AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2672, 31 May 1905, Page 21

AGRICULTUR AL A ND PASTORAL NEWS.

jfeEr W. Ja Ht^<. ""ivernment canning eicpert, will visit -W "rial districts <ft ■'He colony during the w. months, comencing 1 in the North' Island -early in June. ,-fo proposes to meet .all interested in comn^ercial canning, and, if required, will p^dress meetings -on the canning, bottling, evaporating, and commercial treatment of fruit, -vegetaoles. -etc. Ne-ror -sine© the frozen -meat trade was established in Canterbury has stock come forward in such -quantity «,t this advanced period of tihe -season as in the present year. ?or last we^k the- Jbodkmgs at Islington amount to 30.000 sheep and 1 lambs, and for several -weeks past the passed through that -established has averaged 22,000 heacl. Tbe^e irambers Jha.ve seldom bp«n exoeedeS in. the "height of -a -eeason. By reason of the reduction made in cKarges by the Timaru Harbour 3oardj large quantities of frozen mutton are now being «erit irom the Fairfield Ereezing Works. Asn'burton, for shipment at Timaru. "A" wire from Hamilton North says: — "homas Stones's Woodlands estate of 17,000 -res, with srfock and plant, has been sold. Mr O. B. Buxton, of Palmerston Nbrth^took .0,000 acres. ' The "balance, with the homestead, and was taken by two Wangramii irrvestors. The price paid "was a 'Considerable *dvanee on -that given by Mr Stones wo years ago, and is the largest «a3e which as taken place in the Waikato -for years. Several <otber properties axe expected :o change haaids shortly. "Taible -potatoes," says an Anckland mer:hvnt; ""will undoubtedly be dear, but they ihould not reach famine 'prices, as the Tasmanian crop is very "heavy, and although She import duty is £1 per ton on «11 potatoes Iwou-giri; into -this colony, it is not sufficiently high to cause any phenomenal rise -on the pr-esenit retail price of 141b °for Ib, so that the shortage in supplies Tnay be made up iy importation from Tasmania. In the Bangiora district lately there has been several complaints of sheep being worried by dogs. On Thursday last Mr 6. Cone had "several, worth over £1 each., Beverely torn, and some of tltem were driven into Nortbirook .Cre^Jk. " \ . , An important invention for -marking the carcases of frozen, meat .has been patented by Mr A. J_ Roberts,- instructor of electricity at_ the" Kaiapoi Technical Classee. The principle Adopted is i>be burning of the brand -on *fehe- earoaseby 'mean& -of electricity. T!he Setters -comprising- -the brand consist of platinum -wire on a plate of mica. Electricity is conveyed along these wires and the stamp applied to the carcase, with the result that the brand is clearly and cleanly burned in. It is claimed that the brand cannot be obliterated except by cutting off the portion of the carcase treated, •nd also that carcases can be branded as

quickly as they are passed by the Government inspector. ' " j