AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8018, 26 September 1906, Page 1

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

U is the seod that mostly exhausts the land of plant food. A grass crop that is allowed to produce seed takes more from the soil in mineral matter than two crops cut for hay while the grass iB young. If the hurran race in its degenerate : tateis ever to he regenerated, it will be by life in the country and life on the farm. The man with the hoe is the primal man, the fundamental man, the man from whose loins must spru.g a vigorous, regenerated rac. The present spring, so far as the Ekelahuna district is concerned, is fully six weeks earlier than the spring of last year. Grass has come on remarkably well, and the prospects for the coming season are exceedingly bright. Probably the highest advance yet recorded for daiiy produce (says the Farmers' Advocate) has been received by Mr Blake, tf Waverly, who is consigning his butter at an advance of between lOfd and lid, without recourse. Splendid lambing weather is reported in Hawke's Bay. One sheepfarmer says that his lambing will be a " record," as fully three-filths of his ewes have lambed already, and the losses of lambs have been lower than he has ever known. According to the Chief Veterinarian, the cause of the death of a cow recently at Ingiewood was eating ragwort. Mr Oilruth says that sheep can safely be placed on ragwort land when fattening, but they must first be put on for an hour or two daily. The Opunake Farmers' Union, at its list meeting, resjlved : " That the Government be asked to place all Farmers' Union delegates on the same footing as Trade and Labour delegates, by granting them free passes on the railway to any conference meeting of the Farmers' Union." It is an excellent thing to give farm sheds a coating of boiling tar. To boil tar properly, bringing it to the boiling-point is not all that is required. It must be boiled until a few drops put into cold water become quite brittle on cooling. When a glassy appearance is wanted edd half a pint if paraffin to every gallon of tar. A shed treated thua will last for about half a century. The lambing season at Waipiro, Poverty Bay district, is about over, and in ' about a fortnight docking operations will be commencing. It i 3 expected that there will be a very high percentage of lambs this year, owing to the very fine weather throughout the season, besides which the mortality of ewes has been small during the winter months. The dairying season throughout this district (says the Mangaweka bettler) is expected to be an exceptionally good one this year. In all directions there has been a good spring, and the new growth of grass is equal to anything yet seen at this time of the year. With the high prices ruling in the butter market the farmers are expecting a moat prosperous time. The Victorian Government continue to spend a good deal of money on the poultry industry, but, just as in New South Wales (says the Sydney Morning Herald), the greatest progress is found in the establishments of fanciers, who receive no assistance from Government experts. Poultry prepared for market in Victoria are little better than a doz?n or more years ago, and this despite a permanent lectuei'and an expert who has a stall' of three or four assistants visiting all the agricultural shows and giving demonstrations in killing and plucking fowls. Thea9 demonstrations are no doubt interesting, and attract crowds but still the results are poor, The Victorian press is beginning to realise the uselessness of these demonstrations, and a leading weekly has expressed the view that " if our experts would educate the farmer in artificial incubation, and leave the butchers' part of the business alone, they would he doing good service. As the poultry sales in this country are all for live fowls the advantage of educating country breeders how to kill and dress poultry is not apparent, and a Government who sends out poulterers to teach farmers how to kill a rooster could be equally requested to send out butchers to show the most approved manner of killing a cow." THE WOOL MARKET. The first important wool sales in tne Sydney market, say Messrs Dalgety and Co., Sydney, were held on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, September 4th to titb, when 12,022 baies were offered to the largest number of buyers who h ;ve yet attended the September sales at this centre. Owing to the inactivity of the buying section during recent weeks, the opening of the first large sales of the season had been awaited with more than the ordinary interest by all concerned, whether as producers or selling agents, and, now that the initial auctions have b.en held, it is satisfactory to be able to report that the demand which has been in ' force is in no wavs lessened as compared with that experienced in previous seasons; on the contrary, it shows signs of expansion, several of the buying hou-es who have not previously operated directly at the Australian sales having sent representatives to this market for the first time. The competition so far hss been chiefly from the German and French sections ; while some cupport ha 3 also been given by English buyors.who iiave commenced to purchase uarlier in the seisou than is customary with them. As oompaied with the opening rates of last season, priced for merino wools show but little difference, except in the case of faulty descriptions, which are slightly below the 1> vel in force at this time last year. Practically no cross bred wool has been offered up to the present time, so that it is difficult at present to state exactly how values for that description will cjinpare with the rates of the early part of last season. Kegarding prospects for the sel.ing season, it '.s considered that these are favourable to vendors' interests, for, although Australasia will have a fair increase in supplies, other co'intrie3 notably the United States, Argentine aud South Africa-either show decreases in their wool production or are under stationary conditions, so that the extra quantity which will be available this season from Australia and New Zealand should not adversely affect prices, rm.re particularly as the world's supply of wool will be no more than sufficient to provide for the everincreasing consumption requirements owing to the growing population in ali directions.

Advices from an authentic source indicate that the lu.l in the market of a few weeks back occurred through fluctuations in tie future inarke's, where the instability engend'-red by such movements tended to shake the confidence of purchasers and interfered with the demand running along on its normal course. Manufacturers are stated to be provided with orders for some months to come, and, though they are not entirely without stocks, wool will be required very shortly to keep the mills going ; in fact, news by the last mail states that a partial stoppage at some of the combing mills had then already commenced. Under the circumstances, it is believed there is a good prospect of a fair maintenance of wool values during this season, and we still firmly hold the opiniou that owing so the improving power of the people to support the demand for wool, and the stationary supplies from other countries, very little alterat on in prices for the raw material should take ,place, even allowing tor incroated Australasian production during the current twelve months. Under present conditions there is every inducement to grower? to again support the Sydney sales, tin-, current level of prices being one whmh we believe will be regarded as satisfactory by growers in general.