AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2666, 19 April 1905, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

At the sitting of the Compensation Court in the Flaxbourne Estate case tho Chief Justice (Sir R. .Stout) has more than or.eesounded a note of warning against th. speculative element of sheep-farming. Oa Friday ho said that- in the seventies not a single company which advanced money on land and stock in Otago came out without loss. "We lost," he said, "millions of money." He quoted the New Zealand Mortgage Company, Scottish Investment Company, and others, and went on to say that just the same thing was happeningnow as took place in those days. Land

went tip, and then followed a drop. It was going up now, and would surely drop ■again. Counsel for the claimant suggested that the seventies were far back in the past, and industrial and scientific conditions had

altered somewhat. He referred to the refrigerator and separator, and other means of getting fat lambs and other produce on to the London market in a fresh condition. Moreover, the system of managing farms and stations had improved. Then there were the rabbits in the old days. Sir Robert Stout admitted all that, but" adhered to his own outlook. "How many men,''' he asked, " had made money out of sheep farming in Otago? You could count them, on the fingers of your hand. How manypeople in Marlborough had been ruined bysheep farming?" Mr Coop, a Little River farmer, who was in the witness box, said that there were some ruined farmers on Banks Peninsula. It was said they were ruined by rabbits. Twenty-five years ago, he remarked, sheep hardly produced anything of value beyond tha wool. Things were different now.

Mr C. J. Roakes tho Chief Assistant Government Veterinarian, who has recentfy returned from a visit to India, informed a representative of the New Zealand Times that it would bo difficult to mention a disease of animals which is not present in that: country. They are all very prevalent. Anthrax is an especially widespread scourge, and it kills off a large number of animals annually. Tetanus (lockjaw), too, is very troublesome. "As in the case of human disease, the authorities are greatly hampered by the apathy of the bulk of the nativepopulation, who persist in adhering to their ancient customs. In consequence, the carcases of animals dead from infectious chs-ease-s are not properly destroyed, and the* bones, being a marketable product, in due oourse find their way to the bone mills, which, in the case of euch diseases as anthrax or tetanus, contain their load of disease germs. The Government is doing its best in endeavouring to educate th& native population to a proper appreciation of the dangers of contagious animal diseases and the precautions necessary to combat their spread. Veterinar}- colleges rr» maintained in various centres, and educated; natives are taught veterinary science, jurl after acquiring the necessary qualificationthey take up veterinary practice among the native population. But it is uphill work, and at the present rate of progress it will be, so far as I coulij gather, a very long time before a generally improved condition of affairs exists."

At a meeting of the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council a few da3*s ago it was resolved — "That this council views with regret the action of the Minister of Railways in not bringing the regulation fixingthe size of cornf-aoks into operation, and hereby records its condemnation of the same.'' Accounts amounting to £10 3s 3d were passed for payment. During the hearing of the Flaxbourne compensation case at Blenheim on Monday counsel for the owners of the -estate remarked that Mr Weld, the manager, had earned great kudos for his success in eradicating the rabbits. ISTot many years ago Fiaxbourne was the rabbit warren of the South Island, and Mr Weld had since given a le=son to the whole of the island. The Chief Justice, who has been spending some clays inspecting the estate, said it was wonderfully clean. He had seen more rabbits on many small farms than on the whole of I'laxboume.

lv. view of the keen competition of Aust' alia in the labbit trade. Mr A. Pasco (in the» Southland Tnn-es) _ urges on trappers the. necessity for caro in the treatment of rabbits for the Home market. Many trappers, he states, leave the bladder in the carcase, and some omit to take out much of the entrails; soms tak© cut tho liver an£ kidneys, the. presence , of. which is necessary at all Home

The special Gabdzh Fertiliser made tip b^ Nrano a^tb Blub will be found to give as. cellent results when used for Flowers and Vegetables; also for Pot Plants, in arcl out of greenhonpe. It 19 put up in 7!b bags, at 13 63 each. Ask roar storekeeper for ii.

sales. He also suggests that it is only a matter of a little time when all rabbits will - have to be bled. If bleeding is once tried the trapper will notice the immense benefit ■resulting from this process, as the carcass is cleanly in appearance, and, of course, in a more saleable condition. Flies will not attack rabbits prepared in this way nearly so quickly as those got up in the old methods.

One of the new settlers on the Rosewill Settlement has dona exceptionally well this year (says the Wanganui Herald), having made over £900 out of his wheat crop, ■which is said to have been the best ever seen in that district. Averaged over the whole year the actual profit made— £936 — •works out at £18 per week.

At the Magistrate's Court, Masterton, on Thursday, a settler was fined £5 and costs for failing to clear Californian thistle off Ms land, the weeds not having been out till •after seeding.

Owing to the scarcity of water several settlers in the Eketahuna district have been ■unable to dip their sheep this season. Mr J. Deans has been elected the Canterbury A. and P. Association's delegate to ■the National Sheep-breeders' Association's Conference, to be held in London, commencing on June 26.

The Canterbury A. and P. Association has sat up a oommittee to conduct experiments as to the usefulness of the humble bee in fertilising red clover, and has voted £10 to cover expenses. The tanners of the Auckland district have successfully combined and opened a new freezing works near Penrose. The land is 100 acres in extent, up-to-date buildings have been erected, fitted with the latest machijnery, and there is every prospect of the company proving a successful venture. Mr . George Harrison, of Mayfield, has just threshed a 16-acre paddock of Garton oats, which yielded 147 bushels to the acre. This is believed to be a record for this colony. A line of five bales of good quality halfbred fleece wool for which the vendor refused Sd per lb some two months ego was reoffered at Monday's skin and wool sales at Ashburton, and was passed in at 7|d per lb. A survey is now being made of the Selwyn Estate, of 160,000 acres, recently acquired by the Government from the New Zealand Thames "Valley Land Company. As much of the estate as is fit for selection ■will be thrown open for settlement, and the. remainder -(about 45,000 acres of bush land, containing a good deal of milling timber) •will be reserved. A well-known horse-owner remarked at the IMasterton A. and P. Association meeting on Saturday afternoon that better prize money •was given for scones than for the draught stallion classes. There was not a sheep entered for the Scargill monthly sale on Tuesday, and a full contingent of auctioneers and others interested in the s^ee-p market had a fruitless journey from Christchurch. Plans of the Flaxbourne Estate have been prepared by the Land and Survey Depart- ' ment. The plan shows that an area of 14,620 acres has been subdivided into 32 farms for disposal on the lease in perpetuity system, and 30,828 acres has been subdivided into 16 small grazine: runs for disposal on lease for 21 years. The farms vary in area from 20 acres to 842 a.cres, and the 6mall grazing runs from 1060 acres to 2750 acres. It is not likely that the estate will be thrown ' or>en for selection before the l*tter end of June. By the San Francisco mail, whieli arrived in Christchurch on Friday week... account sales were received from Mr H. .F. Recce. London manager of the British-New Zealand Meat and Produce Company (Limited), for this season's lambs, which realised . 7d per lb. and tegs 6d per lb.

In the Willowby and Flemington districts of the Ashburton County the major portion of the grain in stack is far from fit for threshing, a fact which is due to the heavy rain that fell just before stacking. Many of the farmers intend 'to postpone the threshing till the spring.

The potato blight has made its appearance in Greytown, and half the crops there are affected. A Greytown farmer, who was on a visit to Masterton the other day, informed a representative of the Daily Times that the blight is transmitted from one crop to another by birds, which carry the blight from infected crops to healthy ones in their feathers.

The Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company sent away by the steamer Morayshire on •Wednesday its first shipment of frozen meat to England, consisting of about 2500 carcases, principally lambs, which are for the Liverpool market.

A eour>le of frosts have been experienced in the Fairlie district during the last few days. On Thursday morning there were four degrees of frost, and on Friday morning ice over an eighth of an inch thick was found on water standing outside. French Ibeans, marrows, and such like felt the fefieets of the frost.

A privately-owned estate of some historic interest is about to be cut up for settlement at Paikaraka, in the Bay of Islands. The estate, which is about six miles distant from Ohaeawai, was obtained from the Maoris by ■Hie late Archdeacon Henry Williams, many •years before the Treaty of Waitangi was Eismed.

There is every reason to believe (says the iWairarapa Leader) that the Government will purchase the Dry Rjver Estate (near Martinborough), but it is not known how soon. There is now a slight difference be-

tween the Land Purchase Board and the vendors, but it is believed th ; s will be adjusted in the course of a month or co.

The grass feed in the district? round Oamaru, with the exception of Kokoamo and the locality, is in very generous supply, and will carry the stock on for pt least another month ; indeed, in some places there is not sufficient stock to eat off the feed. Root crops are also excedinjly good. Rain is badly wanted at Duntroon and in all the Kurow district, where the soil, en account of its eravelly nature, does not assimilate the moisture so thoroughly, and where rain is required every week to keep the ground in a satisfactory condition. — Onmaru Mail.

Some six or eight stags' heads were brought to Queenstown by tho Wanakn, coach last Monday, having been procured by deer-stalkers at Hawea. There were several fine royals amongst the number.

At the last meeting of the Ashburton County Council it was decided to accept the Borough Council's offer to expend £ 4 0 per annum in the purchase of heads and eggs of small birds.

The- twelfth annual meeting of the Xorth Canterbury Saleyards Company wa^ hold at Rangiora on the 11th inst. Mr R. W. Chapman, chairman of directors, presided. The balance sheet showed the capital account to be £1520 15s. The ' receipts for the year were — Shares sold, £10 ; rent and refund from North Canterbury Co-opera-tive Stores Company, £79 19s" 5d ; — total, £89 19s sd; and expenditure £49 123 sd, including interest £44 0s 6d. The bank overdraft at the beginning of the rear was £122 2s 7d, and at the end £81" 15s 7d. The liabilities were £2352 10s 7d, and the assets £1907 10s' 2d, leaving a debit balance of £445 0s sd. The balance sheet was adopted, satisfaction being expressed at the reduction in the overdraft. Messrs R. W. Chapman, J. Barker, and W. Anderson were ie-elected directors, and Mr J. B. Wilson was- re-elected auditor. At a meeting of the- directors, held after the general meeting, Mr R. W. Chapman was re-elected chairman.

In view of the wet ploughing season experienotd last year and the delay thereby occasioned in sowing the grain (remarks the Ashburton Guardian), farmers have come to the conclusion that tho changes in the climatic conditions here call for tha earlier preparation of the soil for cereal crops. Experience has taught them during tho past few years that the early-sown grain crops have yielded far and away above thos9 sown later. Some 15 years ago, as farmers of long standing in this country will remember, at New Year time a good portion of the oat crop was safely in stack, while the greater portion of the wheat crops was iv the stooik. At the present time the seasons are fully a month later, and there is every indication that they will become later still in the course of a few years. It is considered that early sowing will in a measure rectify matters, and this year farmers have already commenced to prepare the soil for cropping. The. analysis of returns of stock slaughtered for human co lsumption at the Ashburton abattoir during March shows that the number of cattle slaughtered was 99, affected with tuberculosis 1: calves killed 2, condemned nil : pigs killed 66. affected with tuberculosis 5. wholly condemned 1, partially condemned 3 ; sheep killed 891, wholly condemned 10; lambs killed 60. condemned nil.

In the course of an interview with a representative of the Timaru Herald, Mr Lilico, the Government veterinarian for South Canterbury, said he believed in the Border Leicester as a breed that yield* both good lamb and good mutton. The breed was produced for that purpose by crossing the Cheviot with the English Leicester. Tha former is a light hill country sheep, analogous to the merino of New Zealand rather than to any other breed known here, as far as its carcase is concerned ; and the ero-s produced a nice square carcase, and a lamb coming early to maturity. The suitability of the Border Leieestei for the New Zealand trade is best tested by experience of the results of growing and freezing different breeds, and the farmers are as well able to make this test as anyone — rather better, in fact. Their actions show what conclusion they have come to. Of 650 rams sold at the Invercargill ram fair, for instance, 500 were Border Leieesters, and th© prices for them ranged from 3gs to 15gs, while the price for other breeds was from lg to sgs, and the buyers may be safely assumed to know what they were about. Such men as Messrs William Grant. Donald Grant, Reid (of Elderslie), Holmes (of Awamca), and Little Bros, would not give tip to lOOgs for Border Leicester rams at Home and import them to New Zealand ivithout having first ascertained that they are the sheep required for the frozen meat trade. They are the sheep required, because the lamb matures early, and as mutton they give a nice square carcase — that is. th© typical Border Leicester. Here they breed a longer-bodied sheep, with more wool about the head and legs than the typical or standard of tho breed.

In a recent issue of the Sydney Evening News there appeared an article dealing with the progress of New Zealand. In a, letter to tho News Mr D. P. Fisher, brother of the late Mr George Fisher, M.H.R., and an old resident of Wellington, who is now living in Sydney, writes: — "I take strong exception to Mr Seddon receiving credit for that country's prosperity, which undeniably is the outcome of the plan laid down by Mi; Ballance when Premier. His Preniicr-

ship Jilted nufc two years yet ho crowded into that *hort space' of time work of a niost wonderful character. For in.star.cc, lie changed the incidence of taxation from a property tax to a land and income tax : ho abolished land sales, and substituted a =ystem. of perpetual lea-e, with rents adjusted by periodical valuations; he created village settlements : he- adopted a system of buying up large estates, which were cut un into small farming r.reas : he called skilled artisans to the TJpjjer House; he established a labour bureau, and in this way found work for the unemployed ; he assisted Mr Reeves ir> every way to pass beneficent labour laws ; he adopted measures to suppress great earth monopolies ; and ho almost succeeded in prohibiting the ownership of more Ihan 2000 acres of land by any single individual. He had likcA\ ise in hand such matters as female franchise, nationalising of lands, mines, and other

largo industries, and money advances to settlers, several of which have sine© become law. Almost everything which represented money, conservatism, or ancient tradition in any shape were against Mr I?allance, jet ho governed a heterogeneous party and a Cabinet with such unfailing tact that thpre was hardly a rumour of dissension. This is, I think, sufficient to ind'cate that his was a master-mind, and I assert most positively that *h-» credit of New Zealand's pro>gae s s to-day 'V duo to Mr Ballance. Though dead, he should e-ver* be remembered."

Upon the phosphorus rabbit-poisoning question the Albury district stock inspector has (says the Melbourne Leader) been investigating the eating of poisoned rabbits by sheep and other stock. He finds that tho habit is more widespread than he at first believed. He has come to the conclusion that the depraved appetite i= due to an insufficiency of lime in the food. His theory is that owing to the abnormally dry weather the soil of the district has been deprived of lime. The remedy is to provide lime artificially, which should be mixed with salt. The mixture recommended is 101b of lime to a bag of salt. The lime must be welf slaked before being mixed with the salt, otherwise it may be injurious, and even fatal.

What Canterbury wants, according) to Mr Grigg, is a ready supply of good breeding ewes which will produce fat lambs for .export. "'These ewes," he said, when giving evidence before- the Land Commission la&t week, "could be produced on the hills and downs for the farmers on the plains, and the high prices paid for ewes this season is pretty sure .o turn, graziers' attention to the matter. I don't place such very great reliance on the merino as some people do, as it is decreasing so fast. Canterbury could keep up the quality of its mutton by using first-class rams — Southdowns, Shropshires, or English Leieesters. In certain parts of the colony tho merinos will continue, but these parts are small."

The potato blight has made its appearance in Greytown, and half the crops there are affectsd. A Greytown farmer informed a representative of the Wairarapa Daily Times that the blight is transmitted from one crop to another by birds, which carry the blight from infected ci-ops to healthy ones in their feathers. .As sl.owin<j how quickly the blight affects potatoes, he gave an instance where a crop which was comparatively healthy on Sunday was badly affect-ed on tLe following Thursday. It is now feared that the disease will go right through the crops in the district. A few South Wairarapa farmers are resorting to cutting the tops from the potatoes in order to ■prevent the blight reaching the tuber?.

The Wellington staff of the hemp grading department has been kep* exceptionally busy throughout the summer season, and tlier» is little sign yet of any slackening in the volume of work. Eight thousand bales of flax were dealt with last month, and there are now between 3000 and 4000 bales in the Harbour Board sheds awaiting grading or shipment. The chief of the Government's hemp grading staff (Mr C. Fulton) left last week on an official \i?it to the Auckland district.

The New Zealand Thames "Valley Land Company, •which owned the estate in the Thames recently acquired by the Government, was floated in the early eighties by Messrs Rich and Walker, of Auckland. Th© company has now gone into liquidation, and the Selwyn Estate, of 160,000 acres, has, consequently, been scld to the Government. A survey of the estate is now being 1 made, and as much as isi fit for selection will be thrown open. The remainder, comprising about 45,000 acres of bush land, containing a good deal of milling timber, will be reserved. A good deal of the cultivated land has been fenced. The Government will get possession of tho Selwyn block at the beginning of August, but it i=i not likely to be ready for selection by then.

Mr Greig, the- talented lecturer on agriculture in Aberdeen (says the ScottMi Farmer), recently delivered in Inverness a most useful address on the subject of "Agricultural Education." Mr Greig has a keen eye for the- practical, and ho advocates reform and extension along- lines •which are wholly subservient to the promotion of practical agriculture. His thesis was that farming is a practical business, and ought to be conducted with commercial ability and soi-ontifio knowledge. This thesis ho ■expanded, and made the novel statement that the results of improved education arc or will bo enjoyed by tlirce classes — the ex.

i-tir. 2 generation, the future generations, and the agricultural labourer. "What tho future will get remains to be scon, and what the agricultural labourer g^ts i 5i 5 very lpal, bur not at all appreciated by tho^e who are benefited. But the farmer' clearly bc refits by improved knowledge of manuring, mix.nsr of seeds and other details -Arcornmcj to Mr Uiciq?, m Io>«a a saving of £2, CC0. 000 a year has 'ieen effected in onr-urowin:; a* ill" icsuit ol educational work.

Referring to tie British potn<o market, the Mark Lane Exprc-s cf February 27 remarks :—TLo reaction after the potato boom, which tlii* time last year was making farmers and gardeners open their oyes with profound noiwor, ha* set in, ai:d now there is somewhat of a. slump among* fc varieties of recent introduction. People a iv by no- means so keen on paying pounds sterling for pounds weight of potatoes as they were when tho speculative fever \iaj- at its height, and the leason may be traced to the fact that a good many people h&\o burnt their fishers over pctaioes chirinpr tho pa«t year. Ad\crtiscmonts in all kinds of papers that there are plenty of seed potatoes in the ir>£-rkr>t, and when we compare the price of Eldorados and others of that order with what it wa* a year ago wo can only say, " How hiivo^tho mighty fallen !"' Nor is tho slump confined to seed sets of choice varieties, a«. war<> potatoes arc lamontably low in 2)r-'f"-c, and only the other day wo were in the company of a grower who vras puzzling his brains what to do with the contents of a long camp of Evergcods, for which he would have gladly taken £2 per ton ; but even that price was not forthcoming. The man had visions of the cattle eating tho potatoes if the market did not improve ; but Evergood potatoes will not pay to grow for cattle food, even if one gets 10 tons to the acre, but this, in many c<\?es, wo think will have to be the means cf making 1 the best of a- bad job.

The following 1 obituary notices of two prominent agriculturists and stock breeders appear in ths Scottish Farmer: — The Earl of Southesk. K.T.. died at hisi residence, Kinnaird Castle, Breehin, on Tuesday, February 21. in the seventy-eighth year of his age. His lordship was a noted stock breeder, and had the credit of doing some •wonderful things in that line. Although latterly identified with the breeding of Highland cattle, Lord Sbuthesk was first of all a breeder of Aberdeen-Angus cattle, of which he had a choice herd at Kinnaird in prc-rinderpest days. He bred tho famous Erica, and that should be sufficient to secure for his lordship's memory an enduring placein tho regard of breeders of blade cattle. But Lord Southesk was still more distinguished as a breeder of Highland cattle. His colour? wero frequently in the front at the Highland and Oban shows, and there is something pathetic in the thought that he passed away on the «ye of the annual gathering at Oban. Lord Southesk in his youth was in the army, but retired: many year« ago. He belonged to the Carnegie family, and when lip came into tho Vropertv the attainder still rested on the Southesk peerage because, of the part taken by its hoLler in the Jacobite rising. This attainder was remorcil through the exertions of the late nobleman, and the title restored to him by special Act of Parliaiv.ent. Lord Sonthesk was a man of strong individuality. He knew what he wanted, and held on his own vay without regard to popular waves or the sayings of the populace. He will be greatly missed by the bleeders of Highland cattle. — Mr Robert Sinclair Scott, one of the most popular gentlemen in the West of Scotland', died with startling suddenness in the Central Station. Glasgow, en Wednesday night, March 1, when on hi* way to attend the show of 'lie Hackney Horse Society. Mr Sinclair Sbott was for many years a resident at Craigieyar, Skelmorlie, and afterwards at Butnside, Largs. A member of the eminent shipbuilding and engineering firm of Scott and Co., Gree-nock, he found his recreation in agricultural pursuits, and w for more than 20 years a sterling patron of all West of Scotland breeds, in particular of Clydesdale hor=es and blackface sheep. He kept Lis first Clydesdale stud at Fan?y Farm, in the Auld Kirk Glen, and it was there that his celebrated Scottish tribes first came into notioo. Later he vented Flatt Farm, Largs, from his brother, the late Mr John Scott, C.8., and there he carried on a model dairy, as well as a choice stud of Clydesdales and a rapidly improving flock of blackface sheep. He was for many yeai-s a member of the council of the Clydesdale Horse Society and the Glasgow Agricultural Society, and chairman of tho executive of both institutions He was for over eight years a director of the Highland and Agricultural Society, and for the present year was chairman of the local commit! co in connection with tho forth, coming Glasgow show.

At the Guildhall Police Court, London, o 1 February 23, boforo Sir John Knill, .Arthur Mulley, dealer, of Woolpit, near Bury St. Edmund's, was summoned for bein,j tho person to -whom belonged the carcases of six pigs which, on the 30th of January, wore deposited in the Central Meat Market for the purpose of sale, and afterwards seized and condemned as -unfit for human food. The alderman accepted (he view that the defendant had no guilty kno-vyledge, but said he must convict. A previous conviction in December, 1903, for a similar offence was admitted hx the

dtiendant. Sir John pointed out that it r,a< defendant's duty to \icw the carcases before consigning them to London. People who dralt in meat and had not the energy to exercise that precaution must take the ron-cquencos. He fined the defendant £6(1 — £10 for each pig — and £A co=t;, or two months' impiKonmcnt. Those t\,o wit-iip-=cs who iJauphtneu tliD animals md did noi tell ''he defendant the sta^e they vrero ' in. would have to pay their own expenses.