INTERCOLONIAL AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2677, 5 July 1905, Page 23

INTERCOLONIAL AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

(From Correspondents of the Paetoralists' Review for June.) NEW SOUTH WALES. Sydney, June 10. Instead of the continual depressing news we have had! to give month after month for come /ears, every letter that is written of the condition of pastoral affairs in this State becomes brighter and brighter. Almost the whole State has now had sufficient rain to ensure it a splendid spring. The weather ljas been wonderfully mild, and growth of hertage (if not grass) has been phenomenal. Many say it is the best winter they remember. There is, however, news from one quarter of the State which takes a little- gilt off the ginger-bread. The manager of Yantara Station, Broken Hill, writes on 19th May: "It may interest you to know in the ge.neral rejoicing over rains that our. rainfall for this year to date is 19 points. Some stations in the district are very badly off, and losing stock. We have still plenty of water and dry feed 1 ." The fight against the rabbits goes on with vigour almost everywhere. Fencing is having a great boom, and the various wirenetting manufactories in Australia and Great Britain are working at full pressure. Nothing has been settled by the Government as to subsidising Dr Danysz — in fact, nothing will be settled till the Parliament meets. When it does great opposition is expected on the part of those men who have no interests in the back country. Mr Rodier challenges the w^fld to find a better means of destruction than his, and puts up £500, to be forfeited if his plan is proved to be useless. The Government is experimenting 1 at Randwick on a small scale with various pens of raf>bit3 with different proportions of males and females, the- experiments being carried out under the strict supervision of the Stock Department. The result, although not a conclusive proof, should be interesting. From almost all parts of the State the reports of the lambing are excellent, and with another few good seasons we ought again to reach our old numbers, with, of course, additional wool export, as our sheep now carry much heavier fleeces than they did in 1893. Prices continue excellent, and so far as the immediate future of the sheep industry is concerned everything promises well. It is expected that there will be a large quantity of fat lambs to ■send away. The wet season has brought news from various parts of footrot and worms; these, with the blowfly, the -rabbits, and the politicians, are our onlY bugbears. All reports g& to show that the appronching harvest will be an excellent one. The one fear is that the mild winter we are having may end in severe frosts and ruin the crop when it is commencing to ear, as it did early in October a few years a?o. However, it is no use meeting troubles halfway, and so far all is promising. Steps are beingr taken to increase the facilities at Darling Harbour for loading, which are not adequate to the growth that has token place in our wheat production. Sydney wharves and harbour have been almosfc descrtpd for some months: very little carco has been going away, and those ships whioh have arrived have had sreat difficulty in filling nn. The horse shipments to Japan have relieved the position a good deal, and several large steampr-, have been engaged in that trade. TLK contract for horses has been completed without a mishap, and great praise fs One to the contractors and shipping company which have carvied it out. The Land Commission which was ap pointed to deal with irregularities in the

Ijpnd« Department is still sitting, and so far furnishes strong- argument that the wiiole o. the Lands Deparment should be put under the control of an independent commission.

So far as "the meat trade export is concerned, there has been practically none. The total exports for this year amount to about 80,000 carcases of mutton and 29,000 carcases of lamb, with 1250 quarters of beef.

Plenty of news is to hand about the übiquitous rabbit; some districts report a great increase, whilst others report that the pest is being wiped out. Poisoning, shooting, and trapping, with the destruction of harbours, is being proceeded with almost everywhere. Some places, however, are doing nothing, and only heavy penalties will make them do their share. There has been a great decrease in all those districts where the bush fires raged so fiercely at the beginning of the year.

The export of wheat shipments to date amounts to 5,000,000 bushels, and it is supposed by those in the know that about 1,000,000 bushels remain to go away. The following is a return of the principal pastoral lines of export from Sydney for the first five months* of 1904-5 : —

The price of gra.in and forage, compared with those of a year ago, are as follows : —

The Bibbenluke Estate, in the Monaro, keeps up its reputation for fat cattle. One hundred head were recently sold for Melbourne at £12 each on the station. VICTORIA. Melbourne, June 12. The past month has been a very favourable one throughout the State. Good rains have fallen, and frosts have been very slight. The weather is now becoming cold, however, and stock which became low in condition in the dry period are not picking up well, though the growth of feed has been good,' considering that the rain was l&tc in coming. Ploughing has been continued' during the month, and the crops are practically all in. The area sown is very large. In the early districts a good limbing is being experienced, and there will probably\ be a large number available for freezing this .year. Dairy returns have improved greatly since the break up of the dry weather, and should we get good spring rains the coming season should be an exceptional one for all producers. Breeders are now getting their stock ready for the different annual shows and sales, and the quality and number forward this year will doiibtless exceed those of any former spring. Fat stock are xather scarce, though they will be plentiful enough when the warmer weather sets in. Prices have been"* very satisfactory _for sheep and lambs, but cattle do not show any advance on late reduced rates. The demand for store stock is similar, for whilst good sheep of every class are eagerly sought for, cattle are at present neglected. Wool keeps up well in price, and both merino and crossbred sorts promise to show high values in the coming season. All good grazing land is in good demand at present, either for lease- or purchase. The price of wool and fat lambs ensures fine returns from sweet, fattening country for at least a couple of seasons, and from all appearances freezing lambs are going to continue remunerative. A certain 10s on the <n-ound is very different to the 5s or 6s that any glut in the local market used to reduce prices of good fat lambs The Arundcl Estate, comprising 11,000 acres, and situated within 12 miles of Melbourne has been acquired from the executors of the late Wm. Taylor by the Government f« v closer settlement. It is stated that the Treasurer has paid between £55.000 and £60,000 out of revenue for the Memsio Estato. This property Was bought some time ao-o by the Closer Settlement Board, and consists of 10,000 acres. Mr Beat anticipates that in all 200,000 acres will be made available for closer settlement this ypar, including that acquired under the Closer Settlement Act, and about 100,000 aue= of the Malice land.

QUEENSLAND. Brisbane, June 7. During the past few weeks light rains

have fallen over the south-eastern quadrant of the State, whilst isolated falls have occurred in a few places in the central and north-west districts Speaking generally, however, the rainfall for the past month can be disregarded, as being insufficient in quantity and distribution to affect the position as outlined in my lasi, month's letter. The reports received from various centres — always excepting unfortunate "Winton — are very gratifying, and the great majority of pastoralists can look forward to the winter months, assured of an aniplo supply of feed and water. In the agricultural arear the early-sown^ crops are well above the ground, and are locking well, whilst the later teedmg id progressing with all despatch. Shearing is now m progress at many ot the inland stations, and extremely good clips are being secured. . - In stock, as in other mundane anan-s, it is the unexpected that always happens, and the past few weeiks have witnessed a boom in cheep. The general opinion was that prices would keep fairly firm for a time, and that with satisfactory winter lambings the price would decline in a mariced degree. The extremely firm tone of the wool market, the increasing confidence in the country and its capabilities, and the operations of stAeral of the meat works having buyers on the warpath, have started an extremely keen demand for sheep. The lines most in favour are wethers, and young wethers at that, the export trade at piesent being satisfied witb a light-wieght sheep. Excellent sales are being made, and so far Iheve does not appeav io be any slackening o{f in the demand.

7heat (bushel) .. (ton) sran (bushel) 'ollard (bushel) )ats (bushel) $*rley (bushel) .. laize (bushel) . . lay (ton) Itraw (ton) Jhaff (ton) mcerae (ton) Present Prices. 10 3 4 7 15 0 0 0 10 0 0 11 0 2 7 0 2 9 0.2-6 3 15' 0 2 0 0 4 0 0 3 15 0 A Year Ago. £0 2 11 8 0 0 0 0 6* 0 0 7£ 0 2 0 0 2 5 0 2 1 3 15 0 2 2 0 4 3 4 3 C 0

Five Five. Months, Months, 1905. 1904. Wool, bales .. «. 187,694 201.586 Skins, packages .. .. 6128 3,870 Hides, number .. .. 43,278 36,807 fallow, casks .. M 11,046 10.838 Leather, packages . . 3,439 3 33C Preserved meats, cases .. 17,968 37.304 frozen mutton, carcases 102,721 31,540 Frozen, beef, piej>es .. 3,182 1,204 Hoofs and bones, tons.. 2,604 2,620 Horns, number 1 ] .. .. 330.442 409.446 Butter, boxes .. .. 148,649 158,965 Wheat, centals .. .. 2,330,937 " 3/416 827 Flour, centals .. .. 293,075 120165