Garden, Farm and Dairy

Southern Cross, Volume 7, Issue 27, 15 October 1898, Page 6

Garden, Farm and Dairy

At Gore on Saturday last the N-M. and A. Co. sold the Clydesdale stallion Bothwell on account of the administratrix in the estate of the late Mr George M‘Aldon to Mr Andrew M'Aldon for £49. * * # A monster fleece, which is now going the rounds of the Victorian shows, will very probably be on exhibition in New Zealand this year. The fleece and pelt weigh 501 b, the length of the staple is 28in and the growth is 13 months. A petition is being circulated in the Riverton district asking the Minister for Lands to urge upon the Government the necessity for opening up for settlement the Crown Lands in block XV 111., Jacobs RiverHundred. ■* * * , For the six months ending September 30 the export of butter from the colony amounted to £73,747; cheese, £48,095 ; beef, £56,048 ; mutton, £441,892 ; lamb, £284,879. In every instance there is a great falling-off compared with the same period last year. Wyndhara D.P. Co. directors have sold upwards of 100 tons of the current season’s make of cheese, and they of Island D.F. Co. some 70 tons. The destination of both lots is, we (Wyndham Farmer) believe, Australia, and the price, we are assured, is highly satisfactory. * * * We experienced last summer (observes a writer in the Wanganui Chronicle) the severest drought that has been known for 20 years. It was naturally followed by great scarcity of feed and failure of crops that has resulted in the loss of thousands of head of cattle, especially in the Wanganui district. Bran (a valuable horse and cow food, has been, during the past winter, almost unprocurable ; hay, chaff, oats, etc., have also been excessively dear. And, on the top of this delightful season, the public, through their representatives, the City Fathers, decided that they must have extra good, all round, inspection of the milk vendors’ sheds, yards, buildings, herds, etc., necessitating of course c nsiderable outlay on their part, to bring things up to the Inspectoro’ standard. Charmed with their success in this venture, they resolved to go further and have the cows tested with tuberculine. Of course they are quite right, I admire the public for insisting on having a bona fide nontuberculous article supplied to them. Eut what is the upshot of it ? Merely this. The dear, good, considerate public must be prepared to curl up gracefully in the sr ug little nest they have had made for themselves. Only they must not—no they really must not—expect to get a feather bed as cheap as they would get a straw one. * * A company, with a capital of £IO,OOO, hi-.s been formed in Stratford (Taranaki) for the purpose of conducting bacon-curing operations. The factory will have a capacity of 200 pigs per week, and will be ready for work in Januarv.