FARMERS' COLUMN. MR. KEIR HARDIE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2137, 20 July 1907, Page 4

FARMERS ' COLUMN.

MR. KEIR HARDIE.

Experiments at the Albert Alodol Earill, Glasnovin, with tho new Uruguayan potato (solatium coinmersom violet) lately introduced from tlio South of Branco, shows that this now spocio of potato alono of all those experimented on resisted potato blight. The cooking quality is excellent —us "ood, it not hotter, than most of the best of our ordinal y varieties. But as far us tlio relief of the congested districts* of Ireland aro concerned, bv far tlio most important fact reported is tho enormous yield in “a wot and peaty soil, as stated by one grower. His yield, on 26 square foot, was -11 toils, which worked out at 40 tons per statute acre. This is more than four times the avorago crop per statute acre m tho case of tho host of our ordinary potatoes. The result is a matter of great interest and importance, ns, m dry soils, the yield is not, in any way romarknhlo; hnt in dump, moist, and wet soils, whore no ordinary potato would grow well, tho return is three or four times ns groat as in a dry soil. One man had lOOlbs in a warm, drv soil from lib of seed. AVo learn that one outstanding foaturo of the past dairying season on this coast (pays the AVnngnmii Herald) lias been the largo number of calves killed, those knocked on tho head at birth being some 60,000, the figures of'course being for tlio whole of the AA'est Coast stock district. As dairy farmers picked out the worst of their calves for destruction, tins has resulted in a much hotter class of animal coming on for milking than formerly. though there is still room for considerable improvement. At line the large amount of slaughter appears at first sight to lie a dead loss momentarily, we are informed that this is not really so. Tho skins alone sold at about 3s 6d each, wlnlo there has been a gain in milk saved, it being the custom to keen the saved calves with the cow for some davs after birth. In addition, tho carcases have been available for feeding pigs, which have been selling at good prices pal ticularlv porkers, for which there was previously little demand. In fact, prior to this year porkers could hardly ho sold at all, while now, when killed and sent Homo chilled, they are worth about 4d per lb dead weight.

It is reported that tlio Government is to he asked to acquire a 2000-acre property within two miles of Palmerston. The land is in tlio Kairanga County, and is expected, if cut up into areas, to enable 80 families to make a living upon itA little more than threo centuries ago the potato was only a wild vegetable in Chili, Peru, and Alexico; at the- present time tubers are cultivated in every civilised country, with a total yield of 5,000,000,000 tons a year. The British crop is now valu'd at £20,000,000 a year. The growth of vast’ quantities of potatoes in Germany and France for the production of spirit by fermentation lias led farmers to favor those sorts which yield heavy crops rather than those furnishing a choice edible product. AVith regard to the continued dry weather, old residents of tho Ashburton county say they have no recollections of tho soil being in such a drv condition at this time of the year. Stock feed is exceedingly, scarce (says tlie Ashburton Mail) and many farmers are relying solely on tlioir stocks of straw as a means of tiding over the winter months. AVinter sown varieties of wheat, the greater area, of which is now above the ground, aro not looking at all well, tlie growth being and spindly, while in many paddocks there are no signs of germination. Any person troubled with scabbines in his potatoes should grow his crop on a now piece of ground each year, and should treat his potato seed with formalin solution. Potato scab is caused by a fungus parasite, which will live in the soil for years; so tlie ciop should not ho repeated upon the same plot for about ten years, as it is believed that the scab spores will remain in the ground and re-in-fect a crop at the end of six or seven years. The formalin treatment consists of dipping- the seed potatoes in a solution of Boz or formalin to 15 gallons of water. The potatoes should be soaked in this for about two heurs. When the tubers aro dry they may he cut for planting. The same solution may he used several times. It is a well-known fact that trees should he planted, particularly in a dry country, a little lqwer ! tjian they were before transplanting. The reason for this is very evident, and still when the planter is through with most trees we find them with the old earth mark from one to threo inches above the ground. At tho Beresford Institute a successful tree grower said that he early learned that planting trees on a ridge or hack furrow in Dakota meant loss, while planting them in a slightly hollow strip inva l-iably meant success. A prominent

tree ;)nd fruit grower of Minnesota recommends ploughing out a_ shallow “dead furrow” where trees are to be planted, and making the holes—larn'e ones —in the bottom of it. This, it is claimed, is the only way to insure the trees being low enough to insure all water running towards instead of away from them. —Dakota Farmer. All 'sorts’ and conditions of sheep are generally forward at the Homebush fat stock saleyards, and the pennings on the 4th inst. (says the Sydney Morning Herald) wore noteworthy in respect of extra prime merino owes, odd pens of merino wethers and particularly one or twosmall pens of extra prime and heavy crossbred wethers, A lien of 11 Hampshire Downs crossbred wethers, consigned by E. F, Gibson, Tirrajia (Gouiburn), realised 40s per head; they were very large-framed—more the sine of Shetland ponies or donkeys than sheep—and would probably weigh when killed and dressed about 1501 b each. A good carcase of mutton such as hang in tho butchers’ shops, wijl weigh abqut between 4uio and 501 b, so it may be seen what monsters theso Tirran crossbreds were. Another small pen of crossbred wethers sold at 28s per head, while merino wethers .realised to 25s 7d, and. merinos ewes to 22s per head. These prices denote exceptionally prime condition, with good fleeces, rather than any rise in sheep values. Still they were sold in a good market, and indicate the good times that stock-owners are enjoying when they consign prime sheep to the metropolitan fat stock saleyards. The dairy factory labor trouble in tlie Taranaki district has been finally settled, the men having agreed to waive their demand in regard to preference to unionists. The New Zealand Times says that both parties a. - e to he congratulated on this satisfactory conclusion to negotiations, which at one stage appeared impossible of successful termination. Both" the representatives of the factories and the Employees’ Union have displayed a conciliatory spirit, with the result that the men have secured a considerably improved basis of pay and hours of work, and the factories have not been called upon to meet demands which are extravagant and irksome. With this first labor revolt in dairying settled, it may naturally be expected that the Auckland, Wellington, and Canterbury Unions will accept the same conditions.

THE MOST VALUABLE SHEEP IN THE WORLD. 14-30 GUINEAS FOR A RAM. Undoubtedly it is a matter of tho greatest importance to pastoralists to know exactly where tho most valuable sheep in existence are, by whom they were bred, by whom owned, and the methods practised to bring them to perfection, So far as can be ascertained by

aetual sales made, tho most valuable sheep living to-day are as under —

1 The Derby .champion Lincoln ram bred by Mr. Henry Dudding, of Rjbv Grove, England, and sold by him (as a two-tooth) in July of last rear to Mr. F. Millar, of Buenos Ayres, for the splendid price of 1450 guineas, this being the highest figure ever paid for a longwool sheep. 2 The famous merino two-year-old ram Donald Dinnio, bred by Mr Tlios. Millear, of Deniliquin Stud Park. Deniliquin, New South Wales, and sold by him recently to the proprietors of Canowic Estate, South Australia. for the handsome sum of 1200

guineas, the highest price paid for a merino ram within the last decade. 3 One of Mr. John S. Horsfall’s champion merino rams, fired by him on his famous Widgiewa Estate i in New South Wales, and sold recently to a South American buyer for the long price of 1000 guineas. 4. One of the same breeder’s cham-

pion merino ewes, sold same time as the ram, to go to South America, for 200 guineas, this being tho highest price ever paid for a. female sheep. It will also no doubt bo of special

interest to every flock-owner to note that all the valuable sheep just referred to above come from flocks .on which Quibell’s Dips are regularly used; and the owners of them and their managers are among those who speak in highest terms of tho merits of these up-to-date preparations: as valuable aids for exterminating all parasitic filth which infect sheep find for producing a fleece of wool of the highest possible ouality according to breed.

it is fifteen years since. Air. KenHurdio nsl on 'sited England by going down to the House of Commons tor the first time with a brass band and a bodyguard of shouting tolloweis, and shocked tlio KUteeptabilities oi the House by wearing a tweed cup. . >-,:iiej then lie has continually been in evidence as a. militant _ Socialist and friend of Grout Britain’s enemies. “He was horn in Lanarkshire in 1866,” says a biographer, “ and at eight went to work in a coal pit. Hi;pnronts were very poor, but the home was good; anti the personality oi Ins bravo working-class mother made a special impression, which ho has translated into an unswerving advocacy ol women’s rights and enfranchisement, lie worked in quarries and eoa.l mines till lie was twenty-three; ill 187 Jho organised a Lanarkshire miners union, for doing which he was blacklisted. Ho then boenmo first the paid secrotary to tho Lanarkshire miners ; thon tho editor of a local paper at Cumnock, Ayrshire ; and subsequently the foundor and first president ol the Ayrshire Aimers’ Union. It 1887 Ho first attended tho Trado Union Lougross, and attracted notice by attacking Air. Henry Broadhurst (then an ex-Alinister) on tlie eight-hours question. In 1888 he unsuccessfully contested Alid-Lanarlc, and established the 'Labour Leader,’ which was first- n monthly and then bocamo a weekly, and is now tlio official organ ol Independent Labour Party. In loJz he entered the House,of Commons as member - for South-AVost Ham. In 1893-1 he was the moving spirit ill the foundation of tlie 1.L.P., of which he was the first: chairman. In 18Jo lie lost his seat in .AVest- Ham ; m the following years lie fought several unsuccessful throe-cornered contests ; and in 1900 ho secured the seat at Alertliyr Tydfil, which lie held again last January (1906). Both in 1900 and m 1906 two Liberals stood lor the two seats, so that his victory owed nothing to Liberal good-will. Meantime, in 1900-1, the Labour Representation Committee was formed, and in its formation Air. Hardio played a deci-. sivo part. It was by virtually adting that ho liad been right all along that the purely trade unionist leaders came round to his gospel by the political independence ot Labour. It was his influence, too, which seemed the retention of the I.L.P. as a Socialist nucleus inside the larger organisation of this now Labour Party at a time when tho Social Democratic Federation left tho Labour Representation Committee becauso it would not all swallow tho whole Socialist position. Air. Koir llardio’s subsequent election to the leadership of the Labour Party in Parliament was really a foregone conclusion, because, while others could show comparable abilities, none could 'show tho same record of consistent service to tlie idea which the party embodied.”