GENERAL FARM NEWS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 152, 16 March 1918, Page 10

GENERAL FARM NEWS

The Lands Department has decided to subdivide and dispose of the pastoral run of 33,G00 acres which forms a part of the Glacbrook Estate. At the meeting of the Otago Land Board it was decided to approve of the subdivision of this run into six smaller areas, ranging in size from 2000 acres up to 10,000 or 12,000 acres, and the rentals to be charged on the now runs were also approved.. For the present Mr. John Roberts, C.M.G., tfe outgoing lessee, will retain the whole ot the run for a further twelve- months at tho original rental.

The'i'rirt fly lias been disastrously prevalent in some districts in 'Australia this year, its ravages reminiscent of the havoc wrought in the Cumberland orchards in days prior to the passing of the Fruit Pests Act. The livo stock returns show 37,600 horses in the Dominion in 1917, as compared with 371,330 in 1916; 320 asses and mules, as acainst 246; 2,575,230 cattle, ias against 2,417,491-, 25,270,388 sheep, instead of 24,768,150; 6536 Angora goats, as compared with, 6692; and 283,770 pigs, as against 297,501. The poultry returns for the two years are net yet available. The damage that is caused in certain districts by tamo ferrets being abandoned by their owners' in rabbitburrows was referred to at the Auckland Acclimatisation Soc : ety Council. Mr. E. J. Elliott said, the nuisance was becoming very serious at Papakura. He knew of twenty-live head of. poultry being killed by ferrets recently, and thought something should he done to put a stop to the practice of liberating ferrets. The chairman said the only address he could think of was to kill the ferrets, but if the owners of the animals could he found damages could be recovered from them. lie also stated that over fifty ferrets had been caught by the curator the game-farm at Cambridge. It has already been suggested (says the ''Ashburtoii Guardian") that a man with a whistle and) watch should be employed at local stock sales during the fat stock season to enforce the time limit far selling the fat pens. While on the subject, it might also be interesting to refer to the Melbourne system, which also imposes a- time limit oh both auctioneers and buyers. In the Melbourne sales each auctioneer is given a number of lines to sell in rotation within a limited time, and if he fail:; to quit,his allotment at the end of the time he is ohl : ged to suspend operations in favour of the next auctioneer, who takes his turn at selling a similar number of pens. The delay in selling some of the pens at sales is not altogether due to the auctioneers, and in {his connection freezing buyers must also shoulder a certain amount of the blame. It is not uncommon, when a'pen has been sold at a certain price, tor a freezing buyer to dispute the bid, and the auctioneer is compelled to go back and cover a portion of the ground again. There is only one way to overcome this difficulty; and that ; s to insist on the buyers nominating their bids instead of giving a wink or a twitch of the finger, which may mean anything from a Id. to a 6d. bid.