AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3802, 25 January 1927, Page 22

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

--The question of the manufacture and sale of margarine in Australia was discussed at a meeting of the Nestle’s Suppliers’ Association on January 5. Mr Robert Ross, the president, pointed out that a large percentage of the raw material used in the manufacture of margarine was imported from Southern Asia, and was the product of cheap, black labour. About 10,000 tons was used in Australia each year, which meant the displacement of that quantity of butter. .The meeting agreed to a motion urging the conference of dairymen, to be held in Melbourne on February 22, to consider the prohibition of the manufacture and sale of margarine in the Commonwealth. Mr Jloss was appointed to submit the matter to the conference. A. gloomy picture of the conditions in the agricultural industry was drawn by Sir Walter Gilbey, managing director of the Royal Agricultural Hall Companv Limited, who presided at the Smithfield Club’s luncheon recently. “I am thankful to say

I am out of it,” he declared. “If I had gone on, I am perfectly certain that I should have been sweeping the crossings in London.” He had lost over £lOOO a year for the past five years, and now he was winding up his farming business, and he did not know what the loss would be. There was no doubt, he said, that the majority of farmers in this country were almost, if not completely, in a bankrupt condition, especially those who depended entirely upon the growing of corn and the cultivation of stock. Sir Walter said he was certain that the depression that existed in the industry to-day had never been so black. If no remedy was found, one thing was certain—cereal crops in this country would go out of cultivation. An occurrence which, so far as my experience goes, is unique, 'took place on a farm on the Normanby road a few days ago, when a cow died through being gored by a bull (writes the Okaiawa correspondent of the Hawera Star). The cow had only the two punctures through which the bull’s horns had penetrated, but evidently they were in a vital spot, as she died in a few minutes. As is usually the case, when an animal is killed or dies a natural death, the cow was one of the best in the herd. The incident is another argument in favour of dehorning. lhe pea crop throughout the Nelson district has been exceptionally heavy this year, due to the splendid growing season (says the Evening Mail). Eight railway trucks of peas arrived in. Nelson from the country districts, principally from Hope, Brightwater, Foxhill, and Wai-iti. The season is now at the peak, but from the commencement the yield has been particularly heavy'. One factory has been dealing with from 6000 .to 7000 pecks a day for some time, and the heavy part of the season will extend for about three weeks yet. These peas are grown by contract and the exceptionally favourable season will mean much larger returns for the growers. Fireblight has reached the Manawatu, several affected trees being found- within the Borough of Palmerston North. Those have been destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease. An orchardist is endeavouring to have lhe area brought under the Fireblight Act, which gives power to remove hawthorn, which acts as a host for the disease. Although known in America for the last 100 years, fireblight reached New Ze-aland only in December, 1919. The first outbreak occurred in the Auckland district. Motor transport has sprung rapidly into favour in the Wairoa district for the carriage of fat lambs to the freezing works (says the Hawke’s Bay Herald). During the last few weeks lorries from Hawke’s Bay have been making regular trips to • Wairoa for both sheep and lambs. The lorries that- are now being used are'three deckers capable of holding 150 lambs. An instance of the humid conditions prevailing in some of the back portions of the Nelson district this year is the grass growing on the backs of sheep. Some of them, when mustered, have been as green as the fattening paddocks. Most children have been taught at school to germinate seeds on pieces of wet flannel. Exactly the same process goes on, on the sheeps’ backs. Of course, this sort of thing should never occur when land is properly farmed, for grass should never be allowed to grow so long and rank that

the sheep can become covered with the seed. Still, such things do occur, probably through want of knowledge in some instances, and sheer bad luck in others. Whatever the cause, the sheep certainly present a strange appearance with an abundant growth of grass on their- backs. Regarding the recent invitation by wheatgrowers to the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon.. O. J. Hawken) to inspect the wheatgrowing areas of the Ashburton County, the local. Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union received a letter from the Minister stating that he was hoping to be able to arrange an inspection and would later advise definitely on the point (states the Guardian). The country through to Winton, and on through Heddon Bush and Wrey’s Bush to Wairio, 'is at present looking at its best (says the Mataura Ensign). There is an abundance of grass everywhere, and the oat crops are making rapid growth, while turnip crops are coming on nicely; Near Winton on Saturday a heavy crop of oats was being cut. ’ • Hawke’s Bay fruitgrowers, especially those who reside in the Pakowhai district, are full of praise at the decision of the Hawke’s Bay A. and P. Society in its effort to help the checking of the fireblight disease (states the Tribune), by the cutting out of the hawthorn hedges which surround the showgrounds. There is little doubt • that these hedges are actually a greater menace to the industry, through their susceptibility to fireblight, than anything else, and the local growers were not pleased at the fact that while they had to clean out their orchards of the pest, the hawthorn hedges, which were the main source of infection, were allowed to remain. The first shipment of the new seasons’ apples for Britain will leave Wellington early next, month, and will be followed by other consignments at close intervals. The total number of cases booked to be shipped up to March 13 is 172,000. Large mobs of store ewes are now being bought up in the district in anticipation of shipment to Addington (states the Gisborne Times). One local dealer has purchased several thousand ewes on forward delivery for shipment in February.