AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2785, 31 July 1907, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

In order to assist settlers in districts affected by drought, the Railway Department has undertaken to carry at ordinary rates and return free of charge from stations in North Otago, including Pahnerston and Pukeuri, ateo Kurow, Ngapara, and Livingstone branches, also from Central Otago and Lawrence branches, to stations in Southland where food is plentiful, ■ sheep and cattle that are starving through shortage of fodder as the result of prolonged drought. A certificate must be given by owners that such stock is being forwarded for depasturing purposes alone, and on return a similar guarantee that the stock is identical with that forwarded to the district for depasturing, and the department has also undertaken to carry free to the districts affected fodder for the purpose of keeping alive starving stock. These concessions will continue until Septemlaer 30. Whenever a plant becomes a pest in Victoria it is officially declared by the Governor-in-Council to be a thistle, and thereafter the provisions of the Thistle Act are applied to its destruction.. Proclamation has now been made tha.t for the future the thorn, apple is to Jbe officially dealt with as a thistle. At KUmore, Victoria, recently a potato digger dug and bagged in one day 4£ tons, or 4.6 bags of potatoes. v "Cow-spanking," said a farmer to a Wairarapa Daily Times reporter, " will soon, be a tning of the past. The milking machine has come to stay, and some pf the appliances now on the market for inducing 'Daisy' to yield her milky product are undoubtedly superior to the average milker." A committee meeting of the Waimate A. and P. Association was held on the 20th inst., Mr E. C. Studholme (president) in the chair. The Secretary reported that the solicitors were of opinion that the association could sue for outstanding subscriptions, entries, and special prizes. The matter was held over to give those whose accounts were still owing a chance to escape legal proceedings. — The amendments in the schedule, as recommended by the sub-com-mittees, were considered. It was resolved to have separate entry forms for the various classes of exhibits. It was also resolved that the duties of the class stewards and marshals be printed in the catalogues. The other amendments vrere gone carefully through and adopted. — The Ground Committee reported that they considered it impossible to carry out the necessary improvements on the present show ground owing to the limited «pace, and recommended that, if possible, arrangements be made "with the racecourse trustees to hold the annual show on the racecourse. After discussion_ it was resolved that it be a recommendation to the members of the association that the proposed alteration be adopted if suitable arrangements can be made, and that a sub-committee consisting of Messrs Brown, Orbell, Hayes, Morgan, and Hunter be appointed to go into the whole question and formulate a definite scheme to lay before a general meeting of the association, to be convened by the chairman. Throughout the Ashburton County since the last rain cropping- is being pushed on. In. the Willowby district work is in full swing, and feed is reported to be fairly good. In the Mayfield district the past autumn is stated by the farmers to have been one of the best experienced for fattening stock. Ploughing is being hurried on, and the ground is reported to be in a suitable condition for turning over, although rain would be acceptable. In the Ruapuna, district a good rain was experienced lately, and the ground is very* satisfactory for ploughing and owing. Lambs are fairly numerous in many districts throughout the Ashburton County. In the Kaponga district there is a good number of Swiss milkers working on wages. The labour of the new blood has been highly appreciated, and these employees seem to have quickly realised the fact that they are considered valuable milkers, for a representative of the Taranalci Herald has heard on good authority that they are combining to strike for 30s a week for the coming season. The results of the potato trials carried out in connection with the Reading Agricultural College. England, show that in e\ery instance a yield w_is obtained from the Irish seed from twice to three times as great as that which resulted when English potatoes were planted, and that the returns from Scottish seed were distinctly better than the English record, rhis shows the advantage of a change of seed. Writing of the season and nro-pects the Pastoraliets' Review of July 15 says : Generally speaking, the pastoral conditions during the last month have shown an improvement. A good deai-of rain has fallen throughout the Commonwealth, and in some States the prospects are distinctly satisfactory. This is specially the ease in South Australia, where the outlook is reported to be brighter than for 10 years past on account of the splendid rains, H'hile in West Australia "'perfect weather" has been the rule, seasonable rains having been followed by warm, bright days. In Victoria thrro have been exceptionally heavy froste, fol-

lowed by cold, squally weather and snow in the mountains, but the rain has been only light, and a good soaking downpour is needed. In New South Wales there hare be«=n good rains over a. large portion of the State, but these were preceded by heavy frosts, and where the grass was scarce, as in the Riverina districts, the mortality in lambing was high. Otherwise the outlook is promising. In the greater portion of the ■ west of Queensland the weather has been exceptionally mild, and the like has not- been seen for 25 year?. Rain is badly, needed here, but in the east and north it has been more satisfactory. In Tasmania tho weather has been quite satisfactory, but in New Zealand more rain is badly needed. Under date June 7 the London correspondent or the Pastoralists' Review writes of the frozen meat trad©: — I had 1 a conversation with Mr Anderson, and I gjve in a compressed form some of the points I gathered from him. Australia has the advantage over New Zealand on account of her many markets. The- West Coast service as an alternative to London was absolutely necessary for New Zealand. The buyer has such manifest advantages, as the business is conducted, that there is no need of "rings." Australia, is getting & higher relative value for her meat here than New Zealand. The former has a better selling system here than New Zealand. . In all businesses but this there are- means of getting at the statistical position and prospective supplies. In the colonial frozen meat trade there are .no means, consequently meat is often sold below its proper value. Plate meat is much more »teady, because, its method of business is superior. It is bad for New Zealand meat to come here to people who have no direct _ interest in the trade nor controlling authority. Except on a reported short market full prices are not obtainable. Concentration would remedy this, but this is difficult to bring about. There is nothing to complain of as to retail distribution ; there are good and many shops selling the meat all over the land. It is a mistake to hold all the meat on this side. Australian meat must be graded on a more thorough system. The annual meeting of shareholders of the South Canterbury Dairy Company will be held on Saturday, August 10. Although the past season has been somewhat unfavourable to the dairying industry, the company has had a successful year, and financially it is the best since the establishment of the factory. The year's turnover was more than £27,000. The directors propose to pay a = dividend to shareholders of 5 per cent, and a bonus to suppliers. The two " lightning" bird traps provided for farmers' use by the Mandeville and Ra-ngiora Road Board have been doing such effective service that the board has decided to procure two more. A farmer in the Woodend district in a few days captured about 2000 birds with one of the traps, and another in the Flaxton district was almost equally successful. Considerable excitement has (says the King Country Chronicle of July 19) been caused during the week by the phenomenal rise in the- price of cocksfoot, which has risen over a penny per pound within a few days. The reason assigned is the shortage of crops in England and America, the New Zealand returns having been well up to the average during the past season. Prices have risen from s±d to 6£d per pound within a few days, and the prospects point to a still- higher rise. So high a price has not been reached since 1894, when, consequent upon the shortage of the Banks Peninsula crop, prices reached from 6d to 7d per pound. Reports now being received show how seriously the lambing has been affected by the dry season in New South Wales. On many runa the lambs were destroyed as they were dropped in order to save the ewes, and on many others the percentage was extremely low. One station-owner in Sydney last week stated tEat of 10,000 ewes he had lost 3000, and had only about- 100 lambs alive. This is doubtless an extremely harsh case (remarks the Herald), but when the figures for the year are published the increase in our flocks is likely to be disappointing. Referring to the London butter market, the special correspondent of the Pastoralists' Review Temarks:— For best sorts of colonial butter there has been, and is still, a fair demand. Inferior sorts, however, are not wanted in view of the large supplies corning forward from the Continent, especially Russia. All but the best grades of Australian and New Zealand butter are therefore being held for future sale. The season has not been:- anything like as good as had been anticipated, and towards the end prices have consistently weakened. Now they 6tand at a comparatively low figure. To producers who w«re fortunate enough to sell their whole output before the season commenced thistfloes not matter, at any rate for the present, but doubts are expressed whether English firms will be as ready next time to give as high prices as they have done, especially for New Zealand butter. This colony must have done remarkably well judging by the shoals of colonists who have been for tho past month, and are, flocking into London.