DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 200, 17 October 1900, Page 1

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

The ei|h'h annuO report of iht Department of Agriculture w»s laid on ihi Utile of the House of Represent** tirei (n Tceiday. CBOPS. The birv s) of 11891900 hat bm satisfactory in 10 tar m tt-e yield of grain i« concerned, tut ie it to be regrntte<l that tbo price ot wLe t, etpecially, 'owr a v ry small margin of profit. 0 its however, have maintained a fair prire, owin({ i o dr übt, to tat increased dt>maid for ib'pmeatt to Focth Affica. Iho D pirtuienti undertook the supervision of all lUjXnenta, on acciuit of the Imperial Go varamoui, acd so far in comp'aioti haw b(O3 rpccivd Tje eccrjtary, lowever, regrets to tar that tbern it good reason to believe that a qoaotUy cf oats that bad been nj*tt*.d was shipped privately t> Soath Africa, and he a-Ms that the gradirg of all griia, in ftct ot all ptoduce exported, it* matter worthy of atteutioa. Among.* <he p oluce shipped watacoisilrraolt qu&mi-y of ot to a bheeves, p<rtstd and board with wire or bco:s. Tois foim ot chipping produce U not tile canmended. A much bitter plen would be to cat the t heaves into chaff, and, by so do'ng, the horsrs would ncsiv* the full benefit), and the waste be nrxt to notliog, Tbo question of the b\m of bags, more etp;:cially (or wheat, has been receiving touch atten* tion Some are in favour of a twobushi 1 bag, but others favour a bag the tame length at that bow iu general use, but 3io. nsrrower, and to Lo'd, tay, SOOlb. of wheat. The latter ap. peart tho most suitable. The wheat available for all pgrfoies, at (out February 28, lssetcownasl2,»l4,3so busbe's; estimated quantity required for seed, 500.000 buthett; ocntampt on for all purposes, 4 854 000 butheis; making a totd of 5,354,000 bushels, and leaving an apparent surplus of 7,160,350 bushelt. 'lha aotual yield of wheat for last season eictedeu the estimate considerably, 3181 boshela per acre, as agaioat 27 bosh It. The price rules aloat tbjs aims as that of last year, namely, 2« to 2s 3d pit bushel of GOibs. OATS The area under this cereal was 398,243 acres, or a decrease of 19.077. The yield, however, wat slightly lijber, being* 4 0 99 bushelt per acre, as aga'nst 39 56 The qoa'ity ot toe grain it gee t, and the bu k wat aartd in prrfott condition. The quntity of oatt exported during the period ending March 31st, wat 4 597,487 butbels, an increase of 3,379,997 buahtii Ctt tfttv exported the previous year. BtBLBV. An inorease of 2332 acres under barlfy hu been recorded, 48,003 acres, as againsti 45,071 seres. The quality of the grain wat above the avtngr. and the actual yield, 3302 busbe's, was 5.02 bushels above lbs estimate. OTDKB 080PJ. There was a very large deereaee in the area under rje grass saved Ut seed, and cocksfoit and clovers showed an inoreaie. Potatoes stowed a decrease of 1620 setts, aid the avi rage yield wat six tona per acre, at against 773 torn. Turnips and mangolds showed a slight decrease, and there wat a very large increase in rtpe of 21,446 acres, mainly in Canterbury and Otago, DAIBIINO. This industry bat made very rapid stridet during the put tea«oo, butter slowing an increase of 59,313 cwL va'ued at .£260,220. and obeete of 47,511 owt, valued at £107.266. The grader's report on butter ie now universally acorpted aa the bath ef all sales, and hut season ssveral boyers of obeete made it a condition that they aould buy only aooordiog t» the grader't report. Ike site for tut permanent dairy school hu not yet been fixed, but a school of InstruouW in oheesi-makiDg will bt optltd du> ing the winter montht at Wyndhasa, andaoobher for butttr-makiog at f ogl* wood, UUTiMlMtito. The prioN have been somewhat better (or mutton and lamb, but Intra ie still room for improvement, The aheap fa the colony are not increasing nod there is not the slightest doubt that the continued export of • larger number of ewe lambs than is warranted to aooountable to a great degree forth* poat'on. Very little, if any, imp ore* ment is noticeable in the email attach. terbouics throughout the colony, and it is ami ring to cote the apathy shown by meat consumer*. A measure, deal* iog with tl b mttter.iturgent'y needed. The returns thow that the lambing wat quito up to the average. The demand for store sheep was very keen, and tin priors mrs'« have been satisfactory ta settlers. The clip ot wool wai good, and iatbf«otory rttarutmay be towM (or. IlVg STJCK C«tt'e shuv mi inert ta' of 19,115, and under th« heading tf oo«*, * ,a » for dairy purposes, there is an increase of 21,720, as cewpwed with 9000 last year. The numUr of herasa on No* vemhor 15 h wat 262,390, or an in. crease of 3741. The demml for' draughts is still entali (led. A very lsrg« pr'pirtion cf tb* horses tflcrtd as remounts for S*utb Africa had to be p j rt-d, and tbe np/irt s«u tut * • ytteio of i ►p«-ction o< italllots at (be, oomurcc :u>e»t of «eh se«s>o,

MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS Owing to the want cf united action the small bird peat is increasing at an alarming rate. It ia intended to introduce a Bill dealing with the subject this session, (Phis Bill has been introduced, but has also been sacrificed.) Analyses of manure and soils can be obtained from the Department. The testing of seeds cannot at pre■sent be fu'ly taken np owing to the want of proper accommodation. An effort, however, will be made at an ear'y dote to carry out thiß important work. The market for hemp in the early part of the year was active, with a good demand, but latterly inquiries have somewhat slackened. Very grave complaints were made of the condition of much of the hemp sent down for shipment. It is evident that if the nduetry is to be secured, steps mußt be taken io grade the fibre at the pert of shipment, The efforts made to eradicate phylloxera have been most successful, and many cf the vineyards formerly infected are now quite free. The inspection of all vines is still being carried out. The poultry branch is meeting with the hf arty support of the settlers. Last BeiEon it was found a difficult matter to mftt the demand for eggs. If the shipment of poult*y turns out a success, no doubt the business will extend, and it will be necessary to consider the question of opening depots at the different ports, where the birds can be dealt with by experts employed by the Department The report adds that the work of the Department is rapidly increasing, and the energies of the staff have bees tsxod to the uttermost.