AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Captain M'Lean, formerly in the service of the Union Steam Ship Company, but who has for the past three years been pursuing ! pastoral pursuits at Patiti Farm, Greenpark, has now succeeded for two years in succession in topping the market in halfbred wool ( at the opening sale of the 1 local auctions. Some idea of the decline in prices can be . gathered when it is stated that at the corres- . ponding sale last year he obtained 13^d as his highest fijjure, whjle this year he had to be content with. 7^d for wool of the same quality. — Oarnaru Mail. In the opinion of the Farmer and Stock Breeder, which discusses English and New Zealand Lincolns as competitors for the Argentine, the "New Zealand finely -bred type can never become fashionable for export purposes." There will be a heavy shearing at Messrs j- Williams and Beetham > 's Brancepeth station, North Wairarapa, this year. Between 70,000 and 80,000 sheep and 5000 lambs will be shorn . by Wolseley machines, which -are being manipulated by 24- shearers. I Farmers in North Canterbury state that owj ing to the wet season the feed is growing too rank. Even the very light land appears to have had more moisture than- is desirable. The Ashburton Mail states that -the Fairfield freezing works have been closed down for about three months on account of the shortage of sheep. The company are making efforts towards getting the works opened at [ an early date, and have issued a circular to I farmers asking them to state when their first drafts of sheep and lambs will be ready for freezing. The Tasmanian Woolgrowers' Association has paid a dividend of 15 per cent., and a bonus of 10 per cent. A new pcst — the potato moth — is causing considerable damage to the potato crop in the Windsor district, New South Wales. The Oaanaru. Mail says that Messr3 Darling and Milne have secured a contract to supply oats for South Africa, and will commence rebagging at once. j The Hon. Major Steward, M.H.R. for Wai- j taki, passed through Timaru by the express, • going north, on Saturday evening. He was at Kapua on Saturday inquiring into matters connected with the flooding of settlers' lands | in that district. j The committee of the North Otago Agri- ' cultural -and Pastoral Association have every ' reason to feel highly pleased with tho financial '. result of the late show (says the Mail). A ' statement of accounts that has been prepared i shows that the year's operations have produced a surplus of £300. As a result of a notice received from the ' Bruce County Coiyacil, Mr John Caird has closed down his flaxmill at Kaitangata. This is a sorious thing to a large number of hands, ' for Mr Oaird had a, very large ouiput. Mr ' Caird has,' however, the offer of several other sites in this* neighbtmrhood, ond it is hoped the stoppage will be only temporary. The ' trouble is. of course, the Kaitangata Creek, and we (Clutha Leader) have good grounds for saying that Mr Caird, acting on the advice ' of Mr Sim, has taken the preliminary steps .^ for an action for damages in connection with' J certain statements that have bean made regarding the matter, and as a consequence of which the county council gave the notice resulting in the stoppage ot the work. A correspondent of the Mount "Ida Chronicle, writing from Maruimato, states that several runholders have decided to send their wool clip down by the Central this season in preference to the Lawrence and Roxburgh route, as the grade is comparatively easy and i the distance shorter from any of the sheep { stations situated along the K&warau and Upper Molyneux basins than by the old Roxburgh and Tuapeka route. . . f The first wool sale of this season's series was held at the Chamber of Commerce Hall. Christchurch, on Thursday last, when about 2500 bales were catalogued. The wool was in very good condition, being heavier in grease than was expected,' and brighter and cleaner than is generally the case with wool off the plains. There was a large attendance of local buyers, the Wellington, Kaiapoi, Timaru, Oamaru, and Dunedin woollen mills being represented. There were only about 2000 bales offerd out of the quantity catalogued, and little more than half was sold. The local mills and the fellmongers were the principal operators, and their competition I caused prices to be rather better than was j expected, but the reserves placed on the bulk of the wool restricted the sale. The range , of prices was as follows: — Slipe merino 7^l ' to Bd, greasy merino 6d to 7d, quarterbred ! 7id, halfbred sid to 7id, crossbred 4d to 6gd, , halfbred and crossbred pieces 3d to 5Ad, locks , (2d to 2id. An idea as to how prices have ] fallen since last year may be gained by & f reference to the first sale of last season, when

greasy merinos sold at 9d to 12^-d, halfbred B£d to 13id, crossbred s£d to 10j|d. Masterton's progressive mayor, Mr C. A. Pownall, who was mainly instrumental in obtaining for the town a -£26,000 water and drainage loan, is now suggesting the establishment of local municipal freezing works. » The Waimate County Council seem deter-'-' mined to enforce the provisions of the Public Works Act relating to the gorse nuisance. At the Waimate Magistrate's Court, on the 21st inst., before Major Keddell, S.M., H. Dunn, of Hook, was charged with having failed to clear away the gorse adjacent to his land, he having received the two months' statutory notice. The county overseer proved that the gorse had not been removed within the time specified. Defendant was fined 21s, with 23s costs. Mrs M'Donough, of Waihao, on a similar charge, was fined Is, and ordered to pay 28s costs. One of the most attractive exhibits at the Auckland Agricultural Show was a fence-erecting machine. By meairs of this implement, a sheep and pig proof wire fence can be constructed at the rate of from 10 to 12 chains per day. Two machines were on the ground, and two different patterns of wire netting were shown. The fence appeared to be strong and durable. This implement is an American invention. In the year ended May, 1898, Cape Colony produced 2,000,000 bushels of wheat and about 3,000,000 bushels of oats, barley, mealies, Kaffir corn, and rye; 6,000,0001b of tobacco, 1 over 43,000,0001b of wool, over 250,000,0001b of ostrich feathers, and over 3,000,0001b of butter. The colony s vine stocks yielded 4,250,OOOgal of wine, 1,400,000 gal of brandy, and | ' 2,000,Q001b of raisins. It held 2,250,000 head of cattle. i The latest addition to Measrs John Mill and Co.'s large block of stores opposite the Atlas Mill, Timaru, and on the sea frontage, was completed on Saturday last, and the whole range of wool and grain stores will be among i the finest in the colony for those particular i purposes. The original store is l€Oft long I by 60ft wide, the second store 3501J by 100 ft, and the latest and last addition 200 ft long by 100 ft wide. The walls are 18ft in the' clear, and the roof is on the lean-to principle with i the fall to the north, so as to allow of the whole of the southern ends to be filled in with glass. The perfect lighting and colourin^ (the roof and timbers are white-washed and the columns painted with white lead) of I tho interior makes it a thoroughly up-to-date | wool store. Samplers will not experience ' the slightest difficulty -when they visit it to see the wool. The new store will show for sale 2500 bales of wool, and will lake in 60,000 sacks of grain, their whole storage capacity i in the whole of the tmildings being 130.000 to ', 200,000 sacks of grain. Mr T. D. Young, ] Messrs Mill and Co.'s Timaru manager, who : showed a representative of the Herald over , the premises, remarked that he would be 1 pleased to welcome any farmers or jwoolgrowers who desired -to take c stroll over the finest and biggest block of buildings of the description named in New Zealand. And it will -be a pretty long stroll, too, for in going round the new block only, nearly a quarter of a mile is covered. On looking over the old 1 premises we noted that a new engine has just been imported, a portable one, so that it can be taken to any part of the buildings. The stores also are connected all round by platforms with the railway, and have hoisting winches at convenient points, so that all grain and wool is smartly handled with a minimum labour. Truly, the stores are admirably appointed, and a block that Messrs Mill and Co. are justly proud of. Shearing will commence at the Ida Valley station on December 6. A, trial of the Southland Implement and Engineering Company's colonial disc ridger was given on Mr Rankin's'farm, Wallacetown last Wednesday, when, despite the unseasonable weather, a number of farmers were preFent. The machine did excellent J work, and all present were of opinion that the ridger was the most easily operated they had ever seen, being drawn by two horses. The machine was purchased by Mr Rankin, and three others were ,ordered on the ground. The Miller's Flat correspondent of the Tuapeka Times, states that, although the weather has been very rough and stormy for some days, the rain that has fallen almost without ceasing has probably been the salvation of the crops. An irate correspondent indites a letter to the Timaru Post, taking exception to the remarks made in reference tc draught horses in the report of the recent "how. ' The writer takes up a lofly position. He sneers at the ignorance and incapacity of the reporter, and advices him to apologise to those stock breeders j whom he has brought into contempt through I His thoughtless conduct. The following is a sample of the effusion : — Is it the duly of a | newspaper, or do the public want the antecedents of all horses exhibited placed before them? Is it necessary thai pedigrees should Ibo forthcoming, from all horses? With but one exception it is not. Judges in a show ' ring have nothing whatever to do with the ' pedigrees of exhibit?. They have simply to look at 'the horses before them, and if they are

capable- men they can always point out thet "best qualified animal independent of breeding. Seeing that pedigrees are not required! in entering horses, and seeing that it rs not re^. quired by the judges, I fail to see why yout, reporter should have laid himself out for atii attack on the ".breeders of stock in. this dis^ -triet by introducing into his report matter; which was entirely irrelevant. It it were writ-t ■ten by some one qualified to give .a-n opinion, or whose advice might have been beneficial, it would have been valued accordingly; bub no one could have more helplessly failed and! shown his incapacity for the task he had be* fore him. By the ill-advised and thoughtless action of your reporter, he has cast a reflection on the honour of breeders in South Canteibury, which I trust on calmer consideration he will be able to see, and make proper; reparation to the men and district whose honour is impugned. Southland is noted for its production of "fin© Canterbury," observes the News. Special trains laden with sheep- fattened on Southland pastures, consigned to Canterbury, freezing works, stand in evidence of that fact. Fears have even been expressed that in thus accommodating northern neighbours, growers were running the risk of depleting flocks of the best breeding ewes. Misgivings in. this respect would have been, to some extent, dispelled by a "visit to the Southland Frozeni Meat Company's works the other day. Included' in a splendid line was a maiden ewe that turned the scale at 1921b — a LeicesterLincoln cross, grown by Mr W. M'Kenzie, of Isla>vßank. Those who have Aid extensive dealings in sheep say this establishes a record in point of weight. Mr F. M. Buckley's well-known red bullock, which took a large number of prizes, including the chief honour at the late Uunedin Winter show, has just been killed! by Mr Jas. Knight. The bullock was rising seven year old, and was not only one of "the finest-looking ever bred in. the colony, but must be by far the heaviest, as his dressed weight, including the head, was 20431b. It is interesting to note that the celebrated Durham ox, which was exhibited in England for a number of years,, weighed only 2791b heavier. The fine weather of the past week has given farmers heart to start shearing. The Geral_dine correspondent of the Timaru Post states that eight or nine farmers in. that district' started on Thursday last. * .The following are the shipments of graia and produce from Lyttelton - for the week ended Friday:— For United Kingdonv-7312 sacks wheat, 100-sacks oats, 157 sacks barley:;! foi* Australian ports — 670 sacks oats, 603 sacka barley, 1259 sacks potatoes, 495 sacks brany coastwise — 873 sacks wheat, 633 sacks oats, 71 sacks barley, 1977 sacks potatoes, 2J30 sacks bran, 1025 sacks and 1352 bags flour, 403 sacka sharps; — total shipments, 8185 sacks wheat, 1403 tacks oats, 772 packs barley, 3236 sacks potatoes, 775 sacks bran, 1025 sacks and 1352 bags flour, 408 sacks sharps.