AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Further inquiries have been made in Auckland (says the New Zealand Herald) with reference to the condemnation at Liverpool of a certain number of lambs carried by the steamer Somerset. So far as can be gathered, there is something liko an organised boycott of New Zealand meat on the part of those -in Liverpool interested in pushing the Argentine meat trade. It is alleged that the perishable produce from this. colony is purposely delayed in transit from the wharves and cargo sheds. Mr Cameron, the New Zealand Government representative at Liverpool, it is reported, has all his work cut out in coping with the preference shown in the quick handling of Argentine produce over that from New Zealand. On the other hand, no such difficulties as are complained of at Liverpool are experienced in the port of London. Sufficient information has been gathered in Auckland to show that some inquiry -should be* made into the matter, so that New Zealand meat and other produce shall not suffer at tho hands of stevedores and other dock hands, who may have interested motives in denying to New Zealand's cargo tho despatch given to Argentine's.

A Marlhorough runholder advertises for tenders for th© supply of ferreis, "from 250 up to 750 annually, for five years/ In view of tha popular belief that the ferret as a, rabbit exterminator has been found of little value, while it is of much more harm in other directions, the announcement quoted will cause surprise. It may also revive the agitation against tha multiplication of ferrets and similar vermin that agitated the country a decade ago.

The ascertained results of the year's working of a small butter factory 20 miles back in the mud (says the Stratford correspondent of the Taranaki Herald) show that, provided sufficient milk can be carted, sledged, packed, or otherwise conveyed to the separators to turn out 40 or 50 tons of butter, the suppliers can be paid within %d per lb of the best tha-t a large factory on tbe railway line can do. The" crux of the whole tbing is the state of the roads leading to the factory. There is a most pronounced feeling of hopefulness throughout the Eltbam district (says the Argus). The milk-suppliers have a splendid prospect before ihern, and if they are only favoured wiih seasonable spring weather this should prove a record season for milk cheques. In the town of Eli ham business is solid. Several cottages are in coursa of erection, and tenants aiv waifc-ng for them. There is nothing in the way of a boom, nothing to warrant extravagant enterprise ■. but ju.rt good, steady, solid business.

Mr T. J. Campbell, of Kaunokonui. Taranaki, is sending four purebred bulls to compete at the Melbourne show, which commences on September 5. At the present time the Heretaunga Dairy Factory is placing over 4001b of butter a week on tho market.

The Hawera Star says Mr A. J. Roberts, electrician, late of Patea, who lately patented a new process for marking meat, haa received from a cornpanv lately formed in Christcfrurch to exploit the invention a pood round sum, amounting to some hundreds, as a first instalment of his interest in the project. A Rangitikei man who has just returned from the Poverty Bay district states that the condition of dairy stock in that part o£ the colony is remarkable, climate and) the luxuriance of feed being, of course, responsible in great measure for this. Mr Andrew Allan, Government valuer, is at present engaged on a revaluation of theWainxate County, and there, as elsewhere throughout the colony, there will (says the i'imaru Post) be an appreciable advance in \ alues.

, Winter-sown crops are now showing up well in South Canterbury (says the Christchurch Press). A good area is being again put in grain crops this year, but a much larger surca, is being sown in oats than in

wheat, it being considered that oats are likely to pay best next year.

The Canterbury Agricultural end Pa.=-to-lal Association nit-end offering the following prizes in connrction v.ith the hors"> parade on (i'sptenibor 20: — For draught stallions, foaled prior to 50th June, 190/i — first prize £15, ceeond £5, sn-ri honorary certificates for v.h.e. and h.c. For draught stallion, foaled bince 30th June, 1902— first prize £7, tccond £3. and honorary certificates for v.h.c. and h.c. "Entries close with the secretary on September 16.

Writing to Mr F. J. Nathan, Palmerslon XGrfcii, 0:1 Englisli methods of farming, Mr D. J. Nathan, vice-president cf the Manawatu A. and P. Association, says: — "Just; now farmers are in the midst of haymaking. Iz takes about 15 men to- d« 25

acres in a wesk. It '6 :nost amusing io talk to som-9 of tho farmeis. They arc not farmers really, but graziers, and they seem to carry on just about the same methods as one can imagine they did during the Norman Conquest. Farmers are not allowed to plough under leases. The only manure they know of or use is stable rr.anuro from London. As horse feed 13 imported from all parts of ths world, you can imagine the stats of the fields. It is heavy clay land with very littlo artificial drainage;. Cows and all animals get surface water to drink, none of tlie stable manure is covered, and, as the country is undulating, you can picture the condition of the drains and watercourses and the water the animals get. As farmers get Is 4d per lb for butter, they manage to eke out an existence. They cannot understand how we can mako huttar in New Zeatand and send it here at lid per lb; it makes them scratch their heads. The men that are haymaking round the district seem to live on beer; if they do not get, beei every two hours, they want to strike. "When I toll them how things are done in jther parts, they think I am 'pulling thsir leg-s.' A contractor where I am who is doing 500 to 1000 acres, haymaking, has only one horscrake at work, and it is locked upon as a curiosity."

The sixty-ninth hair-yearly meeting of the Sydney Meat Pre&orving Co., Limited, was held last week (says the Australian Meat Trades Journal of the 15th inst.), when the report and balance sheet were submitted. The latter showed a loss of £2695 on the half-year, exclusive of the subsidy of £3619 7hich wa? received. The slaughtering operations for tho half-year ending June 30 19C5, amounted to £28,180, as compared with £48,495 for the previous half-year, and the -croceeds of meats sold were £21,635, as against £39,652 during the six months ending December 31, 1904-.

Shortly after tho declaration of peace in South Africa (says the New Zealand Times) the High Commissioner decided' to send a party of Boors' a? agricultural' delegates on a tour of the British colonies to study and report upon the different methods of agiieulturo and stock-raising they saw. The delegates were .-elected from amongs-t piijoners of war, and duly -visited Xew Zealand. The results of this tcur are set forth in a volume, "Agriculture Within tho Empire," a copy of which has reached us from the Department of Agriculture at Pietovia. In referring to New Zealand, the~ delegates express their thanks to the Premier and the Secretary Tor Agriculture for the interest they displayed in the visitors' tour. In conclusion, they say: — "It was with a feeling akin to sadness that we put out to sea, leaving behind us this land of enow-capped mountains, far-reaching fiords. . .". luscious fruits, and fragrant flowers— the fair-cst of ihe Empire's colonies, the Paradise of the South." ilr Dickie, who for the past five years has been in tho Agricultural Dopprtment as srader and instructor (says the New Zealand Dairyman for August 2). resigned la«fc month to join the firm of Me^rs J. B. M'Ewan and Co. If tbe Government want to retain the services of fir=t-cla=is men, it is quite evident they will have to increase the salaries paid, for every year sees a number of resignations from the staff. The experience thus gamed is lost to the country, and a further loss is sustained, because the new men taken on by the staff require some months of training before they are anything like as useful as the men who-.e places they have taken. \t the Highland show last week (says the North British Agriculturist 01 July 12) Messrs A. and "W. Montgomery sold their first prks two-year-old colt Baron Fyvie to ifr iViiug, iun., of Clinton, Otago, New Zealand. Mr Irving came to the show for the purpose of purchasing, regardless of cost, the animal which he considered the best male Clydesdale in the ,yard, and he had as his adviser Mr James Barrie. Balmedie, who learned the art and science of Clydesdale breeding with the late Mr Lawrence Drew at Merryton, before he wont to Balmedie, where he now acts as demonstrator for the Aberdeen and North of Scotland Agricultural College in the judging of horses. Baron Fyvie, the horse which Mr Irving and Mr Baa'rie fixed their choice upon, and finally secured, haa had a wonderful show-yard record. In fact, he has 1 had a -triumphal march, through the shows of this year— Castle-Douglas, Kilmarnock, Ayr, the "Royal," and the "Highland"— and has never been beaten in his class, while at the Ayr and Royal shows lie won with universal approval the championship as the best malo animal of the breed, and was reserve champion at tlie "Highland." He. is a colt of great .substance and rare

quallty, with the very best conformation and quality of legs, feet, and pasterns,, and great gaiety of action. Baron Fyvie was bted by Mr John P. Sleigh, St. John's Wells, Fyvie, and was got by tho champion breeding horse Baron's Pride, out of Fyvie Bell, whose sire was the Highland Society champion horse Prince Thomas. It is satisfactory to know that tins great horse is not going out of Greate. Britain, and his new owner must have been animated by the spirit ofthe truest Imperialism when he deteaiined to secure this horse for the improvemaat of the Clydesdale breed in New Zaland.

Tha London correspondent of the Pastoralists' Review writes on July 7: — I had a chat the other day with Mr Recce, the mai.ager of the British-iCew Zealand Meat and Trodnco Company, which now has a. ptall at 605 Central Markets. They have shops at Baling, _ Soho, Finsbury. and Dalston — representative London districts. English aiid New Zealand imittcm. lamb, and beef are f,old. I understand that Mr Rsece does not recommend the policy cf extending the shop system, hut he has gone in for selling to public institutions.; the company have contracts with five London o-y-lums. New Zealand consignors, 1 hea'% loyally support the "8.-N.Z.," the -style under which the company trades in its shops. "Zeala Limited " is the title of a meat company retailing- imported meat in the north/ The recent cases in which fineswere levied for selling Australian lamb as New Zealand have injured the reputation of Australian lamb pooularly. The AgentGeneral for New Zealand and his assistants certainly arc pushing- the colony's meat here for all it is worth. Pamphlets, leaflets, cards of directions to cooks, etc., are issued broadcast, and it is the public's- fault if it dees not know all about New Zealand meat. Tbe Congress at Rome called by King Victor for the formation of an International Agricultural Institute has vow terminated. The calling of the congress <sroated considerable interest in expert agricultural circles. Xow that it is over we may say that it is, in our opinion, by no means clear that any particular good will result to the agriculturists of our country. Asa matter of fact, the whole thing, fo tar as we can see after :arefully reading the reports, j amounts to the formation of a port of ota- , tistical Bureau dignified by the name of an institute. Statistics ars most interesting, and often most valuable from the pouit of view of writer on economic and social topics and -from the point of view of statesmen; but we already have in this country a Royal Statistical Society from which practically all the infor-nation the institute 13 likely to obtain of this sort can readily be obtains J. However, we like to see King Victor showing such practical interest in the aoricultuial community of his own land nid th-vb in other parts ot the world.— Rural World for July. Agriculturists nerhaps above all men arc subject tf- disappointments, and were it not that a kindly" nature has endowed tnem with a hopeful disposition, they would often, we fear, be in a state of abject despondency. At the same time there is a bitterness about blighted hopes which would affect the nature of any but a veritable Mark Tapley, and, as it happens, there are not many of these characters about. Last week (says the Mark Lane Express of July 10) we had a dismal story to tell in connection with the financial failure of the Royal Agricultural show, and it was with despondent; feelings that_ we wrote, because w,e, in common with .agriculturists in general, hoped that the big effort made- tlus year would end as everybody wished— successfully. Unfortunately, however, this was not to be, and all the regrets in the world will not alier matters. We havo had opportunities of discussing ths position with farmers and others since tliG disastious figures wore published, and the cno question asked is: What will bo done now? We can only re-echo the question, What, indeed? for the time has not, ec-mo for gning an answer. Hope, however, will not be. suddenly and absolutely quenched a.s long as there is a vestige of a" chance left; and with his inborn tenacitj of nature the agriculturist is now centring his hopes partly on the new council, which comes into nower next month, and partly in his belief that the agricultural interest in this country is too powerful to prevent the Royal show from dropping out of existence. It is said that the right men ore always to be found when a crisis comes. Wo hops it will be so in this case, for there is no denying the deplorable fact that a crisis is reached in the affairs of the Royal Agricultural Society. At. tho meeting of the committee of theAs'hburton A. and P. Association, hokl on the 22nd tost., a- lengthy discussion took place on tha rules bearing on the colouring and trimming of sheep for exhibition pui-p-oses. It was eventually decided to desond the recently-passed rule prohibiting that practice, and to substitute in its place the following:— "The giving of a prize to a sheep shall imply tha* the judges are satisfied that such sheep is fairly shorn, and fairly trimmed, artificial colouring to he prohibited." The seventeenth annual report and balance sheet of the Sefton _ (Canterbury) Mutual Dairy Produce Association is of a very satisfactory character Although the profits were iiot quit© so largo as in the previous year, xhe company now possesses a new brick faotcry, equipped with up-to-

date plant second <c ncno in the colony; ,so far as efficiency goes. The season 3 output of butter showed a substantial incvease of 31 tons over that of 1903-4, whiks the local market (the most remunerative! out. 1 ) increased it» demand by no less than jl7 tons. The surrjlus butter, amounting to 56 tons, was solcl at 9gd per lb. The ' profits weie — Balance brought forward £484 , I3s 7d, on butter £2379 14s 2d, other soiircea £22 3s lOd, which, added to the value of • the stock ir> band (£272 ?,s 9d), made a total I of £3158 14s 4d, The income from butter ! sales was £12,263 10s lid, and the outlay. j for buttei ■ fat £10,488 16s Pel. The directors recommend the paymsnt of a 5 per ce>nt. I dividend to shariholders. , The sub-committee of the Canterbury A. and P. Association which was appointed ta make investigations on the subject of tha 1 fertilisation of red clover by the agency o£ bees has icceived a number of replies to its inquiries, but so far the answers that ' have been received lme not c deled a greati ! deal to tlio knowledge already possessed. A letter from the Agricultural Department* of the United States encloses a report front the Bureau ot Entomology, stating that an expert, was collecting information concerning the giant bees of India and the Philippines, and communication with him coukl be opened up by the Canterbury committee.. A reply, that is expected to bo valuable, is awaited from a noted authority, Lord! Avebury, formerly Sir John Lubbock. In reference to the paragraph stating that a Timaru farmer can remember when, rabbits in Southland were s-o scarce that a close season for shooting there ffas requested, a correspondent of the Christ- , church Press writes as follows: — "I havo 1 before me a copy of the Canterbury Rabbit I Club's rules, printed at the Press office in 1875. The 30 gentlemen who formed tha club, under a" president, other officers, and! committee, and a gamekeeper (to protect rabbits from poachers), had undertook the 1 i> reserving of rabbits on Templar's Island... 1- On Tuesday and Friday, and also Thursday, as a by-day member snaet to shoofi on the island. The members, and visitors? with them, had to enter their names ins the gamekeeper'e book, and such book had! to show 'what rabbits had been ishot and what taken away.' The shooting season began on March 24, and closed on Septem- ■ ter 30. There remain about six ef tha promoters of that club to verify my remarks." Sir 'Walter Gilbey takes a very despon-* dent view of the future of the Royal Agri-* cultural Society's shows. "Unless some* thing- unforeseen occurs," he told a MornI ing Leader representative, "we cannofe ! count on another show. If the necessary funds are not forthcoming the society will have to be .round up. That would be nothing short of a national calamity — I think any sensible person will admit that. The Royal Agricultural Society's ©how 'is a national show, and the onlj' national one held in the United Kingdom." As to the failure of the last show at Park Royal, Sir Walter said it was certain that the London public would never be interested in. anything connected with agriculture. They had had three shows at Park Royal to tesfi it. It was true that as many as 15,000 persons paid Is each ol an evening to visit the Smithfield show at the Agricultural Hall. But the Part Royal show was not so well known as the Agricultural Hall I exhibition. It was difficult and enormously expensive to advertise a show which only lasted lour days. What they had*°Spent in this connection could be imagined when he mentioned the that in 1903 the cost of advertising worked out to lOd for each person who paid to enter the show ground 1 . With reference- to the future, Sir Waltet' held that the Royal Agricultural Society should be put in a position — he would no 6 say how, whether by grant from the Department of Agriculture 01 otherwise — to run the show independently of gate-money". There nevei had been a *shoay in England! I that he knew of, either a royal or other, I which had paid. They were always sub- ( sidised, either by local subscriptions, gifts ■of special prizes, or the like. If the un1 foreseen happened, and the Royal Agricultural Soe : e'iy were in a position to promote snot her show, he thought the railway companies might do themselves and agriculture good by issuing cheap tickets on their ordi- | rary trains to b.-in? up more people from the country districts. He would like to sea ifc taken up as a national question by the press. The largest creamery concern vet formed in Canada (says tlio Montreal Wiln-ess) is, being organised undor the name of th( Canada Produce Company (Limited), capi talked at 250,000d01. London, Hamilton, Toronto, and Montreal capitalists are im