RURAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3151, 3 September 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

RURAL NOTES.

T*e D.uiiriNi; Txhus-rnv.—Mr J. E. Nathan, >uo of "Wtslliitjjrtou'H oldest, and best-known mcrc.luintK, has retunn d to the colony after three year's iUjm;ik:i;, Intr-rviftwcd by u iopre*"ntative of the Wi'liinylon ' Pro-.s,' he w.id tint wliiln in tin' Oid Ci>uulry Ijd h,»d 11: i a amount of attention to the d.-iiryinv'in-dustry. Ho is convinced that; it ha* a splendid fuMiro before il, if only the article supplied bo ot fit.od, reliable quality. J'iuttrv to ttic order of his firm realised 124«» per invi; and it-ally K*'\? Zealand butter ahvays cornimnds ready sale al highly remunerateo pries. It inusj, however hi.; of <r<-od and even quality, and mu<t be. properly packed As an instances of the folly of sendinir bad butter [lomc, Mr tfiithau niontiifued t shipment that ho saw sold in London at L3O a ton, and it was used a.- grease in the manufacture of felt hats. This, however, was years ajjo, and the quality of the bufcwiv now nent from New Zealand is generally good, especially if ifc fee the cream-separator article, From December to March there is in tho United Kingdom

a practically limitless market for New Zealand butter. 'Mr Nathan does not beliovo in 'the Government establishing a standard for butter. Ho says that their guarantee would not be accepted by the London deu'.crs, who will, under any circumstances fix their own standard.

Yieub of Whjsat per Acre. —In Hallam's "State of Europe During the Middle Ages " it U stated that unless an

acre yielded more than six bushels of corn the farmer would be a loser, and tho land yield no rent. And Sir John Cullum,

another old writer, from verv minuto accounts, calculated that in Kngland nine or ten bushels of wheat per ac:e was a full average crop. Now the average wheat yield in Britain at the present day is about thirty bushels per acre. We have here proof of a very remarkable increase in the yields, aud it may be asked why are the farmers of Great Britain able in this nineteenth century to obtain thirty bushels of wheat from an acre of land, while their ancestors of tho thirteenth and fourteenth centuries only obtained at the outside ten bushels ? The answer is that practice and science have taught them to use a variety of plant foods which produce healthy and luxuriant crops. Constant wheat-growing on the same land has been substituted by a rotation of different crops, which system has greatly increased the natural fertility of the soil, and rendered its cultivation much more profitable.

Is Wnhat Worth Growinh ?—The men who produce wheat for the next generation will be the rich men, observes a Wyoming paper. Wheat i.-> the wealthmaker of tho future. It has been too cheap for 20 gears. The other extreme ia upon us. Consumption of wheat has overtaken its production.

There are no more Government acres to subdue for its production, and the incr»ase in population of 'ho world increases its consumption over 30,000,000 bushels per year. In the neur future wheat will sell in tho farmer's granaries at frern two to three dollars per bushel. It is gratifying to have this view sustained bv such an eminent authority as Charles A. Pillsbury, of Minneapolis, who is at the head of the largest flour mills in the country, if not in the world. His position as one of the largest cash buyers of wheat in America makes it necessary that he should keep himself thoroughly informed as to all the conditions which are likely to affect the ! market price of wheat and flour. Probably no one in ths United States has made a deeper study of all phases of the wheat question, or is better informed as to all the sourcet and statistics of its production the relations of supnly and demand and all the conditions of tho market than lie. C. Wood Davis in a recent elaborate article in the Arena, declared that the consumption of wheat throughout the world had already overtaken production, and that at so early a date as 1595 the United Stales will have ceased to export wheat, and, in fact, would have to import it to supply its own deficiency. The St Paul Pioneer Press, stimulated by the statement of Mr Davis, caused Mr. Pillsbury to be interviewed and the latter agreed with the Arena writer that the consumption had in fact overtaken the production, and that there had been no increase of acreage of wheat to correspond with its increased consumption in ten years. This Will be gratifying news to those who have been producing wheat for the last decade at ruinously low prices. They ouirht to have a benefit, and signs of tbe times are wrong if they are not going to. Good Ffrtiltskrs.—A farmer cannot be too particular about the quality of the "artificials" he puts on his land. If they are not good he loses in two ways— the cost of the manure and the consequent deficiency of the crop. There is a direct saving in purchasing fertilisers of hiirh quality, as the cost is less per lb. of the actual fertilising ingredients, and there is also a reasonable certainty that the quality of the ingredients is such as to produce

their full agricultural effect. A fertiliser of high quality in the best sense, is one which contains large amounts of the best

forms of nitrogen, phosphoric aoid and potash ; a low quality fertiliser contains small amounts, though not necessarily the poorest forms of plant food,. Of two samples identical in kind of plant foo<, but differing in the amounts contained, the high quality sample would be the ehaapest to use, for whil-fc tho actual cost of the nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash tn the manufacturer would bo the same, the expense of manufacture, freightage, cartage, commission, and also of handling by the farmer, would be increases in direct proportion to the lowness of tho sample. Analyses have shown that, as n rule, the materials from which low quality fertilisers are made are not all of the best quality ; the best practice is to buv the best with a guarantee from a good firm. Then with a good season the farmer may expect a full return for his outlay. DitFKSikrj Poultry foe Maxket.— Poultry dressing is an art, more seen in France than in England. A clever poultry wife says that fowls intended for market should be separated from the flock twenty four hours previous to dressing-, and food withheld, so that the orop will he empty; for if the crop is full it must be removed, or it. will decompose, and to remove it disfigures the dressed fowl. They should be tied in pairs and hung across a line or pole, and bled in the mouth, and in a few monents, if rightly bled, dressing- can begin. A boiler of water, just at the boiling point, should be in readiness, and no more fowls should he scalded at one time than there are dressers. Take a fowl by the feot and head and dio.it three

times in the water, and lay it down upon the board. If the fowls be young and full of pin feathers, begin on the legs just where tbo feathers besin, and press the fingers firmly downwards towards the feet; this makes a clear stroke, taking all the pin feather's along : next stroke n little higher, the sama way, until the feather* are all taken off, and the skin will not be broken, as it. is liable to be -when you pluck the feathers and afterwards go over them to pick out tho pin feathers. One can dress three fowls in this way while you could dress one the old-fashioned way. Next dip the legs in and remove the skin, leaving the leers on ; then out off the head and draw the flesh over the end of the neck and tie with a string. This gives the fowl a more attractive annearnnee than when the head is left on. Next draw out tho entrails, breaking them off close to [ tho gizzard, then double the wing under, so that you can pack them closely in a basket, and your fowls are ready.