AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2647, 7 December 1904, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The potato crops in and around Auckland have been seriously affected this year with disease; in fact, two diseases have been traced 'by the Agricultural Department— namely, Irish potato disease or phytophora, and tho Macro^porium fungus. Apparently the ' Irish potato disease is widespread throughout the Auckland district. Complaints were heard fi:st from Onehunga, but since then it has been found that the disease is all over the suburbs, and has affected large and small pototo plots: ;n fact, comparatively few pototo growers Lave got clean crops, and in consequence there is certain to be a scarcity of potatoes m ihe north this season. The Ashburton Farmers' Co-op&rahv© Association on Monday sold a halfbred sheepskin on account of Mr James Bisnop, the price obtained establishing a record — 13s. The skin weighed 201b and was taken from a four-tooth wether, the weight of ths carcase being 1051b. i It is understood that the whole of in© 15,000 preference shares of £5 each recentlyauthorised to lie issued by the CanterburyFrozen Meat and Dairy Produce' Export Company's shareholders have been allotted by the director.:-. The capital of the company is now 15.000 ordinary shares of £10, of which £7 10s per share has been called -up, and 15,000 preference shares of £5 each, making a total capital of i 225,0001 — - iiyit&iton Tim«s. - The Nelson inspector o£ stock, Mr T. A. Frassr, informs the Colonist thai the Department of Industries and "Commerce 13 arranging to get quotations from the Ag-ent-general regarding the price- of hops in~ London forwarded regularly to this colony. Blackbirds and starlings are causing great havoc amongst the grain crops, orchards, and gardens in Hawke's Bay. A northern exchange cays there is a, shortage of potatoes in Wanganui at present, and supplies are being obtained from the South Island. . Crops of wheat and oats in the Wheatstone ar.d Ashton districts, near Ashburton, are said to be. looking splendid, both as rogatcta colour and thickness of growth. If the weather continues favourable, harvest should be somewhat earlier this year than usual. The Lyfctelton Times cf the 30th uit. cays: — "Yostorday morning. ile?i»rs T/. White, H. G. Turner (stock inspector), "W. Storry, A. D. M'Braith (Tiiraru), and A. Women., and press representatives, went to> Quail Island in the s.s Canterbury, in order to inspect a number :>f sheep quarantinerl there. Mr White's 10 Shropshire ewes, bred and selected by Mr P. L. Mills, are a very fine lot. They are by Black Watoh, M.C., Best Man, and Knight of the Fold,- and are in lamb to Park Royal, Belled .Knight, Iviug-ht of the J\>ld, and Coronation. The ram, Royal Fame, is by Ruddington Sirdar, aucl is a fine, Jcngthy sheep, "and specially g-cod in his wool all over. Mr Mills says than the ewes were specially selected for Mr. White from' his home flock, and ths ran? Hp considers was bis best ram i&sb year. There are. also «n the island eight Ryeland ewes, a ram and a ram lamb, five • Oxford Down ewes. ar<d a. ram lamb, for Mr' 3~r Wrthell, Ealing; four Border' Leicester ewes and two rams, for Messrs Little Bros., Ngapara: three Border Leioesters rams, for Mr J. F Reid ; three Border Leicester rams, for tbo ISW Zealand anct Australian Land Company : one Border Leicester ram, for Mr T. Reid; one Border Leieest-sr ram, for Mr W. Grant, Timaru; one ram and one ewe, for Mr A. Murdoch,^ Riversdal-e ; one English Leicester ram, Mr D. Grant : and one Romney Marsh ram, for Mr J. F,' Reid. Despite the fact that it is believed that at Least 10 per cent, more- 00 ws are being Imilked in Taranaki this season than last, the milk cheques show comparatively no increase. This (says tho Eltharr. Argus) is solely owing to "the unfavourable weather - so iar experienced this year. Feed at present is actually scarce, whereas at this tim© last year it was going to waste. The secretary of ihs Eltham- Dairy Company estimates that th-a unseasonable weather Jias result&d in shrinkage in the looa.l milk supply to the extent of £35 daily. Now that summer has evidently "come to stay," tl'o industry may be expected to quickly boom. The annual meeting of . the Rolleston Saleyards Company was held on November 28, a large number of shareholders being: present. The Chairman (Mr H. -W. Richards) said it gave him much pleasure to report that during the past year substantial progress bad been made by tfa© company. The year closed with a credit balance of ;£l6 16, and there were no liabilities. The directors recommended thatT instead" of paying a dividend the balance. Should be placed on deposit to form the nucleus of a fund to acquire the freehold ox the property on the expiration of the -lease. There was every prospect tba.t at the end of two years the company would be in a position to obtain the freehold unencumbered. The report and balance sheet weie> adopted and several o-f the shareholders expressed pleasure at the company's financial position and prosperity. i\lr T. Kirk. Government Biologist, who went to Auckland in connection with th» diseases ai tacking potatoes in the district. ha*, visited a targe- number of farms. say 3 the Star. He found that the three diseases, Irish pototo rot, macro^porium, and alterr.aria, were all prevalent, and that of the* three- the Irish disease wa.s predominant. I;i some oases the disease had ruined the•crops, but in a largp number Mr Kirk found that crops attacked coukl still be paved if sprayed promptly with tbs 4-4-49 Bordeaux mixture (4-lb of blueston© and 41b> of lime lo 40 gallons of wafer.) Mr Kirk points out that the people whose crops are suffering are largely to blame themselves. Although tlie diseases have been, 'in existence for over a month, nobody took the trouble to post sample tubers or leaves to Wellington, .where the disease would have been immediately located and remedial measures suggested. The annual meeting of the Malvern A. and P. Association wa.s kdd at Annat on tiio 24-th ult., tie president. Mr Pannett, occupying tin- chair. The balance sheet, showing a. credit balance of £2 13s, was read and adopted. Tho taerotaiy's report stated that the show held in April last was a, decided improvement on that held in 19C5. It was decided 10 hold the next show aife Sheffield, and to make it open to all-comers. The following officers were elected for tl.© ensuing year: — Patron, Mr C. A. C. Hardy, M.H.R. ; president, Mr ¥. Bull ; vicepresident. Mr G Rutherford ; treasurer, Mi* G. Berry. A large and representative committee was a!«o electee 1 . •. A meeting of -'bo memfcra of the Waimnte A and P. A=-ce:aticii was bold on the 26th ult., Mr Moigdii (vice-president) in tho

chair. The -Secretary submtted a balance sheet showing receipts* and expenditure' in connection with the show on the~lsfeh inst. Jvewiljte, £27+ -10s; total- expenditure, including payment of prizes, £316 14s" 6d, ieaviiig a deficit balance in the show account of £42 4s 6d.— Mr Meredith moved— "That as the last ploughing ir&foh; under the aii&pices of the ' association, was so successful, the association arrange for the holding, of an annual ploughing "match for.- 1 the county or district of Waimate." The motion •was carried.— :Mr Meredith gave notice to ancve at next mooting that the executive aproach the Technical Classes Association at Waimate with the view -to establishing technical class3s- for instruction in veterinary and agricultural subject?. — It ,was resolved that at next mcetine it be deckled whether the' association would prepare for exhibition of a Waimate Ccunty Bay at Dumedin -at the next agricultural winter show in .that city. — The sum of £364 1$ 9d -was passed for , payment of prizes and accounts in connection -with^the late show. — The secretary (Mr ~W. H. Beckett) informed the meeting., that ■wLen .their subscriptions for the" year have teen received, there will be ample funds to meet all the association's liabilities. Special trains are now being employed' to \ carry sheep from Hawke's -Bay and Wai-i-arapa down to the" freezing worts at I'etone and Ngahauranga. - j One thing .thjau -puzzles the ordinary man x>oV up in. the' potato business- (remarks a ' Ecme, paper) is bow it is ■possible to pay such fabuSous prices for new varieties and ; yet— hope to get the" vaon^f hack. One j variety" stood at^£l6o -par 1b last' year; it] is now .at three guineas. One and one-eixteenfch-ounce of tuber seed ciD this variety planted in. April Icsi month yielded three etcne of tubers. •Of • another sort .which has ' been :rirach .talked of, a singlo root has pro- ; duced 20ilb. Every eye, is taken, off a seed tuberi ,and liaised Very, -much in- tee samo way'astne". dahlia. ".'Dahlias have long , been propagated from cuttiaige in this way, , end*' the best flowering plants are so ol> tamed. > ~~" ' . - _ The "Ghristehureh Meat' Company offered. £10:103 in "two Tprizes^for -five freezing. sheep at the- Timaru. show, half the prize to-be awarded -T>y the judges of fat'sneep on the' ground, the other half .to be allotted to the^ sheep -wprth most .per lb after' being slaughtered -and" , valued at the company's Smithfield works. There' were nineteen , pens entered for' these prizes. The judges^ on the ground aw^dejL±hfi J _fef^fe^-of = oot)i : the meat company's test' gave the - second halves to Mr W. Grant. The latter sent in, three pens, and -the average value per lb of. the best was' 5.2 d, jand'of- the other, two 5.14 d. The values of Mr Mackenzie's pens were,4.46d and 4.l2d~per lb, and both were disqualified for the second half prize,T as averaging more than 721b freezing weight. ~ The following obituary notice is taken, from last Thursday's Lyttelton- Times : — Mr Hugh M'lhaith, formerly- membei. of the House of Representatives for -Cheviot, ; and well-known in agricultural and rsccing ' circles, was found dead at his residence, ( Antigua street, yesterday .morning. Death ; resulted" J from, heart "disease, from ' which ' the 'deceased.-had suffered for' several years. Mr MTlwraith was born *in Ayrshire, Scotland, ,in 1826, and was a member of a very old family, who were heritors in the County : of Ayr for more than 400 yeaxs. He was educated in his , native land, and was brought up -to sheep-farming. .He emigrated, to Australia at- the -age of 19, and in 18561 arrived in, Canterbury; .aa.d soon afterwarHsJ commenced! sheep-fawning, in . the_ Malyern Hills district. Subsequently , h© acquired ,- 26,000 acres freehold .in the. Amuri 'district, where he continued till .j 1876, ,when he returned to - Canterbury; ; ■where he, tS&ught a, large freehold; .which- 1 he- farmed vtill he finally Tetired in 1885. Mr ' MTlraith had occupied the position of president of the TXew Zealand Trotting- Association and afterwards of the -Canterbury Trot- , ting Club, and was connected with the New | Brighton Trotting Club for .several years. He was one of the original and life msm- ' fcers of the Canterbury Agricultural and ' Pastoral Association. In 1882 Mr M'llraith was elected member of the House of Representatives for Cheviot, and Eat until 1884. his residence in the Amuri district^ he was for many -years a m&mbor of the Roa<J Board, and also filled the position of chairman. Mr M'Hraith was mar- ( ried" in 1864/ and leaves a grown-up family of four sons and five daughters. New Zealand, with a, -sheep capital scarcely one-third that of Argentina (writes ] the Pastoralists' Review of November 16), j •exports 50 per cent, more carcases. *| iocal consumption does not account for } the difference; the Argentines eat more ' heei and less mutton than do the New Zea- , landers.- Argentina is not capitalising her , sheep stock; on the contrary, it is decreas- [ ang. When Argentina has exported 5 per , cent, carcases on her capital stock, and ' paid her local butcher's mutton bill, and strikes a balance, she finds her capital on the' diminishing side. New Zealand .exports well nigh 25 -per cent., and feeds herself, and leaves E'er , capital untouched.These are facts. Npt one-half of Argentina's annual crop of lambs supplies either ifche 'local or the foreign meat trade or passes into the bx'eeding capital; they die before they are a twelvemonth old. The Tapanui Courier says shearing will he general this week if the weather is fine. Men are very scarce, and the operation of taking the wool off will likely be a long . job this season. I