AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2681, 2 August 1905, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Mr W. P. Reeves is taking action with regard to the adulteration of New Zealand butter. Continental chemists ha\e discovered that New Zealand and Australian butter, being exceptionally fiee from moisture, readily lends itselT to adulteration. As a result, quite a trade has sprung up with the Continent, for European buyers, principally in Antwerp, make purchases of New Zealand and Australian butter at current, prices. On the Continent it is adultsratcul with fats in such a way as to defy analysis. It is then sent back to London and ■jold a shade under current prices, the degreo of adulteration being the margin of profit. Mr H. C. Cameron is fully acquainted with the practice, and Mr Reeves has communicated with the Premier (the Right Hon. A. J. Balfour) and with the Colonial Secretary on the subject, and he has had an interview with the Minister of Agriculture regarding the same matter. Speaking upon the subject of ragwort at the Agricultural Conference on Friday, Mr G. V. Tate (Taranaki) referred to the carelessness of some farmers with rcejaid to seed He said that, if a certain man near Inglowood, TaranaLi, had not allowed a piece of ragwort to grow because the flower pretty, there would not to-day be thousands of acres in that district covered with it. At the same time, e\en with ca'v. they could not be quite immun-e from ragwort.

Not-cmg that at the Earl's Court Exhibition the makers of refrigerating machinery exhibiting- there had vacant freezing chambers Mr H. C. Cameron is making arrangements to fill them with New Zealand mutton and lamb.

Tho Agrioultmal Denartmpnt has ordered from England two horsr>-power spiayinj* machines for dealing with large areas of crop. The maker? claim that they will cover 25 acres in a day. The machines will pro-

bably be exhibited at the next agricultural show at Palmerstofi North. The Government Biolog .-.r, M/ Kirk, wag recently called upon to examine a consignment of 40 ton* of pot itca* in the Wellington market. He ch-co\eied f'cm to bo badlyaffected with the potato d.-sppse. The following day he found another consignment of 27 tons in tho sauu condition. If; seems likely that the Dairying Department's flfeart staff is to be Mill further weakem^p It is reported that Mr Dickie intends resign In* position as a grader and insWuetor, in order to take up the lcprcsentahon of a pnvate firm in Wellington. Some- time ago Mr C. R. Bcattie addressed a letter k> the Premier concerning an agricultural musctun m Wellington. In reply, Mr Scddon states that the establishment of such a museum on a firm and satisfactory basis here is very desirable, and would fill a long-felt want. He is bringing the representations in Mr Beattie's letter under the notice of the Minister Agriculture, who will give tho matter his most careful consideration.

Speaking to a representative of the Waimate Witness in regard to the reported outbreak of an unknown disease among young cattle at Kaimate, near Inglcwood, a Government veterinary surgeon, who has been instructed to report upon the outbreak, stated that he does not anticipate the disease to be an uncommon one. The deaths have been spread over a number of years, and he is of opinion that tho extent of the trouble has been very considerably exaggerated. The disease, he believes, is lung-worm, common to young stock.

During a discussion upon the small-birds pest at the Agricultural Conference last week, Mr W. H. Beetham (Wairarapa) said that by the use of bird lime he hn<t caught 500 «mall blackbirds in a quarter of an hour, and in a few days he had counted up to 3000. Still, ovn this destruction sec mod to make little difference to the numbers about.

One Levin fnimoi, Mr TT. Hall, ma do last jear, oft" 50 acic-. £550. This is the kind of farming Sir Robert Stout had in mind when he made his effective comments upon the original subdivision of Flaxbourne.

One of the results of the cutting-up and disposal of the Flaxbourne Estate by the Government has boon the pvrehass by a iiural>er of those who were unsuccessful in obtaining sections in the estate of farms in the Mariborough and Nelson districts". An important sciieme of co-operation has boon adopted by iho representatives cf 13 of the leading Gippsland (Victorian) butter factories. These companies have an output of 3000 tons of butter, and a turnover of £30,000 per annum, and it is anticipated that eight o*r ton cihpr G-inpsland factories. \vi<h an output of 1000 tons per annum, will join, in co-oyeracion as scon as the amended articles of association will permit them to do so.

At the Rangiora Magistrate's Court last week a farmer giving evidence was asked by counsel whether minding pigs was hard work. The reply came promptly^ and emphatically : " Yes, minding pigs is the hardest job anyone can be put to. I have b&ys, and I hope nono of them will ever have to do such work." The rabbit industry continues to expand to a phenomenal extent in Victoria. During June 2,050,566 rabbits passed through, the hands of the Government graders. This is an increase of 4-00,819, or 31.46 per cent., as compared with the corresponding month of last year. Of the total 251,982, or 12.28 per cent., were rejected. Speaking at the meeting of tho Ashburton branch of the Farmers' Union on Saturday week. Mr W. Harding', the chairman, said that a member of the executive of the branch had told him that he had spent £100 out of his own pocket in the interests of the union, and that he had barely got a "thank you" for it.

Interviewed by the Hawera Star, Mr James Kowin said the prospects for th.9 coming dairying season were undoubtedly good — better than they were at the commencement of last year. He would not be surprised if it proved a record season as regards prices. Old residents of the Ashburton County (says the Ashburton Guardian) recall that the worst snowstorm ever experienced in the district — that of 1867 — took place at the end of July in that 3"car, after a fortnight's splendid weather, similar to what is being experienced there now. A committee of the Ashburton A. and P. As-ociation has replied to the circular sent out bj' the Agricultural Departmenc relating to th-3 fcmall bird nuisance as- follows: — The iinall birds are increasing rapidly in the Ashburton, County, and the native birds, the pukaki, bittern, and weka, arc decreasing, this being due to closer settlement The only harm done by native birds is by parruk-eets occasionally in gardens. The county is stated to bo spending JSIOOO o year in destroying the small bud pest. It :9 stated thai! starlings have- provo-di very useful in checking the increase of insect pesrs, but generally speaking introduced birds have done more harm than good. Sparrows are set down as producing 35 young in a year for every pair. The committee is not in favour of introducing English birds, and states that birds which m Ei' gland were insect eaters have here become* grain eaters, and that the seagull and hawk have been observed to eat whe-it. A few Californian quail and pheasants are said to exist in the county.

The Department of Agriculture, _ which rather surprised the conference by its up-to-date me hods antl experiments, __ and carned»a sincere of thanks, has promisecf^to nubhsh m the form of leaflets a number of th« papers that were read at tho Agricultural Conference (says the New Zealand Times). It is to bo feared, how-e-ser, that there is too much truth in th© statement freely made at the conference that the New Zealand farmer does not lake such an intelligent interest in these publications as bis competitors in Canada, and the United States. The same story o£ the apathy, and frequently tho carelessness, of the individual farmer comes from all l>arts of New Zealand. He allows disease to run rife in h»s flocks and herds and noxious weeds in h's fields; he is slovenly in his milking, and ignorant in his general farm management, and yet he expects to skim the croam of high prices for his produce. All the thought is left to the tcienti&ts of the Agricultural Department and to

the small body of men who sacrifice their time in attending, t5 at their own expense, such conferences as have just concluded. The New Zealand farmer, as a rule, does not even bothei to read about his busi- . aiess. Some day he will realise that it is worth while. , A meeting of members of the Ueraiame, Levels, Mackenzie, and Wairoate County Councils and the Temuka Read Board, with the engineer or surveyor of each body, was held at the Levels Council office on the 22nd ult. to consider what steps, if any, should be taken to tegulate traction engine haulage on roads. As there is a law suit in progress conceiving such traffic, and for other reasons, the conference was not open to the press. There were between 15 ©nd 20 members and officers present, and as the conference was held at the instance of the Geraldine Oounty Council Mr John Talbot was therefore asked to pie-side. At their request representatives of the traction engine owners— Messrs Harkness, Wigley, and Thornley— were heard, in deprecation of any attempt (if such were contemplated) to forbid the use of engine haulage. Representations have frequently been made to the Agricultural Department (says the Melbourne Age) that the prohibition of the importation of pigs from New Zealand, which has been in force foi some years, ©wiag to the existence of swine fever there, should be relaxed. The importation of New .Zealand swine is also prohibited in other States. The Victorian Department has 'been in communication with the New South Wales Department, and has received a reply stating that their prohibition extends to November 3 next, and on receipt of a definite report that no swine fever has existed in New Zealand for at least six months, they will be prepared to consider the advisableness of removing the restriction. The Victorian Minister states that he is favourable to the suggestion that . special permits might be given with discretion for the importers of stock pigs, after due inspection and quarantine. Mr John Holmes, the celebrated cattle breeder, of Bathurst, New South Wales, ■has been, visiting New Zealand, and in a letter to a friend he says:— "l have had a-tip-top time in New Zealand 1 . I went down to Invercargill, where the cold was intense, and I was glad to get away from the south country. I took a' tounst railway ticket for the whole of the Government railways, and travelled back by tram where possible. I visited John Deans s shorthorn herd at Riccarton, near Christchuroh and saw some fine animals there. I afterwards visited Archdeacon Williams's herd at To Aute, Hawke's Bay, near Napier. I consider his shorthorns the bes v •I have seen, and worth, going a very long distance to look at. He has representatives of nearly all the crack families; they ' are big cattle, full of quality, and shapely. His country is first-class, and brings cut etotik well. His nephew, Alien WiUiams manages the property, which carries 30,000 coarse-woolled sheep and 3000 head 1 of cattle. The Irohceacon. who is 84- j-ears of age. takes a keen interest in his shorthorns, and went through a lot of these with me discussin? their points. He is supposed to own 200 000 to 300,000 acres of freehold laud worth from £10 to £15 per acre; he is consequently possessed of several millions. He appears to live quietly, doing much good, especially amongst Maoris. I bougnt a ied roan five-months-old 1 bull calf from him for lOOgs, sire .Count Waterloo 1, dam Duchess of Derrimufc opw by Duke of York H (imp.). You should really see Te Mr W. W. Froggatt, New South Wales Government Entomologist, who has been investigating the habits of the sheep blowfly in the Bourke district, remarks as follow — "Of a large number of flies bred out from blown wool taken from an infested sheep, all belong to the one species— ou- lar^e yellow blowfly (Callifera villosa). One of "the two that was obtained from In-vt-rell woo), though (Callifera oceanicse), tho 'blue-bodied blowfly,, was i the commonest form there. This further proves *hat it is our common blowflies that do the £sL£e in Australia, while in. England it ifthf common bluebottles (Lucilla) that fclow the wool. During my visits in the Sadd«L and about the sheep yards the blowflies were not common while two or thrTe species of the bluebottles were wry sstLEf %ss£&%£& wool, acquired the habit, and followed it up when they found the living sheep with jjmelly wool on their bodies. Thl meat question is a lively one in 'Japan, and the matter of cold storage is OTing a considerable amount of .mteresfc A few months ago the foreigners m Kobe formed themselves into a Meat Club in o?d£r to rive meat to its members at rates considerably under the Butchers' Guild prices, but -they have always had to face the constantly advancing price of cattle and latterly meat has been distributed a*.-l « loss. The rise in prices was not brought about by the Butchers' Guild but by the ouantity of beef which has been canned for army rations and for fie consumption of Russian prisoners detained in Japan. The difference between the wholesale price Oi carcases ai the time the club started And

after it had been three months in existence had risen to 8 sen per lb, which represents 10 to 11 sen (from about 2^d to 2|d) per lb, when cut up and retailed. As far as this Kobe Meat Club is concerned, it seems to recognise the great advantag-3 of cold storage depots and of obtaining a regular supply of meat from New Zealand and Australia, but it apparently prefers to leave the projection of any scheme to the general public. Taking into consideration the duty imposed upon meat from the first of this month a leading firm in Japan states that beef could be landed in Kobe from Australia at 19 sen per lb (about 4^d), while the cost of mutton would be a little more. However, apart from the Meat Club, it is announced that Mr Nakahara Kotaro is establishing cold storage ifci Kobe; building operations should now bo nearly completed. Mr Nakahara, who has had business experience in America, holds the patent rights of a new method of manufacturing koyatofu, the frozen form of the favourite Japanese bean food. As regards Yokohama, it was recently reported that two public institutions there were considering th-s advisability ot arranging for a regular supply of frozen meat from Australia and New Zealand, and that the meat would be retailed at prices considerably below those at present ruling. All this points to the vitality of the meat question »n Japan, and it will not be much to Australia's credit if she does not secure a major portion of the trade. — Australian Meat Trades Journal, July 18.

Mr George R. Hutchinson, of Auckland, who was the poultry judge at the Rangiora show, has been favourably impressed on his first visit to Canterbury with the condition of farming, and in regard to poultryraising' he considers that the breeders there are taking a good hold of the utility side of the matter. The poultry which he had Eeen was ahead of that bred im many parts of the North Island. What struck him most was that it was 1 not a few selected kinds of poultry which were to be eeen, but that farmers were keeping good varieties, and that a large number of breeders in all parts of the province were talking the business up with the avowed intention of making it pay. An exhibition of the method of applying Messrs do Lisle and' Luttrell's painless stock-branding composition was given in the cattle pens at th 3 Addington Saleyards last week. A patch of hair is first clipppd eff, and an ordinary iron brand dipped in the composition is applied to the skin. The operation is painless, and, judging by a brand shown on a piece of hide, the brand is apparently a 6ucoess both in leaving a permanent mark and in freedom from causing injury beyond the surface of the hide. The patentees belong to Gisbcrne, and the composition is being freely adopted in the North Island. It can also be used for dehorning calves up to six months of age.

Yet another method of keeping meat fresh for a considerable time without freezing it has been engaging attention. An article in an Italian mercantile journal (for a translation of which the New Zealand Times is indebted to Mr George Robertson, of the Government Life Insurance Department) describes a process invented by Dr Giovanni Craveri. which mainly consists of introducing into the veins of the slaughtered animal, xfter it has- bled', a strong solution of chloride of sodium (common salt). This apparently prevents decomposition from taking place, and it is therefore possible by the process to preserve animals, with their intestines and skius intact, for a very long time. On the 26th January last the process was demonstrated at Turin, where a calf and a sheep were killed and, as ;oon as bled, subjected to an injection of Dr Craveri's special solution. On April 16 — that is, 80 days after the animals were (killed — the doctor gave a dinner at the Hotel d' Europe at Turin to a numerous party of persons interested in the invention. The nrincipal dishes were prepared from the flesh of the aforesaid animals, and the meat was found to be savoury and tender, giving no evidence whatever of the length, of timo that had elapsed since tho slaughtering. The flesh, before heing cooked, presented all the characteristics of freeh meat; it had a fine rosy colour, and contained all the nutritive properties of newlyk'lledi and wholesome meat. It was found 1 that a piece of the meat, which had been specially cut off one of the carcases, did not change colour or decay, but remained perfectly good for weeks, losing slightly in weight from evaporation. Broth made from the meat was of first class quality, and not at all salt, as might have been expected from Ihe nature of the solution ajected. A powerful company has been formed at Buenos Ayres to exploit the doctor's invention, and the- intention is to send the meat so preserved to Italy, where it can be retailed at about Hd per lb.