Agricultural Items.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 51, 25 August 1894, Page 4

Agricultural Items.

The annual stock returns of Western Australia chow "an of 53,449 sheep and 10,502 hl^ed caule over the number of last year, which were 1,685,500 sheep and 162,886 cattle. In May last the Principia sailed from Dundee toNewTcork wito 1/200 tons of potatoes on board. It was rather late in the season for the shipment, but the cold " snap " was tavourable. It is alleged that the total farm mortgage in the United States is more than half the taxable value oi all the agricultural land in the country, and the total cost to the borrowers is nor less than eight per cent, per sDQum. These figures do not include chattel mortgages. Some time since a novel system of branding horses, cattle and sheep was reported irom Australia. The brand is kept at the requited beat by the action of electricity from storage batteries. From thrse a flexible tube carries the electric energy to the brand which is heated from within. It is claimed that this brand in perfectly safe, that it marks without a blotch, and is kfpt at a uniform temperature. According to the latest agricul tural returns the present number of sheep in the British. Jslei is estimated at 31,701.927 head, aud there is a steady shrinkage taking place. The diminution in 1893 was 1,424.?70 head. In Ireland there were 406 184 sheep less last year. The reasun is difficult to account for, but it is nor. likely to be due to the imports of frozen mutton. The British Government in India has gone into the oairy business to the extent of establishi ■ g dairy-farms in places where troops are stationed, for their exclusive beuifit. Frequent outbreake ot enteric fev^r having been traced to polluted milk supply, be dairv-farnis were established with manifest »am in the health of tbe troops. The farms have generally proved .self-sustaining, and that v' . jlahabad shows a print. In Victoria the Bacchus Mar«h Agricultural Society has adopted a Bomewha f novel njprhod of adding to the inducements offered to fr<emberß. The committee has decided " 'hat th« membership fee of £1 Is shall include a lunebpon ticket on show day. '* With this tempting bait there sh» Id be no difficulty in obtaining npw mpraberß. societies of a sinr'ar character in New Zealand should take a hint by this new departure. Here are a tew items, clipped t om an exchange, regarding the frozen meat industry — V igbty-eight, vessels altogether have been fitted up with refrigerating appliances, and these have a maximum cairying capacity of 6,700.000 carcases. There are 22 meat-freezing works in New Zealand, of which 13 are in the North Island and nine in the South. These works can freeze from 12.000 to 13.000 she^p ppr day, or an aggregate of 4,000,000 per year. The cost ni a complete set of works capable of dealm/ wit'j 1000 sheep a day is ♦» tv mated at from £17.000 to £20,000.