MY COUNTRY NOTEBOOK

Otago Witness, Issue 3886, 4 September 1928, Page 35

MY COUNTRY NOTEBOOK

By

MURIHIKU.

(Spejial fob the Otago Witness.) Those of us who were born in either Otago or Southland have a great affection for Scotland. Our Clydesdale horses and our Ayrshire cows—and the accent of our children in the country schools—are all evidence of the land of our fathers. * * * During the war those of us who were soldiers and were recuperating in the hospitals at Home were allowed two long railway passes. Invariably we took one out to Banff, which was as far as we could go in Scotland, and the other was generally taken out for Killarney, in Ireland*. Many of us who went on the Scottish tour never got any further than Edinburgh. Here was so much to remind us of our beloved far-away Dunedin. Dun Edin—the very name was significant of our southern homes. . . * * * With Princes street,, and Moray place, and a hundred and one other old reminiscent place names, we wandered round in an Old World atmosphere of Scottish tradition, song, and storv. We visited John Knox’s house, and saw the old inquisitorial thumbscrews on the walls; we went out to Holyrood and saw with our own eyes all those old associations of Mary Queen of Scots; we visited St. Giles’s and inquired after the stool old Jenny Geddes flung at the head of the parson she didn’t approve of, and after absorbing all this old-world atmosphere we returned each one of us at night to .those beautiful old-world homes around such places as Corstorphine. * * * Eor myself I can never forget : the hospitality and kindness showered' : An me by the good people of Midlothian. Here are many spots of historic interest—one* .beautiful ■ but stern old - house built in 1025 .is the traditional “ House of Shaws ” mentioned in R.«L. Stevenson’s Kidnapped.” But secohd only to; the charm of the people of this .district

was the appeal of the wonderful farming lands of Midlothian. Sometimes I am of the opinion that these southern Scottish farmers are the best farmers in the world. Thrifty, careful folk, with the characteristic Scottish canniness and generosity, their fjirms are a model of neatness and method. Midlothian farmers can teach us a good deal more than stay-at-home New Zealanders can possibly imagine.

It is interesting sometimes to go through the Scottish agricultural papers and realise that, with some minor differences, their problems are our problems too. Californian thistle, yar, and twitch, are the worst weeds in arable land, just as they are with us. Uur seed oats probably came from Scotland. And in the. art gallery in Auckland there is a picture of a Scottish seaside meadow—“ The Estuary of Aberdouy ” that is literally chockful of ragwort.

It might be of interest to many of your readers if I made some short extracts from farming papers received by last mail. Differences in detail we can observe in plenty, but basically, the problems of the Scottish farmer are the problems of his New Zealand brother —they want cheaper money just as we do, and more of it. And their educational system is receiving critical examination.

For some years the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at Home have been agitating against the trade in the export of cast horses. But apparently the work still goes on, the export being principally to Belgium and Holland. Consider this advertisement: J.C.B. (Glasgow) Ltd., are buyers of all classes of fallen animals—horses and cows. We can have them removed quickly. We are also the buyers of cast horses for immediate

slaughter here before export. Highest . market values paid. And then you will find some supersensitive folk in New Zealand actually protesting about the export of bobby calves!

We certainly have our fair share of imported pests in this country, but, thanks be, we have been spared the curse of foxes, such as they have in Victoria. Two items about foxes are of interest. First an advertisement: Nine Fox Cubs for sale: two months old; non-hunting district.—Apply Lockhart, Ladywell, Dunure.

Again, under the heading of “ Foxes in Perthshire,” where the gamekeepers are steadily on the job: “Foxes have caused some trouble this’ year among the flocks on some of the hill farms in Perthshire. Between the middle ef April and the end of May one gamekeeper in the Strathfillan district killed 43 foxes, old and young.”

Sir John Russell, the director of Rothamstead Research Station, England, has lately been advising us that 2cwt of super is a very payable dressing at Home, and he also had a good deal to «ay about basic slag and nitrogenous manures. With us out here it is largely a matter of cost. Scottish farmers certainly get their artificial manures much cheaper than we do. Here are the latest quotations:

The quotation of superphosphates, 35 per cent, at £2 12s 6d, is quite interesting to South Island farmers. The ground mineral phosphate at £2 3s 6d is evidently finely-ground Nauru. * *' * * To-day the educational system of New Zealand is being called to account. We find that year after year there is a great crop of boys and* girls being produced by our secondary school system fitted only for the professions and public services. They have the same trouble apparently in Scotland. This is from a leading article in the Scottish Farmer: “In this country for half a century we have been educating all section's of the community more or less on one model—that which befits for an industrial or. a commercial career. It has been borne in upon British overseas dominions that what they need in increased population is the immigration of men and women who will settle in the rural districts and follow the primitive pursuits of husbandry.” The article goes on to point out that there is no room in the dominions for the industrial and commercial migrant. And then the writer points but the serious effect caused by “the dole,” or, as we know it, insurance against unemployment: ; “ Their cities, like our own, have more than their own quota of unemployed; in none of them, so far as, we are aware, is’there to be found the equivalent of “ the dole.” It has been left to the Mother Country to reverse the apostolic formula that if a man will not work, neither shall lie eat. We have made it possible for a family to subsist on the principle that it pays them better to be’idle' than to work; for the wages that are going.” ' ’ Some of the ’ legislation- recbntly- prb,nosed iff tjjis Dominion goes .along- theline of tihemploymenjt insurance; biit.' until: a. niore light .is th.rayyn

on this question it would be advisable to proceed very carefully. For what has happened in the Old Land may very easily happen here. J * * * The prices we in New Zealand receive foi our cattle and sheep determine very largely the prosperity of everyone in New Zealand. It is interesting to go through the Scottish market reports and discover what is being received nowadays for stock. Prices vary, of course, for different localities, but the following from Lanark are fair averages:— ° Calved cows, cross, to £29 15s. Ayrshire, to £3O ss. Uncalved cows, cross, to £3l 10s. Cross heifers, to £26. Ayrshire, to £26 15s. Ayrshire stock bulls, to £l3 ss. Bullocks, to £39 10s. Heifers, to £3l 15s. Cows, to £2B 7s 6d. Bulls, to £4l. Down lambs,- to 92s 6d. Halfbred, to 83s. Border Leicester, cross, to 78s. Cheviot, to 88s 6d. Cross hoggs, to 91s Gd. Cross ewes, to 61s. Cheviot, to 555. Blackfaces, to 60s. Tups, to 675. Fat pigs, to £l5 ss. Young pigs, to 37s 6d. Fat calves, to £5 9s. Milk calves, to £5 Is. It would be interesting to know what weight of fat pig would bring £l5 ss. The heaviest pigs go from this country to Italy—the United Kingdom does not want them. The weight of the porker that goes Home from New Zealand is from 60 to 901 b, which at the price of fid per lb is £2 ss. Baconers from 121) to 1801 b at the same price per lb would bring at the highest, £4 10s, f.0.b., New Zealand. * * * In all our cities to-day, where the roads are either slippery asphalt or bitumen, it is a painful thing to see the heavy draught horses slipping and sliding about—and in evident fear. At Home those who love the horse are •making all sorts of tests to find out the most suitable road surfaces, and what sort of horseshoe is suitable for these new conditions. Every city council in New Zealand should get. these. particulars—certainly the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should get into communication with Majorgeneral Vaughan at the address below. In this connection the following letter on the subject of “ Horses on Slippery Roads” is worth perusal: — Sir,— Owing to the slippery surfaces of modern roads the old type* of horseshoe is not always satisfactory, and I think many of your readers* will he interested to hear of a three months’ test which the Institute of the Horse has just conducted with a view to finding a shoe or pad which minimises the danger of the too smooth surface and is suitable also for use on grass lands. Exhaustive tests have been carried out by competent horsemen under the supervision of a cavalry brigade commander, and apart from actual efficiency on the road, particular attention was paid, among other points, to the fitting of the shoe on various hoofs, and the effect of the shoe on the horse's feet after being in use for some considerable time. The result is that a special pad and a special shoe, particulars of which I should be glad to send to anyone interested, have now been selected, and are recommended in the official report as “ suitable under all conditions.” As the marking was only slightly in favour of the pad as compared’with the shoe, a further test of the selected types is now being carried out. A little while ago we published the result of a test of different modern road surfaces from the horseman’s point of view. Now that we are going to considerable trouble to make the horseshoe more suitable for modern roads, we feel we are in a stronger position than ever to ask road authorities to make road surfaces less slippery and consequently more suitable for horse traffic.—l am, etc., J. Vaughan, Major-general. Chainuan, Institute of the Horse. 27 Cavendish square, London, W.l,

The practice of stealing plants from private gardens appears to be growing into an annual nuisance (states the Christchurch Sun). Every spring there are sufferers who bewail the disappearance of choice flowers or shrubs. This morning a Linwood man who had spent the weekend in setting out a good collection of roses found that they had disappeared overnight.

FERTILISERS. Description. Guaranteed Glasg :ow Analysis. per ton. p s. d. Nitrate of Soda N 15J 11 0 0 Sulphate of Ammonia (neutral and granular) N 20.6 10 13 0 Superphosphate SP 35 2 12 6 Basic Slag TP 28 11 6 Sulphate of Potash 48.6 11 o 6 Ground mineral phosphate IP 58-60 o 3 6 Steamed bone flour N.I.I.P. 60 6 10 0