AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 6

AGRICULTURA L AND PASTORAL NEWS.

An Orrlcr-in-Council fixes July 1, Augutfc 1, September 1, October 1, and November 1 as days en which the work of destroying injurious birds shall bogin, and shall oontinuo up to and including the Bth. cay of each month.

The deaths of several cows hivo be?-a reported from vanoua p-aits cf ths Manav.atu di. met to the local Stock Department, tho cause being apparently inexplicable. Inveetrgations by Mr S. Burton, Government veterinary surgeon, have shown that the deaths were* paused by lead poi^on>ng. It wai diseo\ c-rod (says ti.e Standard) that farmers were in tho habit cf painting then- buildings, etc., and then throwing the oeranings of tho paint pots on tho ground. The animals, attracted by tho sweetness of tha linseed oil with which tho paint is mixed, picked it up and ate it in sufficient quantities to cause death.

Tho O'Kaim Bay corre.^pond€«nfc of the Lyttolton Times writhe: — 'Cutting for tho cjcksfoot harvest, except on some of th& higher reaches, ig at an ond, and many have finished threshing. Tho see<l thrcei>«l so far is bright and hard. The yiokl varies from a half to a third less than last year's < xoeptional output. In Charlton a 50-a-cre paddock is scarcely returning expenses. la this caoo, howjJYer, grubs are responsible for the small yield. The idea prevails thafc it is tii«i dry weather which has affecteJ this season's crop, but, while this may be true in some cuoes, it is really tho v>-eb weather experienced last season which has ah'ected it. The growth last year was vory thick and rank, " and in rotting ou the ttnbble smothered tho roots in tha same manner ps tho caving of red clover so&d kills ryegrasb; there-fore the cooksfoot is thin I do not think that tho s-ed will prove to be much lighter tJian it wa} last year, and I ccrtain]y"tliink thai the rpiaiily i-s super j or. Although some of the farmers have cleaned thoir sp«l I havo not heard of any sales. The market is expected to open at 3|d for f.a q seed, and farmers hold the opinion that if tho market is not rushed the nrioe will harden to 4d. A, Peninsula i=>p-ecu I .ftuor offered o£d c-ii the wharf, at Little AkaJoa, for a light sample, but we offer was prompUj rtfuMx'. The little ra-m that fell recently will not affect the colour oi the s^d."

Owing to its great scarcity the pr'cs of -pollard haa been advanced 10s per ton. — from £3 10s to £4.

The General Manager of Railways tias ■written to the Taranaki Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union stating that although, only barley, wheat, and oats were at present affected by tho regulation concerning the eizc of eaclis (maximum weight 20Olb), it wae intended to ultimately extend the by-law to covii" all agricultural produce. Harvesting is now three-parts completed upon the Canterbury Plains, and the crops generally have been saved in excellent condition. A start has also been made in NcTth Otago, witere some exceptionally heavy crops of oats are reported. Mr Hyde mentioned on ths Ist at his meeting in Oamaru that it h«d been estimated that the annual consumption of eggs in. New Zealand was 173,000,000, and that the annual export of fowls was 100,000 head.

The Ashburton County threshing machine owners have decided to affiliate with the Waimate Owners' Union, and form an Ashburton branch.

The following are the export returns for Wellington for the- month of January: — Butter, 14-,o62cwt, value £66.204-; cheese, 3789ewt, value £10,540 ; frozen beef, 2303cwt, valu© £2150; mutton, 46,904 earcasee <24,523cwt), value £33,834; mutton pieces, 2016cwt, value £2815; lamb, 26,242 carcases (7680cwt), value £13,156.

The Manawatu A. and P. fihow on. Thursday last was the most successful in .ihe society's experience. Two thousand five hundred were pTesent. The exhibits of Jherses, sheep, and pigs were exceptionally good, but cattle were not so promising. In cattle and <?heep Mr S. R. Lancaster, of Manawatu, -wa-3 th© most successful prizewinner. Swordfish was awarded the championship in thoroughbreds.

Since June last year the Ellesmere Road Board has- expended £200 in the purchase of birds' heacta and eggs, while a further large sum has been spent in the preparation of poisoned wheat.

For the year which will end on March 31 1081 factories have already been registered in the Christchurch district. This number shows an increase of nearly 100 on that for the previous year. The opinion 'was expressed at the meeting of the horticultural Soriefcy at Ghristclvurch on Friday that the failure of tho strawberry crops in New Zealand was due to the ravages of a fungoid disease which yes at present very prevalent in Franc?. During- the. past 10 months Mr M 'Curdy, of the Farmers' Union, travelled 12,379 milesby rail. 495 on horseback, 1474 by steamer, 933 driving, and 924- mile? walkinsr, — total over 16,000 miles. During this" month Mr M 'Curdy will take a well-earned rest, and will be at home.

The heat of the past two days has heen rapidly ripening the grain crops in North Canterbury, and the majority of the fields are being reaped. Pea crops are likely to pive an abundant yield.

Since Christmas Day 45 vessels have sailed from Australia with wheat cargoes. There are now 130 vessels loading (and to load) wheat in Australian ports. Twenty-five steamers will ship fruit at Hobart for England during the next th\ee months, the aggregate quantity being nearly naif a million cases, or at least 178.000 in excess of last year's shipments. Freights have been substantially reduced. The apple crop looks promising throughout Tasnutnia In reply to an inquiry, the Minister of Industries and Commerce is advised by the Premier of New South Wales that frozen pork from New Zealand will be admitted into that State, if accompanied by a veterinary surgeon's certificate to the e*Fect that Biioh Dork is clean and free from disease Labour ha? been plentiful (states "the nkjun a Bay correspondent of the Lyttehon fimes), scarcely a day parsing without someone calling, apparently been for work termers are loath to engage men off the roads, thmkmg probably that they are rejects, leed 13 getting scarcer over* day and though farmer? have the stubble paddoefcs to turn the stock into, there will be & slump in the store cattle market if rain holds off much longer. The milk supply is failing fast

A proposal is on foot tha,t an application 6Lould be made to the authorities for a suspension of the Rabbit Act in Marl-fc-orousfh, with the object of inducing the establishment of rabbit factories. It La stafted (says a local paper) that bunny exists, in considerable numbers, and it is argued that while a largo industrial profit could be made, the regulation of the rabbits as an. actual pest would not be weakened. It ia SinderS'tcod that public expression will be givon to the proposal at aai early date

Wonderful are the ways of the British War OiEce (guvs the Wellington Po=t). That businesslike impertinent is prepared to consider offers for 1050 or 2100 tons :>f oaten. !iay. to be delivered at Port Elizabeth or Uurban, to be shipped mot 'later than February 14-. This is almost on a par for idiocy •with the impossible invitation, to the colony to supply" meat during the vai. The Premier indulged in some plain talk on the subject on that occasion, and he may well "let himself go" and "make hay" of ihis latest proposition. What hope is there for the farmers to supply --hie demand at little more than a fortnight's motice, and even if they could, what certainty is there of being able to ship be-

fore February 14-? The Norfolk m advertised for "early" in the present month, from which it may be assumed that the dato of her departure is uncertain. It may, of course, fcappon that some speculative "middleman" has the hay ready and knows that he can comply with the conditions. In such event it would be interesting to know the difference in prices received by the

producer and paid by the. War Office. It is said that it is 6ometimes> possible to "get kx on tho ground floor" m a War Oifice contract as in a mining venture. In reference to the cocksfoot harvest the

Okain's Bay correspondent of the Lyttelton

Times writes : — Cutting for the cocksfoot harvest, except on some of the higher reaches, is at an end, and many have finished threshing. The eeed threshed so far is bright and hard. Tho ykld varies from a half to a third less than last year's excoDtional output. In Charlton a fifty-acre paddock is scarcely returning expenses. In this case, however, grub 3 are responsible for the small yield. The idea prevails that it was the dry weather which ha<3 affected this season's crop, but, while this may be> true in some cases, it is really the wet weather experienced la.st season which

has effected it. The growth last year was very thick and rank, and in rotting off the stubble smothered the roots in the same manner as the raving of red clover seed kills ryegrass. Therefore, the cocksfoot is thin. I do mot think that the seed will prove to be much lighter than it was last year, and I certainly think that the quality is superior. Alt"ho--~h some of the farmers have cleanc-d their seed I have not heard of any sales. The market k expected to open at 3Jd for f.a.q. soed, and farmers hold the opinion that if the-mai-ket is not ru3hed the price will harden to 4d. A Peninsula speculator offered 3^d on the wharf at Little Akaloa, for a light sample, but the offer wa3 promptly refused. The little rain that fell recently will not affect the colour of

the seed. . . i The holders of small grazing runs in the : Wa<imate electorate whose, flocks suffered 1 much during last winter, instead of asking the Government for assistance in the shape of reduction of renta or extension of the terms of their kascs, aie anxious that the , Government ehould acquire somo low-lying 1 laatl which they could take up and pasture ! their flooks on in winter, thus saving the re- ! currence of similar losses. This matter "was 1 represented' to Sir Joseph Ward' by Sir Wm. ■ Steward, and the Minister promised to re- •' presont the matter to the Minister in charge ! of the Landr, for Settlement Department. i In Victoria (reports tho Melbourne Lea- ' dei of January 30) the broken weather continues to delay harvesting and cause damage to the crops. The proportion of discoloured and iamaged giain. this year will be very considerable, and in the case of wheat a proposal has been made to fix a No. 2 stani d'ard to admit of medium qualities being 1 exported. Ueua'Jy the proportion' of medium ' and off grain is not lorgor than can be abi sorbed for local feed purposes. The propor- ■ tion of damaged hay is very large, and clisJ coloured barley is also very plentiful. Trade has been fairly active in sll produce, and e'eJiveriep are increasing very rapidly. Inquiries I foi Japan may lead to business that would ' give a much-needed fillip to tho markete for feeding 6tuffs. The wheat inarbct is slightly i irregular. Business has been done for prompt delivery at 2s lid, cot 7000 bags, wbile 2s 105 d has been paid for about an equal quantity for next week. Some shippers have reduced their offers to 2^ TO^d, but no largo cupplie-s so fax are available al this figure. For delivery from the middle of Februaxy to the middle, of March a large contract has been, complied at 2s lid. but this is special business. For medium weights 2s lOd is paid, bleached 2s 8d to 2s 9d, and damaged! 1 and off stuff 2s 6d to 2s 7£d. j New Zealand l>at- of lato years more than I retained its agricultural population, settlement having advanced in all districts of the co^ny. This apparently does not suit the jaundiced (so far as New Zealand is concerned) Australian Meat Trades Journal, which is continually decrying this- colony. This precious publication's latest discovery is that the River Plate is attracting New Zealand farmers. Those on the spot were not aware of it. but our contemporary evidently thinks it knows more about NewZealand affaire +han the New Zealanders themselves do. In a late issue it sayc : — "The Agent-general for New Zealand (Mr Reevea) has had another look at the lUt of passengers on board the Rimutaka, bound for the River Plate. At fust ho could only find one — 'a woman' — now he has found six more. If he looks again he v/il' fmd nine more, making 16 instead of hii= original one, and this in a ship that only e.Trirs a limited number of pn^enger^. But all this 1 a.s nothing to do with tbe ca^e at issue It is simply a device of All Reeves to draw the attention of tho British people off the ex-poi-mre of his democratic legislation result* Lrike Eh- Ley da wa-3 to Paul Kruger, so Mr Reeves ha.<s been to Mr Prddon, and tho result in tho end will be nearly as disastrous. We hear of ono party of New Zraland farmers having lately gone to Uganda, anothei party taking up a tract of country in the Transvaal, and, as is well known, a number have gone-, and are ftill going regularly, to Argentina. The British Aui-tra-lasian pubhshe^ all Mr R^aeve^'s answers, but takes good care not to publish the letters to which he 13 replying, and so give

people a ohanoo of judging for themselves."

The presc-nb cummer has proved so wet and cold (reports the Melbourne Argus) that harvesting operations are seriously retarded. The crop ha.s been saved only with the utmost difficulty. In normal summers the grain harvest in the Mallee is completed by Christmas, and in other grain-growing districts in the middle of January ; but this year the crop is ".till standing in many parts of the Mailoe, while in other p&rte the quantity of wheat that has reached' the railway station is not a fiftieth part of that in sight in the fields. Mile after mile of wheat crops, over-ripe and bent over by the forceof the prevailing winds, may be eeen on a drive through the district, and many growers estimate that from two to four bushe-ls per acre have been lost by shedding P.ain and dull w-cather pr&vent the farmers from get-ting the crop in, and hopeful though the prospects were a month or two ago, the farmers are now distressed by tho loss that is going on before their eyes. The outlook is disheartening, and it is^ just possible that the estimates of the wheat yield may be falsified by the almost unprecedented wetness of the summer.

It is predicted by a competent authority that there will be moro beef in America this year than there has been for many years past. This is due to the fact that, owing to the fall in prices last year, many thousands of farmers held their cattle back, which will now come into the market.

The annual report of the Department of Agriculture of New Zealand increases in value each successive year of its appearance. The eleventh volume, just issued, is a bulky volume of some 600 pages, full of the most varied information and re-ple-tc with illustrations connected with the various reports which find a place in its pages. The annual report of the Secretary of Agriculture' occupies the first section of the volume, embracing a tiseful statement of the progress of agriculture in its various branches throughout the colony during the year. This is followed up by the. reports of the chemical division, the dairying division, the poultry division, the inspectors of stock), inspectors of dairies, division of veterinary science, experimental stations, hemp-graders, biology, horticulture, andl publications. The statistical division and agricultural statistics complete the contents of this most useful volume.