AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2603, 3 February 1904, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The Levels Estate,^in South Canterbury, to be thrown open on the 7th of March, will be subdivided into 128 farms varying in size from 4-0 to 879 acres each, and 27 ■tillage and suburban sections, the rentals varying from 2s 6d to 30s an acre. Those portions under crop this season will be retained by the vendors for the purpose of harvesting, and will be disposed of subject to that right.

The Manawatu. in common with the rest of the country, bears evidence of the prolonged dry weather (says the Wellington Post). Roads that were hnrd and rough are now thick with ,dust that clogs 1 the wheels of the bicycle ; and streams where the cyclist used to dismount are now dry, and he bumps across rocky bottoms well calculated to shake up the torpidity of a jaded city liver. But the mest marked effect of the absence of rain i-s- seen betwPen Paikakariki and Paraparam.au, where a flax .swamp has become so dry that fire has got in among the green flax. Considering that someone has recently estimated the return from flax land (at present prices of hemp, etc.) at over £100 m acre, and that the .phormium is probably the best crop that .much of this land will eve/r bc-ar. the pdvent of the- fire to the swamps is to be regretted. Worse still, many farmers eta the Manawatu are having to reduce stock owing to lack of pasture. Four years ago Hawke's Bay exported no fruit. At present five tons a day leave the Hastings railway station for elifferent centres. This expansion is likely to be doubled next year, as several new orchards will be coming into bearing. At the coming Masterton show over £1000 •will be offered in prizes, £150 being distributed for the jumping events alcno.

According to the "Woodville Examiner, a syndicate has been formed in that district to control the meat market. An arrangement has been made with the Wellington Meat Export Company to kill up to 1500 s'noep per week. The syndicate will then take control of the finished article and will arrange for its c ale to the highest c.i.f. buyer. Owing, it would seem, to its prevention from blooming- and seeding through cutting laat season, the quantity of ragwort to be seen in and near Invercargill this summer was nothing like what it -was in former years (says the Southland News). A few clumps of the ugly yellow flowers are, however, yet to be seen, and the inspectors would do well to look up the owners of the section's on which they stand. A large number of sheep are being sent from Messrs Smith and Son's Greenfield Station, to the. Burnside Refrigerating "Works for export (says the Bruce Herald). A consignment of 55 trucks passed through Milton during the past few days, the sheep being ell of this season's wethers and in first-class condition. *

During the month of December 13.537 cases }f cherries, valued at about £2576, were despatched from the Orange district, Xew South "Walts.

The Hawera abattoirs are working very satisfactorily, and the rigid official inspection of meat has greatly improved the quality usually supplied to consumers. A record in loading wheat has been put Tip at Melbourne: 3862 bags were weighed, sampled, and loaded into the barque Hiucmoa in 11 hours. Mr J. Kane, a farmer in. the Altairy district, borrowed a bull from a neighbour, and turned it into a paddock with his cows. In the same paddock were two of Mr Kane's horses, and the -following morning he found that they had both been gored to death by tho bull. Mr Kane's loss is between £40 and £50. A few months ago the same, bull killed a mare worth £50. As showing the good condition of the stock in the Wairoa (East Coast) district it may be mentioned that out of 1000 yarded off one place a buyer for one of the Gisbcrne freezing w^orks took 9SO as fit for freezing. The Corinthic on Thursday shipped at Lyttelton 148 eases of cheese from Canterbury, and 5023 boxes of butter. The shipTT«.nt of butter included 2484 boxes from Canterbury, 1992 boxes from Otago, and 547 boxes from Southland. The Taranaki Provincial Executive of the Farmers' TJnion has decided to form a Mutual Fire Insurance- Aesociation under the terms of Mr Kirkbride's bill. Members of tile association are to be confined to members of the Farmers' Union only. As the train to Seddon (Marlborough) ■was nearing t-hc township one. day last week the engine dropped some fire, wbich set the dry grass in'a blaze. The working men on the Government nursery, seeing the danger, rushed to the scene, and after a

few hours' bard work managed to got it in check. Had it not been for their timely efforta (says a Blenheim paper) the damage might have been considerable, as in past diy seasons grass fires m the Awatero have been very destructive. New Zealand oats received another splendid advertisement in the Aberdeen Free Press recently. A correspondent of that paper describes the result of sowing some of the oars at Haddon Hall. The "luxurious yield of grain and straw was unprecedented " in the experience of all farmers who had seen it. A company, with a capital of a quarter of a million, has been floated to grow cotton in British Africa and the West Indies. Settlement in tho Pelorus Socind has made great progress during the past year or two (fays the Post). Sheep are doing remarkably well, and fruit was never so plentiful in the district as it is at the present time. Ihirty oil launches are now owned by settlers in tho Sound, and orders for others have been given. Many of tho hs inlets are now connected by telephone with the outer world, and the establishment of the system has proved a great boon to the settlers. During the present summer Pelorus Sound has been visited by quite « large number of people from distant parts of the colony, and aloo from Australia, all of whom haVe been charmed with the unrivalled scenery of the district. Recently the steamer leaving Melbourne for South Africa took 164-i tons of butter. Harvesting is pretty general in Wairarapa just now. reapers and binders being at irtrork in all directions. The steamer Corinna took a consignment of ]0 draught horses and the coaching stallion Forester away froni Timaru. this week for the North Island. " At Feilding on Friday, at a meeting of those interested in the formation of a cooperative company for the purpose of erecting a baccn factory in Feilding, it wps decided to form a company, with a capital of £5000, in £1 shares, £2500 to bo called up. In the course, of his annual statement on Friday the chairman of the Bluff Harbour Board gave some interesting figures m connection with the flax trade. In 1902 6700 bales, or approximately 1340 tons, were exported, but in 1903 *ho quantity was 3131 tons, or 15,655 bales. At, say, £20 por ton, which is not a high estimate, this trade is worth over £60,000 a year to the district. One of the finest lines of cattle, if not the finest, that ever travelled through South Canterbury passed through Timaru, en route for Winchester, on Wednesday evening last (says the Hera!'!). It consisted of 150 head of two and three-year-old steers and spayed heifors, part of a mob of 300 head bought in Otago by Mr F. Simmons, of Compstall, and formed a magnificent lot of catt 7 e. Harvesting is in full swing hero (writes the Chertsey correspondent of the Lyttelton Times). A few farmers have finished cutting, and cine, Mr Gill, has threshed a crop of cats, which yielded 33 busbele per acre. The Game field last year averaged 65 bueheK Oats generally do not promise a heavy output, and many of the crops will not go over 25 bushels to the acre. Last year a large farmer here used a ton and ahalf of twine in reaping his crop, h nt the came acreage this season has required onlyhalf a -toil. Most of the wheat, however, is good, and there should be an averago yield of nearly 30 bushels. Contrary to the practice which has ruled in previous years, the machines are not doing much threshing from the etook. There are plenty of men in the district ; in fact, there are more this season than have been seen for many years. A largely attended meeting of threshing mill owners was held im Timaru on the 23rd ult., when a long discussion took plnce as to whether two or three men should be employed at the bags. The- clause in the Arbitration Court award relating to bagmen reads: — "For bagmen, 1b per 1000 bushels, in addition to the 12s and 10s pei 1000 bushels for oats and wheat respectively." It was complained that this clause was too indefinite, as it did not define how many men should be employed at tho bags. It was contended that if three were employed, the expense of the third man should be borne by the farmer, a> mill owners could not afford to pay more than two men at the -present rates of threshing. Finally a motion was passed "That the award of the Arbitration Court be complied with, only two men to be engaged at the bags, and farmers to 'straw' their own bags." ,A further motion was parsed fixing the charge to be paid by mill employees for their food, and for the we of tho galley, its utensils, and coal, at 15s per week. A gentleman who has had unusual opportunities of forming a correct estimate of the crops in the Tcmplctctn and Courtenay district?, in conversation with a Lyttelton Times representative, gave a very gloomy account of the harvest prospects. In Ins opinion, the yield would mot be more than one-half of what it; was last year, and the grain in. most cases would be very light. In many instances sheep had been turned into the oat crops.

the oat crops. At the Magistrate's Court, Timaru, last we&k, before Captain Wray, S.M., E. R. )Guinme-S3 was charged, as -owner -of theGreenaway Estate, Orari, 737 acres, with having neglected to clear Canadian or Califonrian thistle. Meases: Huddkston and

; Elliott, officers of the Agricultural Depart- ' m-eat, stated that they had imspcctdd the i farm in October, November, December and i January, and though they admitted that ) a good deal of work had be&n done, it was insufficient, and in December formal notico had been given in terms of the act For > the. defeaioe it was said that four men had t been employed cutting and "salting" the s thistles, 12 tons of salt being used early m the season, and when this become too slow, - cutting had be&n resorted to. In all over £50 i had been spent on the work, Tho Magistrate said that a technical offence had boon committed, but it was not a bad case, and l he imposed the minimum penalty of 10s, with costs, 28s. In" respect cf the large purchase of a local firm at the recent Christchurch. wool sales, a prominent farmer points out that prices would probably ha\e been much higher had farmers been aware of the largo decrease in the quantities of Australasian and Capo wool catalogued by the London brokers last year, as compared with the j^ear before. According to figures issued on December 19, 1903, the total decrease for 11 principal brokers was 119,000 bales. In only cms case out of the 11 did the figures show a plight increase for last year. The question is asked why the Agent-General, who claim-? to be the farmers' friend, did not makeknown these statistics when they were issued. A memorial is being signed in the Fairlie district (cays the Timaru Herald) prayjng the Gov-ernmont to acquire more largo estates in that neighbourhood for clo-o settlement. The memorial points out that tho Three Springe estate, acquired and dis- , posed of as the Punaroa settlement, wa~s all 1 fucceesfully occupied; and that there i* still a great demand for land in the district, which can only be satisfied by the application of the Land for Settlements Act. pnd there , are two or three large estates near Fairlio , -which arc suitable for that operation. Tho j Government are- therefore requested to , negotiate for the acquisition of these estates, i as they would certainly be eagerly taken up | if the opportunity were given. . Harvesting has already commenced in tho I Milford (Tcmuka) district, the crops in- : dicating an excellent yield. A largo number i of Australian harvesters have arrived in, Temuka during the past few days. Under the heading "Sydney Meat Trcde" the Australian Meat Trades Journal of January 19 writes: — Referring to tho priceof meat, the Sydney Daily Telegraph published on Saturday some remarks made by men in Sydney connected with the trade, i No hope® are held out for cheaper mutton : in fact, the opinion is pretty general that it will be. dearer. Threepence-halfpenny per 1 pound for the whole carcase is the price now. This quite shuts out any hope- of an export trade at present. Seve-al ciders have lately beeai cabled out for meat, but little hope was held out of filling them. One man said it would put meat up to famine prices 1 at once if any export trade was started. Mr O. O. Lance's (N.SI.W. Commercial Agent m London) statement that mutton could be landed in London for 2^d per pound was j ridiculed. Knowing Mr Lance as an able ■ man, we do not believe he cabled such a. j thing. We believe the word "could" ought to have been translated ''should." The stock i and station age-nts reported there were few . mature sheep in the State, caul wethers of 1 all sorts were scarce. The Telegraph, how- | ever, has discovered a new bye-product, viz., j "tho gall," which it say is worth about 4s per sheep. The Meat Trades' Journal would like to know if this bears any resemblance to the> ambergris of the whale; if so, we are in luck's way. It was generally I thought that beef would not be any dearer ; i our opinion is that it must get cheaper. , Queensland Meat Works caamot afford more { than 17s 6d per 1001b dead weight for Loni don, and if they don't operate, beef must j fall in value. Some- figures recently published with regard to the' amount of grain handled by thp Canadian Pacific Railway Company in, j 1903 in the western section of their line | give a bettor idea than anything yet published as to the actual icsiilt of the grain crop for 1903 in this district. It appears that from September 1 till November 11 1 1902, there were marketed 17,674.559 bushels, while during tho same period last year the amount was only 13.707,000 bushels ' This fall ha* im =ome quarters been aitributed ! to a shortage of cars in tho section, but this , is indignantly denied by the company, who point to the largo additions that havo been made in the rolling =tock in all dcpirtmcnts s.'meo last season. In 1902 the crop was a phenomenal one, and it is admitted that the. demand for cars nt that time far exceeded the supply, but. although a falling-off m quantity was fully expected long since, a great number of new trucks and locomotives have been put into requisition. This decrease in the output of wheat in Canada has really iiot affected the farmers adverp-ely, the rise in prico as compared with last yar far more, than compensating for the. fa!ling-off in quantity. The total yield of grain of all hinds throughout Manitoba and the territories this year was 102,000.000 bushels. Mr George M Millan, of Cracroft, Ashburtcn County, died at his residence on the 26th ult. Mr M'Millan was born at Contin, Hoes-shire, Scotland, in 1832, and came, to 'New Zealand by the ship Zealandia in 1859.

He went tc the Cheviot Station, where he was successively head shepherd and manager, resigning his position in 1879, wlfen he purchased the Lake Sumner Station. This he sold in 1883, and two years later he purchased the Mesopotamia, Station. He addeel the homestead block of the Cracroft Station to his possessions in 1896. Mr M'Millan (says the Lyttelton Times) was well-known as a grower of freezing sheep, his fat lambs being always in demand for export. Ho took an interest in, public affairs, and was for about 20 yearß a member of the Ashburton County Council, and for many years a member of the Mount Somers Road Board. | The result of tho Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association's merino scouring competition,} for 1903, has been 1 announoed. The Association's Challenge Cup is presented annually to the owner of

the ram whose fleece, treated according to certain conditions, shows the greatest value. The rams competing for the prize m 1903 were tmtered and shown at the November , Show in 1902. They were kept for a year by the association, and shown again last November. They were then shorn, the fleeces were -coured by a competent wool | scourer, and valued by experts, the most

, valuable fleece being the winner of the cup. j There were 40 entries, and the prize was j won by Messrs Ensor Brothers (Mount | Grey), with a fleece valued at 12s 8.77 d. j Mr A W. Rutherford (Mendip Hills) was J .second, with n fleece valued at 12s 4.9 d, j and Mcesrs H. Wharton and Co. (High- ; field) wcro thiid, with a fleece valued at 12s i 2 25d. Tho lowest value was 8s 2.18 d.

The cup, known commonly as tLe Merino , Cup, wus won in 1901 by the New Zealand I and Australian Lmic] Company (Hakataraj mca Kstatc), and in 1902 by Mr C. Goulter i (Blenheim) It will become the property of | any exhibitor winning it three times. I The flax industry in the colcay was never j so brisk at* it is at tho prf«ent moment. At I a low estimate it must be giving employ- ( ment to fully 6000 hands. Last year the i output of fibre was a record one, and Mr

C J. Fulton, the chief hemp grader, be1 Hove., that the quantity will be exceeded ' during tho profent year. Tho. industry has made leape and bounds in Southland and j thp southern parts of Otago, where there ! are now about 70 mills at work. About : 60 of them are employed in turnxig out fibre for export only. The produce of the other mills is used locally by rope and twine

factoric's. There are mow about 250 mills , in full operation throughout the colony, and the number is being increased. The majority of millers are keenly alive to the 1 necessity of improving their methods, and ! are turning out a first-class article, but j some others are content to continue the | use of plant, which is thoroughly out of | date. Mr Fulton is doing all in his power , to encourage the cultivation of green flax, t but he rogrots to say that very little is being dnno in that direction. ' "Experiments of an important nature re j being made at Lambrig, near Qucanbeyan, 1 by Mr W. Farrer, tho wheat experimenj talist of tho Department of Agriculture, I in the direction of making end improving

wheat* for Australian conditions, 3cmbined i with the making of them rust and bunt resistant. Mr Farrei began his piaerical experimenting iin 1885, and has been following it up ever since. His aim has been to ii ako wheats not only rust-rcsist ; no-, but ■ also suitable for the various conditions of j the climate, and of high quality ior bread ' making, and thus enable New South Wales . to become quite independent of the tieccs-

siiy, as at prceent, of impoiting strong wheats or flours such as Manitoba to improve the "weak" fiour which is made from v. heats generally grown. Tc give an idea cf what is meant by "weak" and "stroiio" wheat. Mr Farrer says the average strength }f flours which are made from the wheats that are grown most generally in Australia is about 48.4, so that about 2851b of bread .era be made from a sack of flour. The wheat produced by Mr Fan-pr is found to have a strength of 67.4, md a sack of flour made, of that wheat will give 327J,1b of bread, or vnore than ordinary wheats would yield. One of them given out by Mr Farrer last season, and distributed in small quantities to a number if farmers, has proved to be excellent strcng wheat ond lust-resisting, having pa~sed th v ough severe trial? in places where rust was extremely prevalent.

According to an American loituilii authority, +he production of butter in Runsia has been doubled in the last „en year-. The progress has been particularly rapid in Siberia, where there are now said to be. 608 dairies — presumably creameries or factories, and not mere farmhouse dairies. It is estimated that Russia Las 10.000 000 rows, producing 350,000 metric tons cf butter and cheese per annum. Denmark v credited vith only 1,050,000 cows, and with an ranual production of 60.000 tono of butter and cheese. Germany is placed next to Russia, with 8,950,000 cows and 300,000 tons of the. two produces named above.

Warm seasonal)!'-, we a Hie r still hoVe at PVirlie Kiy.3 last Wedtie-day's Timam Post). The days would bo unbearably hot were they not tempered, ps they arc, with i d:vily nnr'-ra^t wind The nor'-v-'f\;tcr« ai» keeping avry ■wonderfully, aithonsh ai times thrrn re indication^ of firm. H-ii-vestmg lias ah'udy ccmme.Tced. and this week will see a considerable area iow<n.

Rust has made its appearance, but it will I do little or no damage, excn.pt perhaps to late-sown crops en high altitudes. Otherwise the crops are very good. Turnips have struck well, and are growing, in spite ofi the dry weather. A shower of rain shortly would help them. Stock pre doing remar-k-•ably well, and drafts of fat lambs and' frezimg ewes are now being sent down to the work 5 .

Despite the warm weather experienced during the past fortnight, the grain crops (says the Ashburton Guardian) are slow in coming to maturity. The dry spell ha," 1 had the effect, however, of turning the gra^s a khaki hue, svhile the supply o£ water in the various races is slowly diminishing. A farmer owning land afi Lauriston and Bankside has turned hi i .~heep into a large area of oats, preferring 1 t:> fatten his stock rather than harvest the oats and sell them at current rates.

Mr C. J. Fulton, chief hemp grader jn New Zealaud, has received a letter from the United States Botanist m charge or fibre plants, in which the writer says: — "The marked improvement in the quality and uniformity of grades of New Zealand fibre which has been brought about by the introduction of yoar rigid system of grading and inspection meets with the hearty approval of our American importers and! manufacturers, and this approval is very plainly shown in the increased demand for the fibre and the highei prices ivhich. are be'ng paid for it.

Writing on December 11, the London correspondent of the Pa?ioralists' Ec-view reports a= follows on the colonial butter trade: — Australian and New Zealand butter has srrhed m Groat Britain since July tothe extent of 160,000 boxes, of which New Zealand takes one-half. In 1902 New Zealand's total was 12,000 boxes and Australia's 58. Prices here for colonial butter have been poor ; when I last wrote the quotation for the choicest was 106= to 13-36 ; mow it is 100- to 102?, with a couple of shillings moie foi New Zcrlanrl, which hat taken, a distinct lead on accoui.t ef general excellence. In all deiortmert of i '■;:■. refrigerated produce New Zcabnd han fe -god ahead of the Anstia'.ia'i S^a'c* dnr. ." t ! >c last two years or <-o. Danish butter kr_f*ps 14s ahead of colonial, a picm iirr v.)> - h < a-ji only be accounted for by -virrov />--t ! >ods of handling and vending, as there i^ little if any difference in the quality of the two kinds. The explanation, when we come to detail, lies in the fact that Danish is sold as Danish ; the public ask the shopkeepers foi it, thereby giving the butter a tremendoiu pull over Australa=ian, which is not known by the consumers, and consequently noi asked for. There are just a few iarge stores where colonial 'butter is exposed ir boxes in the wTndows, nd where the proprietors, to suit cheir jwn ends, push it, but the groat thing is that the public ha\© not been educated to know this class of butter ; were- they so educated they ivould) appreciate its excellent qualities, a^k Tor ie at their grocers, and up would go the price at once. Some of that New Zealand £5000 for advertising might advantageously be employed in advrrti-ing New Zealand butter in Great Britain. The quotations in Tooley street for othci grades of colonal buttei jire 93s to 96s for fine, and 80s to 88s for the winter-made butter. Of this there is & large quantity on Laud, and I ascribe ..he poor rates current for the higher grade-s partly to the pres-ure exercised unfavourably by this stored produce, much of which is fishy in the extreme. It is a regular nightmar-e to the buttei- brokers, and greafc confusion and disappointment have beea causeel in country parts by this buttcbcing handled alongside new season's butter, the same well-known brands appearing in both grades. Somo of the new butter from Victoria nai been found to be rather fishy, a fault which should not exist tc any marked degree with new season goods.

The system of butter production in France has completely changed of late, and cooperation is extending widely. In the wesr of France there are IOC associations, 93 o£ which are allied to the central association. Tn one department 16 of the associations have ostabli-lied a mutual a=Guranct> organi;aticui for the paymen' 3f the lo c s incurred xipon the death cf cows, from 75 to 80 per cent, being paid where necessary. The> small cultivators have materially benefited, for those -ovviiiiig from two to three -ows ar? now able to d'spose of theii prodtioe> tbrouizl' the oiganisation to the best possible advantage. The milk, too, has been so mi'ch improved, together with the system of fat oi/ar-iion, that it frequently happens hat lib of butter is obtained from 161b of milk, which boat= even the average of the Jerseys. In connection vith the sj^tem, the milk i" paid for in accordance with its richness 'a butter-fat, while the separated milk i* pas-teur'j-ed foi the feeding ct the calves. Those engpged in the work as employees arci educated during s period of three months' in summoi and three months *r> w'nter at ii elairy school which has been crtablifhed.

Mr Brydon has signalised his year of office as president of the Clydesdale- Hor : a Society in a magnificent fashicm. He presents to ibo Glasgow Agricultural Society a Clyccsdj'e challenge cup r— c hi-clc\ valua 10" 1 rime 1 ", to 1 p competed fo> ri i! o H'a^£;c • staiiion 'how <-fi loij2 a= tl.p.t 'hew i the "oding event ot the kind in Greao Bntaua. The 'onditions imposed will *nee^

with the approval of all interested in the improvement of Clydesdales. The competitors must be registered in the Stud Book, and be three years old or upwards. They must be passed sound by a qualified veterinary surgeon, and proved foal-getters np^ to 50 per cent. If four years old, they ■must be 17hds high and of corresponding girth, and. if three years old they must be 16.3hds high and of corresponding girth. . The cup or shield must be won five times by an- exhibitor, and with different animals, before it becomes his property. A £5 gold medal is to accompany the cup until it is won. outright. Mr Brydon (observes tho Scottish Farmer) has done much for Clydesdales first and last. This latest illustration

of his love for the breed is a crowning

evidence of his interest in the Scottish Jiorse. The first competition takes place. At the show' of 1904, and for the trophy there ought to be keen competition. The regarding veterinary inspection merits special commendation. It ought to be the precursor of a general movementin favour of such inspection, at the leading ■hows. As instancing the- weight of wool shorn (luring present season in New South Wales, one small holder who sheared 23,000 6heep secured one bale for every 50 sheep shorn. The farmers of Lancashire have sus tamed /"Serious losses owing ' to the abnormal rains of the pff&t, season. Large quantities of igrain were out in the fields up to a few weeks ago, and, as much of^ this sprouted, it had to be carted to the manure heaps. Hundreds of acres of potatoes have also rotted in the ground. One farmer \iear iWigan has purchased 60 pigs to consume his potatoes, which are not fit for the market. An arable farmer sold over 25 acres of. potatoes for 15s, 'the* -rot being so general on the farm. while~"a neighbour ploughed up some sof his. On Saturday, December 12. Mr NorrJi Bretherton, J.P., "announced fco the tenantry on his two North Lancashire estates that the rent audit which should lieve taken place this week will not be held on account of his decision to make each tenant a present of -the half-year's rent. jThia generous action is warmly appreciated by the tenants. . A butter merchant writes to the London Daily Telegraph as follows:— "It is only during the- last seven or eight years that the Jiefarioua practice of adulterating butter Las been brought to a fine art by some Dutch exporters, so much so as to baffle the niost eminent analysts in this country. The Dutchman, cognisant of the weak point in analytical science and too cunning to exceed a limit of 10 or 12^ per cent, of added cmatter, traded with impunity and set the Jaw at defiance. He knew that if he exceeded (that limit the volatile fatty acids of the ibuttea would fail to absorb, or hide, the percentage of foreign fats so judiciously added. It is therefore time that some rigc-rous leglislation should be passed." Eldorado is the name of the hew Markinch potato, the part interest in which Mr (Findlay, last year sold to Messrs Dennis. The tube* appears to be very well named. >The sal© of one pound of the seed, through JVIr Paton, to Mr Firth, Bradford, at £150 shows that it is a perfect gold mine -to * those who hold the seed. The owners were landing out for £200 per lb for the small Jot they had to dispose of after the big #eai was made.- The question vises <asks the Scottish Farmer)— Is this eorb of work business? The answer must fee that it is. The -omparatively new Northern Star was being sold to hard-headed Scots at the Smithfield chow at phenomenal prices. These show the importance attached to the potato trade Iby farmen who have made it a special etudy. Growers who understand the busi3K«b can take big profits out of even one pound at £150. The idea of anything being iworth^ite weight in gold -will now require to give place to the other idea that a new potato is worth a good deal more than iloublt its weight in gold. The sensation tk Smithfield, 1904, is not cattle, sheep, pigs, or poultry; it Is potatoes. The big man .ef the show is Mr Findlay. The heaviest pen of withers at tne iate Smithfield (Eug.) fat stock show was exhibited by Mr Henry Dudding The heep — Lincolns — averaged 3531b apiece In lambs the competition was for the heaviest ■en closest between the Suffolk and the grossbreds. The pe*n of three Suffolks, the 'juiaaera. weighed scwt 3qr 261b— an average

of 1851b. The crossbred — Oxford-Hampshire — pen of three (second prize) w r eighed scwt 3qr 251b, thus losing by the narrow margin of lib. They were, besides, threo months younger than the winning pen.

In his recently published book, "Central Asia and Tibet," Dr «Sven Hedin gives a glowing account of the Tibetan sheep as transport animals. He- met at one place a caravan of 200 sheep laden with corn. "It was a pleasure to see how orderly was their march, and how easy they were to manage ; no slope was too sfceep for tbem, though they bore quite heavy loads."

A German consular report states that there are in Denmark 26 co-operative butchering associations combined in ono union, and 24 private undertakings of the like character engaged in the export trade. The membership of the co-operative societies is no lees than 64,400. The annual profits of the several bodies are divided among the members in proportion to the values of their deliveries.

M?\H. Moore, in his book "Omnibuses and Gabs," says that on the London streets there are 3700 omnibuses. For each vehicle there is a stud of 10 horses, except hilly routes, when, the number is 12. Most of the animals are Canadians, and: are bought at the repositories between five and ei^ht years of age, the average prioa being £30. They are broken in by degrees, and in two or three months are sufficiently seasoned to do regular work. In regular work they are in harness four or five hours out of the 24. Five years is about the average length of the working life of an omnibus horse, but the legs of many euch hcre&s, sold <to farmers, recover after a term of farm life, arid they are re-sold to the companies. In Argentine the recognised load for a mule i 3 2401b. The mulrfteer when "packing" his beast throws his poncho or jeloak over its head and wraps it tightly round while the operation of roping-up is put through. No matter how restive or vicious the mule, he becomes perfectly ~ubmissive once his head is thus muffled.