Fanning Notes.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 92, 15 October 1895, Page 2

Fanning Notes.

BRIGHTER DAYS. The farmers have, no doubt, passed through very trying times lately, but the. prospects for the future are much brighter. What with the EISE IN THE PRICE OF WOOI/, which appears to be still advancing in value, and the hardening of the market in hides and skins, an advance in aU classes of stock will naturally follow, consequently their spending power will be greater, and all classes must profit thereby. To this tradesmen of aIT classes will no doubt say " So mote it be." THE PER CENTAGE IN LAMBS. From all qnarters we hear of large per centages in lambs, so that the farmers will reap the benefit in more ways than one this season. Numbers will no doubt respond, •' Well we need it to make up for what we have lost during the last two or three seasons." MORTALITY AMONGST SHEEP. From what I could gather by the remarks passed by the expert who lately visited our sale yards and stations, the only remedy for the mortality amongst oar sheep and lambs is the providing of better pastures and the building np of better constitutions — weeding out old stock and giving to the lambs better constitutions. He did not believe in or advocate the continual drenching. I say, as did the Yankee politician, "Them be my sentiments," but I don't! go farther and say " they can be altered" — and I believe that all sensible farmers must come to the same conclusion. The farmers — some of them — bave ■ been in the habit of keeping the old ewes until they (the ewes) have no teeth in their mouths, with worn-out constitutions, consequently their progeny are weakly, and so diseases are handed down. I believe there has been a considerable slaughter of the old ewes lately through the boiling-down system which a number of farmers had to adopt in order to get rid of their surplus stock. THE PROVIDING OF "WINTER FODDEB. The experience which the farmers have gained during the last season has taught them a lesson which, it is to be hoped, will leave a beneficial impression upon their minds. There is no donbt about the matter that farmers will bave to make provision for their stock in the winter by the storing of winter fodder. The Inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should have been about this last winter to see some of the stock, which were literally "bags of bones." I think this society Khould take action in such cases. It is just as much " cruelty to animals "to starve them as to work them with sore backs, &c. Members of the said society, and inspector of same, kindly take a note of the above. THE AUCTIONEERS COMMISSION. I have not beard whether the auctioneers accepted of my suggestion, or not, and have made a compromise with the farmers in the matter of commission. The subject seemes to have dropped. I presume that some arrangements have been made. "THE GINTLEMAN AS PAYS THE RINT." I don't seem to be able to get through with my notes without referring to Paddy's favorite joint-stock company— the pig. Notwithstanding the drag in the market bacon is sometimes described, I still believe that the rearing of pigs is a profitable industry for the farmers, and although there may be at the present time a slow sale and low prices for locally cured bacon, that there will be always a good demand for pigs. The Cainpbelltown farmers do well out of their pigs. I notice that a number of the farmers at Campbell town grow quantities of field peas. Peas lam informed make splendid food for pigs. PRICE OF FROZEN MUTTON AT HOME. I noticed an article lately copied from a London journal pointing out the very large disproportion in the wholesale and retail prices of frozen mutton. The wholesale price was quoted at from 2£d per lb and the retail price at lid. The retailers must be making " pots " of money out of onr frozen meat. The farmers would like some of this money in their pockets I think. They are entitled to it too. The Nathan scheme and a host of other proposals sometime ago appear to have died a natural death. It reminds me of the trite saying " necessity is the mother of invention." When the price of our Staple commodity was so low and there was no sale for our sheep then the farmers bestired themselves to see what could be done to get more money for their mutton in the Home market, but now the price of wool has gone up and there is a better demand for stock, then the subject of obtaining better prices in tbe Home market is dropped.