AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3002, 27 September 1911, Page 19

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The offer of th© Agricultural Department to carry out crop experiments on farms with th© Tokomairiro district has beef, accepted by Mr William Grey, of Milburn. who has agreed to grant two acres of land for experimental plots; and Mr Charles Forsyth, Table Hill, is setting aside a smaller area for the purpose indicated. Tire department supplies the seed and manure, while the farmer provides land and labour, and retains the crop. “ I am afraid your farmers in the North Island, or a good many of them at any rate,” said a South Island visitor to a Manawatu Standard representative in th© course of a casual conversation, “are not as much attached to their district as wo in the south are. I see clearing sales of stock almost every day in the newspapers, the owner having sold his farm. I hear of a great many Taranaki farmers who have sold out and gone to Waikato or the King Country. The Southland farmers often go up north- 1 in search of suitable farms, or more suitable farms, than those which they already have. But in nearly every case they com© back, more than convinced that there is no district like Southland after all, and th© most of them also acknowledge that farming in is superior to that in any other district which they had visited. In the North Island there is too much swapping of farnls for other farms or for town properties. I don’t care to see much of that kind of business.” Considering the number' of men employed oh the buildings—only about 25 so far—remarkably good progress is being made with the erection of the freezing works at Finegand (says the Free Press). With the exception of one section the walls are all under way, and in the case of the building the' walls have reached the height of the first tier of windows. The work is all -in solid concrete, and would hav%*,advanced even quicker—for the supply of gravel and sand has been in advance of the work—had carpenters been available; but there has been a shortage of labour in that department of the undertaking, and, as a consequence, the number of labourers has had to bo curtailed. Twelve additional carpenters are now wanted at the works. Disaster has attended a shipment of cattle by the steamer Gertie from Foxton to Greymouth. Out of 40 head put on ■ board, 17 died and were thrown overboard. The steamer put into Nelson and landed the remaining 23 head, but three more of'; the- animals were found 1 to ibe in such a state that they too had to be destroyed. The Douglass Settlement, the Government’s recent acquisition at Waihao Downs, is ■coking very well at present (says th© Oamaru Mail). A large portion of the estate is under cultivation, wheat forming the principal crop. So far only two or three houses have been erected, but a number of settlers are contemplating building this year. ', ~ , . , , ' Attention was called at last _ week a meeting of the Hawkes Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Association to instructions received by the local inspector of,factories to prosecute exhibitors at the spring show who attempted to effect sales from their stands on the afternoon of “ People’s

Day," that being the statutory lalf-holi-day. It was also pointed out that in all probability assistants would not > bo allowed to bo in attendance at the various stands during the afternoon. Mr J. H. Coleman pointed out that if such was the case it would ha-«e a serious effect on all shows throughout the Dominion, as the latest machinery, etc., was always looked ! for and shown at these shows. —It was decided to write to the Prime Minister, tho Minister of Labour, the Hon. J. D. Or- ; mond, Messrs J. V. Brown, M.P., and A. Dillon, M.P., pointing out the serious results which would follow such a. course ! being adhered to, and asking for their assistance. The recent rain has done an immense amount of good to crops and grass all over tho Wairarapa. A farmer who has travelled over the district during the past week states that the effect of the rain on the crops is very noticeable. Oat crops in particular, which bore a stunted appearance, are now showing signs of vigorous growth. Providing favourable conditions follow, there is every indication of the harvest being an early one. Maize is being largely grown in the Carterton district this season for fodder for dairy cows, the excellent qualities possessed by the crop now being generally recognised by farmers in that important -dairying centre. In Masterton, too, maize is also being recognised as a first-class food for dairy cows, and farmers are giving more attention to tho cultivation of -this crop than hitherto. There is a noticeable decrease in the area of wheat that is. being sown this season, not only in. Masterton, but in other parts of Wairarapa. Oats, on the other hand, show a substantial increase. An interesting experiment in respect to the export of pork to Germany is being carried out by the Auckland Provincial Farmers' Union. At the request of a Gorman importer, the union is sending four carcases of pork to Germany, two carcases containing the internal organs and two without. At the present time the German authorities admit pork free, provided the liver and kidneys are in the carcase. It is generally believed, -however, that the carcases containing the organs will not keep, and thus far this has acted as a'bar to pork being imported into Germany. It is. hoped by the union that when tho quality of the carcases is brought to the notice of the German authorities an effort will be made there to have the embargo with regard to the internal organs -removed, and thus create an outlet in Germany for New Zealand pork. Incidentally, it "will bo interesting to find out definitely whether the carcases with the liver and kidneys will arrive in good condition or otherwise. It is stated that as a result of the exceptionally fine season and the exceptional prices secured for dairy outputs, prices of land in the southern part of Taranaki will advance £5 per acre by the end. of the season. As the best.land is now commanding £SO to £65 per acre; it is hard to know how the prospective purchasers of land at the enhanced figures are going to pay their way. Winter poisoning for rabbits has been carried out very successfully in the North Wairarapa. Settlers are determined to eradicate the pest from their holdings as far as possible and intend to adopt every possible means that would be likely to bring about this desirable state of affairs. No appearance of blight has so far been reported this season in the potato crops about Auckland. The plants are said to be looking exceedingly promising at present, although fears are entertained that the continued ■; spell of wet weather might have a damaging effect, Already this season 500 head of fat bullocks have been shipped. from Gisborrre for the Addington market. During the recent long spell of dry weather, logging-u,o and burning operations have been in full swing in Taranaki—a most unseasonable - work. Notwithstanding the unusually favourable conditions this year, the mortality among some of the milking herds of Taranaki -is reported to be very heavy. One farmer, in the southern part of the province, states that his loss already has been 20 per cent., and he is a good farmer. A fact like this is not usually mentioned when the productivity of farms on the market for sale ie being considered (says the New Plymouth Daily News). At an adjourned meeting of the Wallace ; A. and Pi Association directors it was deI oidod to purchase four acres from |Mr W. j Saunders, at the back of the present show : grounds, at £25 per acre, and the pur- : chase has since been confirmed, so that the society now hold's 14 acres. The proposal to start classes for wool-classing at Otauj; tauj, under the auspices ,of ■ the Southland Education Board, was heartily- approved of, and to invite students to enrol their names. The lessons, once weekly,, will extend, over about three months, at a cost of 15s per botrr course. A considerable increase in is expected this season. - Twenty-nine suppliers, with 700 gallons of milk, showed: up on the opening dav of tb«> Mataura Dairy Factory last week. ' Though the season is vet early (says the Clutha Leader}, lambs are beginning to make a erood showing in many of the paddocks. The owes are looking well, and there is—with reasonably fine weather — every prospect of a good percentage, of. lambs. Some of the farmers are inquiring as to whether the South Otago freezing works will be ready for next season's outpiuit. All that can foe said is that that is

the intention of the directors, and that ib is a condition of the contracts, with stiff penalties for default. The Ghristchurch Press states that a feature | of the Leestonskin salie was the unusual number of "dead" skins, tho hides of cows. The loss of dairy cows this spring has been : the greatest the district has ever known, ' and as for dead sheep, they can be counted by hundreds all over the lighter land between the Ellesmere district and Rakaia, Ice and Cold' Storage, referring to the display made by New Zealand at the Crystal Palace, says:—"JNew Zealand goes in for solid displays. The butters are shown in I the original packages, without architectural designs, and other produce is exhibited I as it would be placed on the market. The i jams and preserved fruits look most temptI ing, and in the other divisions of the pavilI ion, the minerals, wool, timber, and manufactured goods: all testify to the increasing commercial enterprise and' success of the State. A word must be said _ as to the general arrangements of the exhibits, which strike the observer as exceedingly effective and well balanced, thanks to the care bestowed by Mr H. C. Cameron, the New Zealand Produce Commissioner." The necessity for disinfecting a woolshed before shearing is pointed- out in a letter to the editor of the Pastoralists' Review. He says that some years ago a friend of his sheared his stud' sheep as first of the flock, and to his dismay found them wholesale after, a 300-guinea ram and half his best sheep going under. Some years later, the writer says, he bad all dead wool on the run collected a/nd placed temporarily in the woolshed. The same result attended the shearing of the first sheep, hundreds dying afterwards from blood poisoning. Without a doubt, his dead wool stored in the shed was the cause. Many carefully-managed sheds in Tasmania are always sprayed with a disinfectant j before shearing, and this is a sure preI ventive of loss from this, cause. Where ! ewes are lambed in sheds it was found some ewes died after lambing . through blood poisoning. If sheds are sprayed with a solution of carboho the" losses are stopped. Lord Denman, the Governor-general of i Australia, had something to say about I breeding' horses .suitable for remounts, when I speaking at the luncheon at the "Victorian ! Royal Show. His I ordVhip said:—"l hope ' that while achieving such success in breed- : ing different classes of horses, particularly the thoroughbred and draught, you will not overlook the necessity for breeding a good class of remount for military purposes. "Hear, hear." Your cavalry—the Australian Light Horse—should be among i the best mounted troops in the world. I j believe, generally speaking, that it is, but I would like to emphasise now that, with the increasing demands under the defence scheme, the standard must be maintained. Within a few years in Victoria alone, 5000 light horses—2soo for artillery purposeswill be required. There is in addition the wastage of time in war, which, I hope, will never come, but.which must be allowed for. There are two obvious ways of maintaining the standard of your remount supply. One is, so far as possible, bv not letting the good .mares go out Of the country, and the other is in selecting suitable stallions _ for breeding the type.. I hesitate to give an opinion, but to my mind the heavy-weight carrying thoroughbred is the best you can adopt for this purpose. To emphasise my remarks, I hope J next year to give a cup to the best horse ; —the property of a non-commissioned officer of the light horse regiments—which has been ridden on parade in Victoria. "Hear. _hear." Speaking to a .Southland Times reporter, a gentleman Who has bad special facilities for knowing stated that the grass grub, in Southland is steadily continuing its ravages. and even the recognised best-farmed land is ireceiving as much attention from the parasite as that which is less favourably treated. The grub evidently treats all farmers alike. The Department of Agriculture has secured a email quantity of seed of the Pueria Thumbergiama. a legume, for experimestal purposes. The plant, which grows in Japan, is described as follows:—-"Its growth is phenomenal; it 3 uses comprehensive; it provides earlier and more nutritious foliage than peas or clover; it adapts itself to comparatively poor land." In view of these recommendations, the department's experiments will be looked forward to with interest. Speaking- at the annual meeting of the Wellington Farmers:' Co-operative Meatfreezinig Company, the chairman, Mr J. C. Cooper, said : "Ounr meat from the Waingawa works has already established for itself an excellent name. As an instance, I may mention the fact "that the whole. of the shipment of sheep ex Tonigariro has been sold at 3|d ex ship,, being 4d per lb better than the price ruling at the time for the best Canterbury brands. That is a distinct tribute to the quality of the mutton we are sending aay. . • • North Island mutton, : I may remark by the way, is coming greatly j inter favour in the Old Country." Two hundred and fifty-five tons of Victorian batter' will be /taken by R.M.S. Slooltan to" Europe—24s ton's for the London market and 10 tons for Marseilles, says the Melbourne Age. A peculiar feature of the consignment for Marseilles is that it contains neither salt nor preservative. While ig.reat markets for butter are offered, by France, Italy, arid ■ Switzerland, the Australian product haß_ heretofore been excluded from the field owing to the objection to the use of. preservative, and Denmark has held the' trade unchallenged. The present small-

consignment has been packed in boxes in ordinary use. Several dairy factories in the North Island are changing' from butter-making to cheesemaking, and, speaking at the opening of the Mataura Cheese Factory, Mr D. Graham, assistant dairy inspector, said that, personally, he thought that eventually the Dominion would become a cheese-making country. It might be said that butter started to deteriorate from the time it left the churn, but the journey to the Old Country assisted in _ ripening the cheese, consequentlv it arrived Home when at its best. They must have among them true cooperation, not only in the factory staff, but among the suppliers; and by co-operation he did not mean from a_ financial point of view, but a general deeke to turn out a good product. This was necessairy from the boy who washed the cans to the factory manager, and above all in the suppliers themselves. The man who milked the aows had the greatest responsibility, for unless the manager had good milk much of hie work went for nothing. One of the new courses of study offered by the Missouri College of Agriculture is a four yeans' course for women, leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. This course is intended to give to women, not only a knowledge of home economics, but a thorough training in these farm practices m which women are particularly interested. The course includes fairm crops and soils, dairying, botany, gardening, care of flowering plants, and. fruit julture, besides the studies that have already been included in the regular home economics course. It is expected that thi3 course will prove popular with a large class of young women who intend to spend their hvss on farms or in teaching in connection with agricultural schools. A correspondent, writing to the Firancial Times, states: —"Steamship compank-s engaged in the frozen meat trade from Argentina in connection with which important developments have been in- progress for several months, have had a setback as, a result of the decision of the Austrian Minister of Agriculture to prohibit further supplies. In September last it was announced that imports would be allowed duty free to the extedt of 10,000 tons annually, and of that quantity nearly 5000 tons have already arrived. The withdrawal of the privilege is understood to cover shipments actually on passage, and will a'!®o affect shipments from New Zealand and Australia. In consequence of tho opening of Continental port® to the free importation of meat, namerou® orders for vessels "with the requisite refrigeration accommodation were placed! this year, including the building of six large steamers by the Company and M f Withy, amd Co., who combi- he purpose."