AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2600, 13 January 1904, Page 17

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

A meeting of the provisional directors of the British-New Zealemd Meat and Produce Company (Limited), was held at Chrietchurch last Thursday. It was decided to go to th© allotment of shares on January 16. It was also decided to give exhibitions of th© patent defrosting, machine in various parts- of the colony A discussion took place on the wisdom of keeping control of the company in the colony. The chairman (Mr H. F. Eeece) said that ample power to do this had been provided fcr in th© articles of tho company, and those present expressed the desire that this should be rigidly adhered to. Proposals of great importance to the company were then discussed, and their acceptance was deferred to a meeting to b© held on January 15. Hie rain that fell rTiiis week (says last Saturday's Christchurch Press) will benefit all kinds of crops, but particularly the late potatoes, and the yield should be fairly good. Ths area planted in potatoes this year for the whole colony is 31,633 acres, an increase of 230 acr-es over last year, the chief increases being in Auckland 144 acres, and Wellington 237 acres, while Canterbury shows a decrease of 169 acres. New potatoes are plentiful, and evidently this portion of the crop was good.

A largely attended meeting of the Temuka milk-suppliers to the South. Canterbury Dairy Factory was held in the Star Hotel, Temuka, on Wednesday last, to discuss the matter of the fall Jn the butterfat test for \he last period, fh© meeting was attended by Messrs Bowie (chairnuu of directors), Thompson, J. Swaney (directors), and Dixon (company's expert). After a good deal of discussion, a comtnittee, consisting of Messrs A. W. Gaze, Thos. Larcombe, W. Armjtage, and Me-r-rin, was appointed to supervise the test for January.

There are far niore sheep in Great Britain than in Ireland in proportion to the number •of other stock kept in the respective countries. According to official statistics there are about four times as many sheep in Great Britain as cattle. On the other hand in Ireland the cattle outnumber the cheep by about 250,000. the totals being about 4,725.000 cattle and 4.500,000 sheep.

The death is announced from the United States of the famous Hereford bull Dale, th-s property of Mr Jesse C. Adams. Woodland Farm, Illinois. He wjr calved in September 1895, on the farm of Mr C. Graves, Bunker Hill, Indiana. He was sold as a yearling to Mr F. A. Nave, Attica, for £220, and wen for him numerous first and champion prizes. At Mr Nave's dispersion jale b.3- was sold to Mr S. H. Godman, Wabash, Indiana, for £1600, and in January 1901 he was purchased by Mr Adams for £2000.

According to the Sydney Mail, private cables state that the estimate of 76,000,000 buphels as the crop of Australia has at- j tracted a large amount of attention in Xondon, and for th© first time in the history' of Australia her surplus becomes of ; considerable market importance- abroad, j Tt ii 3 added that the Argentine is offering ] -freely (an exportable surplus of 112,000,000 ] bushels is e^p&cted). It is further stated , that the trade in London have faith in I the maintenance of present prices, provided ! that ths surplus of either the Argentine j or Australia do-c.= lot exceed present estimates — a reduction in estimates would induce firmness. Present Mark. Lane prices for Australian new sea-on's wheat are — Shipment bj January 15, 2&? 6d ; all ! January, 2&s 3d to 29s 4^d ; ; February and ', February -March, 29s 3d per 4801b, c.i.f. j and © Growers have apparently more to fear from a rise in freights than from a fall in wheat values in Europe. Though some j private cables assert that the demand for , Australian wheat is limited entirely to ' the United Kingdom, as a matter of fart j irome special Continental business has lately j fceen completed. j

"A Lobbyist" writes as follows Vi th& Mark Lane- Express of November 23: — "Colonies could, under favourable conditions, supp'y cheap food to the.r kindred instead of fattening foreign countries -with their trade.'" Thus th» Right Hon. Richard Seddon, the Premier of New Zealand, ?, gentleman whom, I am afraid, we have brought ourselves to regard as tne Simon Tappcrtit among British statesmen. You ccc' that it is the colon istu whom fcii© colonials nio=t think of in th-s matter. Mr Fi->ddon has hi? eye- on his Imperial-mutton Trade; but Canada v/ill. or course, have her upon the Imperial-wheat trade. Mr •Seddc-i is so indifferent to the Hcrne trade that, v.h'M seeking opportunities for ia\ourable reciprocity treaties with foreign countries he can svgs^est taxes m eoocVi and piaduce imported from the Motherland, ranging from 20 per cent, to 100 o.t c&nr. He <=ays bluntly that it is impossible to lower the tariffs against Briti.-h manufactures 'without injury to New Zealand s industries '' fhia may be true enough, but the point :* as tc whether the ccoi.oniic sacrifice is to be purely on the side of the

Motherland. If the colonies are to supply th© Motherland with the cheap food it .needs, what is to be the position of the British farmer? "I do not know," said a well-known agrarian authority this week, "if the British farmer is to be killed, if it will be any particular satisfaction to him to know that the hand which wields th© knife is th© Canadian or New Zealand rather than American or Russian."

Samuel Fisher, butcher and farmer, of Clumstock, Devonshire, was summoned at the Guidhall Police Court on November 17, for sending five pieces of meat, forming the carcase of a calf, which were diseased and unwholesome, to the Central London Markets, intending them for sale as human food. Mr "Vickery, assisstant city solicitor, who prosecuted, said that defendant must have known the condition of the calf, which in a healthy condition would hay© been worth £5. Sir. Will. am Treloar said he had no doubt defendant had acted carelessly, and he must have known that when he bought meat at«±h© late of a penny a pound he ran a great risk. The sending of bad meat was a terrible thing. He would be £aed «S2O, and £12 12s costs. An area of 63,000 acres of bush land in the Taranaki district will be opened for selection in March next under the provisions of th© Bush and Swamp Crown Lands Settlement Act. The land is in Clifton County, and extends as far north as the Upper Mokau River and south towards Ohura. Access on the Mokau side is from Td Kuiti, on th© North Island Main Trunk railway.

At the municipal abattoirs at Timaru on Friday last, the inspector condemned, three out of six pigs killed, tho c-onremned/ animals having tuberculosis. The epleen of cue was covered in tubercular lumps from end to end.