AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19959, 17 November 1934, Page 15

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

CONDITIONS IN CENTRAL OTAGO After an unusually humid and frequently very cold spring Central Otago has settled down to its customary October-November brightness. The mountains are now almost completely bare of snow, and the general rule is for hot days and very warm nights. The lighter shingle lands are rapidly drying up, and even the good soaking that the subsoil got this spring is having little effect in staying the gradual parching of pastures. Irrigation supplies are likely to be more than adequate for the demand in most districts, however. Wool in Argentine The correspondent of the New York Times, September 30, at Buenos Aires says: “Argentina’s wool year closed to-day with the largest carry-over for many years There is a stock of 5,700,0001 b of unsold wool at the central market at Avellaneda, compared with 390,0001 b. at the end of last season. Exports were 21i per cent, lower than in the previous season. The United States took only 20,637 bales, compared 47,988 bales in the previous season. Britain and Japan were the only markets which increased purchases, the former taking 107,000 bales and the latter 11,286 bales.” Ragwort in Canterbury The existence of ragwort has been reported in parts of Canterbury where it has not been seen before. Many farmers have not seen the weed, though this is scarcely possible if they have ever visited the dairying districts of Auckland or Southland. Ragwort has been a serious obstacle to grazing in both these provinces, and as is it a prolific seeder under favourable conditions farmers in Canterbury cannot exercise too much care in preventing is getting a hold. Ragwort is our worst weed. It not only infests the land and decreases the value of pasture, but it has a poisonous effect on stock Progress with Pigs ! Mr T. Marks, of Auckland, who judged the special pig classes, consisting of porkers suitable for the export trade, bacon pigs, and similar classes, at the Manawatu and West Coast show stated that as a result of what he saw on recent trips to the Old Country and Denmark, he considered New Zealand breeders were working along the right lines, and producing the pig required on the Home market. The quality of all classes had been consistently good, and the progress made in the last five years had impressed him very much. He considered that the bacon class for purebred pigs was outstanding; he understood this was the first time such a class had been included in a show schedule in New Zealand. Good Word for Research Workers While in Christchurch last week is Excellency the Governor, Lord Bledisloe warmly commended the research workers of the Dominion, and emphasised that the results they had achieved were of enormous commercial value to those on the land. “They deserve all the sympathy and financial support which Parliament and the community can afford them. They no doubt need to be co-ordinated and systematised, but nowhere within the Empire is more valuable scientific research work being conducted than at the Cawthron Institute, Lincoln College, Massey College, and at Wallaceville, and there is certainly no country which stands more to benefit from it than this,” said Lord Bledisloe. Foot-rot Prevention Every farmer should be on his guard against the possibility of foot-rot breaking out among his stock. It is most essential that prompt and adequate steps are taken immediately an outbreak occurs, in order to ensure success in effectively checking the disease. Of vital importance in the treatment of this disease is the careful trimming of the affected hoofs. All dead horn should be removed. In severe cases it is advisable that the hoofs should be bandaged up when possible. There are various ointments which may be effectively applied. The best results will be obtained if the stock treated for the disease is for a time housed in a shed under close supervision. If this is not possible the paddock in which the stock is placed should be dry and hard Raukura Farm Experiments An interesting stage has been reached at the Raukura Farm of instruction with the grazing and feeding trials which are being carried out to ascertain the relative costs of raising porkers and baconers for export. An area of land on the southern side of the farm has been set aside for the trials, which will extend over four years. The experiments are being carried out under ordinary farming conditions, and involve both stye feeding and grazing. Individual weekly records of the weights of the pigs concerned are being kept, from which a comprehensive report will be compiled. Although the trials have been in progress only a few weeks, some interesting data has been obtained, disclosing remarkable gains under different types

of feeding. Effect on Export of Offals The Victorian wheat harvest is estimated to produce 30 million bushels, or about two thirds of last year’s crop. The estimate was made after some useful rains. A small Australian crop might affect the quantity of offals available for export, as most of them will be needed within the State. This is a possibility that northern critics of the Dominion’s wheat protection policy overlook. Australia over a number of years has exported an average of 10,000 tons of wheat offals, and the Dominion’s requirements are in the neighbourhood of 60,000 tons. If our antiagrarian friends made wheat growing impossible in this country by the removal of protection, and Australia should develop one of its old fashioned droughts it would be a sorry look out for the users of bran and pollard.