SOUTHLAND. AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2663, 29 March 1905, Page 21

SOUTHLAND. AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

{From Ona Own Corresfosdsht.") The rainfall was light during the month, * and there were many fine The Weather days, but there was a very and strong gale of wind from the Farm. the south-wcat on the 23rd,

which did some damage to the uncut crops, causing a shedding of two or three bushels per acre of ripe oats, and also tangling and breaking to some extent; u&ripe as well as ripe crops. The -wind will have done good, however, to the stuff 3n the stook and stack Reaping became general about the middle of the month, ibut probably not more than two-thirds of the oat crop is cut. A good deal of the uncut is ready ncr.v, the winds having cau&sd rapid ripening; but paddocks, pretty

green are to be seen in some placcis. Some If the early cut crop is in tho stack, and 1 resiling mills arc commencing in a few places. There- are few men to be- seen lookiu" for work, but as the acreage of crop is considerably smaller than heretofore, the work of reaping and stooking is not very difficult to perform in many places Still it is an advantage to have extra labour for the harvest work, as it seldom happens that anything is gained by working in the harvest field shorthanded. on account of the loss so often caused by wind and rain. The potato crop is looking well everywhere, but the report of the pre-encc of the potato blight is rather disquieting. The area is not large, as on account of the uncertain market and the cost- of raising tha crop here, not much more than sufiiecs for domestic requirements is usually grown. Tho 4gricultural Department have sent bundles of leaflets to the branches of the Farmers' Union describing the disease and the treatment to adopted. But neither in that leaflet nor elsewhere have I found how tho disease has been introduced to the colcny. It is probable, however, that it has been introduced in some of the new varieties. The Century Dictionary states that the potato rot, or potato blight (Phytophthora infcstan>), seems to have been introduced into other countries fiom South America, ibout the year 1840. confiK«d to the loaves and stem it is usually called potato blight, and when it attacks the tuber* also, potato rot. It is further stated that there are only two species of tho parasitic fungi Phytophthora, of wh^ch the devny mildew of the potato, or potato rot, is the- most destructive. Chamber's Encyclopedia devotes nearly a page xo this parasitic fungus of th«- potato, anck also briefly describes other less serious- diseases of that vegetable. It is stated in that work that the potato blight was first observed in Germany in 1842, that it broke out in Canada in 1844, and that it appeared in tho British Isle? in ihe following year, having been first observed in the Isle of "Wiaht. -'The spores of the fungus art? so light and fine th?t they float through mo'sfc air. and arc carried atout and spread from one patch of potatoes to another by ir sects and birds."

During this month and last agent? of buyer* have bee-n busy selecting fat The lambs out of the flock-. Flocks. They are remarking that

the percentage is not; high, which they attribute to the excessively wet weather in January, and to the fact that there is too much old pasture. However, all who provided suitable feed have disposed of a few drafts in good condition, and very fair results were obtained off old pasture also where ihe lambs were left longer than usual with ih^ir dams The price given last month was 15s net on the farm, and this month from 16s to 16s 6d. but, the lambs had to be very good, at the latter figmv*. A. considerable nnmtor of fanners are kerning the €\ve lambs, notwittsiaiidiug' the tempting price offered, and if this practice becomes gen-eral a great improvement will talce place in the quality of the flocks in he course of a few year* This year, however, a large number of nondescript ewes will be kept on account of the scarcity of ewes. There is not much to be made out of inferior •ewes, however, and it is better to cull with -oDic care, even it it should be necessary to keep a smalLei flock than the farm could carry. Ewes, whether young or old, of defective feature, fleece, and form should be weeded out, and it is advisable, also, not to keep ewes with defective udders, or any that have a tendency t.> scour. There is orfe -defect that should bo specially looted tor, as it js easily paLsed over, and that is the condition known as hog-jawed, as this malformation of the lower jaw prevents them cropping close tc the ground, the result being that they do not thrive well, and seldom fatten. Dipping was carried out pretty generally during the month. The cost of the dip \,sed in a small dip of proper dimensions for a few hundreds of crossbred phc^p having about three nionths* growth of wool is- about |d Lambs fi\o or <-ix months' old co=>t a little k-ss. Some dips are too wide, and there is a considerable waste of fluid in consequence. A dip for a flodk co-np rising- a few hunch eds should bo about 4-ffc deep, 14-ft long on top and Sffc at bottom, 22in wide on top and 10m at bottom. A dip of these dimensions would hold about 300 £al, and it need not co-ura»-i more than 75gal when finishing dipping crJasbred'S, nor more than 50gal when the lsst lamb has passed through. A dip such as tho one describe:? would take- about 160 ft of timber, 6xl black plno t. \nd g. ficoiing boards, costing about £1 12e.

Those parasites belong to Hip genus CEstridce, of whi^h there are Bets. about 50 «pctie~ to be found

m var.ous partb of tho world. All are pai\i>itic in the lar\al state, and with a single exception this pavu,sitism is confined to mamma's. CEstrus (Gasterophilus) equi infests the horse y (Hypoderma) bovis. the ox ; CEstrus CEstrus (Cephalomyia) ovis, the sheep. Each specif"; fortunately confines its attacks to one kind of animal ; that is to say. a horse hot fly does i?2C molest sheep, and vice

versa. The ox bot fly ha? not as yet appeared in this colony, but the sheep bot fly is in some parts ; I am not sure if it is here, although I have observed sheep on hot days occasionally running together with their muzzles to the ground as if they were, being attacked by somo fly. There are at least three s-pecies of horse bot fly : GSstrus equi, or stomach bot ; CEstrus nasalis, or trie stomach and small intestine bot; and CEstrus haemorrhoidalis,^ or fundament bot. The two former are numerous here, but the last-named has not appeared. It is tho most troublesome species, in as mu"h as it lays its. eggs on the horse's lip?, and Us presence would therefore be more undesirable than that of the other?. I buspectcd last year that there were two species here, and I fcolie\o now that both have been here for a few year*. The CE-trus nasalis appeared 11 years ago, but the (EMrus oqui, which is the common bo), was much later in being introduced. CEstn.^ equi is a large, caily-coloured fly, with yellowish and dark markings aaid \eiy hciry. There arc four rusty transverse band on the abdomen, a brownish gayband a"ro=s the middle of the wing, and a spot of the same colour near the tip. This species hovers about the body and legs of tho horse i\hile engaged ovipositing. On the in=idc of the knee is the favourite place toy lavmjr the cg-g=. ,ir>d no\t to thi^ oil the -ido and back part of tho shoulder, and lc?s frequently on tho tips of the hairs of tho mane. Tha CEstrus nasalk is a smaller fly also hairy, inn v.-ot so gaily coloured. The abdomen is black, and more pointed. and there are no marking- on tha w'nss. This species deposits tho ests principally. if not altogether, between the ja"-=;. and when so engaged dops riot hover about, but goes away distance after each egg is laid.