AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, 1 June 1910, Page 20

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Rabbit-trapping is in full swin<? in the Dunback district at present, and during the past month upwards of 5000 rabbits have been railed to Dunedin each week. Some of the trappers are doing exceptionally well (saps the Palmerston Times), their returns in many instances averaging over £1 per day. . The plans have been prepared tor tnev new building that is to take the place of the big grain store belonging to Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co., recently 'destroyed by fire at Kelso (says the Courier). The new structure will be of wood, the dimensions being some 60ft by 40ft. The offices will be at the north end, set on portion of the existing concrete foundations. The work is to be carried out without loss of time. At a meeting of settlers in the Mimuhau district, Southland, it was decided to form the Oware Co-operative Dairy victory Company, provided a guarantee for the milk of 330 cows was forthcoming, the capital to be £2OOO in £1 shares, and that 500 shares be applied for before registration. The following provisional directors were elected:Messrs Foster, Udy, Gorman, C, M'Kelvie, Bidder, Toomey, and Ayers. Mr J. Hunter, of Invercargill, was appointed secretary. Mr Winter, of Timaru, has just taken possession of Mr G. Cross's farm at Waipounamu, neai Riversdale. After visiting the North Island he gave Southland the .preference for his new place of abode, and he considers that the property at £ll per acre (which price he paid for it) ie in no way inferior to land in Canterbury which ■of a similar character would cost from £25 to £3O per acre.—Mr J. G. M'Leod if another newcomer to Southland from the north. He has acquired the Waikaia Hill run from Mr Angus M'Lean, and has no doubt but that he has done the right thing in pitching cm Southland for further acquaintance with a farming career.—Southland Times. An Ashburton resident who drew a section in the Clandeboye Settlement on which there is a crop of turnips and mangels, has jold the crop at the high price of £6 per In future the grader at Lyttelton will jisit Timaru regularly to grade butter and fheese for export, and will be known as the Canterbury grader. Mr Gow, who has been sent to the Argentine to make inquiries about the prospects of trading with that Republic, has taken with him a representative display of £ew Zealand products, including samples of flax, a, fine display of apples, and manufactures in wood, also a collection of fine fleeces which have already been shown at exhibitions in the Home Country by Mr R. D. D 'M'Lean, of Hawke's Bay. Mr Gow will return by Avay of the United states., and will make inquiries as to the further development of the kauri gum trade. The Queensland Meat Export Company has been awarded the contract to_ supply - the army in the Philippines with 6,600 0001 b of beef and 200,0001 b of mutton at 2£d and 3 l-5d per lb .respectively. Two reoresentatives of the North American Beef Trust are now visiting Australia with the object of investigating cattle and sheep supplies, inspecting freezing works and export facilities throughout the Common -.vealth. It is the same delegation (says the Meat Trades Journal) which was associate 1 . with the acquirement of the La Plata and other freezing factories in South America, and colour is thus given to the idea that the world-wide activity of the 'American Beef Trust means something akin to a monopoly of the meat trade of Great Britain in so fai as imported meat is concerned. This represents nearly one-half of the meat consumption of. the United Kingdom. The effects of such an invasion, by an outside power ought to provide farseeing Britishers with, as great a sca.re as was. manifested .when.the naval activity of Germany became known.