WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3015, 27 December 1911, Page 18

WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

I I am glad to be able to report an improvement on what the farmer is is most dependent on —the weather. Wo have had heavy rain, but the fall was sicw.y mm warm, without wind, and for the last few days the sun has been more in evidence It is to be hoped we will now have a bit ;of summer to harden the pasture and ripen the seed. Besides, the holiday season is all but with us again. Although we may growd and grumble that there are now top many holidays, still even the oldest admit that Christmas and New Year come only once a year, and should be kept up if only as a protest against the many innovations that have come, and arc still coming, into force. Then, although townspeople have half-day and whole,- day holidays in plenty during the year, it is only at this season that there is time to take a trip to the country, or families are able to meet together. Considering the unfavourable weather experienced ever since the end of October, when shearing may be said to start in the district, it is wonderful the number of sheep that have been clipped. But it has been anxious work both for owners '■and shearers. Although the price of shearing may seem high, and that given fine an ordinary shearer with the machine can earn from 20s to 30s a day, it has to 'b© remembered in such a season as this that there lias not, on the average, been three days a week —probably not two days’ work, —so that a wet shearing is as bad for the shearer as for the sheep-owner. It is hard to form any estimate of the number of sheep still to shear.; but there is little doubt there will be more woollysheep after the holidays than there has been for some years. I notice threshing mill-owners are getting their plants in order, and some have notified their hands that, weather permming, mey intend starting work on the 2nd January- This is for grass sced-thresh-in°* around Sandon. and by that time the ratil© of the binder will be, heard among the oats in the early localities. It is impossible to form any estimate of what the yield is likely to be, as individual estimates by farmers as to damage clone by wind is so conflicting; but it i© feared the mill will have a sorry tale to tell in many localities. Last year 'Mr J. G, W ilson offered the Feilding A. and X’. Association £5 as a start for a fund to initiate a competition in stack-building. It was then considered too late in the season. However, the association have now taken the matter in hand, and have arranged the conditions as follows:—The experiments to be confined to oats; stacks must not be les s than 15ft in diameter, and built within a radius of 20 miles from Sandon. (This will take in Marton, Halcomb©, Feilding, and Palmerston grain-growing districts). Points will be allowed for uprightness, proportion, and condition. No trimming, however, will be permitted. Four prizes will be given —£s, *G4, £2, and £l. These are donated by Messrs Hodder and Tolley, seed merchants, Feilding; Messrs J. G. Wilson, Bulls; J- Xlenson, Sandon; and C. Managh. Ralcombe. Entries close on March 1, and judging will take place two weeks later. I have for years past pointed out the need for improvement in .stack-building, as it seems to have become one of the lost arts. It is to bo hoped there will he strong competition. At' tire same time, probably better results would be obtained by inaugurating stack-building classes nndeir an instructor.on the same lines as wool-classing classes. An expert may be able to judge by appearnce whether a stack is,well built; but to the novice there is little to be learned from the appearance of the finished article as to how the effect has been accomplished. Besides, it is not always the neatest and most symmetrical, stack that will stand the weather best, which is the main object, ©specially when no thatching is done. The secret of defying weather lies in the heart of ,the stack. I hairdly understand how the judging is to be done with regard to condition, unless the top is taken off so as to ascertain the condition of the heart. Should there bo, no heavy rain from the time of erection till the judging, the condition of the grain will bo equal; but if the head is taken off down to the eaves and the heart or centre is higher than the outside ring after standing six weeks, such a stack would throw off almost any rain without receiving much damage. Only too frequently, when a stack is opened, it is found to" be like a saucer—or,-rather, funto collect and convey the water down to the foundations. With regard to the rule, “no trimming allowed.” I am afraid there will bo the same difficulty as with sheep as to the definition of trim--min.tr. To withstand weather the best of builders must now and again pull out or push in a sheaf, and the heads have to be raked down and trimmed to seme extent. However, the competition is a stop in the right direction, and we must creep before walking, so that the experience

The Weather.

Shearing.

Harvest.

gained will act as a guide to future com petitions.

I It seeing an inconvenient time of the year for a dairy company to have its annual meeting, as the Ron goto a Dairy Company did on Monday, and some discussion took place as to the advisability of changing the date of closing the financial yoair earlier. The chairman (Mr H. H. Hunt) stated that if they closed their year earlier they would not be able to show such good returns. A largo amount of butter would be in cold stores unsold, and they could only arrive at an approximate estimate of what their returns wore. Changing the date would mean considerable expense, and he pointed out that for 17 years they had had no trouble. The chief reason for noticing this meeting is the just manner the treat ponsupplying shareholder's. The financial report states, after referring to having expended £3322 in building a. new factory, and additions to plant and machinery, that the balance to profit and loss account is £833 19s 7cl, and “w© Recommend it be divided as follows Payment of a 6 per cent, dividend on all paid-up capital; a bonus of one farthing per pound of butter-fat supplied by members' holding shares in the capital of the company, in accordance with articles of association, and that the balance be carried to the reserve account. The average advance to suppliers for butter-fat was 10.8075 d per pound. With tho addition of the bonus the total payment will be over lid per pound.” Death is no respecter of seasons, and a large number of families in Manawatu are in mourning on the eve of Christmas, owing to the sudden death of one of tho oldest and most-respected settkirs, Mr James A’Court, Sandon. On Friday Mr A’Court was in his usual good health, when in the evening, on his way to choir practice at the Wesleyan Church (of which ho has been choirmaster and local preacher for many years), he was seized with a paralytic stroke. He> was taken to a house near by, and never recovered consciousness, dying yesterday (Wednesday) morning at the comparatively early age of 59. It is now 38 years since Mr J. A’Court settled in Sandon, coming from the Hutt with his father. For many years he has taken an interest in education and other matters, and was one of our most high lyre spec tad settlers. Ho leaves a widow, three sons, and three daughters, besides a laTig'O number of fa mi lie®, witli which, he was connected by marriage, to mourn his loss. It is generally accepted that the_ Merino "sheep’s “day” in New Zealand is passed, except in tho “ high ” country in tho South Island. It is open to question whether such should bp the case. As has been lately “ hinted ” in these notes, the olip of the Dominion is not showing an improvement of late —in fact, as far _as statistics can be taken as a guide, it is falling off, which is a serious condition of affairs. I quite understand that most farmers will pooh-pooh this contention, and consider the writer has a “ bee in his bonnet,” and point to what a great improvement has taken place with regard to the fleece of purebreds of the various breeds during the last 10 or 20 years. There is no doubt that many purebred flocks have been improved wonderfully with regard to their wool — some, notably the Romney Marsh, almost past, recognition —during the last quarter of a century. But it has to bo remembered that purebreds are a very small percentage of the total flocks of the Dominion, crossbreds producing the bulk of tho clip, and there is little doubt that the fleeces of thos** are not as heavy or of as good quality as formerly. It is to the Hooks in the North Island that any suggestions offered more particularly apply, as I have no personal knowledge of the sheep in the South Island. Only that statistics refer to the Dominion as a whole. Now, when anything goes wrong with the works, whether machines, business, or anything else, the first thing to inquire into is tbs cause, as it is only by the removal of the cause that a remedy is possible. In order to find the cause in this case we have to look back to the history of sheep-breeding," Which brings into prominence the merino, which held sway until the advent of freezing mutton for export. Certainly long-wools were in evidence many vears previous to that date in considerable numbers in some districts, but purebreds were few in number, the bulk of the long wool produced being from halfbreds. If itwere possible' to get back to the halfbred, no better fleece could be wished for , for general utility, as, besides- weight, it ’has a decided character that manufacturers can always find a use for, whereas a great deal too much of the wool of to-diay is badly wanting in that direction. This can only be a.soribed to the system of breeding, or rather want of system. In the north the Merino, Lincoln, and Romney aro responsible for the conditions of the clip to-day, Merino hieing the foundation on tho female side, and for a number of years the Lincoln was the ram most used with good results. During the last 10 or 15 years the Romney has come to the front, there being now oyer double the number of Romneys to Lincolns. the proportion in round figures being 82,000 Romneys to 34,000 Lincolns in the North Island. It is therefore a fair conclusion to come to that the indiscriminate Use of the Romney is responsible ficli* the deterioration of the clip in the North Island. This being Romney territory, this may seem a slur on the district, and ant to raise the ire of breeders, but before doing so I hope they will seriously consider tire reasons that have induced me to come to this conclusion. I have already said that purebreds. notably the Romney,' have im proved almost bqj|||ilfe:l recognition during the last 25 yearaßrand there arc many flocks, besides thw large number of studs, that are a credit to the breeders, both as regards weight and quality of wool. But when we come to consider the North Island olio as a whole there is a different tale ro tell. Paradoxical as it may seem. ,the results obtained bv using tho Romney in this and various other districts is responsible to a large extent for deterioration of fleece. During the last 20 years a very large percentage of these who have gone on the land and started sheep-breedng had little or no experience, and because the Romney was tho favoured breed, in some districts, they naturally considered they could not do better than use them, and even many who should have known better followed the lead. In Great Britain or any old country where sheep-breeding has been carried on for centuries. there is no best breed—only in districts best breeds are found, as the Romney in Kent, Lincolns in Lincolnshire. Border Leiccsters on tho Border, and right down

Successful Dairy Company.

Obituary.

Pas»iiigr of the Jlciluo.

through the many breeds, for which the Old Country is famous. It is a notable fact that very seldom has any breed proved successful when introduced to other districts, except for crossing purposes. Now this is where in my opinion the fault lies: too u notice is taken of environment. In the North Island alone there are as many variations of climate and soil as in Great Britain, but breeders here have endeavoured to fit the soil to the breed instead of tbo breed to the soil. The sooner they recognise that Nature’s laws aro infallible the better for the improvement of qur clip. There is still another reason why the Romney has failed in some quarters, even under suitable conditions with regard to environment. That is that what may bo termed the New Romney is comparatively a new breed, and therefore, by all rules of breeding, still lacks the power to transmit the qualities for which he is famous to ; his progeny to the same extent as older i established breeds such as the merino, j Besides admitting that there is a propor- ! tion of Romney rams produced that may , be said to bo ideal sheep, and,‘given that they are mated with their like, the progeny will bo as good and sometimes better. But even at shows it is noticeable that many of the exhibits are a long way from ideal; j so that among the rank and file of the 80,000 rams used there there must, to say , the least, be a large proportion of inferior, , and in the interests of the breed it were j better that they went out of favour for a time. Note the improvement that has taken place in Lincolns since they have been I under a cloud. Readers will doubtless ask, j What has this to do with the passing of the Merino? Well, one means of improving ! the clip, that suggests itself is to reintroduce the Merino in conjunction with the 1 Lincoln. They are both old breeds, especially the Merino, and although the Lincolns j have been greatly improved during the last j half-century, especially as regards fleece, the | improvement has been gradual, and there j has been little departure from the old typo, so that they can be relied on to transmit their qualities to their progeny. From what I can learn from the Flock Book and those who are personally acquainted with breeders and the sheep themselves, there seems to bo every hope that in the future 1 the Corr.iedale will help to fill the woolbales with a more superior staple of wool than what we get at present, from too large a proportion of crossbreds. But it has to be remembered that a new breed cannot be evolved in a day. Even man’s ordinary ' life is too short to thoroughly fix a type. The future of the Corriedales therefore depends on young men taking up the work with enthusiasm when the founders come to be called away. At various times spasmodic starts have been made in the North Island to found a breed on somewhat the same lines as the Corriedale. but as far as I am aware the experimenters have lacked , perseverance —with one exception, Mr Gib- | son, manager for Mr Fitzherbert, up the | Turakina Valley, whose foundation was the ! Merino and- Border Leicester. I am sorry | that circumstances have never allowed me the pleasure of looking through this_ flock, but they are well spoken of by good indues, and, if persevered with, Turakina Valley may become famous for its special breed of sheep. At the same time, experience is in favour of the Lincoln for such a pur- ! pose. The editor is leniento but this I “screed” is beyond a “note,” so I must conclude with what has found a. truism: that more care and skill is required . in tilt 1 selection of the side for cross-breed-ing than with nurebreds. This is not usually recognised, as too many think any sort of ram is .good enough to put to crossbred ewos, which, after alb is the main cause why the clip is losing weight and , qua ' llty ' ANTIQUA OVIS.