GENERAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1495, 18 July 1912, Page 8

GENERAL ITEMS.

A further progress report on the experiments in- respect to. the prevention of "bush sickness" has been prepared by Mr. C. •). Ifeakes, chief of the Live Stock Division of the Agricultural Department, and will lie printed in the annual report of the -Department, which is now practically complete. The experiments carried, out to date h-ave established the fact that the'wasting away of tho animals is due, not to a disease, but to the lack of certain elements ill the soil, and as far, us can bo gathered it appears that tho experts have now got close to a solution of the trouble which has baffled scientists for years and has affected an area of oufi million and a half, acres ill tho Bay of ]'l?nty. district. The winter show of the I'angitikei A.and P. Association is to be held at Ta.ihape to-day. . Discussing the 'question of the formation'of a Board of Agriculture to control the Agricultural Department, the "Weekly Press" txiys;—'"A board of nraetical men wojild be even better fitted than one -Minister, however capable, to consider aud decide upon a definite plan of action. It does not appear to us that a la,rge board would he required to initiate the system, and it might <it first bo composed of one representative, ot at most two, froni each island, with a chairman. For the latter pesition, wo do not believe there is- a man in the Dominion better qualified thnn Mr. J. G. Wilson, the president of the Formers' Union. He is not only a practical farmer, but thoroughly progressive and broad-minded." ' A"strong plea that further accomnioda-' fion should be made for next year's poultry show was made by Mr. C. H. Pickering at the annual meeting of the M.maTOfitn A. and P. Association. .The speaker 'aid the Wyandotte Society intended coming in with their' North Island championship, and an effort was being mado to set the New Zealand Poultry Association to group its championships and have tho whole of them at the Paliuprston Show. If they got. lfc.it spare if would have to be for 1100 to 1500 birds, and they would give a poultry show second to '•rioiio south of the line. A new feature is, being, introduced into the .Provincial conference of the. ; , Canterbury. A. and P. Associations. This is tho ■"questio'n-Vox." Questions sent in to the secretary-.up to the date of the conference will -be answered, the. technical ones by Mr. Alexander, director of Lincoln College, and others by experts appointed by the Conference. .