AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3764, 4 May 1926, Page 19

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The Financial Times understands that a tender of £2,000,000 has been made to the Commonwealth Government on behalf of an influential British syndicate, comprising important shipping and financial in- , terests for British New Guinea plantations, expropriated from the enemy during the war, also a tender of £23 "'.GOO :.om another source, which is believed to be acting on behalf of a German group. While returns from several wheatgrowing countries in Europe are not yet available, the International Institute of Agriculture reports that, from the figures so far to hand, it appears that the total area under winter wheat in 14 countries is about 116,000,000 acres, or about 2,500.000 acres less than last year. The largest decrease is in India, where weather conditions at sowing time were adverse, and caused a reduction of 2,500,000 acres. Slight fallings off in certain European countries, including France and Roumania, and also in the United States, are compensated by an increase i:. North Africa. The area now under wheat is about on a par with the average for the years 191920 to 1923-24. Reports as to the condition of the crop are generally favourable. Some time ago (says a Victorian weekly paper) the manager of the Wellington municipal milk supply undertaking in New Zealand (Mr R. E. Heron) was commissioned by the Melbourne City Council to furnish a report on the advisableness of establishing a similar scheme here. Jn it he points out that it is desirable in the interests of public health to vest the supply of the city’s water service in a Government monopoly, and that a bad milk supply can have as serious an effect on the health of the community as an impure water supply. He suggests that the compensation to be paid to those now distributing milk in the city area should be based on the quantity of milk now sold, and that a board should be appointed to fix the amount of compensation to be paid in each case. Milk and cream for manufacturing purposes, he suggests, should be excluded from the monopoly. It is urged, however, that shops selling milk should be licensed for the purpose by the council, and that steps should be taken to see that milk produced by cows within the city area is dealt with in a proper manner. _ Volumes XX and XXI of the New Zealand Shorthorn Herd Book have come to hand with interesting details concerning the bulls, cows, and heifers registered in the years 1924 and 1925 in the Dominion. The list of members is given, together with important data relating to this world-famous breed of cattle. The secretary is Arnaud M Kellar, 227 Manchester street, Christchurch. “If I am expected to clear a 20O*aere farm of blackberry in two years, how in Heaven’s name were the people befora me ever allowed to let the place get into the state it is?” was the decidedly pertinent point put to Magistrate J. L. Stout, in the Dannevirke Court, by a defendant in an action brought by the inspector of noxious weeds. The defendant went on to explain that there were about 80 acres of the weed, and it had been allowed to develop to such an extent that, as the inspector himself pointed out, people came from all round th© district to pick the fruit. The anomaly was apnarently too much for his Worship, for he offered no explanat ion of a position that has occurred on many farms. The offer recently made by the Agricul* tural Department to sheep fnriners to sml In samples of wool from ram hoggets In order to see whether or not they would produce the class of wool required by the Bradford market. Is being freely necepted. and the department's officers are at picscutj

busy putting the samples under the microscope. All rams showing faulty wool will Ik* bred as wethers, and in this way the quality of New Zealand Wool should be raised appreciably. “The joint and several guarantee business is as dead as Julius Ceesar, and I will sign no more of them,” forcibly commented a member of the Masterton A. and P. Association at the monthly meeting, amidst laughter, which was renewed when he added that he had a few hanging over his head already. A plot of 40 acres at Wairoa is being made the centre of all blackberry experimental work in New Zealand. Here will be tested the various mixtures forwarded to the Department of Agriculture in connection with the bonus of £IO,OOO which has been offered for the (Solution that will deal effectively and cheaply with blackberry. When does a horse’s usefulness end? Mr G. B. Cole, of Warwick road (says the Stratford Poet) has one which looks like putting up a record. Mr Cole had this horse in the railway yard the other morning, and it pulled a ton of manure to Mr Ode's farm in spite of it being 38 years of age. The Awamangu correspondent of the Balclutha Fress Press reports that threshing and chaff-outting are in full swing. There have been some very good yields of oats this year—9o bushels to the acre has been quite common. Wheat is conspicuous by its absence and only one man had a small patch of a few acres. A good illustration of the results being achieved in keeping the dairy herds free from tuberculosis was given at a recent cull oow drive at Auroa (says the Hawera Star), when the full draft of 97 animals, cent .to the Patea Freesing Works passed the inspection for disease. Considering i that the animals were culls thrown but

as being no longer of use as producers* the incident affords a striking tribute to the healthy. condition of the dairy herds of the district. The country between Gore and Mataura Island at present is looking very fine. There appears to be an abundance of grass feed (says the Ensign), and stock generally is looking well. In one or two places Californian thistle appears to have got an unnecessary hold, and in a few paddocks near the island ragwort appears to be in charge. In some places the oldfashioned ‘‘back delivery” reaper could be profitably employed. The Island country is a dairying area. Where grain has been grown the crops are all threshed. Swede turnips and chou moullier are plentiful and in good condition, and with plenty of grasp there appears to be sufficient feed for the coming season.