AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3035, 15 May 1912, Page 19

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

An address bearing on the scarcity of farm labour throughout the Dominion was delivered by Mr J. G. Wilson, president of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, at the annual meeting of the Sandon branch (says the Feilding correspondent of the New Zealand Times). The emigration of farm labourers was, he said, of serious moment in New Zealand just now. The shortage of farm labour was a serious matter for the women, as it meant more work for them. A furthar batch of " Sedgwick boys" was required, and it was unfortunate that the Minister was not prepared to assist. At the present time there was an immense demand for labour and he was glad in one sense. The land policy had taken the best men on to tho farms, but this meant men going out of the labour market, and someone ought to take their place. Recently 10,000 acres of land had been opened up at Gisborne, on. which a number of families had been placed This meant labour decreasing. " Sedgwick boys" were the remedy. After three or four years of farm life they were not likely to wish for town life. He hoped the union would move in the matter. They had done good work, and could go on doing so. He thought it strange that Australia should bo freely importing labour, and that our Liberal Government Bhould object. The union should bring pressure to bear. English papers were full of advertisements for boys for Canada and Australia. There were thousands of boys in England wanting work—two thousand recently attended a meeting to hear of tho advantage of our oversea dominions —and vet the Liberal party objected to them coming. The Royal Agricultural Society's Showis to be held this year at Doncaster, England, on July 2nd to the 6th. The Highland and Agricultural Society's Show will bo held at Cupar, Fife, on July 9 and three following days. The prizes total £3210 in vadue. Tho international horse show at Olvmpia will take place from tho 17th to the 19th June. The prize-money amounts to £13,500, of which £IO,OOO will be in cash and (the balance by trophies. - Some 200 bags of New Zealand onions realised in Sydney £ll to £l3/ per ton as compared with Victorian onions selling uniformly in Sydney at £l3. The Town and Country Journal says tho reason for the lower rango of price was the uneven or patchy quality of the New Zealand shipment. Some were very prime, but some were only seconds. At a sale of Clydesdales at tho Sydney Show Ground, Timekeeper, by Timekeeper (imp.)—Violet, owned by Mr J. Archibald, of Romsey, was sold for 55gs. Other sales were: —Rose, bv Cedric tho Saxon — Flower, 65gs; Sylvia, by Sandy Erskine (imp.)—Winnie, 97Ags; Primrose, by Dalmuir Prince (imp.)—Beatrice, 105 gs; Bell, by Agitator (imp.)—Bell, fjOgs: Mabel, by Prineo Andrew (imp.)—Kate, 56gs; Linda, by King's Commander (imp.)—Gip, 57gs; Flora, by Royal Derby (imp.)—Kate, oOgs; Nancy., by Inziovar, 62gs; Fan, by Princo Henry—Bell. 95gs; Ettie, by Royal Prince —Jean, IGOgs; Queen of the Roses, by Roseden (imp.)—Jean, HOgs; Flower, by Conqueror—Jean, lllgs; Queen, by Captain Alexander, 120 gs; Lassie, by Colonial King, dam by Herd Lassie (imp.), 624g5; Mountain Rose, by Allandale, 90gs; Katie, by Baron Mitchell—Kate, 28q;s; Jessie, by Baron Mitchell Jess, 28gs. Weekly Times. At the annual meeting of the Drummond Ploughing Match Association tho secretary reported • that he estimated there was a credit balance of £25. Office-bearers were elected as follows:—President, Mr John Kennedy; vice-president, Mr Chas. Clark (ro-elected); secretary, Mr T. A. Buckingham (re-elected); treasurer, Mr J. B. Lindsay; General Committee —Messrs Alex. Hamilton, W. Hamilton, Thos. Lindsay, sod., J. Ewan. W. Calder, W. Brown, T. Lindsay, J. B. Lindsay, A. Lindsay, Jas. Woodhead, J. Craigio. D. Jones, E. Jones, A. M'Farlane. D. Hardy, R. Pennington, and J. M'Lean. It was decided to hold the annual match on Wednesday, July 3. A resident of Napier has r<.>ceived a return from Home showing the increase in tho weight of sheep and cattle that has taken place d'uring the last century and aiialf. In 1732 the average weight of cattlo

was 3701 b, while nowadays a beast of 10001 b is not considered anything extra speciaJ. The average weight of sheep and lambs in the olden days was 281 b, and is now anything from 561 b to 601 b Fat lambs have gone up to a good price in the Timaru district. Qne pound per head is usually considered good for fat panibs. but a very prime line was sold in that district last week at 22& per head. Lambs, are fattening well, and large numbers a.re being sent in to the freezing works from all parts of the district The regrassing of Central Otago and other portions of the country devastated by the grass grub is still the subject of persistent experiment by the Agricultural Department. Mr A. Macpherson (director of field experiments for the South Island) left Christchurch on the 4th with Mr J. Dicker for Morven Hills, in Central Otago, to carry out regrassing experiments on a large area that ha.s been set aside for tho purpose. 'flie harvest in Victoria has not produced satisfactory yields of several varieties of cereals, and merchants on the other side are looking to New Zealand for supplies. The outgoing bout to Australia on the 6th, the Moana (says the Southland Times), took on board 4000 sacks of grain, the main proportion of which was oats, for delivery at Melbourne. Sheep in some parte of the Masterton district are suffering from foot disease this year. This is probably due to the excessive rainfall experienced. The idea of a winter show for Timaru promises to take concrete form (says the Timaru Herald), though it is too late to arrange one for this winter. A show will almost certainly be held next winter. The Tokomairiro Farmers' Club has decided that its winter show shall be allowed to lapse for another year (says the Bruce Herald). The reason assigned for this is that no grain is available fit for exhibition purposes. A threshing mill proprietor working in tho Bpatr Bush and Otahuti districts during tho past few weeks informed a representee c,f the Southland News that many of the oats he had threshed wore turning out badly, oidently having boon stacked out of condition. ' Probably =lO bushels to tho aero would cover the average yield of these crops. One nice paddock of Gartons had yielded over 90 bushels of a splendid plump and bright sample, but it had been quite an exceptional crop this season. Though a fair quantity of oats have been threshed in the Lawrence district there 13 a lot of grain still in stook. and in sonio j>arts cutting has not been completed. On tho whole farmers report that tho oat crop is turning out very satisfactory, but tho bulk of the wheat will only be of second rato quality. A potato buyer, who had already scooped 250 toi*s of tubers in Te Tua district, at £4 5s per ton, on trucks, was in Wyndham last week on a similar mission. Wo are given to understand (says the Wyndhan Farmer) that he did fairly well here, at the samo figure as ho gave in the Western Distriof. A Government dairy instructor, speaking at a Farmers' Union meeting at Gisborno Tooently, said that, in future when a man wished to soil a cow, or herd of cows, he would havo to produce records to show their milk-producing qualities. "It may not come for some years, but it will come ultimately," said tho speaker. A bacon-curing factory is to be started at Rongotca on co-operative lines. Even a careful farmer is not always a capable estimator of the probable yields of his own crops (says the North Otago Times). An Oamaru farmer estimated that his oats would yield about 4C bushels to the a<;re, and he under-estimated by about 40 bushels. Ho is now stuck up for bags, as these are difficult to get. The Waitemata's arrival from Calcutta, however, will relievo tho shortage. It is reported that several Ashburton farmers who purchased forward ewes and wethers a short time ago for fattening purposes have made handsome profits—in mary instances up to 7s per head. A newcomer to the Wollowbridge has a 2j-acre field of onions that he expects to yield 16 tons to the acre (says the Waimato Advertiser). The price is about £ll per ton Tho samo farmer has sent 30 tons of broccoli away this season to a Christchurch firm of picklo makers.