RURAL TOPICS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12145, 27 November 1908, Page 3

RURAL TOPICS.

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL

In the report of the Christchurch show it was slated that tho championship in Romney ewes went to Mr William Grant and the reserve championship to Messrs Bealey Bros. This was an error. Tho championships in rams and owes were secured by Messrs Bealey Bros., the well-nown breeders, of Haldon, Hororata, - who also secured five first prizes, a reserve championship, four seconds and v very highly commended certificate. Mr CJrani^took two firsts including a reservo championship; two seconds and two ver.y highly commended certificates* The "Oamaru Mail" states that a return just obtained by tho Oamaru Farmers' Union by means of a plebiscite issued to the farmers of North Otago, exclusive of Hampden and Palmerston contios, shows a very strong - desire to have the contract system of threshing similar to that of Canterbury, established. The voting was 174 for tho Canterbury sj'stem and 34 for the current system. In tho light of these returns tho following resolution has boon passed by the committee: "That the result of the vote be given to tho.press and also placed before mill owners; members of the committee to bo recommended to act in their own districts in the -direction of gauging tho amount of support that,could be guaranteed to one or more mill-owners that may be prepared to outfit'under tho Canterbury system." Tho beautiful y little butter cattle of the Channel Islands'have been largely used 'n many New Zealand herds. Stud herds have, been established by importing from England and th© Channel Islands. The principal value' of tho Jersey lies in the great return which.it gives to the dairy farmer for the food it ■consumes. Weighing under 9001b, the modern improved Jersey consumes a moderate amount of food and will yield 500 to 700 gallons of milk on ono calf, testing so hi^h that well under two gallons of milk will make lib of butter. Returns of from 300!b to 5001b of butter p?r year are therefore not unusual from good Jersey cattle, and it will thus be, seen that the breed turns every particle of food not required for its actual subsistence into dairy produce. . Addressing the International Congress on tuberculosis last; Week, Professor Robert Kcch,. the famous German authority on consumption, stated that he .still..holds- the opinion expressed by him at the London Conference that bovine tuberculosis is hot" transmissable to human being?. At the present time, he said, according to tho reports in the daily papers, there ;is not a single authentic case of bovine tuberculosis in man taking the form of pulmonary tuberculosis.: ,1 This is the time of the year, says the Mound City (Montana) when arises the question, "If a peach tree grows so,near the fence that tha fruit hangs over the neighbour's yard, whoso peache3 are they? We have consulted all the law dictionaries and finally found that "Solon, the great Athenian law maker, tried to answer this question before he began the making of laws, and therefore, to avoid the controversy, provided that whoever planted the trea should plant it five feet from his neighbour's ground, and if it was a fruit tree it should be nine feet from the property line. This law was made 600 years before Christ."