GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 806, 2 May 1910, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Splendid weather prevailed in South Canterbury last week, and • farmers were pushing on with-faun work in all directions. ( The "Press" says that prosent indications point to a big area being sown in wheat again this year. Reports from Kaikoitra state that pastoralists' have never known a better seasoif. Grass is still as luxuriant as, in the -first flush of spring, a-nd there has not been throughout the whole season even a- semblance of scarcity. In consequence there have been many shipments of fat sheep during the past two or three months, principally to Kaiapoi. On Saturday it was recorded in Tiie Dominion how Mr.' R.'W. Chapman ha-d grown a 50-bushel crop of dun oats on the Waiouru tussock lands. A Wellington surveyor who. has just returned from that part of .the country . states that ht> was much surprised at the fine, healthy and heavy crop of potatoes the Maoris were growing on tussock land near Turaiigarere. The crop was quite free from blight. Tho-soil when opened up was a good black loam, and ho thought that it would stand cropping two seasons at any rate. ■

A correspondent writes to the "Waimate Witness" (Taranaki): —We hear u good deal ifroni timo to time about record shearing tallies and cow spanking. Let me give you one, then. I know a .young.-fellow not- a- hundred miles from Manaia who milks , thirty cows twice a day single-handed, doing the bailiug-up and carrying away the milk himself. I happened on. him _ a few evenings ago wlien he was finishing off the last' of his big contract, well within two hours. I hold this to be the champion record for the district. Mr. Jas. : Purdic, of the W.aitara Road, says tho "Taranaki Daily.News," has ■ riow proved that maize makes a capital ensilage, and has forwarded to their office a fine, This, ensilage was made in the' midcllo oi January from maize growing about nine feet in height,''and he is well pleased with.it'. At a meeting of the Canterbury.Agricultural and Pastoral Labourers' Union last week the immigration of the London unemployed was - discussed in relation to farm labour, and the union decided't*/' again' try for .an award to povfii* all farm; work - '-as vtho.only safeguard against lower wages and a lower standard of Jiving." The secretary read several letters from members ootrp plaining about bad accommodation. It wa.s. decided that if the inspector found the cases .to be a-s bad as reported, he should, publish particulars. ; • A line of Algerian oats for seed purposes, consisting of 8100 bushels, was sold at Chertse.v, Canterbury, on Wednesday at 2s. 3d. per bushel on trucks. The oats wer<* to go to the North. Island.

Immediately soutli of Timaru a good deal of threshing has still to be finished,, and there is a heavy quantity of grain in store which has not changed hands.

The Stratfopl "Post" says tho manager of a prominent dairy factory ill the Dominion intends to make experiments, during the coming winter to ascertain whether it is possible to' get rid of what is known as "the turnip taint." It is. stated that the principal means h'e will adopt will be the pasteurisation of the ' milk. ■

The Kaikoura Agricultural and Pastoral Association, at its last meeting, showed a balance of over £50 to credit, 'l'he association, is seriously thinking about buying about, ten acres as a permanent sito for all future shows. It ail depends upon a Government subsidy forthcoming. One of the chief, if not the principal, faults to bo found with tow graded locally (says the : "Auckland Weekly News") is dustiness. It is surprising that inventors do not direct their attention to the mechanical shaking of tow. This by-product is not held in so much esteem by millers as it should be. A considerable quantity of first' quality tow has -to be relegated to lower grades owing to this remediable defect. / The number of milk cows in America on New Year's Day is given at 21,801,000, being 81,000 more than in tho previous year. There has been a steady increase in tho value of milk cows per head, which is an indication of the greater interest taken in the dairy industry in more recent years. In 1910 a milk cow was said to be worth £7, whilo in 1909 the prico was £6 rfs., and in 190S £6.

An attempt is being made to introduce the little grey owl into the Manawatu district, but the "Standard" says many doubts are being expressed by farmers as to tho wisdom of the course. This bird, as is well known, is the mortal enemy of the small bird, which in turn is the mortal enemy of tho fruitgrower. It is tho fruitgrower who is seeking the aid of tho little grey owl, but it is pointed out that while the owl will make short work of tho sparrow and other diminutives of tho.feathered family, there is no guarnnteo that he will provo equally elfective with tho blackbird, the most destructive enemy of the orchardist, and then there is the further fear that once the owl is firmly established ho may in turn become a pest.

Statistics of the world's livo stock are very incomplete. Statements have been published to' the effect ( liat there are 580,000,000 sheep, 430,000,000 cattle, 150,000,000 pigs, 95,000,000' horses, 9,000,000 donkeys, 7,500,000 mules, 100,000,000 goafs, and 2,000,000 camels in the world. But probably all, except perhaps cattle, are under-stated, as there are tnar.y countries which ha<c no records. Australia miss first in sheep.

■ A French experimentalist having discolored traces of boracic acid in plants applied it* in a liquid state to . maize, colza, and turnips and to plants in pots, as well as to those in a plot of earth a yard square. Ho states that tho increaso in the maize crop was 50 per cent., ill the turnips 32 per cent., and in tho colza 21 per cent., and from this ho arrives at tho conclusiqn that boracic is a useful element, and a little of it added to the soil would materially increase the weizlit of the crop. •