AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL AN D PASTORAL NEWS.

_ .Mr Taverner (-^gent-general for Victoria in. Ijondon) "has. been! inquiring- into the rproepeets- of- s trade in . frozen rabbits between Victoria and Germany and France. He -has- informed the- Minister of Agriculture" (Mr Swinburne) that the tariff of 7e 6d per orate, and the freight and landing charges of 3s 2d per orate, must block any trade in rabbits between "Victoria ad GferJmany, but he thinks there is an opening for *he sale of rabbits in France. The firm of Benoil-Levy, 10 Rue dcs Prouvaires, Paris, already sells small quantities of Australian arabbite, and Mr Taverner says that, after dedubting all charges, the firm will pay Us 6d or 12s per case of 24 rabbits. He advases exporters to try some shipments to . Paris; . The recent stud shep sales in Sydney a total of £48,591, averaging- £6 6s 2d each, as compared with a total of J86\092, averaging £8' 6s sd, last year. A settler, formerly, of Milton 'and now of Gore, purchased two of the farms on the Hon. Mr M'Nab's Knapdale Estate on Saturday. One hundred and fifty acres co=t £16, and 12& acres £14 15s. A man named Wolfe established what is claimed as a record at pulling maize on the farm of Mr L. Gowinpr. at Jellat Jellat, New South Wales, by pulling 45 bags in a day of nine hours. It is stated tha.iT butter- is being cent froii* Melbourne to the dairying districts of Victoria for consumption by dairyfarmers' families. A country correspondent, in referring to lambing, states to the Ashbuxton Mail that lie has noticed very few instances of twins having been born this season. It is seldom, he stafes, that lambs have been born bo strong and fiealthy as those now to be Seen in the paddocks in various parts of .the county. -' rThe Canadian authorities are alive to the 'importance of maintaining the reputation of th& produce of their coontrj in their best markets. Their eagerness in tin's direction has led to the publication of s.n appeal to farmers and others in the Dominion to exercise greater care in the selection and grading- of cheese sent to the SrilisL. jna.rkets. Ifc has been found that 'during: the past two years considerate of Canadian cheese have been shipped in a arreen condition, and as this immature produce is liable to injure the reputation of Canadian cheese as a whole, makers and shippers are strongly urged to see that the practice its abandoned. It is an obviously imprudent proceeding to a£temr> f ' \ force matters too far in thi6 directio Artificial irening has been carried' to the utmost point for very many years, but those interested in the trade in Cemadian cheese are finding to their cost that the bounds of prudence are being overstepped, and the urgent appeal they make' concerning the matter should meet with respect and -approval* in. the- Dominion. In the milk yield contests at the Royal Show, Newcastle, England, Lord Eothsohildis shorthorn cow Darlington Crawford V. came •out* an easy winner, for although ' she had been 83 days in milk, her milk yield in 24 hours was 781b 12oz of 4- per cent, butter-fat. The next highest yield- / "was 591b 12oz, given respectively by liord Rothschild's, red polfed cow Oarissa and Mr Howie's" Ayrshire cow "Midland Greenfield. The latter co-v, however, did not get first prize in the Ayrshire section, as Mr Niebet'e cow Dalfibble Daisy Bell look first prize with a yield of 541b 4oz after being 1 132 days in milk, whereas Midland Greenfield had been only 73 daj-6 in milk. Arrangements .have been made for the of an experimental vegetable

garden at Cheltenham, "Victoria, where Mr J. "Wedd will conduct operations on four acres of his farm in co-operation with the ojfioers of lie Victorian. Agricultural Department. *. Different varieties of market gaoden produce will be grown,, and experiments made to test the suitability of, the various— manures and the amount required as a top dressing, whether singly or in combination with others. The experiment will extend over a period" of three years, but this tearm may be extended l i£ tho resulte are satisfactory. > ; The amount of money spent annually in, the United Kingdom on milk is so enormous that its importance as a food can , hardly be over-estimate d. In round numbers (says the Municipal Journal) it is about £120,000,000, about twe-thirds of the ccoti of the Boer war, about three-fourths of the annual drink bill, and, roughly, about oneeixth of the National Debt. Save in very rare instances — so rare that they need not be considered — no cow should be milked before calving, neither should she be exercised after calving. Prior to calving she can do with plenty of exercise, as it tends to loosen, up her udder and put her blood into proper circulation. Do not be in too 'great, a hurry to milk out after a cow calves; do not milk her on* until 12 to 24 Jkjuts after calving, and not then unless her bowels are working. A freshly-calved oow should not get cold water to drink, or she may get a chill and retain the after-birth. Lukewarm water, aa much as you. can induce, her to take will do the creature good. It loosens the boweJe, and one© they are moved' the risk of fever disappears! No matteT how loose the bowels afe before calving, they, are ; vexy slow in acting afterwards. fortunately, the cow is very—thirsty after calving, and the best plan is to give her a bran mash with plenty of lukewarm, water. Mr (yOallaghan, the New Soutihr Waiea Dairy Expert, told the Dairy Congress at Berry that unless they could bring science and the practical part sid-© by side they could not expect to make the progress they should. The time was close at hand wheia Australian farmers would have to send their butter to London without chemical preservatives, aa only recently a- bill was passed in England to regulate and l also prohibit chemicals being used in any form, ia butter. Farmers would be compelled to give the factories good cream to handle under the new conditions. "When that time arrived it would be then that the men taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the department would be appreciated in the different districts coming under tiheir control. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, recent experiments show that the popukur supposition is incorrect tihat at freezing point any considerable multiplication of bacteria is impossible. Milk of the cleanest sort, containing, when first put into the cold storage room, only a few hundred bacteria in, the cubio eentimetire, showed by the end of a week* a pronounced growth of organisms, and after five or six weeks at freezing* point the number reached ■hundreds of millions in the cubic centimetre. This multiplicatio 1 took place in spite of the face ( that at this temperature the milk was a. semi-solid mass of ice- crystals, and ifc is important to note that jtlwj nxiik gave no odour or taste to indicate that it was contaminated. NcitheT did the milk curdfe on heating. These experiments show that. milk is not necessarily Wholesome because it is sweet. * The annual report of the Ballance Cooperative Dairy Company states that unprecedented rates wore obtained .for butter in the early part of the present year, for which reason it will bo found that the average prices oT>tainsd by companie-s that consigned this season have been considerably higher than by those that sold their outputs. The advances for butter-fat have averaged 9.34 d for tlia season, being at lOd per lb for the months of July, August, September, and' May ; 9^d for October, November, March, and April; 9d for December, January, and February, and lid for JuuC O"Vrixig to th<s sximxzz-sr cLroTigitt Less milk was receive-d__at every station, some 47 tons less butter 'being manufactured than last year. This shortage raised tho cost of manufacture. The quantity of butter-fat was 849,1181b, as compared with 1,000,1051b for the previous year, the cost p«,r lb f.o.b. being 1.38 d, a3 compared with 1.27 d, while the price realised was 10.28 d, as compared with 10.96 d. A bulletin, has been issued from the Missouri Experiment Station, giving the results of some experiments to determine the value of different forage crops for pigs. Thirty-six pigs, weighing about 501b each, were fed in lots on different forage crops in xiruiection with maize until they were ready for market., accurate account being kept of the cost of gains made. In cheapness of. gains the feeds used ranked a 6 follows: — Maize and skim milk, 'Cheapest; maize and lucerne, second ; maize and red clover, third ; maize and bluegrass, fourth ; maize and rape, fifth ; maize and schip stuff, sixth. A saving of about 75 cents a hundred in the cost of gain was effected by using green clover, instead of fresh bluegrass. A saving of Idol a hundred was effected by using lucerne instead of blaegrass. When it is lealised that lucemo comes on early, and when -propei-ly clipped stays green all summer and until the very hard freezes of early winter, its importance as a hog pasture is apparent. Clover yields more forage per aore than bluegrass,

and, as shown by these experiments, has a much higher feeding value. The annual report of the Hereford Cartlebreede;rs' Association states that the association has now a credit balance of £471 17s Bd, with a membership roll of 35, besides non-members, who subscribe to the herd! book. During the past year steps have been taken by the Department of Agriculture to have the various herd and flock books of Sfew Zealand recognised by kindred societies in America, co as to avoid the heavy importation duty of 27£ per cent, im-posed by the United States on cattle, etc., from New Zealand before being allowed to Jand. The president, therefore, instructed the secretary to forward the necessary volumes and documents to Mr E. Clifton, Chief Inspector of Stock, for the purpose of affiliating with the American Hereford Cattle-breeders' Association. Mr Stuckey has-been asked to write an essay on the Hereford -in New Zealand from his personal experiences. The council places on record their deep regret' at the sudden death of the late Mr James Holms, who for many years was a breeder of purebred Herefoxds, and gave his assistance to the formation, of the New Zealand Hereford Cattle-breeders' Association in 1896, and had the honour of being ejected' its first president. Mr Holmes had many friends, not only in this association, but in many parts of the colony, who Looked upon him not only as a skilful breeder, but as a. tried and valued friend. As in other parts of th.3 world, Hexefords are still advancing in favour in New Zealand. Their -hardihood 1 , freedom From di©aase, aptitude to fatten on the natural grasses, oarlv matwity, and the beautiful qvality of their beef, enabling them to more than hold their ov>n whenever tried with other breeds. The printing of tho herd' book cost £61 16s 7d.' The- eighth- annual report of the Mangatoki Co-operative Dairy- Company in the Wellington district states that after writinsr off £6 i & 4e 4d for depreciation, thero remains a further sum of £2045 18s 7d to be dealt willr. The directors recommend a dividend! at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum on all paid-up share capital. This will amoumi to £305 ICg, leaving £1740 £3 7d as a final payment pro rata on all butter fat supplied by shareholders. Including dividend, this will give 11.88 d per lb for the past year. The amount of milt received was- 22,860,5181T>, yielding 851,26611> of butter-fat and producing 430 tons lOcwh 261b of commercial butter, the overrun being 13.28 per cent. ; the year's output being a decrease- on last yeaar of 20 tons lOcwt 2qr 61b. The profit and loss accountshows that of the £46,887 realised for the < sale %i butter, £40,091 was paid away fci milk. j Thß annual report of tihe directors of the Nireaha Co-operative Dairy Company (Ltd.), in the Wellington district, states that during the past season advances were made to suppliers amounting to £5001 12s Id. at the raie of 9d per lb of butter fat. With tfoe balance (£1248 11s lOd) due to. eupplitM-3 payments will have totalled llidl per lb of butter-fat. The balance of profit and l loss is £71 16s, and out of this it -is recommended that a dividend of 6 per cent, be declared on all paid-up capital, absorbin?: £61 15s 9d. During the season, the milk supplied amotmfce-d to 3,434.7171b, and th* butter fat amounted to 133,2941b. The aveEag\e test was 3.9, and 334,1311b of cheese were made. Of the 417,057 tons of m<?at and meat pioducts handled at the Central Markets, London : only 85,861 tons, or about 20 per cent., .verc produced in the United Kingdom, the balance was imported. Australasia's contribution was 107,572 tons. ! There ara two extremely important resolutions to be submitted to the International i Congress of Refrigerating Industries by the British delegates. One "is: "That in view <if the large expansion of tho trado in re- { f'rigerated meat and the vride diffusion and dictribtition of refrigerated products, it is ' desirable that an international uniform standard of meat inspection be established and agreed to by (he varioiis countries cxr^rtiiigr <"-nd -importing animal foods, so as to insure the healthy conditions of tho n^eat." The other is:" "That the refrigfxating industry having attained worldwide ( iirportaiice, it is highly desirable that 1 exact scientific data be obtained for deteo--mming the condition ac to time and tern under which, perishable produce can be satisfactorily kept." The Swedish. Government is about to try th© experiment of salting down frozen j meat for th.(i navy, and has accepted a. ' tender for 110,0001b of frozen, meat. j The Manawatu correspondent of the Dominion, writes: — It is stated that some dairy ' factories along the coast will relinquish cheese-making in favour of butter during tho coming season, while others are yet undecided. A considerable area of new country will be under cultivation in ilana- , watu this season. " i Lambing is becoming general in Jiany ' districts throughout th© Ashburton County, ' especially 'those near the sea beach, and so far the percentage of deaths is reported to be unusually low. A number of this season's lambs (cays th-e Lyttelton Times) ; were offered at the Tinwal-d Yards on Tuesday, and the bulk weTe of a very | healthy character. During the mild 1 weather fresh feed has been .springing very \ fast. The percentage of lambs is expected ! to be well up to those of former years. I Mir H. F. Blanchett writes as follows ta the Marlborough Herald: — "Experimenting

seme years ago, I discovered that ivood ashes would instant aneously take out frost, no matter how severe, and leave the growing plant as good, if not Better than before. I have many times „ tried this, and have never known it to fair. The' method of application is as follows: — The ashes must be dry. from the fire. If they have been allowed to get damp, they are not half so effectual, and, onqp wetted, are useless. Then, be»fore the sun gets on the potatoee, take the bucket of ashes under the left arm, and with, the right hand thoroughly dust the plante as you walk between the tows. In this way four of us have done a quarter of an aore in 20 m inutes, and the land has crunched under our feet during the operation. The potatoes look very unsightly until there has been a shower, as the <ashjes adhere; but after the rain the leaves wiLI be a darker gnen, have more gloss, -and the plants generally have a stronger appearance. I think the effect would be the same on tomatoes, etc., but I have not proved this. It is quite interesting to watch the frost disappear from a plant, which it begins to do tc«- instant the ash ia applied, and is gone in a, few seconds." An authority on stock is not at all femrarably, impressed with the general appearance of dairy he'-ds throughout this district (says the Hawer^ Star)> Some herds — those on farms well sheltered and supplied with hay, root crops, etc. — aie -looking splendid ; but others, particularly since the Teoent week of very bad weather, are showing poor condition. Cows near to calving show the effects of bad weather and the absence of an abundant supply of feed very quickly r more so if Uhe farm is not well off for shelter. The gentleman referred to- considers that farmers would 1 be .wise — especially in' the Plains district — to provide more shelter for stock, as not only are they affected considerably by bad weather, but are more* susceptive, to disease when low in. condition; - • • •