AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 9

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

j About 25 farmers were present at a meet- ; ing held at Tokarahi on Friday night to consider the harvest question as regards labour and the price to bo paid for it ! (states the North Otago Times). It was ! unanimously resolved that tho following telegram be despatched to the Ministers of ; Labour and Agriculture: "That this meetI ing of farmers, representing 3798 acres of grain land, urges you to decree and publish in all newspapers that harvest wages be Is 6d per hour and found this season. Reply urgent." It was explained that mill hands' wages had not yet been fixed by the mill owners. At a recent meeting of millowners held in Oamaru, it was resolved that the milling prices for the season be as follow: 10s for oats, stack, and stook; lis for wheat from the stack; and 12s for wheat from the stook, j Tuscan to bo charged Is extra. Some of the Holstein cattle which the New Zealand Government is exchanging for Red Polls from tho Victorian State herd have already left New Zealand. The total number to be sent from the State farm at Wereroa is 16, and it is expected that the same number of Red Polls will be returned. The basis of the exchange is to be milk production, and there may be a slight margin one way or the other. Tho Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. D. 8. Macdonald) said he believed that tho introduction of a strain of Red Poll cattle from tho Victorian Government's excellent herd would be of great value to New Zealand dairymen. After a year or two the Government would be able to sell 10 or 12 bulls yearly for the improvement of New Zealand milking herds. Tho Agricultural Department would not relax its efforts to maintain a very good herd of Holstoins, but there was room at the experimental farms for the other breed. Many private breeders had fine herds of pedigree Hol6teins, and to this extent tho responsibilities of the department were lightened. The Amberley correspondent of tho Lyttelton Times states: Inquiries and personal inspections concerning the ravages of that much-dreaded pest, 'the caterpillar, go to show that it is making such inroads on tho standing crops that farmers generally are* cutting oats in many cases quite green. The pest lias travelled over largo areas already, and is still journeying and ravaging the district. Millions of caterpillars are out this year to wage war with the farmer by plucking the ears of corn long before they arrive at a mature period. Oats and grass ; (grass seed) always suffer, and not only aro I advances being made in this direction this : year, but the pest is even "nipping" the beard from the wheat, stripping it rf "the flag" and taking the top grains off. This has not been experienced here before, ond will mean a serious menace to the farming community. The districts suffering most are Amberley, Broomfield, Omihi, Leithfield, Balcairn, and Scfton. ! Some new wheat, claimed by the grower, Mr C. Ortlipp, of Bungowannah (about nine miles from Albury, N.S.W.), to be a variety - hitherto unknown, is creating considerable I interest. Five years ago, Mr Ortlipp, who . was a share farmer, noticed 'three stalks 1 of wheat in a growing crop, which stood , about two feet above the level of the main [ crop. He secured the heads and cultivated i-the grain in a small plot. As a result of his continued cultivation, Mr Ortlipp was enabled to sow this year about 14 acres of tho new grain, and the result is one of the most beautiful crops seen in tho district. Tho crop is very uniform, on a stout stalk, I about six feet high, and carrying good ears, ! containing about 10 more grains than the I average variety of wheat. Last year Mr ! Ortlipp sent a sample of the wheat to the Wagga Experimental Farm, but received word that on the samplo submitted the variety could not be named. He has therej fore decided to name the wheat "Ortlipp's Bungowannah." Writing under cato of October 26, the "London Grain, Seed, and Oil Reporter" states that the quality of this year's crop of wheat in Canada is so very much better than that of the previous year that tho increased yield of 11,000,000 bushels, aa far as flour-producing properties are concerned, probably represents a difference of 50,000.000 bushels in favour of the 1917 crop. The latest official estimate places Canada's wheat production at 231,730,200 bushels, an average of Isg busheb per acre, as compared

with 220,000,000 bushels in 1916. Tha area sown to winter wheat in the United is now estimated at 45,500,000 acres, which is nearly 6,000,000 acres more than last year, and compares with the record of 42,000,000 acres sown in 1914. ! Speaking in London on November 6 aft a luncheon given by the Cold Storage and Ice Association, Mr John Wardlo, M.P. , (Labour), whom the Government appointed j Director of Cold Storage and Inland Transport of Food, said that he had found It I necossary for the nation's safety to increase 1 the cold storage capacity of the United I Kingdom by ten million cubic feet, making l I it forty millions. He had already arranged I for new space, to cost about £5O0 ; O0O, of j which not a penny would be provided by I the Government, thanks to the patriotism lof the firms concerned. In other cases, ! where the .firms were unable to raise the j required capital, the Government had lent j them the money till the end of the war. i The price of wheat for the crop of 1917 (says the Canadian correspondent of tha Pastoral Review) has been set at 9s 2£d per bushel, basis No. 1 Northern, Port William, or Port Arthur. While this ii not as high a prico as would probably be obtained if the law of supply and demand ruled, it is a price at which profits can bo made in wheat-growing under average crop yields, even with prevailing high cost of production. It, however, is not a prica that will draw men from other classes and 6peed up production, which is the all« important factor at this time. If futurft crops are to be of maximum yields, and price setting prevails, there must be established; a minimum, price for next year or farther into the future, as has been done in Great Britain and the Uunitect States. i ! Why meat is dear.—Of imported meatf 30,000 tons a month are supplied to the 1 British Army and 25,000 a month to the • armies of our Allies! ! Shearing operations are now nearing completion in the Olutha district. The shortage of labour has been keenly felt, but by mutual assistance and the offer of good wages, all woolgrowers have been able to get their labour wants filled. ;-_■ I The Otawhao correspondent of thopDannevirke Evening News says: The grass grub beetle flies in hundreds of nn evening, and has stripped lucerne and fruit trees clean. The past mild winters have increased the grub nd next spring will probably .show the results of their visitation. The only enemies seem to be about five which have taken up their abode on the block, and largo droves of starlings. Tha , latter are very busy. | The Mount Ida Chronicle states that the : showery weather that has prevailed lately i has retarded shearing a good deal. Some ] of the cold snaps caused the death of & I few shorn sheep at different places, but j the only heavy loser heard of is Mr T. A. Lowis, who lost 150 ewes, -