NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 261, 8 November 1906, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION.

EDUCATING JTHE FARMER. AGRICULTUR.IL DEPARTiOLNrs i USEFUL EXHIBIT. <*■«»» Our Own Correspondent.) | CILRISTCHURCH.. this day. :tatla^vMW?h ePa f rtmeat ' S liable „n * " the ta ™ e r with reImanv __. ° v upon the Uined m connection with its large e _- ' for th."i 0 apeClaJ S b «n provided to t he department, having 12.000 sauare iaere- '- S , Pa ?"- Wllik there U and nrh *, r ° r « experiment; ii l d !T Striltiolls of real htloo- ** chance visitor, on : l^, lo t'° U lor novelty, will leave the court severely alon. but tne and Wh ° gGt their H ™g ° n the land will see enough to keep them interested lor a whole day. : tK ilr " T " Kirk; Lmder whose direction the court has been laid out, caused the root supports to be covered in calico " P f ° n , *: hieh > ita a brevity designed to catch the eye of he who runs, is printed particulars of Xew Zealand's substantial agricultural progress. Of a total export ot £10.655.940 last year. azrieulV i r,n aad P astoral Products contributed £12.046268, while the actual production ; or. our lands last year was estimated to be worth £.20,000.000. Une of the most interesting of recent developments these lines has been tomato and fruit growing, which produced crops a million sterling m value last year. The industry is tairly well distributed. Hawke's Bay. Auckland and Nelson taking the lead." Orchardists and farmers will find a wealth of information in an extensive display of glass bottles; ranged along the left wall of the court. Here are shown between 600 and 700 specimens of fruit, vegetables, and foliage in various stages «. r disease, and under the attacks of Insect pests. A complete collection of potato diseases, and very interesting j samples of the Queensland fruit liv are j displayed under the protecting shelter !of these strong glass jars. The collection shows that very few varieties of fruit are able to resist the fly. which attacks stone fruits in preference to the citrons in which it is likely to be imported. Curious malformations of fruits grasses and flowers have been preserved jby the Department. One of the best ' specimens is a rose through which the stem has grown, two buds appearins above the full-blown flower. j To familiarise farmers with the methI ods of cheeking many of the bottled ! scourges, a case ot" chemicals used in j spraying, etc.. is shown. Potatoes rej ceive special attention, no fewer than j 230 named varieties being exhibited. j Some cases of skulls are displayed for the purpose of giving farmers a few effec- . tive lessons in animal dentition. The i skul lot" a horse has been opened to i show how the teeth are arranged in the jaw. and there are a number of specimens of cattle and sheep jaws at various ages, to show how the teeth grow. A terrible instance of what happened tiirough neglect to dehorn a cow. is shown, a skull being pierced by the inward turning of the right horn, which reached the nasal cavity, when the unfortunate animal died. None the less painful must have been the plight of a rabbit whose skull now provides~an item of the collection. Its upper incisors prrew to a length of over an inch and described an inward curve making nearly half a circle.

Poultry farmers, and even the suburbanite who keeps but a few chickens, will gain a good deal of useful information from the section devoted to this industry. A very complete collection of incubators has been made, and four or live will soon commence work so as to supply batches of healthy chickens for display. A lively colony of eighty chicks is at present in the court eujoving exhibition life.

Cereals are displayed to great advantage upon partitions which have been erected screen-shape down the centre of the court. There are specimens of the forty varieties of wheat introduced by the Agricultural Department some years ago. and subsequently distributed. Eight large screens serve to display sample wheat sheaves, and at the bases are corresponding sacks of cereals for examination. Care has been taken to arrange this exhibit so as to show how any given variety thrives in different parts of the colony. Columns have been set up in the recesses made by these screens from which swing frames containing a very comprehen-ive collection of mounted grasses and forage plants, arranged to show the classes of land for which they are best suited, while there is also a display of weeds. The wine exhibit near the entrance, a pretty pyramid of bottles, shows that wine-growing is making strides in the colony, for there are specimens of red and white wine from \Vaerenga (Waikatoi. claret, port. hock, constantia, burgundy, mar-ala, and altar wine from three Hawke's Bay vineyards, and claret and hock from Masterton.

A b'vz space is occupied to display Xew Zealand Max. Specimens of the fibre are arriving from all parts of the colony. They will be graded to show the Government method of classifying. Alongside is an excellent illustration of how the fibre can be worked up. specimens of rope —from binder twine t<> a twenty-inch cable—being tastefully displayed.

One of the methods of making poor land profitable is demonstrated by an exhibit of wattle bark- from the \Vaerenga experimental farm. The Government crushes the bark and turns it out ready for use in the tannery. The product fetches a higher price than the imported bark. and. according to Mr. Kirk. well for its cultivation. *

Wool of every description is classified and exhibited in the court, and the fleeces of Angora goats from flocks thriving in several parts of the colony, are on exhibition.

Along the right hand side of the court are shown power sprays for dealing effectively with potato blight, and a very complete display of canned fruits from all parts of the colony. Each district has sent specimens, and the resu't is a very interesting demonstration of how the canning industry has gone ahead. Mr. Jacqeus. canning expert, will give demonstrations of canning and preserving at least once a week, a complete cannins. preserving and evaporating plant being in course of erection inside the court.

Outside, upon an enclosure divided into plots 12ft. by Sft.. are growing 120 distinct varieties of agricultural grass, clover, and forage plants. They are all thriving well, and farmers will have the benefit of Mr. A. Maepherson's explanations of this exhibit. Mr. Bragato (viticuiturist), Mr. Eulton (hemp grader), and Mr. Hyde (poultry expert), will also be in attendance to furnish information upon the special subjects under their charge. A MODEL BEE FARM. In an attractive enclosure, where the grass is not allowed to become sun-dried

| and brown is to be found the apiary esj hibit, under the care of Mr I. Hopkins, Government apiarist. It is a complete I bee farm, as up-to-date as any in the j world, and the honey-making" process j can be seen in every stage. Those who : wish to gain a practical knowledge of j bee farming are permitted to spend j their time carrying out work under Mr ! Hopkins' direction, so that a complete I course of first-class instruction is proj vided free by the Department. A I shrubbery, with old-fashioned straw ' ikeps shows how bees should not be | kept: the green plot dotted with neat i white wooden frame hives demonstrates i the best way to encourage the bee to do J effective work. There are also a number lof Queen-bee rearing hives. Twenty | strong colonies of bees are busy makI ing honey on the farm, among them bej ing some of the Caucasian variety from I the best apiary in America. One of the | most effective methods of showing bees at work has been designed by Mr Hopkin-. L'nder a thatched roof is arranged a hive of glass sheltered from wind and sun. where the bees will soon commence working. As they have been provided j with a back entrance, spectators will i no: be embarrassed by their attentions. LAn up-to-date extraction plant has been | laid down, enabling full combs to be rei lieved of honey in a few seconds, the frames being placed in a kind of churn, ! centrifugal force being used to remove I the honey, the cell being then returned I undamaged to the hive. The extraction I room has a revolving window which Mr 1 Hopkins claims to be very effective for clearing the place of bees who are unj comfortably numerous during the exI tracting process. A fumigating room, is also provided where frames ! can be preserved from moth. | The building is fitted up on the i lines of a well-equipped bee farm, and j serves as an excellent object lesson for I bee keepers. |