AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2663, 29 March 1905, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

In respect to the resolution passed by the School Commissioners, as previously recorded, it may be explained that it is meant to imply, inter alia, thai valuation is to be naaci-e on grass for two seasons prior to expiry of lease. It may also be stated that the commissioners have had the questions dealt with in the resolution under consideration for some months, long before the matter ■was brought under the notice of the Land Commission.

The Government has decided to guarantee Id net return per lb on shipments of apples to London this season. Grading and shipping must be done tinder the supervision of the Agricultural Department ; all othor arrangements to be made by shippers.

The Queensland Government has notified the Agricultural Department that owing to the outbreak of Irish rot among potatoes in New Zealand the importation of potatoes from this colony would be prohibited in Queensland

The newly-installed dried milk plant at the Makino Dairy Factory has (says the Palmerston North Times) given most satisfactory results. The necessary supply Crf milk is being received from farmers in the vicinity of Makino, and the plant is kept running daily. It can deal with 70 gallons per hour. Farmers express their willingness to supply milk constantly, as, with the increased price received, they consider it more profitable than to supply a creamery. A potato-grower in the district round .Timaru, who has a considerable area under crop this year, says that, though his enEiro crop was blighted with what was alleged to he the Irish blight, he has not so far been able to discover a single rotten potato in ihis crop, and he has been digging for a fortnight.

Canterbury buyers of sheep are again at ■work in Southland (says the Times), and 'during the course of the next two or three weeks a considerable number -will be forwarded by rail to South Cant&rburv and 'Ashburton districts. The prices paid are understood to be well in advance of what local dealers are prepared to pay. Mr D. jSladrfe.ru general manager of the

Wellington Meat Export Company, denies the statements published in the North Island that shoep purchased in the north and shipped to Canterbury were for fattening on southern pastures, and says that sneep exported from Wellington arc nearly all ewes for breeding purposes. In the Wairarapa several settlers have commenced to harvest the clover seed, but the present weather is not only retarding operations, but is causing- considerable injury to tho crop by sending up a large amount | of fresh growth. j A conference of flaxmillcrs and dealers ii hemp is to be held in Wellington this week to deal with the question of grading ; and obher matters affecting the welfare of the industry. The Harbour Beard shed is filled with flax in a damp condition, which the Agricultural Department refuses to pass. I Threshing in some districts of the Ashburton county has been temporarily stopped, tti9 grain not being in a fit condition. Mr Joseph Harrij, Allenton, has threshed out 120 bushels to the acre from a paddock of oats. Towards the end of last year a considerable number of sheep, selected from sonio of the best flocks in New Zealand, were shipped on board the steamer Banffshire in Wellington, having been purchased for Lord Delamere's station in Equatorial Africa. Letters received in Wellington j (says the Post) state that the sheep reached ; their destination in good condition, and J aro now doing- well. The Banffshire took } them as far as Durban, where they were dipped and given a good rest. They were then sent on to Mombasa by another steamer, the journey occupying about a fortnight, and were railed up to Njoio. where Lord Delamere's station is situated. The train took 39 hours to do the joruney. The climate at Njoio is described by the ■ New Zealanders who went with the sheep '• as being very mild. About a ton and a-half of rabbits were despatched for Christfhurch from Oamaru by the first express on Wednesday morning. The potato blight has c pread throughout the Poverty Bay district, patches of it being obse-vable at Ormond, Patutahi, and Motu. About 2800 sheep from Wellington were landed at Lyttelton on Wednesday. Mr Angus M'Curdy, of Wellington, colonial organiser of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, states that his travels during the 80 weeks he has actually been on the road ineludc 19,725 miles by rail, 2588 miles in veJiieles, 2228 miles by steamer, 778 miles on horseback, 36 miles by launch, five miles by motor, and 1530 miles on foot — a total distance of 26,890 miles. Mr M'Curdy has juefc returned to Welling-fcon from an extended tour of the Hawke's Bay district. Over 20,000 sheep were offered for sale at Clinton on Thursday. It is the opinion of the farmers longest resident in North Canterbury that no season has over been better for tho grazier than the present one. There seems to bo . no limit to the supply of cattle feed and grass for sheep. _A meeting of dairy factory delegates at Eawera on Friday decided to consign April butter to the London markets unless they can obtain 10d per 1b outright at the sale. The New Zealand Loan and Mcicantile Agency Company will offer for sale at the j Corporation Yards, Balclutha, on the 14th j April, a freehold farm at Hillend. j Signs of black spots on the leaves are to be seen in the case of some of the potato ' crops north of the Waimakariri. Some farmers incline to think that they have seen • them in previous seasons after wet spring : weather, and they do not look on them as serious. The Lytlelton Times of the 21st inst. writes: — Yesterday afternoon five Shropshire ewes, with seven lambs, born in quarantine, imported from England by Mr Seth Smith, of Ngapara. were released from the quarantine station at Quail Island, and brought by the s.s. Purau to Lyttelton, where they were entrained', in order to be sent to Ngapara. They are in excellent condition. The Purau, when she went to Quail Island for the=»c sheep, took over Mr i J. E. Davenport and a party of visitors, j whose object was to inspect the stock imi ported by that gentleman now on the j island. The animals were found to be in splendid condition, thriving upon the luxuj riant pasture on which they are grazing, and their undeniable quality excited the i admiration of the visitors, among whom were ! some good judges. Mr Davenport has on the island two young shorthorn bulls, aged 1 respectively 17 months and 12 months. They are to be released about April 20. ] He has also five Ryeland ewes, whose period of quarantine has expired. There are also I ou Quail Island three redpoll cows and a , bull calf of the same breed, imported by Mr j Davenport for Mr R. H. Rhodes, M.H.R. The thirty-ninth annual meeting of the ( Timaru A. and P. Association was held on . the 18th inst., Mr Donald Grant (president) i l the chair. About 25 members were j present. The President moved the adoption of tho outgoing committee's report and balance sheet. The association began the year with £361 in hand, and the receipts from all '<ouit« were £1451, of which £220 came from a special issue of life members' tickets (£lO each). The year ended with a credit balance of £578. Seeing that both thow days wore wet and the gate receipts very small, tho financial results of the year were satisfactory. Tho annual horse parade and ram fair furnished £25 of net profits. During the year £176

was spent on improvements to the ground. The following office-bearers were elected for (he ensuing year: — Pxo-i-d-ent. Alexande-r- Scott ; vice-president, A. E. Elworthy ; lion, treasurer, W. Priest ; au litor, J. T Warren ; committee — A. Allan, W. J. Bassett, A. Bi.=&ett, R. Davie, E R. Guinness, W Hay, R. Irving. li Ivelland", G. Lyall. H. Lowry, M. Maze, J. Maiing, G. A. U. Tapper, S. Mackenzie, J. M'Beath, C. N. Orbell, R. Parry, R. H. Rhodes, J. S. Rutherford, G. Talbot, T. Teschemaker, D. Grant, J. Scott. It was resolved that a sum not exceeding £1500 be placed at the disposal of the committee for tho coming- year. The amount is the same as in forrnei" years. — A letter was received from Mr Twist, claiming the cup for t}(G buck-jumping competition at the late show A long discussion took place on the matter, and it was finally resolved that the secretary write to Mr Twist, stating that as the cup had already been awarded by the judges to Mr Hodg=on, it was impossible to alter their decision. — In reference to the importation of foreign bone manure and the risk of importing anthrax along with it, the following resolution was carried unanimously — "That this general meeting views with alarm the decision of the Government to send inspectors to India and Australia ; and still urges upon them that no bones be imported to New Zealand until the erection of sterilising works in tbe colony, as it considers that the appointment of inspectors at the ports of shipment will not be effectual."

The Timaru Post says : — Some samples of Norther i Star potatoes broi7ght to this office on the 21st, and which were grown in this district, were seen to be badly affected with blight. The old Maori potao is the least susceptible to the blight, owing to the fact that it is the hardiest tuber grown.

Commenting on the price of sheep at the Cheviot social last week, Mr A. W. Rutherford stated that the small settlers should remember when they paid 36s 4d for ewes that it was not the large squatters who made the price. It was the farmers, with, he add parenthetically, just a little assistance from the auctioneers.

The following harvest notes are taken from last Friday's Lyttelton Times: — The fine weather that has prevailed of late lias, enabled the farmers in the Cust and surrounding districts to make considerable progress with the work of stacking." At present the threshing machines are busy everywhere. The nor'-wester on Wednesday did a considerable amount of good in drying the sheaves, which had been thoroughly saturated with the recent rains. — A crop of oats, grown by ilr J. M'Alillan on hi 3 Dalkeith farm, Southbridge, comprising 29 acres, yielded 77 bushels per acre, and on this farm Mr G. F. Simpson's machine threshed, in ono day of 11 hours, 2234-^L bushels.— A paddock of wheat, belonging to Mr E. O'Neill, Rangatira Vall&y, Temuka, has yielded 65 bushels to the acre, and the grain realised 3s a bushel. The Ja'id was bought a few years ago at £10 10s an acre.

At a committee meeting og the Mackenzie County Agricultural Society, held on the 20th inst., the resignation of the secretary was laid before the meeting, and it was unanimously resolved that it be not accepted, and that he be re-appointed for the year. A Finance Committee was appointed. Four new members were elected. Prizes were promised by Mr W. Black. £5 5?, for progeny of Waterloo, yearling, two-yoar-old, and three-year-old ; Messrs .' Ca^key, trophy £1 Is for driving competition; K. A. Dixou (special). C. J. Talbot £1 Is, J. Anderson £1 Is (English Leicester ram), IS. Jones £5, G. J. Hamilton £1 Is for collection of vegetables, J. M. H. Tripp £1 Is (special 15hds cob). W. F. Hamilton £5, and the Otago Daily Times and "Witness Company.

An interesting series of experiments, ju~t concluded by Professor Dammann, of Hanover, in regard to the question whether and to what extent human tuberculosis can be conveyed to domestic animal^ «hew that whatever doubt may still ro,t on the question whether animal tuberculosis can be transferred to human beings, there can be no doubt whatever that tho - human disease- is transferable. Professor Dammann worked with guinea pigs, calves, and swine, and in all cases obtained results establishing his case. The calves, after infection, usually lived 4-8 days, and the swine 42 days. In most cases tho animals infected set up lung tub&rculobis.

The value of shows as a moans of opening up markets for live stock is strikingly indicated by the con-tents of the report for the past year of 'the County Antrim Agricultural Association. As compared with the show of the preceding year, the entries in 1904- showed an increase of nearly 300, and ih-e committee express their satisfaction, not only at this improvement, but also at tho fact that a large, number of exhibits were sold at the show to buyers fiom Great Britain and elsewhere at good prices, and on this ground they appeal to farmers in the county to become members of the association and take advantage of tho unimproved marketing facilities by entering their 5-tock for exhibition. The point is applicable to -=tcck owners in general (rcmaik* the Field), tor although chroefly showing- may not bo a vpmunevaih o business, there can be no doubt that in an indirect and general sen=o sub=tantial and lasting benefit* remit from the publicity which fhe s\ seem ciihine->. In consequence of the recent anuouncc-

m-ont that rinderpest was prevalent in the East Indian Archip&'ago, special regulations have b°en adopted in respect to \anous importations to Australia. The Collector of Customs, Sydney, has isstied the following : The attention of officers is directed to the> fact that all stock, bones, wool, hide, skins, horns, and hoofs, together with fooder and fittings, on board any vessel that has. called nt any port in the East Indian Archipe'ago are absolutely prohibited from being introduced into this Siate.

Apropos of the dispute between the sto'. k owners and butchers at York, a Wiltshire correspondent relates in the Farmer and Stockbreeder an incident in his own experience which is instructive and singularly opportune. Having placed two Aber-deen-Angus fat cows for sale, the be=;t offer he could obtain was £40 for the two. At this price he declined to sell, and appro ach-ed another butcher, with whom he negotiated to sell by weight at 11s 6d a score, which he states brought him £50 Oa 6d instead of £4-0. In this there is an interesting lesson for stock owners in general. A telegraphic despatch from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, dated February 1, appears in the London Daily Telegraph. It reads: — The counsel for the Farmers" Condensing Company, whio'j combines many dairies, announces that if his company is not annoyed by petty obstructionists and lawsuits, it will construct several hundred milee of pipe lines from various centres of the milk industries to New York. Through the pipes milk will be forced by a method similar to that employed in pumping oil from the West. The advantages claimed for the milk pipe line are that a constant supply of fiosh milk will be assured, and the dongcr of shortage in supply and delays duo to blizzard will fee obviated. The Tapanui Courier states that the deer srootmg *(nson opened on Wednesday, 15th. and a number of license-holders was out on the mountains. For the first week only a few kills have been reported. Stags are said to be very scarce on the western slopes, and the animals exceedingly wild. The Rankleburn forest will receive special attention from stalkers this season.