AGRICULTURAL AND PASTOKAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2978, 12 April 1911, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTOKAL NEWS.

Mr James Allen, M.P., Chancellor of Otago University, informed our reporter on Saturday that there is every prospect of a 'Veterinary School being commenced in connection with the University. The first year’s course could be given now with the existing teaching, and without the erection of any buildings. For the second year’s course more teaching would bo required, and buildings would be necessary. It is hardly possible during the current session to arrange for students entering, although if a number intimated that they wore very earnest it might still be arranged. Next session facilities will probably be available for those who desre to take a full course.

All available space for live stock on the s.s. Ulimaroa, which left Bluff on the 3rd for Melbourne, was occupied with 30 horses shipped from Wellington and 40 consigned from Lyttelton. Last year's heavy total of horses exported to the Melbourne market will (says the Southland Times) probably be exceeded this season, and there are full bookings on the various boats now from the different parte up to as far ahead as July 10 next.

The Tasmanian hop season is an excellent one. Last year there were SC-00 bales, valued at £60,000. This .year the crop totals 6600 bales, valued at £78,000. At a meeting of the Win-ton A. and P. Association it was resolved that the winter show be held on two days this year, opening on- Wednesday, May 31. The Clinton Branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union has discussed the question of bringing out boys from the Old Country for farm labour, and the secretary was instructed to advertise asking farmers likely to require boys to let the secretary know as soon as possible. Mr James Taylor, who has one of the first lot of boys who arrived l , spoke very highly of them, and moved that this branch strongly objects to Mr T. E. Taylor’s remarks on the treatment that the boys were likely to receive from farmers of this country. This was seconded by Mr James Begg and carried unanimously. New Zealand potato-growers and dealers in the tuber will bo interested' in the following paragraph -from the Australasian: “At the recent conference of Ministers of Agriculture for the various States of the Commonwealth, considerable attention -was directed to the best -means of coping with the spread of Irish blight disease in potatoes. It was agreed that experiments should be carried out in all the States in the spraying of potatoes in infected districts, with a view subsequently to making the spraying of infected areas compulsory throughout Australia. The evidence before the conference was held to remote all doubt as_ to the efficacy of spraying in preventingIrish blight and in improving the yields. It. was decided, further, that growers’ certificates should be dispensed with, and that the only certificate required should be that of the inspector. This means that potatoes may, in future, pass freely between all the States but Western Australia simply on the certificate of the inspector that "the consignment is clean and free from Irish blight.” *

The live stock census of the United States in 1911 is as follow: —Horses, 20.763.000; mules, 3.976,000; milch cows, 21.853.000; other cattle. 47,669,000; sheen, 54.963,000; pigs, 46,364,000. The figures show increases on the corrected enumeration of 1910 of 551,000 horses, 78,000 mules. 332,000 milch cows, 237,000 sheen, and 1,398.000 pigs, with a decrease of 1,111,000 cattle other than rpilch cows. The department figures have shown a yearly increase in milch cows since 1898, and a constant decline of other cattle since 1907. According to the Live Stock Journal, the nation is on a hand-to-mouth supply basis, and any material curtailment

in supply will result in prompt appreciation in values. The article is going into consumption its fast as killers can put it in marketable shape.” According to Professor Lignieres, of the Argentine Veterinary Department, writing in the Re vista Zooteohnica, all idea of the renewal of exports of live stock from his country to the United Kingdom may bo dismissed for an indefinite period, for he declares that foot-and-mouth disease is pormanenlly established in Argentina. It is stated that not only has the disease spread over Uni country, but it had also assumed a virulent form, causing deaths up to 18 per cent, in 'herds and flocks attacked. The stock-owners have opposed the adoption of rigorous measures for the repression of the disease under the hope that it would die out naturally, and now it threatens to invade the whole of the territory propitious for its development. Professor Lowrie, official head of the South Australian Department of Agriculture, in the course of an address to the Northern Agricultural Bureau Conference, said the department, as far as possible, would have to seize all advantages to feed those who wanted to acquire further knowledge. Lecture classes, well organised and carefully thought cut, would be well received by the farmers, and research work could be carried on with patience, in the knowledge that although there might bo little to show at once, the results would come and be appreciated. If the department had a weak spot now, it was in tbo realm of pure science. They wanted a pathologist very badly, a purely scientific man, who would work in the laboratory, confining his investigations to take-all and other .problems. Officers who were travelling here and there had not the time to follow up suoh investigations and keep in touch with the farmers, but they could feed a scientist with work, get results, and retail them back to the producer with their lessons. He quite agreed with the Hon. T. Pasoce, who said the increased prosperity of the farmers was largely due to intelligent and improved methods of cultivation, hut they had a long way to go before the results of the many approximated the results of the few. In nearly every district he would be able to put his finger upon about six men who were 30 per cent, above the average in their methods of farm management. He wanted to bring the majority up the higher standard, when the gain would be immense. The department-would aim to have district conferences like they had that day to gather there valuable hints, generalise them, andi when approved fling them back to the majority for adoption. In conclusion, his advice to the farmers as a class was: “You are ahead of the other States; go and do still better.”

At a conference of representatives of the North Island moat freezing companies who are not directly represented in London, held in Wellington recently, five companies were represented.. It was decided that a New Zealand committee should be formed to consist of one representative from each company. It was also resolved that a London representative should be appointed', and that the expenses in connection with the appointment and retention of such representative should be borne by the various freezing companies in proportion to the quantity of meat exported by them. Speaking to a Christchurch Press representative last week, a grower stated that the potato grub pest was best controlled by cultural methods, the same methods also checking Irish blight. “If the potatoes are well moulded up to a. fine point,” h© said, “so that there are no hollows near the stalks, the grub will be kept away from the potatoes. Potatoes, when dug, should not be allowed to lie on the ground over night, for the moths come out during the evening and lay their eggs on the potatoes, principally on the eyes, and then the infection takes place. But if the dug potatoes arc bagged in daylight, and those in the soil protected by moulded up earth, then the pest can he controlled.” On th© subject of tomatoes, the grower stated that they also have been badly affected by caterpillars, and many people have been compelled tostop picking the crop. The caterpillar pest was met with every year, but in nothing like so violent a form as this year. “The grass grub,” he added, has been found this season attaching tomato' roots. The caterpillar of the deadhead moth, however, is what docs th© principal damage to the tomatoes. Tho pest is worse this season than is has been for years past, and that is put down to tho dry season” Mr 0. B. Pemberton, secretary of tho Canterbury A. and P. Association, has potatoes that had been attacked by a small black slug. Tho slug had eaten its way into the tubers, and had formed miniature caverns inside. It is presumed that the slug, deprived of its ordinary food in consequence of tho drought, has, with other pests, attacked tho potato. At tho annual meeting of the Tima.ru Branch of the Farmers’ Union on Saturday, Mr John Talbot, referring to the season, said that from the pastoral point of view, the effects of the drought had been rather disastrous during the past month. It had been an exceedingly hot, dry month, and stock had suffered materially. As a result, the stock markets had been depressed. The condition of stock could not b© kept up, the markets were overstocked, and the conditions on the Home markets were not such as to inspire confidence in buyers. The prospects for winter were gloomy. The turnip crops had failed almost wholly, and the grass was very short. If rain oamc soon things would be righted to some extent. So far as agricultural farming was concerned, the dry weather had not heen injurious; in fact, the dry spell had done the land good, for it had enabled fallowing and-cleaning operations to go on without interruption, and threshing and grain-carting also. The yields of grain in South Canterbury had come quite up to expectations. The latest returns by the Agricultural Department placed the yield for the whole of the Dominion at 27.12 bushes per acre. Assuming that to be approximately correct, it would produce seven and a-half million bushels. If this estimate wore correct, there would be a small exportable surplus! But whether there was likely to be any improvement _in prices was a matter of pure speculation. There was a large surplus of wheat in Australia, and wheat was pouring into the Old Country.