WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2672, 31 May 1905, Page 8

WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

The Weather.

{From Otnt Own Coebkspondbnt.J "We have had steady rain all this week, but it has been mild, and not very heavy — just enough to make things dirty along the Coast. Up country however, it must have been a great deal heavier, as the rivers are- very high ; bufc as yet no damage has been reported. This morning news comes that the Oroua is within 6in of the sleepers an the PalmerstonFoxton railway line at Oroua Bridge ; baK a3 the Manawatu is not in high flood as yet, tthe Oroua has a ohance of getting rid of its surplus water. If the Manawatu should rise, however, there would be great danger of a large amount of damage being done. Present appearances are against clearing up, and the. rain appears to ba general, as reports from the East Coast as regards floods are more serious than is tb^ case with us. All farm business is at a,standstill, and even stock sales are being interfered with, and 10 lots of sheep advertised did not come to hand at the Feilding sale last Friday. What did reach the yards met with a good market, however. The weather last week was not very bad,, so that I judge it was not so much^ bad! weather that kept the 10 lots back as the independence of the owners, in that they are not anxious to sell, and knowing that they can get almost any price they may ask any day in the week. Being an old soldier" in the sheep trade, the phenomenal prices ruling for sihe&p makes me stop au<o 'c what is likely to be the outcoma of the matter. Taiung a wider view thanj our three little islands of the sea. andJ scanning over Australasia, every part of i$ appears to be in the same condition m respect to the dearth of mutton. Adelaide is buying fffc sheep in the Western District of Victoria at 30s a head, whence fcliev have to be railed or shipped 400 miles. Melbourne is drawing a large proportion of her supply from the boarders of Queensland, which means travelling or railing them some-* thing like 1500 miles. Sydney is in the same position, so that in no part of tha continent can a fat sheep be bought for less tban £1 a head, and there is no chance ol easement in sight before, say,_ September. The peculiar aspect of the case is that, with a total population ol only 4-,500,000, 1 estimate there are still over 80 miliions of shee>p to supply the community with mutton, and yet sheep are at famine prices. No doubt things will soon right themselves, bufc whether prices will gradually come down oj a panfo take place, aa we hay» ; mostly seen in the past, and prices aiop ■ down suddenly to just as far befotr as they I or* now big>h>, remains to be seen. If th«

Kavairatn A.*P Association.

latter alternative eventuates, it spells nearly ruin to -many who have bought at the high prices now ruling. 1 have before me the official programme for the annual dairy conference, to be held in Pahnergton during winter show week. The conference will extend «Ye* the full three days of the stow, and there are 14- papers on dairying matters to foe read by the same number of different experts; so that it will be well worth while making' a long journey even to hear such a galazy of talent epound their ideas ou tlie subjects t&ey have taken up. Even to h& able to say afterwards that you have Been such a congregation of experts tog-ether "will be something to brag about ; but it is to be hoped that those who do attend will endeavour to get something of educational ■value' to carry home with them.' I should like to see all the papers printed and bound together in pamphlet form, and available s>efoTe the dosing of the show, so that visitors might be able to have a copy to take home with them to digest at their leisure. The priza winners of the Mana■watu A. and P. Association will be announced on the- second day of the and if the .prize farms are r-ot too far away visitors who can afford the time could not wind uy the carnival better than by paying them & visit, as I consider that more is to" be learned by such an object lesson than by weeks of reading, and it is to be lioped that the weather will have cleared up by then,* so that dairy' farmers may have an enjoyable/ time.- At a meeting- last .Saturday of the General Committee of . the association, a, deputation from the Palmexston North Technical., School asked" for a donation of £1C towards the support of the school. After some debate, the consideration of the subject was postponed untit next meeting. Everyone admitted the advantages of technical education, but the question to be decided first is, Can the association, legally- devote any of its funds to such -a* purpose? and, if so, why -should it confine its help to Falmerston North, as, although the show is held there, the association is supported by an immense extent of country, .which, it would be very hard to define, and that area of country embraces many scch schools,, which would be equally entitled to a donation — indeed, in my opinion mote so', as' Falmersion reaps many advantages of educational value through the shows being held there that outside schools c&i-not have a chance of doing. Whichever •way it is decided, however, jit is to be hoped that, the subject having "been broached, the association^ interest may be enlisted in furtherance of the cause ,of haying agricultural teaching take its place m country schools.

Sheepcrutchinff.

If the wet weather we ar3 having should last lonfk it will greatly interfere with what* is now considered a necessary operation, as. May _is about the best time to cratch $ but it depends a good deal on when the- lambing of the flock starts, so that xhe ewes may be done foefoie they get too heavy. Here again, bxwever, T have to admit t&at I am an eld fogey, and oannofc see that it is necessary to do it at all. Perhaps in, rough .eountrj , wl-ere it isf ;dffficult* to muster, it may Ivj better to half shear i2iem v than that they jshenld have to carry -41b or 51b of manure about, and also on small farms, when the few sheep kept may. be got on any fine day, and any that ara dirty nicely dagged. If the sheep are of good, sound constitution, as they should be- if "fee owner attends to the ouQinjE," there will not be a great deal of trouble experienced in keeping them clean. If fanners would only take notice they would soon fmd«_ that ■wherever & good ffoc& of sheep is seen there will be few, if any, daggy on«*s amongst them. ATSTIQT7A OVISL