FARM AMD STATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2654, 25 January 1905, Page 6

FARM AMD STATION.

THE IMPORTATION OF BONESI KAL.

The emphatic protest from the Colonial Executive of the Farmers' Union against the decision of the Government 10 "abandon the erection of sterilising works that were projected in order tb ensure immunity from anthrax caused by the vise of imported bonemeal ■ can scarcely go unheeded. The Government has already incurred a grave responsibility in refusing to accept Mr J. A. Gilruth's recommendations on the subject, and the blame for the alarming spread of anthrax in the colony must primarily be laid at the door of the Cabinet. We pointed out in an article on the 19th tilt, that in almost every instance where~~anthrax has broken out it has been directly traceable to the use of Calcutta bonedust, which has been brought into the colony withotit sufficient precautions being taken to destroy the disease germs which accompanied it. The existence of anthrax in the colony is a standing menace to the stock-raising and dairy industry, apart from the risk to human life, and it is not surprising that the inaction of the Government in a matter of such vital importance should be causing a good deal of apprehension. It haa been submitted by Ministers, however, that the inactivity of the Government is not incapable of a fairly plausible explanation, and that the whole question of the importation of bonedust is much niore complicated than it may appear at first sight, chiefly on account of the conflicting interests involved. Sir Joseph Ward, in an interview with a representative of this pappr several weeks ago, said, in effect, that the reason why the Government did not intend to proceed with the sterilising works at present was that the desired end might not be achieved by this means. The increased cost of subjecting bonemeal to a second sterilisation in the colony would, in addition to exhausting its fertilising qualities, make its use unprofitable to the fanners. That being the case, a substitute would have to be found for bonemeal, and the colony would be saddled with sterilising plants costing many thousands of pounds for which it would probably have no further xise. The fact remains, however, that there is a demand for some 20,000 tons of imported bonemeal annually in this colony, and that bonemeal forms a very important element in many of the artificial manures compounded and distributed amongst the farming community. The local supply of bones is utterly inadequate to meet the demand, although it is of passing interest to note that the meat export companies, who have something to gain by the prohibition of the importation of bonemeal, are joined with the Farmers' Union in its agitation for sterilising plants. It seems to be generally conceded that with respect to some classes of soil there is no completely satisfactory substitute for bonemeal, chiefly because it is so readily assimilated by the crops on the land to which it is applied, and, it ig contended, gives results which are not obtained from any mineral phosphate. The present intention of the Government is to send officers to bonemeal exporting countries to supervise the sterilisation before shipment ; but whether this will prove efficacious or not is a matter of pure speculation. "We are informed that effective sterilisation is only possible before the bones are finally crushed, and that a second sterilisation of the finished product by means of steam after it has been landed in the colony would be a much more difficult operation. If the process is to be thoroughly gerniicidal the boiling steam must permeate the material completely, for the anthrax bacillus is exceedingly tenacious of life. The bonemeal has subsequently to be dried, and the volume of moisture it contaiua after it has undergone treatment is in itself a very important matter, for a small percentage of water amounts to a great deal in 100 tons of bonemeal. Assuming, however, that the prevention of anthrax is of paramount importance, even if it involves the prohibition of the importation of bonedust, it is still an open question whether immunity from infection Qannpfr be achieved wjthput depriv-

ing the producers of the colony of the use of a very valuable fertiliser. Mr Gilrutb. seems to distrust all precautionary measures short of prohibiton ; although in his report for 1903 he says : "It will be a big step forward if the Government will act promptly on its decision to erect sterilising plant at the Bluff and Auckland and ensure complete sterilisation of all bones brought into the colony." The G-oy eminent has nowgone back on that decision, and has rejected as impracticable the intermediate course of sterilising in the colony all imported bones. It has in doing so incurred an exceedingly grave responsibility, and we earnestly urge upon it a reconsideration of its decision. Far better that it should incur a possible loss in the working of the sterilising plants recommended by its Chief Veterinarian ; far better, indeed, that bonemeal should command an increased price, or substitute manures have to be used, than the colony should incur the serious risks involved in the importation of ineffectively sterilised bone 9 that may contain the germs of a frightful disease whose dread fruits may not be estimated if once it obtains a wide foothold. The question is one of deep importance, and we trust the Government will again confer with Mr Gilruth, and be guided by his advice.

A number of oalves belonging to Mr J. Chesham, Te Whiti, have died from what appears to be a; lung , disease. Mr Chesham reported the .matter in December, and' last week (says the Carterton Leader) he forwarded a calf, in ran advanced stage of the^ disease, io the Government Deparljmerii in Wellington so that an examina"iion might be made. Mr Chesham hes already lost 19 calves, and he has little hope of saving the remaining 20 odd. Owing xto the continuous wet and co-d ■weath&r during the past few weeks, the oat crop throughout the Ashburton district has suffered to no little extent, and the yield in consequence will not be nearly so heavy as would have been the case had the Treather proved favourable. " The Christchurch papers report the sale '0f, 2000 sacks of wheat, half Tuscan and half velvet, to a southern miller, at 3s 6d per bushel at a . country station, from which the railage rate to Lyttelton is 2£d per bushel. Another large shipment of butter was being despatched to' London by the New Zealand. Shipping Company's steamer Ruapehu, which sailed on Tuesday afternoon. UThe total shipment amounted to 52,592 packages, made up from the following places:— Auckland, 7239 packages, including 260 kegs; Taranaki, 14,400 packages; Patea, 9047 -packages ; Wellington, 13,698 packages; Oamaru, 930 packages; Lyttelton, 4012 ipackages; Dunedin, 3^66 packages. The .vessel also took 5694 cases of cheese from .various ports. The butter-grading- system adopted by the Government of this colony continues to receive praise in London. The London correspondent of the' Melbourne Argus, 'in a letter .dated December 9, writes.: — "The question of the desirability of Government grading the Victorian butters is now being discussed among the Tooley street agents, j&nd Mr Peppard, the Government inspector, Is engaged in finding out what they think of the "idea. T have ' discussed the matter with several of the leading firms, and they are mostly in favour of it, with certain stipulations. .The method adopted , by the 2s r ew , Zealand, 'Government gives general ■satisfaction, and 'a good deal of butter from , that colony- is sold simply on the strength of Jihe grade. But the -grading is excellently Hone, and the differenoo in value of the Sautters Jn the first' grade of New Zealand does not exceed 2s, or, at the very outside, 3s Now, this close gradinjr has not been noticeable in the butters which have been .graded by the Victorian Government this season, and, as -I mentioned last week, one pr two brands have arrived with the ' first grade' stamp on them which, in the opinion of qualified persons, ought not to have fcorne it. The value of sonxo of these butters was at least 6s below the top price ruling, and to call them ' first grade ' was absurd." There is a great scarcity of sheep on the iwesfc coast of ihe North Island at present. This fact was emphasised at Wanganui recently,, when, according to the Chronicle, j a, full yarding of sheep offered for auction . brought prices that' constitute a record in j the district for many years past, and may fairly be regarded as phenomenal. Several i old farmers present were cf opinion that they were the highest prices reached during the past 15 years, and _that the crowd of .farmer? from up and down the coast and the brisk bidding quite reminded them of " old 'times." Full-mouthed Romney ewes fetched 16s. Id, Romney lambs up to 11s, while other lots actually .touched £1. The high prices at .present ruling for sheep are based on outside demand. Mr D. Thomson, who has followed the 'occupation •of a butcher at Hastings for many years, left Wellington by the Rua- i pehu on -Tuesday, to take up an important j position in the management of a large cattle j ranch in the Argentine. Finding that a cow of his was suffering . from an illness and, despite the application of various remedies, appeared to be getting; Hvorse, Mr Richard White, of Waimate, had ] the animal destroyed. Curiosity as to the j caxise of illness led to tho opening of tho I body, and in the animal's stomach a large j feel was found dead. There is a dam on I Mr White's property, and the . cow must ] have swallowed the eel while drinking there, j Application has been made to the Minister of Lands to throw open for settlement an area of about 4000 acres of State forest a short distance from Paikakariki. It is represented that the area is not required for scenery preservation^ purposes, that the iamount of useful timber ~bn it is very small. and that it would be far more useful if opened for selection than it ever will be as a State forest. The Minister has in : etructed the Commissioner of Crown Lands io send a capable officer to the area in question and to furnish a report on the subject. Of late quite a number of pigs have been condemned at the Nelson abattoirs on account of evidence of tuberculosis. These jpigs have come*, from the Wakapuaka district, and steps are being taken to discover the cause for the -prevalence of the disease in the particular locality referred to. It is from a. portion only of the Wakapuaka 'that infected pigs, so far, nave been 'obtained. - Tho present season in ihe iManawatu |jias shown a substantial- increase on last year in the dairying returns. But a far (greater advance would 1 have been recorded (had the weather been less unfavourable. "The outlook for the winter is none too bright at present. There is a plentitude of grass, but not of the quality to last the treason out, nor is it, nor the time, suitable

for its conversion into hay. It is feared that the farmers wili have their resources taxed considerably' during the winter. A number of strangers from "the other side " have come to the Wyndham district lately seeking work. A good deal of this class ©f labour is absorbed by the flaxmills. i A man all the way from Canada also put in j an appearance the other day, and within 24i hours he had secured work on a district ] farm. j There is more milk going to the Gore | factory at the present time than ever before, (says the Standard). Tr<? season's output of cheese was sold a.t the beginning of the year at a figure equal ro 3id a gallon, which is fd or Id below the price that coulii be obtained, now. Reports reached Napier on Tuesday night of bush and grass fires along the line and in i various parts of the district. Their prox- | unity to Napier was apparent from the ■ oppressive and smoky heat of ihe evening ; and the odour of burning vegetation. I The Ballanoe Dairy Company paid out | nearly £5000 for milk supplied during the month of December. This is the largest pay chronicled during the existence of the company. The Tate paid for butter-fat was 8d per lb. Three settlers in the Mahafahara district (Hawke's Bay) received £52, £50, and £47 10s respectively as their milking cheques for December. I A good many mobs of young cattle from the south have been treked through Milton lately, to be depastured in the Taieri district. There is a noticeable scarcity of bumble bees about Mastertpn, compared with preTious years, and .t is feared that the clover 'seed crops will suffer in consequence. - The ryegrass crop will be a month late. The new season's seed is not expected 'to be available until the middle of February. No samples are yet; to hand from Canterbury. There is active inquiry for any good values in old eeed. All over the South Island there is a prospect of a very large yield of soft quality, and prices are expected to rule low. A Sydney cable states that potatoes are quoted up to £10 a ton. The date of the Timaru ram fair has been fixed for March 22. With a view jto lowering the cost of production of flour, a well-known North Canterbury firm js (says the Lyttelton Times) ! contemplating the erection^ of a large mill ,on the latest American lines. Plans are , being prepared, and the contract will call ! for a mill of 100 barrels daily capacity, making grades similar to those in use in the United States. The plant will be equipped with a large storage elevator, and everything will be arranged for economy in working. The contract will require the mill to be ready for grinding on March 1, 1905. It is understood that a large portion of the capital required will be American. The site of the mill has not yet been fixed. Some of f'the milk euppliers and other farmers on the upper reaches of the Mangatainoka Valley have s\iffered this year considerably through the washing away of | their frontages by floods. Again and again jat great trouble and expense they have j erected groins, only to be "carried away by j the avalanches that sweep along the gorge with terrific force. Added to this the river in many places is unfordable, and where there are crossings they are constantly changing and becoming dangerous. In some instances the dairy farmer has his milk cans stuck up occasionally for the be6t part oi a week. Capsizes in the river and narrow escapes from drowning are becoming too plentiful to be pleasant, and as some of i the families that our liberal land laws have planted on the soil threaten to sell their j cows and make a clearance the Publio Works Department has been invited fo send up an experienced officer to examine the river and opnfer with them. The crops have made a decided advano© during the past few days (writes the North Canterbury correspondent of the Christchurch Press). Not only has the grain filled, but it is fast ripening, and! on the uplands the harvesting of oats and wheat is in active operation- From Cheviot, and along the railway line to Scar gill, farmers are busy collecting the crop into stook. In another week harvesting will be general in the Waikari and Hawarden districts. The Amberley and Ashley crops are boing harvested near the hills and upon the downs. At Oxford and Swannanoa the crops are also being operated upon by the reapers. The grain fields on the plains are still on the green side, but the forcing heat of the past three days, if continued for a fortnight, will ripen many of them. In the Ashley County the prospects of a good average yield are strengthened by the manner in which the grain is filling. Heavy crops of hay and grass seed have been, cut, but the hay which has been harvested during the last ten days is in much better condition than that which was gathered earlier. Peas and beans are doing very well, and the clover crops are heavy. The- potato crops, -which escaped the drenching effects of the November rains, are now improving, and the early crop is yielding well. j The Wellington Post states that inquiries in the local markets on Saturday, 14tn inst., show that prices of potatoes and fruit have become easier. Red potatoes are quoted) at 9s per cwt, as compared with 12s in the previous week. The drop is due to the large supplies which are freely coming in from Hutt and Otaki. The embargo on Auckland 1 potatoes has practically no effect ! on the market, as supplies from that quarter ■usually cease about this time. The jjros-

pects axe that farmers will enjoy good prices right through the season. The Hamilton correspondent of the> New Zealand Herald writes: — Mr J. B. West, -representative of the Auckland Freezing Company (Messrs Hellaby Bros.), states that the lambs in th© Waikato this year show a considerable improvement, which he attributes . to the fact that farmers are now getting a better idea of the right kinds to breed, and how to prepare them for the Homo market. He has had no difficulty in &pcur- , ing lambs, the prices being from 11s to 13s. j About 2500 are to be shipped in the vessel j leaving to-day (January 13), and he exports j that the company will have 5000 ready for 1 the next boat, -about the end of the month. Harvesting will not be general in South Canterbury for some weeks yet. So far the only crops that have been cut a*e one of oats on the Point road, near Washdyke, and another of oats on the Rangitata Island! Large quantities of hay have been saved in fine order. On the Levels Plains rain is needed, as the grass lands are very dry. Small birds are making an early start on the crops, and seem to be doing more damage than ever, as along the fences the heads if grain are nearly all stripped. The monthly meeting of the Timaru A-. and P. Association was held on the 14-Tb inst., Mr D. Grant (president) in the chair. Before the business was proceeded' with the Piesident made appropriate reference to the death of the late Mr Duncan M'Laren. Air Giant then moved the following resolution —"That the Timaru Agricultural and Pastoral Association wish to place on record its appreciation of the very valuable ser- ; vices rendered to it and the district of South ■ Canterbury by the late Duncan M'Laren, andi expresses it? sincere sympathy with i his relatives in their loss." Mr C. N. J Orbell seconded the resolution, and paid a high tribute to the character of the deceased gentleman, who, more than anyone else, assisted the association through the troubled times it had experienced. The resolution was carried in silence, all standing.— TheHawke's Bay Association asked for \\ia ' Timaru Association's support to the protest j against the discontinuation of the erection < j of the bonedust sterilising works at Auck- , ladn and tho Bluff. The Canterbury As- ' j sociation also wrote upon the subject, stati ing that while it was thought unnecessary to allow 1 the importation of bones, if it ' were permitted there should be facilities ' for sterilising- them in order to minimise the dangers of anthrax and other disease*. . < In was decided to support the, protest.— With . regard to Mr.E. H. Twist's application fo; ■ ■ the cup won by him at the buck-jumping , competition, the secretary was ordered to i write to Mr Twist and explain that ihe j matter was deferred, pending the judge bemg consulted on the matter.— Twenty member s, who had contributed £10 to the funds of tho association, were elected life mem- ! bers. A Hororata correspondent of the Lytfc&l- '■ *<**• Times writes: -The grass is holding out splendidly, and stock are looking weli. The crops are now ripening rapidly ; in many places the oat crops are looking ren.arkibly well, and there is every prospect of good yields. There will be an abundant yield of grass seed, and on all sides one hears of splendid crops. The Adelaide correspondent of th& Sydney Morning Herald, writing on the Souch Australian wheat crop, says: — During 13 months from December 1, 1903, to D-eoam-be- 31, 19C4, it is rsckonedl that, approxii mately. 10£ million bushels of wheat ar.rl 1 flour have been sent to all destinations, Tor an equivalent of 278,000 tons of wheat | In the Register estimate of the crop, rssuri lin February, the exportable surplus was ' 262.500 tons, so it would appear that some 16,000 tons had been, exported in excess of the quantity which was thought to be in the country. A.t this time last year there was virtually no old wheat left, the clean-up > having been exceptionally complete. Now j it is estimated that from 15,000 to 20,000 tons of the 1903-4 crop remain in some form in the country. Adding this total, there | appears little doubt that the last harvest I was underestimated in face of the export figures. This is, indeed, generally admitted. I It is possible, therefore, that the stock at tho end of the year, especially invisible stock, is not so large as calculated. The Register estimate was for the production of 13,186,650 bushels, whereas the fii?ui-<.s I now point to from 13,900,000 to 14,200, GOO j bushels. The latter was about the total j given by the Register, in its pre-harvest ( estimate in October, 1903. It now looks j as if the deduction made to allow for ihe : damage by rain storms later in the year ' was too great. ! The crops in and around the Ellesmere | district are looking very well, in spite of the | recent south-west gale, which did a good , deal of damage in the Laikeside and 1 Sedge- j ( mere districts. In some cases the bar- ' i ley crop has been fed off in consequence j , of the spray from the sea having caused I ] serious damage. 'In several instances the oat crop will not fulfil expectations. Calves to the right, calves to the left — in fact, calves everywhere, were visible the other morning (says the Elcham Argus). Mob 3of calves were being driven along all I the roads leading to Eltham. At the sale- j yards Mi Deem -was busy inoculating the ' calves as a preventive against blackleg. They were driven into a narrow race, and > as they passed along a hypodermic syringe, laden with serum in a form that looked much like a turnip seed, was jabbed 1 into each calf just behind one of the shoulders, and the letter S lightly burned thereon, and

the whole operation was over. Before 11 o'clock Mr Deem had passed nearly 500 calves through the race. At 12.20 the number had reached 850, and at 1.50 995. The largest draft of calves belonging to any one owner numbered 50. The Akaroa Mail states that cutting the cocksfoot has commenced. At Stony Island and Robinson's _ Bays a fair proportion has been cut, and a commencement will be made at I ittle River and other places in a day or two. It will, however, want fully a week more of hot sun to make cutting general. There are plenty of hands to do the work, the great majority of the seed • having been let. It is said that after the gale, which blew off much of the pollen on the flowering seed, the plants have flowered again — an unusual occurrence, due no doubt to the great strength and vigour of the straw. The weather is all that can ! be desired ; but the idea is gaining j ground that the gale did much more injury ! to the seed than was at first suspected, and that many crops of light seed will result from tho terrible threshing of the wind. The District Health Officer, in his report to the Oroua County Council, quoted by the | Hawera Star, says:— "ln tho Makino disI triet, in the course of my inspection, I found j milking in one instance carried on under very unsanitary conditions. What with the manure around the sheds and the proxi- , mity of dirty styes and stagnant pcols in ; which swine wallowed, the state was dei plorable. I have requisitioned that drastic ; improvements be carried out. Of milking ! generally. I must say that there seems j I to be a disregard of the first essential, j ; cleanliness. It is a rare thing to find j any of the sheds lime washed. The floors are perfectly level, hence bad drainage. I 1 500r35 oor3 are scraped out irregularly, more , for the convenience of milkers than cleanli- , ness. The milk goes into the faotory I with the general blend, and we are left to ' j work out tho problem as to what quantity i of solid matter apart from butter-fat we , consume in a year. I hope the publieaj tion of these facts will have the effect of I , educating dairy keepers to better methods in i the New Year." f < Considerable difficulty is being found by , small farmers in the vicinity of Masterton in procuring store lambs for fattening pur- , poses this season. The custom with many , small holders is to grow a certain amount of rape and other crops for fattening lambs each year. The store lambs -are purchased from the breeders, fattened off, and placed -on the market. Last year (says the Masterton Times) the farmers made an averi age profit of about 4s foj; fattening the i lambs, the price paid for stores being- about ! Bs, while tho fats realised 12s. This year, although fat lambs have advanced about Is, the farmer only gets about 2s for fattening, the increased price of stores making .up the difference. One of the principal reasons of this marked increase is the fact | of _ there being an abundance "of grass feed j this year, which is responsible for the breeders hanging on to their lambs much longer than in a less prolific season. The result so far has been decidedly against those, who buy for fattening, and a decided gain to those breeders who have so far platted their store lambs on the market. Messrs Field and Royds shipped by the Rotomahana last week nine $,tud Southdown rams. These sheep are an exceptional^ fine lot, bred from imported stock, and selected from the flocks of Messrs Henry Overton and J. C. N. Grigg for Mr James I Knight, of Feilding. The price paid for the line was over 200gs. The usual monthly meeting of the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held on the 17th inst. A letter was l-eceived from Mi R. H. Bissett, forj warding hjs resignation in consequence of j the association's action in refusing to award him a prize in a competition at the recent show. It was decided to inquire into the circumstances of the matter. — It was decided to endorse the action of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Association in. urging upon the Government the necessity for taking steps to prevent the spread' of anthrax.— A committee was | appointed to undertake the revision of the ! association's rules, and a Winter Show : Committee was appointed. Owing to an increase in the number of | rabbits in t.he river-beds in Ashburton County, the local rabbit inspector has been instructed to lay poison at an early date. From reports received by the Director of Agriculture for Victoria (Mr Williamson Wallace), it appears that the youns vine grafts of American resistant stock in the nursery at the Rutherelen Viticultural Station, numbering 110,000, have suffered little from the recent heat, and that as 70 points of rain have since fallen, very few of the grafts will be lost. Mr Burney, the officer in charge of the viticult\n-al station, reports, however, that the hot winds have done considerable damage to the grape crop throughout the district. Table grapes have especially suffered, and in some cases one side of every bunch is burned, as though a firo ' had passed by._ With wine-making varieties the damage is not so serious, especially where vines are staked and tied up, but young vines have suffered everywhere, i Were it not that there is a great growth of f foliage this year the loss would be most severe. j This year (says <ho Field of Dec-ember 3) the far-ncr has sucer-eded in grooving one of the best crops of potatoes in modern times, yet it sterns very doubtful if the ! financial lesults will be even moderately remunerative. The one obstacle in the way \ of handpome profits is the superabundance }

;of the yield wliich appears to have beee I gathered in all the chief potato-growing j centres. Not only was the crop in m,- , usually prolific one, but the area assigned to it was larger than usual, and these two mfluercing factors, operating together, have r&iuhed in an overstocked market. 4cj corriinglv prices lwc fallen to little mci^ than half what sometimes can be obtained, reaily good wholesome tubers deir-? m*.rurablt* for about 30s or 35s a ton, a pr;ra which, let the yield be what it may, cannot r-os'ibjy return a fair price to the grower There is no more speculative crop grown, than potatoes, and the full force of this characteristic is being unpleasantly experienced this year. Under the beading "The Turn in Mo. hfxir," Mr S B. Hollings writes as fol!ow3 in the American Sheep Breeder of Dece~nber 15: — If there is one thing about Bradford mohair dealers It is the wide-awake policy which they have manifested the 'as* throe months in their buying a big weighs uf material, especially in Port Elizabeth* Ii &eemcd to surprise a good many people in J: rail ford when the cable flashed the lew* that Saltaire Mills and Messrs E. B. Whitiey and Co. were buying heavily at the Cppt: wh'n business here was completely as ast andstill. Some criticised their action rather severely and said that it they had not stepped in and swept the deck* they would have been able to buy at still lower figures, -while others seemed to smell the rat and become suspicious that there was something in the wind. When Mr James j Roberts was reported to have bought 2500 j bales of Cape firsts at a low figure, and : then to go in foe another all round 1500 bales, it certainly seemed on the surface a little bit funny, but subsequent events have shown that the action of Saltaire Mil's was both timely and propitious. If there is one thing which mohan- growers throu^hj out the world ought to rejoice over it is the prosperity of Saltaire Mills, for what; at one time looked like the extinction of- | the pioneer firm in Ihe mohair world has | b«en rejuvenated under the capable rnana^ei me-nt of the pressnt proprietor. Mr James t Roberts. Unlike many Bradford users of mohair this firm takes the raw material and turns it out in the finished product, principally in dress goods, and there is no moie satisfactory element in connection wifcli the betterment of mohair lhan to find several of our first-class manufacturers of mohair dress goods very busy indeed. The Mark Lane Express oi December 5 states that another consignment of Kent or Romney Marsh sheep i 9 reported as having been sold for export the previous week. There were two stud rams used this season by Messrs L. H. and G. W. Finn in their Westwood flock. The country to which they arg being despatched is New Zealand. They are well-bred and capital rams, one tracing back to the late Mr G. W. Finn's Fecond prize yearling ram at» the Cambridge Royal Show, at which fixture the first prize was also won by the same gentleman. The other ram was bred by Mr Arthur Finn, of Westbrociks, and is a grand one of that very noted stud ram Window I, bred by Mr C. File, of Elham, Canterbury, a sire of many leading stud sheep and prize winners. Mr James Swan did a smart thing on December 5, the first day of the Smithfieid show (says the North British Agriculturist). He was judging crossbred Down lambs, and just when he and his brother judge were on the point of awarding one pen the first prize, something in the appearance of one of the three caused him to suspect that it was more than it was represented to be— a wethei lamb. All the sheep had been previously passed as right by the vets. When Sir G. Brown was called he pronounced, after an inspection, one of the lambs to be a ram, the other a rig. They were, of course, disqualified, and the owner was in a great state about it. He protested that he did not know, and that he had had a vet. to cut them. What added to the piquancy of the "situation was that the same lambs got a prize and were passed without question at the Birmingham sho-^r. About the end of the eighteenth century an Englishman wrote an account of Essex agriculture for the Board of Agriculture, in which be «aid :—"lf: — "If Essex fails in any part I of husbandry, it is in the kind of stock if; | sonds to market, which seem to be brought in without any sort of preference to this or that pailicular breed. In the oouihG of a few miles' ride yoti ,vill see North &iA South Wales, Irish, and most other sorts of cattle ; Norfolk, Hertfordshire, /Lincoln, Wilts, etc., sheep, and not uncommonly Wo or three different kinds in the same field 1 , though of late the Southdown sheep, or tl'is with a cross of the Norfolk, have been in great request." Dr Nelson S. Mayo, who recently resigned from the State Agricultural College at Manhattan, Kan., to accept the position of chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry of Cuba, located at Santiago do Las Vegas, has taken with him a considerable number. ' of different breeds of live stock, including Angora goats and sheep. He believes that Cuba will prove to be a good home for tha Angoras. Great Britain is noted for her many breeds of' sheep, some of which are almosi breeds of obscurity. Among them (remarKg

The special Gardes Fertiliser made up b? Nimmo akd Blair will "be found to give ax- ! cellent results when used for Flowers and Veee- . tables; also for Pot Plants, in and out of | greenhouse. It ia put up in 71b bags, at Is *A ! eack. Ask your »t«i«keepet for it.

the American Sheep Breeder) is a breed .which has received little if any notice in American publications. It is the Mayo Horne-y, a breed whose home is in the mountains of County Mayo in Ireland. An Irish authority says of it: — "These sheep now enjoy great popularity with breeders ,who go in extensively for the production of early fat lambs, as for this particular purpose the Mayo ewes, when judiciously mated with rams oi ths Shrop and other •approved breeds, are found to fee especially suited. It is on account of their great hardiness and thriftiness, which they acquire from their mountainous haunts, that these sheep prove so profitable to breeders. fl?he small .quantity of food they can live on is really" wonderful, and thosp who have Ohad long experience with them say that (they thrive well without any sort of artificial rations Another great point in their favour is the fact that they make excellent mothers, producing an abundant flow of good, rich milk." During the past month "tke South Canterbury Dairy Company paid out £3116, which is the largest sum yet paid out by the company in any one month. Mr A. L~ Joseph, Ricearfcon, forwarded by theTalune on Saturday to Mr Charles Chapman, Gisborne, 20 two-tooth English Leicester rams (a particularly nice hne) frpm the flock of Mr H. F. WngM, Dunsandel (bra* by the late Mr Fred Wright), and 24 two and four-tooth Shropsmre rams from his own flock. ' Mr Chapman is desirous of producing mutton and lamb equal to prime Canterbury, ar/d has bought these sheep as a step towards this end. The very restricted competition for merino wool (says last Friday's Lyttelton Times) was a noteworthy feature of yesterdays wool sales in Christchurch, and much In© greater part of the wool of this class which was offered failed to secure offers .whi^ti viould be acceptable to growers. For two or three years past the colonial woollen mills ha\e paid for merino wool prices

which were actually in -excess of London value, and in. anticipation of the continuance of this good market a much larger quantity than usual of the article has this J season been put . into the colonial sales. ! The manufacturers, however, have followed the lead of their competitors abroad in using cheaper raw material for their goods, and some of them have also, it is reported, endeavoured to make themselves independent of New Zealand wool growers by importing wool from Australia. The increased supply and the diminished demand have combined to cause a slump in merino, although the prices which cpjn still be realised locally 'compare very well with London values. Sir Thomas H. Cleeve was one of tho pioneers of the creamery movement in Ireland 1 . The firm of which he- is now the principal owns no less than 42 creameries in different parts of Munster, and in addition they have condensed milk factories in Limerick, Tipperary, Mallow, Carrick-on-Suir, Kantirk, plonmcl, Bruree, and Manister. They employ upwards of 3000 hands altogether, and they deal with the enormous quantity of 600,000 gallons of milk per weeik, or 32,000,000 gallons per year. The Limerick premises alone occupy between five and six acres of ground. The butter manufactured by the firm finds its way into ev^ry part of the country, and tho business is increasing year after year. Judging by the large area of land sown in peas throughout the county this season (says the Ashburton Mail), the crop is becoming popular with farmers, and appears to give a larger return than either wheat or oats. Last year the area of ground sown was large, but this season the acreage, is still greater. It is understood (says the Taieri Advocate) that steps are being taken by the Farmers' Union to bring about a reduction in the commission charged on the sale of horses.