AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2467, 26 June 1901, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The New Zealand Shipping Company advises us that the following reductions in rates of freight to South Africa have been made:— Wheat, 35s per ton of 22401b, with 5 per cent, primage; flour, 35s per ton of 20001b, -with 5 per cent, primage ; oats, 50a per ton of 224-Olb: potatoes, in cases, 4-5s per ton measurement", with 5 per cent. primage. The Tekoa will be leaving during July, taking' cargo for South African ports. Her ports of loading as at present arranged are Lyttelton and Timaru, and probably the Bluff. Early application for space is requested. A cable message has been received in Christchurch stating that Professor Lowrie, of Roseworthy Agricultural College, Adelaide, has accepted the position of director of- the Canterbury Agricultural College," Lincoln. The Southern Standard states that it is expected that nothing like the amount of ground will be cropped this year that was cropped last year in the Gore district. The •universally low prices that have prevailed during the past two seasons have rendered oat-growing about the least remunerative of farming industries, and many who paid thigh prices for cropping la-nd last yea"r will not be inclined to make a similar ' mistake again. Farmers are more favourably inclined towards dairying than hitherto, and there is no doubt that next year, in districts where dairy factories abound, the [latter will receive a large augmentation in their milk supply. The milk supply at the Wyndham factory 5e between 600" and 700 gallons per day. The demand for cheese continues good, and all that the factory can make is readily .taken. The Clutha Leader is informed that owners of sheep in the neighbourhood of Kaitaiigata suffer great annoyance from dogs which | are allowed to roam at large. About a week j ngo some 20 sheep were worried in one night. Cattle continue in strong demand in New ! South Wales, best bdfef realising 25s per ! 1001b. < _ j One who is experienced in seeds expresses ' 'the opinion (says the Wyndham. Herald) tl-at j Garton oats which have been grown with j eg much success in this district is identical , tvith the cluster oat which was in! reduced o"ver 10 years ago and largely grown in the ; •Western district. It if quite probable that ' the oat has improved in New Zealand soil. The present season, so far, has been one of the best experienced for many years for eating off turnips (says the Clutha Leader). In some fields in the vicinity of Stirling we notice the farmers are turning over the turnips with the plough, practically covering them with the mould. This is somewhat in the nature of an exneriment. but it is

, said that stock thrive best when the turnips | are turned over and covered in this way ► for some itme before eating off. Turnip feeding is very scarce this year. The monster cheeae, one ton weight, manufactured at Edendale Dairy Factory for the Winter show at Dunedin, will (says the Wyndham Farmer) be studded with coins of the realm, £10 of which, including four half-sovereigns, having been included in the making of it. The Wyndham Farmer say 3 the Mokoreta Dairy Factory has closed down after its first season, the results achieved being regarded as satisfactory. There were 14- suppliers, and between 35 and 40 tons cheese, all first grade, was made. Returns of a splendid potato crop are to hand from the farm of Mr William Brash, Mataura Island (sa3 r s the Wyndham Farmer). , From one and a-half acres (actual measure- ; ment) have- this year been taken no less than 550 sacks of potatoes, weighing 29 tons. Of j these, 300 sacks (25 tons) were first-class marketable potatoes, and 50 sacks (four tons) pig-feeding sorts. The soil on which these j tubers were grown was bush land, stumped i and ploughed deep, and worked with a disc harrow ; no manure. At a meeting of the committee of the Palm erston and Waihemo A. and P. Association last week it was decided to endeavour to induce the Government to allow the stallion Danger Signal to/be located in the Palmersion district on account of its central j position between Christchurch and Invercargill A sub-committee, consisting of the president, vice-president, and "Messrs J. O. Gow and D. Ross, were appointed, with power to add to their number, to interview Mr Ritchie. An information has been lodged by the police charging a prominent Rongotea settler with the alleged larceny of 27 prime-bred mixed Lincoln and Romney Marsh, hoggets, valued at £91 7s, the property of Robert Cobb. A warrant for his arrest has also been served. It is alleged (says the Hawke's j Bay Herald) the sheep were taken from | Glen Oroua about 12 months ago, that some were killed, while others were shorn and sold, the proceeds being subsequently sent to the rightful owner. The recently-formed Drummond Farmers' Club appears to be founded on a firm basis. The local correspondent of the Southland News reports a large attendance at its last meeting, and states that great interest was manifested in the proceedings by the far- j mers of the district. The meeting was called i for the purpose of considering rules sub- j mitted by the committee, and also to en- j rol members. The nule9 were adopted unanimously; the first clause and principal being that members of the club, by united action, may be able to make their influence felt, also by combining with other associations and clubs to secure benefits which should belong to their class. Correspondence from other associations expressed pleasure at- the starting of a club at Drummond. Mr Geo. Chilton was elected president, Mr D. Clark vice-president, Mr W. Stormonth secretary, and Mr T. A. Buckingham treasurer. All present were "elected members, and several not able to attend were also enrolled. The Timaru Borough Council has decided | to raise a loan of £4000 for the purpose of j erecting abattoirs. There is still a number of farmers carting at Riversdale, writps the correspondent of the Southern Standard. Trucks appear to be very scarce, as there is a great quantity of grain stacked on the loading bank and in the station ysrd. Meat, whether for local consumption or export, is now inspected by Government veterinarians, who arc acting at all Southland freezing establishments. With regard to dairy factories, we (Napier Daily Telegraph) are glad to notice that all the districts in New Zealand are not so apathetic as Hawke's Bay. Take Ohinemuii, for cxamnle. The small farmers of that dis- | trict wished to start a iactory. Tl ey had no spare cash. They did have cows. A number of them, possessing about thirteen hundred cows, met and decided, first, that co eh owner should take pound shares in a company, one share for every cow owned, and secondly, to give a collective bill of sale over their cows as security for an advance to build a factory and instal a plant. This latter, by the way, will cost them from a thousand to fifteen hundred pounds. Each man's liability in the venture will, therefore, be at the outside, for both factory and plant, about 25s per cow, which will provide a total of over sixteen hundred pounds. The Mataura Ensign is responsible for the j following: — We undorscand tbafc efforts were made recently to form an op.i buycrb' combine at Invercargill. but that, owing to the action of one recalcitrant buyer in standing j out, the proposed "ring" fell through, and, j as a consequenca. cats have risen. j At the annual meeting of t\e Fortro^e Ploughing' Match As-ociation it was deciderf to hold the mrtlch on July 17. The Southern Standard of the loth in-»r. says: — At a nicetivis of the directors of the j Southland Farmers' Co-operative Association at Gore on Saturday. 15 applications w<n-e \ received for the position of manager. The t appointment was conferred on Mr M. Carr. Mr Carr, who is well known throughout the ' district as ha', ing been Hie local aq-enfc of the N.Z. Loan and M.A. Company some j years aso, is a smart and encifret'c business , man, and has a thorough knowledge of the

requirements of the farmer. The appointment should prove satisfactory tz shareholders. The Do Beers Company's cold storage works at Capetown have (writes a Cape correspondent) bien added to for the ijurpose of curing bacon and ham, the pork to be imported from New Zealand and Australia. Messrs Vecht and Stokvis, who are associated with the Christchurch Meat Company, have, I understand, been entrusted with the management of the new industry, which, as all cured meats used in South Africa are at present imported, will supply a long-felt want. From the following paragraph, taken from the North British Agriculturist, it will be seen that satisfactory relations exist between the Earl of Hope town and his Scottiaii tenants. Two large farms on the estate of Lord Hopetoun, first Governor-General of the Australian Commonwealth, have just been rclet to the old tenants at practically the old rent. The farms in question are Humbie, which has been long tenanted by Mr Dudgeon, and Wiudymame,. which has been long, tenanted by Mr Greenshiel&B. These farms have not been let at the "completion rents," which Lord Londonderry deprecated, for the public were not called on t:> value the farms for the landlord before being let to the sitting tenants, noi tr-is any professional valuator called upon to do so either. On the contrary, the landlord, factor, and tenants were mutually satisfied, in the highest degree, with their relations to each other, and the factor, Mr Agnew Ralston, Had no difficulty whatever ill arranging for a, renewal of lease with the sitting tenants. At the Montrave gathering some years ago one of these tenants — Mr Dudgeon — said, with reference to the agricultural situation, that "it was half the battle to be- under a good laird," and m Mr Dudgeon's case he had a handicap 01 " half the battle " to start with. An action was commenced in the Magistrate's Court, Oamaru, on May 30, before Major Kcddell, S.M., of interest to the dairy industry. The executors in the estate of the late Thomas Rainforth sued Messrs Pearson and Rutter (butter exporters. New Plymouth) for the sum of £92 16s 2d, for butter supplied during March, ISOO. to the amount of 25201b, at B|d per Ib. The case was argued at considerable length by counsel on both sides, and judgment was reserved. On June 18 his Worship gave his decision in favour oJ^ the plaintiffs in an exhaustive judgment, *the pith of which is contained in the following short extract : — This is an action brought by the plaintiffs to recover the sum of £92 16s 2d, being the amount due for the supply of\2S6olb of butter at BJd, and delivered to the defendants under an agreement made between the parties on the 20th September, 1899. Of six items, the first two and the last are withdrawn, leaving the claim £61 5s for 30 boxes of butter. . . I find that these 30 boxes of butter were delivered in the manner requested bjr the defendants to their appointed agent, and at the place agreed upon, as in the case of all prior consignments, and within tlig time stated in the contract — i.e., before the Ist April, 1900; that the condition with respect to the Government grader's report was complied with ; and that the defendants had the notice of the consignment given to them in the manner pointed out by Ihem — i.e., by the grader's report being forwarded to them ; and if through any neglect they omitted to deal with the consignment to their advantage, that neglect was not due to the laches of the plaintiff. The sup}jly was delivered within the terms of the contract, and they are entitled to payment ; and I find judgment for the plaintiffs for the sum of £61 . 5s with costs — court costs JB2 16?, solicitors' fees £5 2s Id, witnesses' expenses 13s 8d — total £3 11s 9d. ■ '. The Canteibury Frozen Moat Company has declared a dividend of 4 per cent, for • the half-year ending May 31. "A Scottish Farmer" writes from Mid- > Lothian on April 20 to the Australian Meat ; Trades' Journal on the slate of the frozen meat trade as it came under his observation: — Argentine mutton is makina: headway in this district, and not long since the , Sansinena Company opened their own store ( in Edinburgh. Just now "Be-t Canterbury ■ (X.Z.) " gigots retail in the be--t shops at j 74d a Ib, and the retailers who bell it gpt through just as much as they want to , handle. As elsewhere, Canterbury lamb is ; much favoured. I suppose a good deal of , the mutton frozen in Canterbury comes from ■, Otago and Southland. I was speaking to < a trade expert lately as to meat prospects ; in Scotland, and as to imported meat?, and j give you his views. No Australian mutton ( comes to this district so far as is known. < Values of home beef and mutton seem ( likely to decline a little, bat their high aye- i rage price will be maintained this year any ■] wr.y. Both ate regulated by foreign and [ colonial supplier, which latter are not ex- i peeled to be *o hea^y as in loccnt years. , The Amei ican beef companieb aye doing w ell kc-re. It is thought that if the Aigentine r . chilled beef shipments arc successful they ] will hurt tli n American trade ; in fact, they, c the South American and Mexicans, have a 1 great future for tht-ir beef in Great Britain, ' and I cannot see how Australia can com- "* poto c Ono of the plf>as of a farmer charged at i the Wellington Magistrate's Court the other f c]av with failing to destroy rabbits on his t

property was that be cbuld not lay" poisoned grain or pollard lest the 'sheep should lake it. The Poet, in its report of the case, states that in response to a question by Mr Haselden, 8.M., the stock inspector stated that he had known sheep to take rhe poisoned grain or pollard. Counsel for the Stock department : "If the poison is properly laid the shep will not take it." The magistrate replied that poisoning was useless if the sheep had to be taken off in order to lay it. The report of the Napier Farmers' Cooperative Association was adopted at the annual meeting, held a few days ago. It provided for a dividend of 7 per cent, on the paid-up capital, a bonus of 6d a bale on the wool shipped on account of shareholders, a bonus of 2^ per cent, on the purchase of goods by shareholders, except colonial grain and seeds, and a bonus of 15 per cent, on the commission earned on the business contributed by shareholders. The net profit on last year's- transactions of the Masterton A. and P. Association Mas £220 19s lid. The Lyttelton Times on the question of the size of cornsacks, says: — It is to be hoped that the appeal of the Medical Association on behalf of the unfortunate lumpers who are being done to death by the excessive weight of cornsacks will be more successful than our own efforts in the same direction. When we drew attention to the matter nearly two years ago we were told that the orders for the sacks for the ensuing seaso2i had been sent away, and that it would be impossible to make any change till the following year. Several of the importers professed to be in favour of a reduction in the size, but declared that the question was reaily one for the farmers, who had to consider the cost of handling, both at the threshing machines and on the railways. The Minister for Kailways was approached, and readily consented to remove from the tariff any inducement to use the | large sacks, but declined, at that time, to ' offer any special advantage to the smaller I onep. The- threshing machine proprietors , opposed the proposal from the first. They J alleged that the use of the smaller sacks j would entail a good deal of additional la- | hour, and insisted that this would have to j be paid for by the farmers. It was felt, | however, that something ought to be done, j and two or three more or less representative bodies adopted resolutions in favour of a change. None of them seem to have gone any further. But now the Medical Association has come forward with a grim illustration of the terrible effect of putting men to carry the burdens of a horse. " The man," it says, in describing to the local Chamber of Commerce the end of one of the victims of the four-bushel sack, " died a sudden and terrible death owin^ to the continued strain on his system." Of course, this is not an isolated case — scores of deaths could be attributed to the same cause — but it is so well authenticated that it ought to move the authorities to take action in the matter at once. Perhaps the simplest remedy for the e-\il would be to charge an extra rate for all sacks over a certain v tight. If the farmer were required to pay for using the great, unwieldy four- , bushel bags ho would soon induce the merchant to import a more convenient size, ■ and then the lumper would be relieved of ' one of the cruellest dangers of hit calling. ' No commercial necessity can excuse a persistent sacrifice of Iranian life. i At last week's moetirg of tl.e Goie Borough Council Mr "W. F. Indnr, on behalf of the local butcher*, a^-ked that the council should recommend rhe SoutHand County Couacil to renew the liceKses until t^e questior of local abattoir* -was disposed of If the butchers killed meat after Ist July without a licon>c they would be committing an offpiice agaibst- the law. Amo lien was rarried that tho tovn clerk write to the Minister for Agriculture asking him to temporarily renew the licenses until the county council dcils with the question of abattoirs. The report and bolanre sJ.eet o f Sansl nc-i a'b Meat Company, Buenots Ayrcs, lia* leaclied us, and, as usual, i& i» very cheery dcciment, showing what results p,ood concerns well managed can give. After pointing out the increase of bu-ine.-s acciucd f i om the progress made by Argentine mutton abroad, the report states that beef is a'eo in fa\our, 98,362 quarters ha\ir.g been slapped, as asainst 57,701 in the previous year, a marked advance. After making Usual allowance for depreciation, the profit ci the- year stands at £127,013, exclusive of £1000 brought foiviard. From the profhs the directors propose to pay a final dividend of 10 per cent., making, with interim dividend of 10 per cent., a total distribution of 25 pc rcent. foi the year: plating £25^0 tc rescr\e, appropriating £35.000 for improvements, and carrying forward £600. This is a most satisfactory report, indofd, in every was*. — Australian Meat Trade*' Journal. The London Daily News of April 29 fays: TKe Hon. W. P. Reeves" Agent-general for Now Zealand, has brought under the notice of the War Office the opportunities afforded by his colony for securing good horses for South Africa. The^ hors-'is taken by the various New Zealond contingents have secured general commendation. The Government of the colony named has now been asked by the Tmrcerial authorities to undertake the purchase, inspection and shipment

'of a trial draft of from 500 to 1000 horses 'for fhe Caps. New Zealand, always famed for its good stamp of horseflesh — it is the birthplace of some of the best-known horses on the Australasian turf — has lately been making special efforts to maintain and adi anee its high standard. Branches of the New Zealand Farmers* Union have been formed throughout the Kangitikei and Alanawatu districts. Both sides of politics are joining in freely, recognising that protective duties debar revenue, necessitating extra taxation on the producers, and handicapping them by raising the cost of living. Delegates from the branches will meet in conference at Palmerston North at the end of July to arrange- a platform in the interests of producers, without regard to political parties. The firf=t delivery at Smithfield of Ameri-can-killed meat was in 1876, and it amounted to 5513 tons ; last year it was no less than 95,110. Australian and New Zealand, meat has sprung from 565 tons in 1881 (when the total receipts of American-killed were 27,439 tons) to 89,825 tons in 1900. The revenue derived from the Central Markets, London, last year was £135,559, or £4989 more than in 1899. In the Manchester Guardian, Professor James Long has something to say in explanation of the recent great success of Denmark in agriculture. The causes are two — peasant education and peasant proprietorship of land. . There are peasant high schools (he does not tell as whether they are free or not) where girls are taught for four months in the summer and young men six months in the winter. The subjects are political economy, histoiy, physics, agricultural science, and others. Ten thousand 3'oung men and women pass through these schools every year (the population of the entire country is something under two and a-half millions) and return to the simple villege and peasant life. Five-sixths of the labourers own their houses and a small piece of land attached ; every occupier keeps one cow or more, and every village has it 3 cattle-breading society. As regards the general distribution of the land, "one-sixth of the entire landed area is in the hands of the labourers, or about the same area as is owned by the large proprietors and the large farmers, whereas the remaining two-thirds are tho property of what may be faithfully described as the sniall freeholding farmer." Mr James Johns, of Belfast, offered some very prime Down wethers at the Aldington yards 'ast week, for which high prices were rbtained. Two Houtriaowns were sold to Mr E. C. Berry at 30s, one Shropshire merino wether at 24a 6d, and five .Shropshire wethers to Mr James Knight at 27s 6d At a meeting of the committee of the Taieri Agricultural Society Messrs Charters cvnu (iow were appointed delegates at the c< nfereuce to be held in Dunedin during tin Winter show, the business being to fix the drtes of shows from Christchurch southwards, so as to prevent the different exhibitions clashing on same date. At the Eltham Chamber of Commerce meeting it was stited that when a proposal was made to establish sugar factories in thecolony a number of Germans were sent to the Fatherland to obtain information as to the use of the beet root. The deputation did not return. Mr Wood stated that 1 c had been informed by a Ngaire settler thai in California, land which was» worth orlv £1 an acre before the yugar-beet ir.dushy \va' established was, after the introduction, of the industry, worth £&0 per a«.re. A public trial ot cultivators w.i.« held si Mackenzie, Cheviot, on Saturday. June 15. under t u e auspices of the Che\ ict Settlers* Afccciation. There was a largo aripudarca of farmers. The following firm* competed : MaPacy, Harris, and Co., their own make cultivator; Now Zealand Loui and Merenntile Company. Nicholson'.- f-Ic-ieulob culti\?tor; Booth, "WacJonak', and Co., the Syn>cu°e raltivatcr. After a series of vevy «o<-ere te-li;, Me^r-< Mos'.ey, HarrX md Co.'b mreliiiie was placed fir>-t by a larpe majority of the iot r s of the farmeis present. The tr:.il va-s the most succe^ful e\er held ot Cheviot. The LoncW Daily Express has cornivi.?ciened Mr "Rider Hasjwl to lour tho country dL-trieU of England, and to write a simps of article-5 upon Hie agricultural affair f'f to-rlav. In bis fir-t article on tli" "State and Outlook, of ih" Knavish Countrv-i^e " he- deals with tip Hahs'yuiv Plain di^tuit. Be mention* a fa>-m of 700 acres, v.lueh in 1812 was sold for £27 000. It wa« a«.) ; n «old in 1892 for £7000 — r-n mi rams c'icp. Tv"hen the present tens/ml h'rcJ it 27 vep»s ago, hp paid £600 a year rent, and £126 a. j ear lithe, whereas .it the pre^o it (imp lip l"ay^ £250 a yoar r.'iit. and the Tundlord Tjava the iithi Tin.? i-, o oi^c. says t!-p Kiwal Woilil, wlu>i-p ilio tenant, we iirn^ir.p, roccivps a orcit«>r inroinp from *- T >e piopcrty tl nn tI)P oTV'ior n[ it. the foxier of whom, ye should add, lias al=o hed built for him by the nw vr n now hor.=e. The famici, r.c\ertheTrs£, willingly stated that ho himself tnprle morp moncv out of the farm v ben ho paid about £800 a yeru than when h" 1 nays only £250. The latest mail news from Ameiiro rpQaieling- the growing crops, wa*. on tho

Hve Grain, Cape Barley, etc., of prime quality and of new season's growth, for autumn and spring sowing, is now procurable from Niumo and Blaib, Dunedin.

whole, favourable. It is* not yet known whether the spring wheat area is larger than last year or not, but it is not expected that there will be an increase, as the tendency is to put more land into maize and flax, especially in Southern Dakota and Minnesota. The condition of the wheat crop in Germany, aocoi>ding to recent cable advice, is still very bad, and it is anticipated that some 12,000,000 quartern will have to be imported, which is about double the quantity usually required. The trial shipments of wheat in bulk that have been arranged to go from Sydney to Liverpool by the White Star steamers amount, the Australasian, to 2000 tons, of which the Suevic takes 1000 tons and the •Persic will take 1000 tons, one hold being occupied in each ease. The latter shipment is consigned by the Farmers' and Settleis' Association of New South Wales to theManchester Wholesale Society. The Government has agreed to lend the Hastings Borough Council £2000 at 3^ per 2ent. to enable a site for abattoirs to be purchased.

The Taieri County Ploughing Match will be held on July 5.