AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2612, 6 April 1904, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

A remarkable phenomenon is reported from tho Russian rural commune of Sohava, in the government of Tzareff Koksaka. Inexplicable soun-dis were heard for several days issuing from the earth. The sounds varied from something like th© booming of cannon to the screeching of steam whistles, snd seeniod to come from a forest skirting the commune. In this forest, where the terrified peasantry gathered in expectation of some calamity, ths earth was scan to heave incessantly. Gradually liuge cracks appeared, water was seen, afr last the earth seemed gradually to sink, water rose, and there appeared a new lake of considerable extent, which is new being examined by geologists.

In a consignment of" butter,- shipped by the steamer Warragul at Melbourne for London, four tell-tale thermometers were shipped in four separata boxes, which; were taken on board at different periods' during loading, co as to be well distributed amongst the bulk. This was done under .instructions from tho Director of Agriculture. The Agent-general has been advised of the particular boxes in which these thermometers have been placed, and an examination at the end of the voyage will disclose the temperature en route. The Government dairy expert will see that at least half a dozen tell-tale thermometers are placed in every shipment of butter in future.

The report .to bo presented to the meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce deals in detail with the trade of the colony for the 12 months ending 30th September last, " the true statistical year for several of tho most important of our products." The total export trade amounted to £14-,963,527, as compared with £13,302,882 in the previous year, an increase of £1,654,172, in spite of the falling off of- £+17,723 in gr&in. and grain stuffs. Apart x from grain products, therefore, the" values show an increase of £2,071,395. - Nearly two-thirds of the increase, however, is stated to be the result of the higher prices that have ruled for wool, sheepskins, frozen meat, dairy produce, kauri gum, hemp, etc., and, therefore, but for improved markets, the enhancement resulting from increased shipments would have been reduced to very modest proportions. The exports include wool, weighing 160,919,'j951b, valued at £4,051,113; frozen meat, 2,435,651ewt, valued at £3,291,736; and dairy produce, weighing 326,176cwt, valued at £1,590,64-7. The average value of wool was 6d per Ib^ as against 4.84 d in the previous year The increase in quantity in 1902-3 is thus only about 3.4 per cent. Frozen meat shows an increase in quantity equal to nearly 11 r>er cent., and the increase of 22.63 per cent, in value is due to improved prices in butter. The increase in weight was only 5 p&r cent., to which, a further 2 per cent, was added by improved prices. Cheese shows reduced shipments, but an increase in the total value due to the good prioes realised. Kauri gum and hemp exports increased in the prices realised and the quantity shipped. The Californian thistle is gaining a strong hold in the South Canterbury district.

The Argyll Estate, Hawke's Bay, recently purchased by the Government, has been invaded by a vast cloud of ftying ants, which will, it is feared, do great damage to the vegetation. Four hundred tons of raspberry pulp were shipped from the Motueka district last season, and during January of this year 21,000 cases of fruit were exported.

The bot fly has boon very destructive in Timaru district lately, a number of foals falling victims to the dreaded grub.

In a letter which he has sent to the Government poultry expert, a Christchurch resident who deals largely in poultry predicts that in a short time New Zealand's financial turnover for poultry will exceed that of any other commercial urodi>ot. In a letter to the Premier, Mr* J. G. Wilson, colonial president of tihe Farmers' Union, referring to Mr Seddon's speech at Lawrence • on the 10th inst., in which ho issued a note of warning to those aiding and abetting those rooommendinsr the abolition of the leasehold, - says : "If in aiders and abettors the Premier included the members of the union, h© had been misinformed as to the attitude of the union on the subject. ' The union desired the terms of the Land Act strictly adhered to on every occasion when land was thrown opon for selection, co that applicants would have at all times the option of taking land under the tenure most suited to their circumstances — either for cash with improvement clauses, or occupation lease with the ri&hfc to purchase,

or undor the lessa in perpetuity. Tho union also urged that all Crown tenants should have tho right to convert their holdings into freehold when then- circumstances permitted."

Farm han^s aro scarce in the Riverton district, and farmers are offering as high as Is 3d per hour for their services.

The late spell of fine weather has rendered 1 the finishing up of harvest work in the Waimate district highly pleasant and satisfactory. All is now cleared up, and the. tiireshingnull owners and farmers, taking advantage of tho fine weather aiid the good long days, are engaged at threshing around the district. The yields of csreal crops are, on the whole, satisfactory, and fully 10 bushels per acre .above tli9 average yield in this district. ' This, with the fact that th& grain, exposed to the unfavourable weather of midharvedt did not suffer nearly so much damage as at one time v.-as feared, shouLl be a causa of much satisfaction and thankfulness to the farmers.

A farm of 132 acres, about two miles from, Timaru, was sold by auction a few days ago at £25 12s 6d per acre, to Mr N O'Boyle, who owns the nsxt property. A farm of 450' &cr<"B at Kakoha was sold m-iviteiy for Mr R. H. Bissstt to Mr R. Williamson, of Christcmireh, at £5 5s per aero. I- Thirty-throe members were present at a. general meeting of the Waimate A. and P. Association on the 26th lilt., Mr Orbell (president) in the chair. Letters from the judges who acted at the last annual show^ were read. Messrs D. Macfarlano, W. F. M. Buckley, and K. Bain declined makingany charge for remuneration or expense. Mr Familton asked that his travelling expenses be paid to the county hospital, ana tho other judges charged merely their travelling expenses. The secretary said ho had paid tho charges, and conveyed the association's thanks to the judges. — A letter was received from the North Oiago A. and P. Association on the subject of the size of grain saokd, with a resolution on the matter protesting against the regulation, isiiisd by the .Minister of Railways as implying to wheat, and pointing out that the bags would be -a loss to the farmer, as a 2001b wheat sack would not suit for 2001b of flour or for chaff, the awkwardness of stacking, etc., and the inconvenience and expense of a variety of sizes of grain sacks. A lengthy discussion arose on consideration of the question raised by this letter. Ifc was moved by Messrs Meredith and CorriI gan that the size of bags be reduced to the. j capacity of 20Glb of wheat. An amendment was moved by Messrs Spriggs and Chiverton that ths sizes of sacks remain as they are. Tho amendment wps lost by 14 votes to 11, and the original motion was carried by 14votes to 9. — The Waikato A. and P. Association wrote re slaughter yards and abattoirs, j>ointing out as a grievance the prevention of sale of meat locally by freezing companies, and asking for suggestions as to an. improvement in the regulations. The Chairman said it was hard to have the be3fe meati of the colony disposed of abroad by thet freezing companies, which deal with only th© prime and most strictly inspeotedjeaeat, and who were, detained 1 from, soiling locally. It .was resolved that it be recommended that tho law foe altered so that freezing companies be allowed to sell in the towns and! cities of the colony. — Letters were read from Messrs N. Gray, C. Faulkner, and Dalgleish approving of the project to have a.ploughing match arranged under the auspices of "the association. Several members expressed themselves in favour of a ploughing match, and it was resolved that a ploughing competition be arranged for' ir* this district, open to all, and that prizes ba given for work, horses, and harness at suoh competition. A committee was appointed .to canvass for subscriptions. ! "Tho Lord bloss the Farmers' Union and do it good," said Mr Taylor, M.H.R., at thelancf meeting at Ashburton last week. "It is an institution that does a tremendous amount of talking, with a very small membership. They 3 * re out doing a good work and trying to get the rates on produce reduced on the railways. You can pay what you like for passenger fares as long as you don't pay too much on a bag of wheat."

Harvesting is new finished at Waihao. Downs (says the "Waimate Times), and ihe> crops- throughout the district have been good. Somo wheat crops have yielded as much as •60 bushels, while tip "to 100 bushels of oats hovo been obtained.

The National Association of Wool Manufacturers ostimates the number of sh©ej> on hand in tho United States, Awil 1. 1903, a-t 39.224.000 head, against 42,184,122 head on the same date in ISO 2, a decrease for the year of 2,900.122 head. The wool clip for 1903 is estimated at 245,450,0001b of fleece- , and 42,0C0,0001b of pulled wool, making-- ?, total wool product of 257,450,0001b of wool in the, srea.se. The corresponding figures for 1902, as estimated by the same authority, wore 274,341,0321b of fleece ' wool and 42,000,0001b ,.0.f pulled wool, makine a total wool product for 1902 of 316,341,0321b. The estimated decrease in, the wool o'ip of 1903, as compared with that of 1902, is, therefore, 28,891,032 lb The average weight of fleeces in 1903 is estimated at '6.2slb, a cLeorease of .251b from the average weight in 1902. which was put at 6.501b. The average weight of fleeces in 1901 was 6.331b, and in 1900, 6.461b.

Joseph Brooks, a butcher, of Wells, Somerset, was at the Clerkenwell Police Court. London, on Friday, February 12, fined £50 for depositing for the purpose of sale a* Smithfield a quantity of beef that was unfit for human food.

One reason why Danish butte.r has a rnore> steady position here (says tho London correspondent of the Pastoralists' Review) is because in many parts of the country it is retailed as "Danish" anyway, the public as a whole know of it. and ask for it r.s Danish at the shops. There is nothing to steady an article in value- like thi3. Australasian butter, of course, is not known, so you areat the mercy of the trade, wholesale and; retail. Your butter is sold as Dorset, a large proportion of New Zealand goes to West _of England factories and is there mixed witli local produce-, and I have no doubt but that, where no mixing tfkes placo, and the highest qualities are retailed, they go naturally as ''prime Dorset."

Accoi-ding to Mr Taylor, M.H.R.. the. nation was syuilty of insanity when it invented the 999 years' leasehold system. IV was the silliest system that could ever be imagined without a revaluation clause, butt he did not think it would be right to now vary the title which }.ad bson given to the holders of leases in perpetuity in good faith,

The special Gaedmt Febtiuseb made tip by Nimmo ahb Blair will fee found to give 05. cellent results when used for Flowers and Vegetables; also for Pet Plants, in and out of greenhouse. It ia put up in 7lb bags, at la G3 each. Ask your storekeeper for it

but the economic principles of the last generation must not be allowed to make slaves of the- present- generation. The national leaseholders must, therefore, be made to understand 'that if their titles could not be /varied in one way they must not be varied in another. Harvesting 1 , with thov exception of a little bean and pea threshing, is practically ever in the Woodend and Waikuku districts (writes a corespondent of the Lyttel^on Times). The results, generally, are above *he average, and in most cases have exceeded expectations. Potato crops are looking promising, and grass is abundant.