AGRICULTURAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13673, 15 August 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

AGRICULTURAL.

According to recent statistics tie number of sheep in the principal rearing countries of the world has -decreased to the extent, of 44,000,000 between 1895 and 1908, -white, population has increased by 63000,000 during that period. Mulhall in'his- "Dictionary of Statistics," shows that the United Kingdom produced 50,UUU tone- leas mutton in 1895 than 1875. Then insthft United States the mutton has steadily, declined from 480,000 tons in 188& to 530,000 tons in 1896. Inquiries now being made are expected to show a similar shrinkage in beef herds, and the expectation of political economists that.men-must push live stock off the e3rth as civilisation advances is being realised in the older countries. Already in Prance the three acres, which in sparselv populated countries would be allocated to '. the support of one or two sheep, is, nnder intense cultivation, made to- yield comfortable. Imngs for as many families. Tbe : abundant harvest of last year in Great- .Britain nearlv Teached high water mark in vield per acre. Wheat yielded 33;.96 bushels per acre, compared wi£n 31 22 average-between 1897 and 1906, the highest being 34.74 in 1898. Oats la* year eave'4s.o4 busbek per. acre, compared with 32.29 and 42.65 respectively. Barley returned- an average of 35.26 bushels, compared with 3344 and 55.75. The total quantities and hypothetical market values of the crops in-the two years are given as.follow:—Wheat (1906), 7,386,471 quarters, value £9,664,000; 1907, 6.900/T74 quarters, value £11,703,000. Barley (1506) 7,569,179 quarters, value £9,241,000; 1901, 7 546,273 quarterse, value £9,967,r GOO-.- Oat* -(1S06), 15,423,105 quarters value £12,917,000; 1907, 1W99»«5 quarters, value £15,259,000. The-hay and clover crop in- 1907 was 0,709,977 tons, valued at dow 6 719,257. tons;'valued at £Z&,I9 (,«*£• The new trade policy of ..the British Government says the "Benew, of Keviews," irecognLses that agncutture isjie hasfe of-our national welfare. Here, again, we shall go to school to the foreignerWe shall lend, to the French to teach us the marvellous, yield of intensive horticulture; to Denmark-to show us .how-to "revolßfciotuse our rural industries;, and to learn what can be done by Supplication of science and mechmery ?o apiculture- shdtenng. ourselves like cowards behind * tariff wall toSp outlhe imports of abler men than .S, we'shall set ouxse v es to leam Secret and profit by their <*V*™™*: Tte Government will become the great missionary- of -advanced agriculture. It wfflT reform its' Ministry of Agriculture and; mate its central office the rotelh, -gence department of all the cultivators of England. It will foster the formation of. agricultural banks, develop co-operation in *ll- its branches and remove'everv obstacle that stands between \the produced in the fields and the consumer .in'the towns.

FIRST REAPER IN NEW ZEALAND. A dfceussion has taken place in North Canterbury regarding the make of the first leaping machine used in Canterbury. Mrs Jane Deans has. set the matter at rest in abetter to Mr Murphy, in which shesavs.- "■ In 1856, the Trustees of Riccarton Estate imported the first reaping machme—a Bell's improved. • It was a heavy clumsy concern* compared with those now in use, but effected/a. great saving. It was reapinV its. first havest in 1857, when the late Robert Park, C.E.. of Wellingon, paid a visit to Riccarton; he walked alongside it' foe hours, with his watch in his hand, and'measuring the ground, was in perfect rapture at the work accomplished: it was pushed bv the horses, instead of being drawn. Other farmers imported port-able-thrashing machines, and, in a few veare, both "reapers" and "threshers" were Owing to the Australian gold diggings attracting the labourers of all classes from New Zealand and elsewhere the-first two years after my husband's death, the late. Douglas Graham. Manager of Riccarton farm,.had great difficulty in securing the harvest of 1855-6, so the Trustees decided, on importing a reaping machine, and my brother-in-law, the late Mr. J. G. Deans, on mating enquiries in- the Old Country as to the best in thosa days, sent us a " Bell's Improved. It. -was.so heavy two horses could only push it for two hours at a time, when they hf A to be replaced by two others. Mr. Graham was busy struggling with it when Miss Eaglesome arrived to be his bride, and he could not leave the harviest field for over an hour to come and welcome her.

AttSTRALIAN WHEATGROWING, The following statements as to the total cost of production during two seasons oil a lares farm" in New South Wales district with less than 20in. average annual rainfall will be more than ordinarily interesting. Tier have" been prepared by Mr G. L. Sutton (New South Wales Government wheat experimentalist). Mr Sutton indicate? farriv clearlv the conditions of which lxe based "his estimate. The wages paid and lodging: , harvest hands—machine men. 7s to 8s per day: bag-sewers, 6s to 7s plus board and lodging. Carting is ppt down at Is per bag for a distance of 20 miles; and assigning market prices to the material used, the cost of feeding farm horses is calculated at Is Id per dav. Two consecutive seasons. 1904 and 1905, are dealt with fn detail. In the first year the area planted was 1914 acres, and m the-second 1399 acres. The total cost of putting in and taking off the crop from 1914 acres iri 1904 was, therefore, £2004 15s 3d, or £l-{te-11-ja per acre—los 724 for putting in, and 10s 3£d for harvesting. The total cost in 1905 for 1339 acres works out at £1494 Us 6d, or £1; 2s 3|d per acre—putting in 13s 4d. and harvesting 8s llfd. In 1904 the vield averaged 12 bushels per acre, which at 3s" per bushel left a profit per acre of 15s 0?J. In 1905 the average was 10 bushels per acre, and the price the same leaving the profit. 7s o\Jit per acre.

FARMING IN ORANGIA. . In order to educate men who wish to settle in Sonth Africa in the best method of colonial farming, the Mushroom Valley Agricultural Training Association, limittd has acquired a farm of 8000 acres a Winbnrg, in,the.Orange River Colony, where settlers electing to' go out under the auspices of the association can have \i months' training, with food and lodging free The student will have to furnish a certificate of character to the .satisfaction of the; association, and musb deposit a sum o£ £25 bv way of caution money, to be- returned to"him "at the end of the year. He must" also pay for his passage, the cost of which is estimated at £25, and will be required to deposit in South Africa a smn of £SOO, on which interest at the Tateofs per cent, will be allowed. This deposit will remain in the bank during the year of training, and will not be operated upon by the student without the consent of the association. ' Each student shall be received at his destination by a representative of the association, and will be looked-after during his year of training. He will have the privilege, for one year, free • of charge, of grazing on the farm cattle .or horses of his own to the value of £2OO, and the increase of the stock hred during the trsnning year may also be run on the farm free of charge. The student will be required to enter into an agreement for due performance of his duties, and must observe and perform the regulations from time to time made by the manager. Should the student desire to remain on the farm after the expiration

of the training year, arrangements can be made.with the manager.for a further term not exceeding 12 months, on the payment of £5 per month for his keep. ; AGRICULTURE IN SCHOOLS, At a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Christchurch Technical College, Dr. Hight reported the result of a recent conference between the Eduaiion Board's Normal School, and Technical .Committee and delegates from the Board of Governors, at which the question of appointing an 1% structor in agriculture was discussed. The conference decided that it was desirable that a joint appointment of an instructor should be- madW The salary should be £4OO a vear, with annual increments of £SO to £SOO, the term of appointment being for three years, afterwards terminable at six months' notice. The amounts payable by the two Boards should be strictly proportionate to the time' spent by the ; instructor in the service of each Board. The instructors work 6hould be subject to the control of-'tfe 'director of the Technical College and of the Edncabion Board's director of manual training.' ' The two Boards should advertise for an instructor in New Zealand, Australia, and Great Britain, and Mr W. L'owrie shonld be asked to assist in appointing someone in England to consider the applications made from Great Britain . _ There was a good deal of discussion on the resolutions before they were adopted, touching both their principles and their details, but they were adopted without amendment, except that it was decided that applications should . not be invited in Great Britain unless no suitable applications were received in Australasia. SMALL BIRDS. A THEIR FAVOUR.

The small bird is, no doubt, a mischievous little creature; but there ;is this to be said for it, that while the harm he does is plainly to be seen, and he gets full credit for it, the good that he does is not so obvious, and there are those who are disposed to give the small bird no credit at all for his good, -works. We live in, a climate that is highly favourable to- the production of. insect pests. Except in the very high conntry the winters are too mild to act as an effective check on the propagation of insect life, and occasionally we get a season, which appears. to have the effect of allowing certain kinds of insects to increase and multiply beyond ordinary bounds.' That the small "birds are the friends: of the farmers there are no reasonable grounds for doubting,, but they are enemies as well as friends, and with a tendency to take too heavy toll for their: .services; but *if they were exterminated.: altogether, it is by no means an improbability that we should be-glad to have them back again. Perhaps the majority of our farmers of the present day have little or no recollection of the time before- the small birds made their appearance in great numbers in this conntry. They have never seen a crop-of bats or barley absolutely -stripped by the caterpillars, nor the young turnip plant taken by the email grasshoppers which used to exist in such numbers. Experiences of that kind were very common in the'earlier days of fanning* in Canterbury. Those pests have disappeared; and their disappearance is probably due to the industry and voracious appetites of the small birds: There is a natural tendency for all forms of life to increase, as the supply of suitable food increases. The cultivation of the land, and the growth of .an increasing extent and variety of crops, necessarily invblves the production of a larger supply-, of food available for the support- of insect life, an it it not- unreasonable to suppose that-many species of insects which existed only in small numbers under the natural and uncultivated condition of the country, such as it was before the advent of the white settler, would spring into more active- life and propagate rapidly as the food supply increased -both : in variety and quantity. The thought it-self that in the absence of natnral enemies in the shape of small birds, and with no severe climatic check, the multiplication of insect pests might have" tendered the business .of farming more precarious and considerably less prosperous than it is nnder existing conditions. It is not suggested- that the small birds should ' be allowed to multiply at their own sweet- will, and with regard to the sparrow, he/ will - probably- be able to. hold his own against all" Efforts-made to exterminate him; - but may the same be said about all other kindsiof small birds? The present writer has observed that in the district, in which he lives the skylark has, of late years become comparatively scarce, and he also misses the large flocks of starlings, which, a few years ago, were so common in the fields. . Ifc-wouldibe interesting to know whether the same thing has been observed iii other districts. The starling is the most useful of all the small birds, arid war has riot been made upon it by local bodies. There is ample scope for "the work of an observant'naturalist in this country, in studying the habit of the small birds, and their, relation to the varions forms of insect, pesis which make their appearance from time to time. Our school children should be encouraged to develop their faculties .of observation in that direction. But naturalists are born rather than made: nevertheless, there js always the; possibility "of dropping, across that pearl of price, a- boy or girl of genius, and if any reader of this article should be the parent of a boy showing a bent for natural history, - there are two books in particular which may be recommenderl as illnsfr.-iting that- study.iii its most deligh'fc." fid form—quaint old 'Gilbert-White's " Na-

tural History of Selburn," and to. a _new prelude the perhaps still more entertaining 'Out in the Open," by the H. Potts, New Zealand.—("Ovis," in the .Canterbury A. and F. A; "'Journal.").