NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3774, 13 July 1926, Page 12

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

The authorities having to do with Lii> coin Agricultural College, Canterbury in Canterbury, have been Agricultural bestirring themselves as College. they realise, somewhat late, perhaps, that another school of agriculture in the North Island will not be for the good of farming generally. The North Island scheme will go ahead now, no matter what the south may say in regard to the folly of spending many thousands of pounds. The Government has stated definitely that a college “somewhere in the north will be established.” If Lincoln cannot be made the chief School of Agriculture in New Zealand, it might, as has been suggested, be worked in conjunction with the proposed University College in the North Island. This would get over unnecessary and undesirable competition, and permit of teaching agriculture over a wide field, as there are North and South Island agricultural problems which may well be studied on the spot. The saving in money alone may well appeal to the Government, while the fact of Canterbury Agricultural College not being relegated to second place would go a long way to placate southerners. There lias been a further outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Foohand-Mouth Scotland-(May 30), which Disease. has been traced to a shipment of pig carcases received at Leith from Holland. It is exactly two years since the last outbreak in Scotland occurred, and it is a most unfortunate happeping in the live stock activities of the country. As a Home paper points out, it will not only dislocate the marketing of commercial live stock, but will disturb the coming show • arrangements to a considerable extent. The Highland and Agricultural Society is fortunate perhaps in having its annual show so far removed from the infected area at Kelso, but even that event must in the ordinary course of circumstances be to some extent affected. Then, with such a prolonged disease-free record, exporters of pedigree stock had visions of fuller access to overseas. South Africa, indeed, had announced the withdrawal of their embargo upon stock' sent direct from Scotland only quite recently. Now the hands of the clock have been pushed back. Ten outbreaks of disease have been reported, all within the area of the original case. The closing down of flour mills in the South Island looks omiWheat nous, and it is hoped that antf Flour. better counsels will prevail, for, given a fair, deal, the wheat growers in New Zealand will grow, year after year, practically all the wheat required in the Dominion. The supply may have to be supplemented at times from outside; but the wheat grower, like other producers, likes to handle a money price per bushel of. wheat on a parity with world values. Millers say they cannot secure wheat at their official price, while wheat growers say in effect that they cannot grow and sell their grain and make a profit at the prices offered. It seems a deadlock in the meantime, but the prospects augur well in that the Government -is standing firm in allowing the spread of wheat and o take place through the ordinary channels of trade. Wheat growing under these conditions will probably forge ahead, as wheat will be sown in the ordinary rotation in fertile land by men who understand the requirements of this very exhausting crop. They will plan to grow a bumper crop, and give it the fertilisation, care, and general treatment which such an important cereal demands; but—and this is a hurdle — growers desire and deserve top world rates for all milling quality grain. Wheat sown in the autumn, it must be remembered, occupied a field for practically a full year, and is subject to all sorts of troubles before it is marketed and sold. Woodwork for fencing or building is so expensive nowadays that Preserving it is more than ever * Woodwork. necessary to take precautions to make it last as long as possible (writes the London Live Stock Journal). Every day as one goes about the country one may see fences and buildings which, though only put up a few years ago, are already showing signs of decay. One supposes that this state of affairs is usually due to the fact that, because of the initial expense, inferior material is often used, and the means of preservation adopted not of the best. A “lick” of paint may cover a multitude of sins, but it will not hide them for long, unless it be of good quality. To use preservatives of bad quality is the poorest economy, and the saving is never worth while in view of the fact that the labour of applying is as great as if the best stuff were used. Creosote preparations are much in favour because they are cheap and easily applied. Some of them are very good; others are anything but that. Whenever possible woodwork that is to be so treated should be steeped in the mixture for some time, for these thin mixtures when applied like paint are usually very little good. do not penetrate the wood far enough, and are soon drawn out by sun and wind. Tar, of course, is a good preservative, but often avoided because of the trouble of application. It is not generally known that if tar is dHuted until workable by adding to it ordinary petroleum it may be used without heating, and is just as efficient. AGRICOLA. ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT. By Agricola. “Lime,” Otago, wishes to know whether there is any rough-and-ready method of testing sqil for its lime content, etc. By noting the herbage and main weeds growing some idea may be formed of the presence of lime or otherwise. For instance, while the clovere and most leguminous plants respond readily to lime, lupins, sorrel, foxgloves, and gors* are lime detesters. The presence of a

considerable amount of lime in the soil can be determined as follows:—Moisten a sample of soil, and mould it into a shallow cup. Pour a few drops of dilute hydrochloric acid (spirits of salts, one part of the acid added to one of water) into this cup, and if lime is present bubbles will appear at the surface of the soil. If the soil bubbles freely no liming is needed.