AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL.

The benefit of cheap mirogrocua manure is admitted on all %aadft to &ft fccaltalciijfe in agriculture. Looa) brandies of tfii Farmers' Union have been inquiring' fhC&f the cost of its manufacture, •Jtti'ra reply ta a oommunicaJJon from on« of these ax* authority on the subject asj*t — tr lf calcfuJjii nitrate were available for th« formers at* £ay, £10 per ton, it would enable then* to produce a great Increase fn the yield! of all their crops, especially grasse* aadf cereals. Indeed, it waul* enable them to feed two cheep where they sow feed <raev The process of manufacture Involves the production of electrical power of. immense tension, and requiring, therefore), fl&rge; horee-power for its generatfanv Only thus) can it be economically voxkedV Frortl 3000 to 5000 horse-power i» tequJredV and the only available source of mob great power 'is wmier. Ttt *T«» fffwibTrrT 4&4 Government hae reserved ell *n« greatf water supply; therefore any acftema ftp utilisation of such a process requires «fth«i to be carried out by the Government oa with its co-operation. T believe ft might be necessary to face an mpamlfture off £350,000. It is therefore » •ofierae wbfdp would require very full oonodexctfonc but as a national benefit there fa no vailwax to be mentioned in the tame Breath witS it" Owing to the lateness of the spring tfie expozt Season n t&e Auckland frozea meat trade has been very much delayed- Up; Ggi this time 2e*t /ear thousands of quarter* of beef had bean shfnradl Home. fa fact throughout October the •hipmenta ef beef from Auckland were exceedingly large. Thur wa* perha.pt> to a. eartaitt extent due to the feet that a freight was waa then ojq between toe snipping com> paniev, and it was a. fonbihf tor pounol cheaper to eonritagi froaso; meat to tha Home markets. So tkt tafflt season tßor* hae not been a. single sßijnnvmt of beef. Freight* are vp % pfloea. ar§ Up, and th« blight wait •uch. "tjfiafi there wae no wintefr feed on wMcit to cangcjdiock over.. Before Ghntimse lasrß vee* "SSw lamb* Dad been SdSB9p6Cl v(& JDQfIUUtXQL, uftv vIUS 90fl00lX TnSftf ' wffl not be i&Qpi Novertßelew, irj tJist opuiMn of M> Btrjngg* (frecretarr of th«i the season wilt W a goad ©tie, tfiaugh verjr late. H Id to ittfljfc iraraj cfew* nitfitf *W mortt^ inft, se& Rfc Brain* te worfr ecct hit on a* BoteljAa «df aeeomj«h&4tar &ia t*»t with ctee. Hi* plant vw vO> bail up* two cowi* ■fiok straw*, tiftfig* actled at ftypfton*, ujji the teete of one cowl wAjfa ac milked th© otheav *»4 *° P*** MMiawfu; HeraTal declare* thaft ft acted very- welt— until hi* A ftea**irt ftt*ns£i» ww jmreii to Mr F4F 4 G. Glorer, «B<> m* wd«ntV poranseedi • him V davit pho^fng: ifiro aeven teamsv by wmoti a large ecee waft taruedf ovec. &x t»e day. Shearers are reporied to be cparce onl the Tokomairira Piafo this year. -• Tha trouble seeme to be thai wfter tRe thov* most of Hho fanners wanit to> make * «imultan«ou» start wkh their generaE shearFarmina land in Otakl is ctilf tetchlns record pxtcat, and £50 per «sre ha» been paid for a smell ftttmv ~ Bomo South Canterbury Jkrmera hold stocks of jpotetoee km wßioh- tftejr refußed £6 and £9 per ton egme Iftt% footi ago% They could lot get £7 per ton for then* to-day. " The best eheariDs; «easou for 30 years*'* i* the opinion of c Mttrtsrfoii station man^ ger on the preeeni a«aaonv A great deal of Cape weed & noticeable among the hay araps io and ajound Car* terton and down the Wafcaxapc Valley.. Standing in a farmyard *f Afaßy, nea« Ajßoaeter, is a wheat itaek cvt* 30 year* oHi. ?*e owner b«s rowed tlat he- will not thresh the stack until *heat makes £3 P %M Ttoiru Post of the lltfc ipsb. /eporte that the jMt-diminishinf stocjb o* Vfteatj held in TSimaru «etc nw*frialljr Jfdtoaed by a_Urge flhipmant of llfiOQ mOtif by tea c.a. W>4ngape for Anofcland^ tnadtf r prffl» oipelly by the Qantefbwy WubbkhT Cos* operative Attooiation. Thia as Sbm fcrgaeti sjipment of wheat by one steamer «ihc# their delivery of 16,000 saoks by the ••«, Havertham (grange for A/rica. io 1805. The anttual mee*mg of shareholders of the Fairlie SaieyaKfc Company waa held at Fairli» on the otb inst. In prescotuic| the report and balsooe sheet to the .mewing the CJiaurman (Mr J. B. Goodwin) «»M that he considered that it "bowed * wrji satiafactory state of affair*. The net profit vu £47 IS 4d. The dipping aeootm* showed a profit of £36 4e 3d, and yardage fees amounted to £48 IU. During the year several improvements and addition* had been made to the yftrds, oosting in a^l £50 6s 6d. The retiring tKrectow were »tappointed. It was decided to endeavour tj» arrange fortnightly sales during the month* o? February, March, and April. I* waj decided that the profit of £47 15s 4^ should be resorted for making futura addition* to the yards, whicli, before long, would probably be necesary # A meeting of the general committee of tno Canterbury A- and P. Assooiatjon was held on Wednesday last, Mr H. B. PerymaiJ (president) in the chair. A statement of the receipts and expenditure in connection with the November show stated that the association had scoured a credit balance of £510 6s. The receipts had amounted to £2456 2a 9d (entry fees £837 Bs, booths and! catalogues £165 12s, takings al gates £124* 4s 9d, private prizes £195 4s, sundry receipt

£13 14s), and the expenditure to £1945 16s 9d (money prizes £1074 lls 6d, private prizes £185 4s, prize medals £161 17e, judges' expenses £127, printing and advertising £115 5s 3d, clerical assistance and labour, £221 8s 3d, sundry expenses £110 10s 9d). It was decided that the various committees should be instructed to make reports upon the show as early as possible. Accounts lor £2305 Is were passed for payment. The Chairman said that the association could be congratulated upon the success of the show, more especially as something in the nature of a reaction might Itave been expected after the special effort of the Exhibition, year. The figures for the past six years had been as follows : — Takings Entry. Credit, ■t gates. Fees. Balance. £ £ £ 1902 .. tt .. 1138 740 444 1908 1468 796 736 . 190* 1480 779 746 1906 1081 902 458 190(1 .. — -.. 1312 1047 266 1907^ 1244 837 510 The failure 'of the implement manufacturers ip exhibit had meant «. loss of about 100 in entry fees, co that the position was real'y very satisfactory. Mr Murphy said that the first day was not really a show dtfy *)t all, mad he saw no reason why all the judging should not b* done on Thursday and Friday. A change ia that direction a great convenience to the judges. was that all exhibits should be in P Wednesday evening, add that the ould really be a two days' one. nge on the first day Had been only If Maofarlane said that the show (had been a very, successful one indeed, and the association could be congratulated. Sighteen new members were elected. The New South Wales ( Department o e Agriculture had a splendid opportunity presented it during the recent drought of mmoDstflatmg to the farmers of the State the value ofc suqh a time of thorough working of the soil s>nd good cultural methods generally, and it took full advantage of }t. The result was a magnificent lesson, •which, if headed, will put vast sums of ntoney into the pockets of the Australian farmer at times when Nature is at war wrm him. Crops of wheat were sown |n May last and were cut for hay in September. One sample stood 4ft high. This At » time when farmers working under ordinary conditions could not grow anything. Th& system adopted by the department was early ploughing, rotation of crops, and harrowing immediately after rain, the chief ODjeot bftins to «onMrr« moisture by Iceegwf 1 light dust mulch on the surface. The ground was ploughed Bin deep. There was little manure put on, but green manuring, xs*», etc., was a feature of the system. '%» whole of the work was done- with ciso ploughs and harrows. The overcoming of drought conditions by this scientific < ffewtment of .the soil was repeated at the tmwtal experimental farms m the State, 4nd it is declared thai, judging by the in1 «reet farmers generally have taken in tpem, the demonstrations will have an ira- ! lOrt&nt bearing on future management of Crops by New South Wales farmers. Tbe new cold stores erected for Mesers ty. B. Tuill and Co. at Durban have a Spacity of 600,000 cubic feet, and there "s 10 a small Ice-making plant. The whole installation Is of a ' very up-to-date and complete character, two 26-ton Hercules Refrigerating machines being drivea by two 60 h.p. Orossley gas engines supplied with gas by suction producer plant. The in4uTating material used is malthoid. Oold Storage reports that the Improved Chilling Company (Ltd.), which is exploiting 'the new Lindley system, is now making arrangements for the disposal of the rights in various directions, and a company «» being formed to acquire the South Ameflcan rights. The capital of this company will be £30,000, but we understand that only a limited number of shares will b« offered lor subscription, and only those tntfweated in the trade will be invited to Bubsorlbe. In the meantime, a contract baa bean catered into with the Improved Chilling Company to fit up the Guardiana 90 that its utmost capacity may be utilised for carrying chilled meat under this process, and one of the largest meat compares in the Argentine will ship by this vessel. As regards the rights in other 4rrections, tie Australian Meat Trades' journal gathers that this will be a tnaiter for treaty. The Improved Chilling Company (Ltd.) will oolleot a royalty of per stone from all meat carried under its system. In one part of Poverty Bay district the Maori sheepfarmers have a telephone system of their own. whioh they have erected throughout the district. It consists of 141 miles of telephone wire. They have erected it cheaply, at about £11 per mile. They have a central exchange, and pay and employ two or three telephone assistants to carry on their work. At the recent Auckland show a Lincoln Tarn, owned by Mr J. R. M'Elwain. of Waiukn, took' first prize in class 172, which ■wag for rams in the- wool, to be shorn before tho judge. Mr M'Elwain's sheep, which is under 18 months old. established a record, shearing 33j}lb of wool. An Eketahuna farmer has just installed a milking machine, and he reports that three hands tite other morning completed the milking of 60 cows in 90 minutes. He considers that after three milkings the cows will fiive" more milk with the machine fchan by hand. wi showing to what an extent dairying,

is carried on, it is interesting to learn , that no lees a sum than £688,495 has been paid out to farmers for milk up to the 1 present time by the New Zealand Farmers' J Dairy Union. This sum is for milk alone, 1 besides whioh £75,887 has been paid out I for wages, firewood, and carting.