AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8020, 28 September 1906, Page 1

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

Hairy farmers in the Pa'aier-ton district t favour the rearing of pigs instead >f calves thi* y. ar. Pig< just Ht pre-ent are retching lucrative prices. Last year caivea had almost to be giveD away after being reared, and farmers find it pays better to use the skim milk they oarry back from the factory for pigs ana kill the Oalves. The Stratford Farmers' Co-operative Association's output has now reachfd 38 boxes per day, as against 25 bores per day at the same time last season. Various improvements ate being carried out at the factory, including the conversion of th storb room into a pncking acd printing room, and the erection of a n«w store room. Keports from all parts of Poverty Bay state that the lambing has been heavy and the mortality exceptionally slight. It is many years since the district had such a favourable lambing season. For sending a false return to the Stock Department, John S. Kerr, a Tapanui sheepfarmer, was fined £lO without cost?. The Government is making an indeavour to stimulate trade with Canada, which has not assumed remarkable dimensions since the new steamer service was established, All over the colony agents of the Department of Industries are collecting samples of this country's produce—flax, canned fruits, leather, seeds, and so on. Armed with this assortment, Mr (row will go to Canada, and will spend some time there in bringing New Zealand's goods directly under tbs notioj of the dominion's inhabitants. Something over 1000 co-operative agricultural societies are in operation in Germany lor the purchase of fertilisers, implements, fuel, stock seeds, etc. There are nearly two thirds as many more organised tor the sale of farm produce of various kinds and 5682 dairy producing societies on the co-operative system in Germany. The co-operative method is much in vogue in the formation of societies for the purpose of drainage and irrigation, and for reclaiming bogs and other undeveloped land. It is estimated that within a period of fifteen years over 700,000 acres of land were so reclaimed in Germany, now exoeJent producing aoi!. Muoh is done in operating steam threshing machines in a co operative way. In North Canterbury the rain and colder weather during the past tea days ohecked the growth of vegetation to some extent; nevertheless the crops are looking exceedingly well for this time of the year. This combined with the high percentage of lambs gives the agricultural and pastoral prospects a cheering outlook. The spring sowing is pre grossing satisfactorily, *nd it is expected that the area in grain crops will be about the same as last year. The weather has been most favourable for the lambing, and on both farms and stations the percentage is unusually high. In one case a sheepfarmer is reported to have tailed 140 per cent of early lambs. The reason why Australia and New Zealand, with an equally favourable climate, do not produce wine equal to that obtained from the vintage of older countries was explained by Dr. Mason, in the ourse of a lecture in Wellington. He said the trench wine-makers did not rely on rule of thumb methods as makers in the colony did. They employed trained bacteriologists to ensue that fermention should proceed under the most favourable conditions. The secrets ot the cultures by which this was brought ab-.ut were never passed to any but the principals of firms. He illustrated the poiut by exhibiting a lantern slide picture of bacteria of a family which had bden preserved by a firm of French vignerons for centuries.