INTERCOLONIAL AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2664, 5 April 1905, Page 9

INTERCOLONIAL AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS

(From Correspondents of ths Pastorali^ts' Review for March.)

3STEW SOUTH WALES

Sydney, March 10. Since our la^t ksuc welcome sho-.vers have fallen over the whole State, and, speaking generally, the outlook has assumed a brighter aspect. In the western portion of the State matters were- getting really serious, and the drought cry for reduced railway freights for the carriage of starving stock was once more heard. The- conditions in certain districts were almost as harsh as during the drought, and stock were being moved in search of grass. The February rains, chiefly thunderstorms, and consequently patchy, have relieved the anxiety for the moment in several districts, but as their effects will to a large extent ba discounted by Leat and drying winds, their value largely depends on further falls. Sheep and cattle^are in good condition, but we are now rapidly approaching winter months, and to ensure anything like a safe supply of winter feed it is important that rain should come while tli§ te #reatb.er is yet warm.

The rain lias enabled ploughing operations to be commenced, and in :iiany districts they are in full swing. It is, of course, too early to predict the area likely to be put under orop this year, but it will very probably be somewhere near that of last year. The advantages of using artificial manure with wheat crops have been widely ■ventilated of lato. and the discussion may not be without effect on next season's crop. The large' wheat areas of the- State yield crops year after year; no nutriment is returned to the land, yet a record season has' -given an average return of 17 bushels per acre. But if fanners wake up to the judicious use of fertilisers, carefully drilled in with their crops, there is a likelihood of this return p-er cere being doubled. Experiments carried out in different parts of tho State hove shown the difference in return from manured and unmanured crops to be most striking, and when the whole wheat-growing community appreciate and apply the lessons taught, our future harvest returns should tell a very different tale.

Tho wheat traffic on the railways is beginning to diminish in quantity ; every week the arrivals in Sydney show a considerable falling-off. So far the business done is only half that of the corresponding period of last year. Up to date 1,250.000 bags have come to hand, and 700,000 bags have been shipped abroad.

The exports of wheat from Sydney fron Ist January to 25th February amount to 2,371,313 bushels, as compared with 2,622,593 bushels during the corresponding period of last year. Talcing the wheat and flour together in terms of bushels of wheat, we find a net exportation of 2,78&,659 bushels, compared with 2,859,608 bushels la=t year.

The ruling prices to-day for wheat and its products and those ruling 12 months ago are : —

Last Year. To-day. Wheat, per bushel .. ..£0 3 0} £0 3 "4 Flam, per ton .... 715 0" 8 5 0 Pollard, per bushel ..008 0 0 Hi Bra-n, per bushel .... 0 0 7 0 0 8%

Producers in this State are pretty well inured to the burdens imposed upon them in one way or another by Gcveraraent, but they were considerably surprised at the scale of rates which the Railway Commissioners brought into force on the first of this month. The rates on greasy wool have been considerably raised, while those on scoured wool have been reduced. For instance, en bhe south-western line the increase is from 4s 2d to 5s 3d per ton on greasy, and in the case of scoureds a decrease from 7s 6d to 9s Id per ton. On the southern line the increase on greasy varies from 2d to 6s 2d. and the decrease on scoured runs up to 7s 7d, and so on through the State. Summed up. the altered rates mean that the wool grower has to pay more for the carriage of his produce, a d : isheartening state of affairs.

Of the total wool production of the S-itate about 75 per cent, is exported in the* grease and 25 per oent. scoured. A large proportion of the latter is, however, ecoured, at Botany, and it is estimated that not moie than 10 per cent, of scoured wool will pa c s over the railways. The reductions in rates thus affect but 10 per cent., whereas the increases affect, perhaps, 90 per cent. On the next year's clip of, say, 500,000 bales, there shonld he an increase in the railway revenue of some £18,000 to £20,000, which will- be thus ground out of the pockets of the producer. As far as this season ;s concerned, Hie wool traffic is practically closed. the past week only 1050 bales reached Sydney. The season's returns show the very satisfactory result of 507,800 bales, -which is an increase oi 109,000 over last year.

An important ease under the Pastures Protection Act, hi which the,. Government was held to be liable for not destroying rabbits on Crown lands, was recently heard at Hay. The officer in charge of the police was charged that, he being- the owner of the reserve for jjolioe p&dctecks at C^£ ra "

thool, hp failed to destroy all the rabbits upon the land. The superintendent, who appeared for him, took the objection that the land was Crown .'and, that defendant was r.ot the owner, that if he wero held to be in charge it was as a,n officer of the police force, and that the Crown was not liable and could not be sued. It was admitted thai the* rabbits wore not destroyed. The magistrate found that tho defendant was in charge of tho land, and that he was therefore the owner within the meaning of tJie Postures Protection Act. Defendant was fined £1 and eo-ts. Local committees in the centres w^eru tlu bunh fires recently raged have subiu t.ed e&t metes of the losses in cases uall.ng ior rdiei, totalling £70.000. The following is a return of tho prH^ou! prt c!es of export from Sydney duria? Febmary, and for the first two moa f h-3 of 1905 : -

VICTORIA. Melbourne, March 11. Stock are keeping up well in value, except store cattle, which are daily becoming more difficult to dispose of. The slight fall in wool has had no effect on values of sheep, all classes of which are in brisk demand. The dry weather has had a very bad effect on dairy returns, and the dairymen growing gracn fodder have reaped the full advantage. Heavy supplies of grain have poured in during the month, and shipments have been very large*

Nothing is more noticeable than the steady improvement in methods of agriculture recently. Extensive fallowing and the use of superphosphates is more and more believed in, and th c old rough and car-e-less style of farming is dying out. It seems strange that so few farmers surround their homesteads with green crops. It is a far better safeguard against fire than burning off, and the crops always pay to grow. Dust is kept away from houses and dairies, and tha appearance of the properties vastly improved.

Good longwoolled rams have been very difficult to procure this season. Where some of the best sheep wore bred the land is now used for dairying, and some dreadful brutes may be seen with the owes in many paddocks ; in fact, it is much to be regretted that the general type of crossbred shoep has fallen off very much in the past few years. Too many different breeds are now being used.

Dr Chei'ry has been permanently appointed Director cf Agriculture, and it is understood that the term of the apointment is limited to fiv-e years. Phosphorised pollard has been used very extensively this year for the destruction of rabbits, with generally good results, but reports of loss of stock through eating the carcases of the poisoned rabbits are frequently coming to hand.

Mr Swhrburne. the Minister for Agriculture, is considering a proposal to try some extensive experiments in fertilising poor Crown lands. An area in the Western District of nearly 125,000 acres, always considered as being of inferior quality, has been reported upon by Dr Cherry, who is of opinion that under scientific treatment the land might be made suitable for settlement.

.February , Wool bales .. .. 65,228 Pkins packages .. 1,336 Hides, No. .. .. 5,606 Tallow, casks .. .. 2SIO 1 -feather, package . 339 Prcsiv?d Quests, cates 1,931 i^rczen mirttoij, carcases . . . 20.252 Frozen beef, pieces 892 Horns No 33.935 Wheat, bushels .. 777.721 P.onr. rentals .. .. UK. 841 Jan 1 to Feb. 28. 1.30 507 2.751) 23,030 3,949 1,049 5,206 43,780 1,573 105,441 1,956 375 R IRO. -inns