AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2801, 20 November 1907, Page 6

AGRI CULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

"We are only in th© embryo 6 tag© as re^aids the flax industry in New Zealand," said a flax expert to a Hastings Standard representative last week. " I have been informed on the very best authority that a considerable amount of the so-called Japa >ese silk is manufactured from New Zealand flax fibre, and I have no reason whatever to doubt the statement. We have the material, climate, and coil which will enable us to produce the finest grade of fibre in the world, and although price* have dropped Very considerably of late that will only be temporary as regards the product manufactured in the Dominion. Quality must tell, and the use of the latest improved machinery and scientific treatment in the preparation of the fibre must eventually place New Zealand hemp in the front rank of the flax industry." Mr J. Fraser told a representative of the Timaru Herald that 32 years ago, when

he was etationmaster at Springston, wheat

was as high as it is at present. A buyer told him he would give 6a a bushel for all

wheat delivered at the Lincoln mill, about six miles away. Mr Fraser at once sent word to a farmer, Mr Muir, who had wheat in etook. Mr Muir got a threshing

machine in, and as fast as the stuff was

threshed, carted it off to Lincoln, where some of it was gristed, and brought back to the farm, where Mrs Muir used it for

making econea.

There is no country to compare with Britain in point of variety and excellence of its live stock resources. An enumeration, which does not pretend to be complete, of the various 'breeds represents Britain ac possessing 17 different breeds of horses, 18 of cattle, 26 of sheep, and nine of total of 70

pigsThere is a great demand for small dairy farms in the fahiatu* district, but the farmers are co satisfied with their outputs that they are unwilling to sell or lease unless at a high figure. Th» Arataki Experimental Farm, in Bawke'e Bay, is to be converted from a vineyard into an orchard. Fruit-growers in the district will benefit by experiments to be initiated next year at this centre. A new Business is being 1 commenced jn Hawke's Bay. It is that of contract shearing 1 by machine in the sheep-owners' sheds. The shear ei s have portable machines, with engines, etc., which they remove from place to place as required. Some time ago (says the Timaru Herald) Mr W. King announced that he would give two prizes of £3 33 and £2 2a to the men making the largest takes in North Canterbury with his patent spar-'OiV net during the season. The claims were receivea and the prizes paid at the Ohr ; stchurch fhow. The first prize was won by W. F. Jackson, of Hunter, who after using the trap with great success ;n; n Waimate last year, this year *bund a more profitable field of work in the Eyreton road distriot. where he received 9d per dozen for 17,899 small birds. The second pr : ze was also won by a South Canterbury man, E. H. Wilson, of Glen-iti, who worked the trap in Aslißurton County, and was paid Is a dozen for 15,993 birds. The third telly was E. Boland's 13,200. Jackson's highest single catch was 651, and Wilson's h'ghest was 566.

Mr M. Murphy, the veteran ex-sevetary

of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pas ♦ toral Association, who oontinuos to take 1 a very live interest Jn all matters appertaining to the association, remarked lo a representative of the Christchurch Press last week that he had been particularly interested at the recent show in the young farmers' judging competition, and he had been especially struck with the earnestness with which the third-year students a*" the Canterbury Agricultural College at Lincoln entered into the competition. It was from these student 3 and others that future judges were to be drawn, and it was indeed pleasing to note the thoroughness with which they did theyr work. There were seven or eight students in the competition, and their work, was very favourably commented upon by many farmers and others who witnessed it. As is pretty generally known, another part of the practical instruction received by the students is their attendance at the weekly sa'es of stock at Addington, where they go round the pens and value the stoclc"prior tc the sale, prices fixed by the individual student beinqr compared with the actual prices realised. Extensive additions are bein^ made to the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company's works. Since the burning down of tha fellmongery department last season a new and up-to-date building has been erected. The company has in course of construction and nearing completion a, new slaughtering board and also another large freezing chamber. With these additions they will bo able to handle a very much larger supply of stock. Mr W. T. Lill, of Willowbv, Ashbuiton, has had a lambing in a flock of 700 four

and six-tooth crossbred ewes of 128 per cent. That of his two-tooth flock, over 300 in number, was much lower, bringing the total for the whole fleck down to a Ijttle over 100 per cent. Mr Lill told an Ash-

burton Guardian representative that he does net remember the flocks lookin? so well in the wool for years; but he added that while the ahoep will shear good strong 1 staple wool, it will be light in the absence of a full yolk, as the first six months' growth on the sheep's back received a check. Mr M. Millar, with a flock of 400 ciossbrede, has had a return <>! 120 per cent. Generally speaking-, Ihr- lanib-ng percsntagp? distributed* over the whole county will ho vjpll over 100.

Th<» f-ii-borrif Sh^ep-farmer*-' Compar.y w , V^j.l-1 \t vJie pre^jnt time with nicie

money than it knows what to do with% It is limited to a payment of 6 per cent* in dividends, and to get rid of its surplus it is allotting shareholders extra shares paid up to the extent of 10s. Gne shareholder with 20 shares received hie 6 per cent, and in addition was allotted 30 extra shares paid up to the extent of 10s pec share out of profits, and it is very unlikely that the other 10s will ever be called! up, for the balance will be paid out of future profits, and he /will get his 6 pec. cent, on 50 shares instead of 20.

The Sydney correspondent of the Australasian writes that the outlook has bee it completely altered, for although the rainfall is too late to save the wheat crop iti is of incalculable value for stock. Tho wheat was past a general recovery, bub still the yield will be materially increased by the downpour, and hay crops will be. better. The fall was heaviest in the soutbi and middle west, where it ranged from lint to 3in. Practically- the whole of the wheatt and sheep country benefited to an e\tenU which will give grass a big impetus and! ensure a good- summer. In the north tho falls ran up to about l£in. The rain mean« the cessation, of falling values in store stock and widespread relief. All classes of fodder should cheapen. In" the city the news caused much excitement.

Last season there were 250,000 acres under wheat in Western Australia, yielding an average of 11 bushels. The avirage price was 2s od, the total value being £347,750. This season there are 320,000 acres approximately under wheat, and tha average is estimated at 12 bushels, withi an average price of nearly 5s pet bushel, and the total value to farmers will, if tha estimates be realised, be £960,000-. Tho value of the hay crop will, it ia estimated, be fully £300,000 in excess of that of last year, so that with the exportation of lambs and good prices for wool farmers alona should realise little less than £1,000,000 in excess of last year's returns. Two rams shorn in the Warracknabeal district, Victoria, produced fleeces the aggregate weight of whioh was 441b. A Kaikoura correspondent writes thai! the spell of dry weather experienced thera for about two months proved favourable for lambing, and in many sheds the shearing 1 is completed. Bain commenced 1 to) fall on the 9th and continued for some two days, a change which proved welconus to farmers and pastoralists alike. Work on the new wharf, to cost over £6000, has been commenced by M'Lean Bros-., of Wellington, and is to be completed in 15 months.

The Canterbury Meat Preservers' Industrial Union of Workers have filed a dispute with the Christohurch Meat Company and other firms, asking for a review of tha conditions of labour. The demands ->f the union are for a week of +3 hour?, minimum wage of £4 per week to foremen, slaugh* termen Is 6d per hour, collarmen Is 3d 1 , general factory hands is 4£d, ecalders Is 3d, store hands Is 4£d, and factor/ assistants Is. The dispute has been provision, ally set down for hearing on the 10th prox* At the monthly meeting of the Cnntet* bury Chamber of Commerce, held 0.1 th« 11th inst., Mr A. Kaye (president) in the chair, the Flour and, Other Products Mono* polies Prevention Bill was under discussion, and it was decided to forward copies of tho resolution passed at the annual meeting to the members of the Legislative Council. The resolution was as follows:— "That in the interests of the agriciltural community of New Zealand it is very undesirable that the existing duties ort wheat and flour should be interfered with in the direction of any reduction. The annual meeting of shareholders off the Ashburton County Stock anct Saleyards Company was held on the 12th insfc.« Mr O. J. Harper (chairman of directors! presiding. The directors reported a credit; balance of £728 Is Sd on the profit and loss account, and recommonded that a bonus of 10s per share should be paid, absorbing!. £300, and a dividend at the rate of 8 per cent., absorbing £288, and the> balance of £140 Is 5d should be carried! forward. The report was adopted, and Messrs J. E. Trevor and^ J. C. N. GrijTS were re-elected directors. Mr F. Makeigl was re-eleoted auditor, and the directors re-eleelcd Mr Harper chairman. At a formal statutory meeting of th© Riverina Frozen Meat Company, held recently in Melbourne, the Chairman said thati tho absence of suitable stock for freefcinjr in Riverina this season owing to wmt of rain made it impossible for the company to turn the works to profitable advantage ttl this direction. As numerous inquiries had been made from owners- of stock, it was decided to open a boiling-down works* Operations were commenced on October 22, and 2000 head were being treated daily. As sufficient stock had been book".l to keep the works open until the middle of December, it was estimated that a fair margin of profit would be made. Messrs Birt and Co. (Ltd.), Brisbane, *ra educating the farmers on the Downs 'fi the export lamb trade. They receive small consignments— 4o lambs and over. The average must be 341b. All over 401b or under 281b they refuse to export, and theso are sold to local butchers. Every lamb rejected is inspected by the manager himselfi for final decision, 'i'hifl scheme has beeij most successful, and has given great satisfaction. From 5000 to 7000 lambs in all will be exported from South Queensland this season. _ A valuable Border Leicester ram, Leaston Record, arrived at Lyrteltor. on Thursday last by the Mamari from London. J-ne ram, which was landed in excellent «mdi* tion, was sent to Quail Island to undergc* the customary period of quarantine. Leaston Record, which was purchased at a voryi high nrice at Home, was bred by Air A. r. Las. K. Smith, of Leaston, and was jm« ported by Messrs Little Bros., of Oamarti. The following items are from the Australian Meat Trades Journal of the st« inst:— Owing to the lack of ac(»mmoda* tion at the Government cool stores m Mel* bourne, 10,000 lambs had to be rofvwedi treatment last week, and It is expected that for the current week the number refused will be 15,000. The present capacity of the .stores is between 17,000 end 18,000 weeklyf In consequence of the inability* of the stores to deal with all the iamb* offered, some of the buyers could nofc operate, and market prices to-day gunereJ in consequence.— The prospect* for the beef export trade from Queensland to any large^ extent are not too promising 1 . For some*

Tares or vetches give abundance of feed in winter and spring. Sow two bu«h«la pcX acre mixed with rye, corn, or Cape barl*y» Supplied bar Kimmo tu<J Blair.^i

we have forecasted that it would be in 1910 before things would get back to Iheir normal condition. It now looks as if it will take very much longer. Bullocks are now being killed at three years old, and are frozen at that No aged bullock* are left. There ar« very few fours and no fives, axes, or seven-year-olds. There may be tome fours in the Gulf, but certainly none (other than those that won't fatten) in Queensland.