AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 21

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The Chief Dairy Commissioner (Mr J. A. Kinsella) reporting to the Minister for Agriculture, says:— "The quality of the dairy butter exported from New Zealand is, as a rule, very, disappointing, and taking it all round, it does not show theslightest improvement from season to season. When one knows the conditions under which this butter is made it is not J;o bo wondered at. The packing and finish "of this class of produce are often found to have been roughly and carelessly performed, the boxes are allowed to become dirty or soiled, and the general got up of j the packages leaves much to be desired." The estimate prepared by the Victorian Government Statist (Mr W. M'Lean) shows that the total value of produce for the year 1904 throughout Victoria was £31,652,033. The primary products represented '£22,466,795, and the value added during the process of manufacture was £9,185,238. ! Mount Bengor Station, Hurunui, consisting of 300 acres freehold, 3050 acres leaseholdj about 2500 sheep, implements, etc., was sold as a goin°- concern at Christchurch on Saturday for £9200. Twelve members attendee? a committee meeting of the Northern A. and P. Association recently, at which the president (Mr F. Lane) occupied the chair. The Canterbury A. and P. Association called attention to the resolutions adopted by the Agricultural .Conference regarding experiments in farming and raising crops. The Minister of Agriculture had agreed to contribute £1 for £1 towards the cost of the experiments,- whitk-the sub-committee of the Canterbury Association suggested might be made this 4 season with (1) ,potato-growing, (2) manuring of pastures, (3) limeing of clay lands, (4) top-dressiSg" of grain crops, autl (5) nifcro culiure.. A resolution was

carried — " That this association will heartily co-operate with the Canterbury Association m piomoting thedo practical experiments." Mr and Mrs T. Wyllie %vero elected life members, and six new annual members were elected. Several matters of detail were arranged in respect of the show. On the subject of abattoirs, the Chief Veterinarian. Mr Gilruth, remarks in his annual report: — "In Auckland and Wellington the act is still being disregarded. Nothing whatever has been done towards the erection of an abattoir in either city. Time and again sufficient facts have been adduced to prove the desirability of abattoirs for these two cities hg.iv erected (to say nothing of the fact that the act makes it a compulsory duty of the local authority to do so), if the moat supply is to be drawn from absolutely reliable sources; but, with the exception of choosing and abandoning various proposed sites in Auckland, and setting up a committee (which apparently did nothing) in Wellington, no attempt has been made to fulfil the obligations laid by the act upon the two municipalities referred to." Ninety-five English Leicester ram hoggets and 25 ewe hoggets of the same breed were shipped for Melbourne by Messrs Wright. Stephenson and Co. in the s.s. Moeraki on Friday last. They came from the estates of Mr W. Grant, Washdyke, Mv G. LilL Dunsandel, and Mr A. Metcalfe, Rangitata. The Kokalahi Dairy Factory, being so far the only dairy factory in Westland, has made arrangements with local merchants for the sale at increased prices of the whole of the' season's output, which is expected to realise £8000. The Post says that fault is found by Dr Valintine, Health Officer for Wellington, with the milk inspection of that district. He says the Department will be failing in its duty if it does not by some means or other bring about a speedy reform in this direction. The report of the District Health Officer showed the unsatisfactory condition under which cows are milked, the general insanitation of the dairies and byres, and the filthy condition of many of the cans in which the milk is conveyed to the city. -Incidentally Dr Valintine remarks that a good many people, are under the impression that many of the dangers of impure milk can be obviated by .sterilisation. It cannot, he says, be .too strongly insisted upon that sterilisation cannot purify a dirty milk. He 'pleads for an improvement in the system of inspection and control of the milk supply.

Mr Samuel Turner, F.R.G.S., a writer and lecturer of some note, and also a director of the firm of Wilier and Riley, Ltd., general provision importers of Manchester, London, and other large centres of population in Great Britain, arrived in Wellington on Wednesday last (says the New Zealand Times) from Eltliam. His business in New Zealand is connected with the operations of his firm, which is largely engaged in the importaiioa of butter and cheese. Since he came ro New Zealand about a month ago, Mr Turner has devoted practically all his attention to the dairying industry. He thinks we have reason to be proud of the exceptionally excellent organisation of this industry and its effective co-operative system. Mr Turner not so long ago toured Siberia, and carefully examined the conditions of the dairying industry in that territory. - He is of opinion that the climate of New Zealand and the general conditions that prevail here are in all respects more conducive to the successful production of butter and cheese than any part of the world. His firm takes these products on i consignment directly from the factory to the retail distributers in different centres in Great Britain, and have at present upwards of 9000 retail customers ready to buy what is suitable. In the summer months their trade is equal to 11.000 boxes per week, and in winter to 4000 boxes. They want to make up tha,t shortage of 7000* boxes from this colony, and he is bu^y seeing if this can be done. One thing our producers must do is to meet the prejudices of the Lancashire district, which carries the densest population of any part of Great Britain. There a very pale butter is required— almost the colour of lard. Once that alteration is made. Mr Turner believes that the New Zealand article will capture the market which has so long been m the hands of the Danish producer. . It is computed by the chief Government hemp-grader (Mr Fulton) that the loss to the colony on the year's working caused by the production of low grades of hemp is upwards of £50,000, the calculation being based on the difference of prices for "common" and "fair" grades as against those for "good fair." Not only -is there a direct loes in the output of a lowgrade article, but an indirect one, caused, he maintain.*, by the prejudice created jn the minds of manufacturers, who, perhaps bein°- unaware of our better and best quail--ties,°discard New Zealand fibre under the . impression that they have seen our best. A writer in the County Gentleman, in speaking upon Holland and the Dutch farmers, saye that/ it is of no small importance to find "a nation of pastorahste and small growers who are stoutly opposed to protective tariffs." The writer in question (observes the Rural World) is badly informed ; for Holland only admits certain goods free (which she wants), whilst others are heavily taxed. For in6tance,Jf a British farmer wants to send cheese to Holland he must pay for the privilege of doing so to the extent of 4s 2|d per ewt, on fresh meat 5s Id per cwt, and also duties on other goods of an agricultural character. Whatever may, have been written on the subject of potato disease prevention (remarks an agricultural scientist in the Dublin Farmers' Gazette), the practical work in connection with it is somewhat in advance of theory. The life history of the fungus during its greatest activity is fairly well understood, but the- full history of the resting-spores. and whence and how they arrive upon the green leaves, has still to be cleared up. It is stated that the spores wash down from the tops and infect the exposed tubers, and that covering deeply with earth is a protection. This is purely theoretical, as I constantly find some of the deepest and be-,t-proteeted tubers are infected, whilst the more exposed are not. Neither is it yot known why and how the copper salt^ act in preventing the harmful activity of the sporo* on the plant. Xt may be that the copper salts come into contact with the spores and so destroy them. Thid theory is commonly ad\aneed; but I think it is quite as likely that the copper salts produce an pftVct on the plant that it js no longer a suitable habitat for tha fungus.

Th« agricultural statistics recently published (says the Rural World 1 for August) are exceedingly interesting, especially to

tariff reformers. The amount of wheat imported from foreign countries last year was 55,391,000cwt, and the amount imported from British possessions was 42,391,500cwt. The amount imported from foreign countries and from British possessions in 1903 was respectively 60,236,045cwt and 27,894,985cwt It thus appears that foreign countries sent us considerably less wheat last year than they sent us in 1903, and that our British possessions sent us very considerably more last year than they sent us in 1903. The question which arises here is, Suppose wo had no British possessions at all in 1904, and had relied only on foreign countries? Not only would the wheat crop have been considerably le.ss than would have met our requirements, Wit we should, of course, have had to pay considerably more for it! Mr Chamberlain's policy is manifestly the right one for all of us who care to think wisely for ourselves instead of merely from a party political standpoint. Steve Boreham writes:— "Whatever ma? have been said to the contrary at the annual meeting of the sheepowners' union yesterday, re the price of shearing uot being increased, I declare that the price has been increased in most, if not all, the North Otago sheds, and I venture -to say that befoie the shearing is over in South Otago and Southland the squatteis in these parts will see their way clear to give the small price of 2d pel sheep, and thu3 be in line with their northern friends. Aud why shouldn't they? Look at the price of wool!"