AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2669, 10 May 1905, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

-- ' 'The- - of Agriculture has * recently -issued a-bullethi'on' rast in oats, - tlje information having been brought np-to--dacte' by -the -Assistant Biologist, J"Mr -A. H. In his introduction Mr T. W. Kirk (Biologist) mentions that during the season before 'last fully 15,000 acres oats in the North Island were damaged ' and" "rendered unfit .for threshing. The season just ended was not so bad. Another bulletin deals , with three species of fruit, flies. Mr. -Kirk has recently issued a leaflei^ on treating seed for the prevention of .cereal smuts, -while second editions of the leaflets on .plum diseases and black fly have also appeared. — " {ft is expected (says the New Zealand , Herald) that the next mail from "Frisco Will 1 bring Teplies to inquiries instituted by Mr W. A. Boucher, the Government jaomologist in Auckland, regarding -supplies of _ tlie ichneumon fly parasite of the eodlin. moth- grub. Mr Boucher wrote some time agotothe State Secretaryof the California^ Horticultural Department^ asking xm what terms a colony" of -these parasites could be secured for New Zealand. In the meantime Mr Boucher.Jias made special arrangements fqr.^h'e testing and .multiplying of such of these insects, as "may come to hand. It is estimated "Wiat the ;parasites.svill be able to' lower of New .Zealand? grubinfested frnit from '50 per' cent, to . 5 percent. .- - ' -In the course of his' address in Ek'etahuna <m Saturday .last (says the Express)., ?Mx J., !A. . Gilruth, asserted- that "mammitis was "still spreading among the" dairy - herds' ..of the colony. -He instanced one case in which ■oO ■ cows- in a -Herd of SO had. • been 'affected before the presence of the disease had been detected, and/ 40 had to be turned out." In another oase-'seven or eigjht in a herd of 25 had been affected. Whether the mammitis germs affected the butter was not yet known. This was a. matter for experiment; The manager of the Northern Roller . Milling Company (Mr P. Virtue) has-brought xinder -the notice of the Auckland Trades and Xabour Council the decision of the company -not io have anything to do with ihe Mourmillers' Association. In his letter he'went on to say 'that probably the association would try to make it unpleasant for 'the local " company, -and- concluded by soliciting ■> the support' of council, -as in the * jpast, to successfully cope with this •■"monster."; Several delegates ' t (says the Auckland Star) expressed -the opinion .that the trust .created a monopoly in the flour trade, and the Auckland mill, in standing aloof, was championing the cause of' the workers. It was true, they said, that the ip'riee of flour had Been .raised, but owing* io the .roller mills- not joining- the combine jfche price -had gone up- no more tthan'lo or IS per centr, but it would be found that, if Sflie. . locaL mill ceased io combat the * southerners, the price "would rise,' perhaps, 25 per cent.' The .price -of meat and other commodities had been ' 'proportionately raised, and tKe" price of flour would have advanced out of all proportion were it not 'for the opposition of the local mill. On the motion of Mr H. -Evans, seconded by Mr H. J. Moffett, if was resolved—" That ■ - ifche secretary write to the various trades unions asking them to support the Northern Holler Milling Company against the southern Mour Trust." , The- total shipments of wool from Australia from Ist July, 1904, to 31st March, 1905, j amounted to 1,098,201 bales, an increase of . 226,061 bales- over the corresponding period , last year. The total shipments from New iiea- [ Sand up to 31st March were 337,734 bales, as compared with 317,438 bales for the corresponding- period of the previous year, an increase of 20,293 bales. ; The Wairoa Guardian says that the fiotato disease is very bad in the Waikare- ! moana Native settlements, and the Maoris ' ,-will be short of food this winter. j Advices received in Milton from South | Canterbury state that the sheep market there" has collapsed, and very few sales are feeing made, except at a considerable reduction on late prices. - Wholesale sheep-stealing from 'farms In the Loburn (North Canterbury) district is reported, one farmer having missed 70, another 50, and a third 25. Considerable mortality among sheep is from Ashburton, the result of on damp turnips. Complaints are being made of sheep jfceing taken from p_ ens a *- Addingtoh saleyards. During the last few weeks a numfjer have been missed after careful counts, single animals being generally taken. The week before last three pigs were also among the missing. Shipments of flax from ihe Bluff during

; the past f,our months (Ist January to 30th April) aggregate 14,302 bales, weighing fully 2900 tons. Owing to the fall in value' j andthe_approach of winter the output from : the mills is likely to fall away rapidly. j .Threshing operations throughout the Geraldine arid Winchester district have been favoured- with fine weather," and some of the machines have had very good seasons, one mill' having already threshed 70,000 bushels. Owing to the fall in price, farmers are storing most of their wheat. The special committee set up by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Asso- , oiation to inquire into the shortcomings, of tho humble "bee is collectiag information on the subject. - Several specimens of the Italian alp bee, fr>m Mr Clayton's bee iarm at Opawa, have been submitted to Dr Chilton for examination, and a letter on the subject has been" sent to Captain Hutton, in England. Communication has also been opened up "with experts in Califorr.ia. Inquiries in regard to the report that rabbits are numerous in the Sumner dis1 trict confirm the statements already published. A resident of the borough states that on an average 60 or 70 rabbits are taken every day on the hills from Evans's Pass to Redcliffs. He considers that a low estimate, and thinks that he would be within the mark in stating the average at 100 a day. One Sunday afternoon three lads went out with one gun between them, and shot large numbers of rabbits on the hills in a- few hours. The Waimate winter show will be held on Thursday, June 8. The date was fixed, judges, stewards, and committee were appointed, ttnd other arrangements made at a -meeting" of the combined .committees of the Agriculiairal cand Pastoral Association and Horticultural; Society,, held on Saturdtey afternoon. "The "attendance -at i;he meeting, over -which ( Mr James M'Gowanr' presided, was 'good ? and- the interest manifested by all promises well for the" show. At a -well-attended meeting of the committee of .the Chiistchurch Sheep Dog Trial Club, held on the 29th ult., Mr Bisset -reported I;hat Mr James Lilico, of Invereargill, had offered the service of his imported sfud dog, Owd Bob, as . a special prize. ■The offer was accepted with thanks. The Waikari Collie Club's annual trials took place on the 2nd inst. on the Allandale estate with a total entry of 70 dogs. The weather was very favourable, and the four events on the card were got through without any delay. Mr W. Thomson, of Balmoral, was president, Mr W. C. Bridson secretary, and Mr W. O. Rutherford judge. There was a good -attendance of the public, and much interest was shown in the trials. The merino wethers for the contests in Classes 1 and 2 were lent by the Balmoral estate, and those for the Huntaway competition by Mr -W. Neeve, of Annandale^ Some of the leading collies were prize-takers, the Messrs Little's dog being conspicuous. Mr A. Kennedy's entry in the Puppy Stakes made a remark- ' able performance, gaining full points. j Mr W. Lowrie, director of Lincoln Agricultural College, informed the Land Commission at Christohurch the other day that he did not think the Crown cropping con- ! ditions were satisfactory. In the oourse , of his evidence he stated that it had been clearly demonstrated by experiments that , the same crop could be grown on land for I 60 or 70 successive years without a decrease ( in the average yield, provided that the I constituents removed from the soil were j replaced by means of suitable manures. That was the case not only with wheat, but eve a with the most exhausting crops, ! such as mangolds. The original impros- > sion had been that severe cropping meant j exhaftstion, hut that term conveyed too wide an impression. Exhaustive cropping was only one feature of bad farming. A bad farmer would sow dirty and badlyselected grass, and put on inferior stock, and he did as much harm to the colony that way as by improper cropping. "He did not argue against rotation in cropping 1 , but he*, maintained that restrictions spoiled a farmer's enterprise. A good farmer modified his practice from year to year, according to outside condition®, aud it might pay him to crop extensively with cereals for several years. If he did that pioperly, the land would be in nowise impoverished. Two more instances of the fecundity of the Northern Star ara reported in the Christohurch Press: — A short while ago Mrs Dodds, of Waikari, planted as an experiment lib of Northern Star potatoes, from which she has just dug 951b, some of tho potatoes turning the scale at l^lb. Mr G. Stanton, of Woodend (North Canterbury), planted six Northern Star potatoes about the- size of hens? eggs, received from Messrs Nimmo and Blair, of Dunedin, which, without manure', on light land, have yielded 831b. There .vere from seven to 18 "tubers on each root, and they were free from blight. A meeting of the committee of the Ashburton A. and P. Association was held ou the 29th ult. The suggestion of tho Auckland A. and P. Association in regard to holdjng an Agricultural Conference at Wellington during the session was approved, and it was decided to send delegates if such a conference is held. Sub-committees for the next two shows were appointed. Six new members were elected. A grower in the Timaru district has just . obtained a erojj of 1321b from lib of Jvbrth-

era Star potatoes sown. These potatoes were not blijhted, though others in the same garden were. Bitter complaints are made ~|says the Lyttelton Times) of the thefts of sheep, le-mbs, and pigs which are suffered at Addinglon Yards. Not a market day passes without stock being missed, .under circumstances which preclude the loss being attributed to accident. "Efforts at prevention and detection have hitherto failed, and as the value of the shortage is serious, auctioneers feel that some more stringent oourse than has hitherto been taken must be adopted.

At the last . slkin sale at Ashburton a number of the skins offered had evidently been taken off sheep that had died from disease. The excessive mortality among, sheep in the Ashburton County is said to be due to the fact that during the past few weeks a large quantity of turnips had been fed off, and, the waather being unfavourable, inflammation came on through the sheep over-feeding when the turniptops were in a damp condition.

During the coming planting season the Mackenzie County Council proposes to plant 27.000 trees on the reserve above the Tekapo Hotel, and 24,000 on the island in the Tekapo Lake. Messrs Millichamp Bros., of Ashburton, will do the planting, and will guarantee against natural deaths for one year at the rate of £6 per 1000. This will be a considerable addition to tho already extensive plantations established by the council in that locality. Many thousands have already been planted in the locality named.

Upon the seed-pickling question Mr J. A. Jones, of Barraport, writes to the Melbourne Leader: — "I consider it my duty to let farmers have the benefit of my experience with formalin for picklin,<? wheat. I found out that formalin pickle will kill the germ in wheat. Last year I had 12 acres completely 'missed. If the wheat is sown soon after pickling it is all right, but if it is kept in the bag 'Tot, say, a week, it will destroy the germ in most of the wheat. It ' would appear to me that formalin must go through the wheat when it is confined. I ' use tHree tablespoonf uls to 4-gal of water, which does two bags of wheat (sprinkled). I believe it is equal to bluestone in the prevention of smut, and it is much better stuff to use, as it does not eat away the shovel or other implements brought into contact with it."

Owing to traction engines bemg extensively brought into use this season in the Ashburtoa district as a means of hauling grain to the storas, it is reckoned that not one-half of the drays and teams have been brought into u§e compared with former years. Speaking to a Seafield farmer, a representative of the Ash'burton Guardian was informed that he had made arrangements to have his grain carted away by steam at a. much cheaper rate than if he brought his own teams into use. The reason given was that while the team system was tedious, it also delayed ploughing operations.

The South Caoit-erbary Dairy Company, at the beginning . o£ the season, declined the best offer they had for the season's output (about 9d per lb). and determined to ship Home. The result is proving satisfactory, their last consignment realising 108s per ewt, or about lid t>er lb..

About six months ago Mr J. Stanton, Kaiapoi, planted six Northern Star potatoes, divided into 32 pieces. Tfoss© have just been dug-, and gave a return of 1271b.

A case of anthrax has been ■ reported to the Ohisf Constable of Cheshire. A truck of co.vs was dispatched by railway from Hereford to Crewe on Saturday, March 4. On 3of the animals was found dead in tho truck. A veterinary examination showed it was a case of anthrax, ?i.d the carcase was burnt on the railway siding. The other animals were isolated.

At the County Buildings, Glasgow, befoxe Sheriff Miller, James Hamilton, dairyman, was fined £8, including expenses, for having sold ilb of butter which contained 26 per cent, of foreign fat.

His Majesty the King has been pleased to approve of the appointment of the Hon. Ailwyn Edwards Fellowes, M.P., to be Pre« sident of the Board of Agriculture, in succession to the Earl of Onslow, G.C.M.G., now Chairman of Committees in tho House of Lords. Mr Ailwyn Fellowes (says the Mark Lane Express), who was born in 1855, is tho second son of the first Lord Do Ramsey. He has sat for the Ramsey Division of Hunts since 1887. He became one of the Government Whips in 1895. As a Junior Lord of the Treasury he has since1900 been second Government Whip, and has also been the representative of the .Beard of Agriculture in the House of Commons. A "Progressive Conservative, in favour of allotments and the relief of the occupiers of land," he is "very popular among all sections of members, and his promotion will bo generally welcomed. It is stated that Dr Chalmers, the medical officer of health for the City of Glasgow, has reported that the epidemic of sore throat at the Belvidere Hospital, Glasgow, was due to teat ei'uption in tho stock at tli3 farm from which the milk supply was obtained 1 . The Lord-advocate is to be asked whether he will consider the expediency of introducing legislation to secure the periodical inspection of stock kept for the supply of milk to public dairies. %

This time last year (says the Mark Lane Express of March 20) would-be growers of

the much-boomed Northern Star potato were buying the novelty at prices considerably over £200 a ton, and so general was the demand that people who had Stars to s«ll had to difficulty in disposing of them. Tho scene has changed since then, and now there are persons who would willingly part with their Stars at £5 a ton, and b& glad to get- rid of them at the pries. Why lias the mighty fallen to such an extent? By way of an ansvve'r, it may be observed money was made out of Northern Star in the early days of its history, and, with the hope of getting some of the pickings, many growers invested in Stars last year at fancy prices, but they seemed to overlook the fact that the supply in the country would be largely increased:- In other words, the speculators in the spring of 1904 were a year too late, as many of them have found out to their cost. Sleeondly, there is a reaction of feeling respecting Northern Star, and, after being boomed to the skies, it has fallen in public favour. Many people thought that Northern Star represented perfection in a potato, and now, because the variety has shown that it has some failings, it comes in^ for far more criticism than praise. In fact, we question whether the good points about the variety are fairly admitted, but perhaps when the potato has had time to settle down, and people have got over their disappointment" a little. Northern Star will be* accepted as a useful utility variety.

Mr George Bourdass, M.E.C.V.S., died at his icsidence, Denmark House, Hunmanby, on Thursday, March 9, in his seventy-ninth year. He was a famous breeder of Hackneys, and at one time owned the noted horses Denmark and Danegelfc, the latter of which Jte sold at the .record price of 50J&gs to Sir "Walter Gilbcy. In later years Mi- Bourdass wab not so closely idsntifted with the bleed, but '-lie took a prominent part in the formation of the Hackney Society, and was for "sevei-al years a member of the council. — N.B. Agricclturist.

At a complimentary dinner given to Mr (Tloss, Meikle Tarrell, Mr Paterson (prssi- ' dent of the Easter Ross Farmers' Clab) made the following interesting! reniarlcs : — "ATr Ross is a native of Ihe ccurty, having l»eeri born at Kineraig, then farmed 1 by his father. His first farm fas Little Tarrell, and there he early evinced that marvellous predilection for breeding stock which has operated so beneficially for himself and the' country at larg-e. At the centenary show of the Staiithfield Club in 1898, her Majesty Queen Victoria took two gold medals and three silver medals with three animals. Mr Ross exhibited six animals, and tocik four gold medals and eight silver medals — surely a very remarkable record. The gold' medals of the Smithfield Centenary show, he said, are only to be found in the Royal Palace and at Meikle Tan-ell." — Mr Ross (observes the "Scortiih Farmer of Maroh 11), who recently paid a. visit to the United States, like all reflecting visitors to great markets in Chicago, was ,mo.st impressed by the adaptation of machinery to every detail in the packing-houses, and the splendour of the car-loads of beef fed in tho opon. Markets in this country — even the largest — are men playthings compared with those of Chicago, Kansas City, and Omaha. In Chicago, for the four weeks ending 6th December, 1904, there were handled 1 345,119 cattle, 373,605 sheep, and 761,766 pigs, or nearly one and a-half millions in that one market. Swift; and Co. killed in. one day, in their seven iiacking- houses (not all in Chicago), 11,875 cattle, 16,563 sheep, 34,652 pigs. They employ 23,800 pecple,and 1500 horses. America is a limitless la*nd; Great Britain is a little island. The former could feed the latter, and -not feel the want of ■what was sent for that purpose. How are those who produce food stuffs hero to contend successfully against such heavy competition?

| "Under the heading "A Cattle-feeding- Obpjfect Lesson" the Mark Lan 3 Express of I March 20 writes : — A visit was paid to a ] celebrated Scotch grazing farm on March I 5: that of Mr Alexander Guild, at Aberlady Mains, one of the best, reputed of East Lothian cattle feedters, as well as of Cheviot I sheep. Mr Guild took honours at Ihe i Smith field Club show with the latter in , 1900, both in the cai'caso and ordinary | classes. However, it was his cattle coirts I and systom of winter feeding carried on I therein which war© chiefly investigated by Professor Kennedy and the distinguished paity of Scotch agriculturists which hadl been invited to meet him. Mr Guild has no marketing troubles in the procurement of raw material, as he bases proceedings on I the system' often recommended of having the entire rearage of Irish beasts sent him direct by a breeder or breeders the charac- , ter of whosj stock he is well acquainted j with. Such being the case, he ctoes not ; require to take> a special journey to Ireland every year to see iho cattle. .The latter are bought by weight, and the* price jx>r cwt which has to be paid can be agreed upon by letter. The greater part of those inspected came on December 1 last, ard averaged 9i per cwt, and their bought price was 28s per cwt live weight. They now average rather over 12cwt, so that their rat© of increase is about lewt each per month. Tha kind of feeding Mr Guild prefers, and which his experience has proved to be best, was, however, the nv>st important point elucidated. His rations arc chaffed hay and straw soaked with treaclewater, and intermixed' with sliced swe^Jcs ; the admixture- being always made tt«s $fey

before use. The auxiliary food in addititf c is olb of Canadian rice meal and 21b of un* decorticated cotton cake per day. This \C, a very novel ration, which we have never: seen recommended before, although treacle and saccharine soups have often been employed to make straw chaff palatable. Pro. bably it is one which would not contain th" exact proportions of albuminoids and carboi hydrates the agricultural chemists woul<2 deem proper. But the proof of the pud ' ding is in the eating.