a farmer could wish for, and it really ssems that there may yet be some pleasure in life for the cockatoOj as crops and prices for stock are both good. Large numbers of sheep are going almost daily out of Central Otago — for the most part to Canterbury. In fact, I saw to-day a iiock of nearly 3000 on the road to that province from Longlands station which for quality and condition would be hard to beat in any part of the island. At the monthly meeting of the Waimate County Council, the overseer reported that the Calif ornian thistle was spreading to a very great extent throughout the county, but more especially in the Waitaki district, from Sand1 hurst to Clarksfield, the seed of this thistle

was spreading all round. The clerk was instructed to write a strong letter to the Govern- > ment urging that measures should be at once taken to destroy the weed. j The harvest prospects in the Incli-Clutha district, writes the correspondent of the Bruce Herald, are very bright at present, and in three •weeks harvesting should be in full swing. '. The bulk of the crop is oats, and I have seen fields that should yield 100 bushels per acre ] if "the weather keeps favourable. The turnip • crop also gives promise of large yields as well as potatoes. Sheep, cattle and horses are selling well. Our frozen moat industry, the reduction of freight on the exportation of our surplus produce, cheap lime, cheap money, and the advent of labour-saving machinery, i have all combined to place the farmer in a . sound, healthy position. Quite a number of farmers in the Temuka district have threshed out of the stook, and I the general impression is that a big price will | be, secured for this year's oats. Taken all round, the" crops have been fairly good, al- [ though in some parts ravages have been made by the Hessian fly. — Timaru Post. The weather at Kurow has been fairly good for harvest operations so far. Threshing is ■ proceeding. Several good yields have already been produced, and more are expected. Mr C. Hille threshed a large crop of barley which yielded over 60 bushels per acre, even though

I its growth was stunted at the early part of the , season, and most of the wheat crops are expected to yield equally as well proportionally. It would appear, says the- Timaru Post of the 2nd inst., that Mackenzie Country runs j are in great demand at the present time. Some j three or four weeks back, it will be reraem- ' bered, Messrs Guinne'-s and Le Cren and the Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association ! disposed of two runs by public auction, and | yesterday Messrs Maling and Shallcrass disposed of*filr Arthur Hope's Richmond station, together with all the stook thereon (some

20,000 sheep besides horses and nttle) at a satisfactory figure. Mr James Pringle Avas the purchaser. The value of rabbits sent away from Waitahuna represents something like £160 a week.

On Friday, the 30th March, 12,000 sheep, horses, cattle, etc., comprising the whole of the stock running on the Clarkefield estate, will be offered by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. The sale takes place at the homestead.— North Otago Times. It is well known that the trade in oats in Southland is a very large one, but it is doubtful if growers in this district are aware of the magnitude of the business. During May to September of last year 267,400 sacks were exported from the Bluff. After this, when orders for South Africa- began to come to hand, these figures were largely increased, as in one week alone 43,400 were shipped. In the face of this it can be quite understood that Southland controls the oat market of New Zealand. — Exchange. • The weather at Channels all through the summer has been favourable for grass-grow-ing. The roads are in good order. Our dairy factory is getting on very well, and the supply will be considerably more than last year. The purchaser of the season's output is well pleased with the quality. — Correspondent Clutha Free Press.