RURAL TOPICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2149, 3 August 1907, Page 1

RURAL TOPICS.

For the four weeks ended Juno 14 tho importations of South American mutton into Great. Britain amounted to 250,091 carcases, and tho total for the year 1,287,958 carcases, shows an increase of 71,521 carcases as compared with tho previous year.

“1 have never Known so fino a winter as this in Southland” said an old settlor to the Southland News. “Tile ground has never become sodden, and ploughing operations have been carried on almost without interruption. Present indications point to early spring sowing, and with tlie good prices that seem assured for grain and farm produce generally the outlook for the grower is cheering.”

Tho two “lightning” bird traps provided for farmers’ use by the Mandcvillo and Rangiora Road Board, have been doing such effective service that the Board has decided to procure two more. A farmer in tho Woodeml district in a few days captured about two thousand birds with one of the traps, and another in the Flaxdon district was almost equally successful.

The settling of land in the King Country is proceeding apace, and an area, of over 55,000 acres, between the Wanganui river and the Main Trunk Line, south of Taumarunui, is to he open for selection under the optional tenure on August 12. The land is divided into 61 lots, ranging m area from 390 acres to 1750 acres,’ the prices being from 25s to 38s per acre.

American exports of canned heel' continue to display a sharp falling ofl. According to a statement by the Bureau of Statistics of the Department of Commerce and Labor, canned beef exports during April amounted only 893,017 lb, or 3.227,9531 b less .than for the' like month of last year. -For-the ten months ending with April the exports totalled 13,032,70311), a decrease of 43,698,17011) from the corresponding period ’of last year.

In the Kaponga. district there is a good number of Swiss milkers working on wages. The labor of the new blood (says the Taranaki Herald) has been highly appreciated, and these employees seem to have quickly realised the fact that they are considered valuable milkers, for a. representative of the “Herald” has heard on good authority that they are combining to strike for 30s a week for the coming season.

Considerable excitement lias, (says the King Country Chronicle of July 19), been caused during tile week by the phenomenal rise in the price of cocksfoot, which has risen over a penny a pound within a few days. The ronson assigned is the shortage of crops in England and America, the New Zealand returns having been well u]i to the average during the past season. Prices have risen from sid to 6id per pound within a few days, and the iirosepcts point to a still higher rise. So high a price has not been reached since 1894. when consequent upon the shortage’ of the Banks Peninsula crop, prices reached lrom 6d to 7d per pound.

Several crops of winter oats put ill b.v settlers at Fern bridge, (says the A alrarapa Times) have made slow progress, being only a few inches high. Mr. J. L. Falconer lias a field of some twenty acres, and he proposes putting in another area of equal size. Mr. Falconer intends to put down 120 acres in rape and turnips next season. His turnips last season .were absolutely unaffected by the blight, which devastated other crops at Fcrnbridgo. Other farmers on the Upper Plain and Fernbridge intend to put in largo areas of turnips. i “You never saw a broken-winded horse in Norway,” said a horse doctor. “That is because the horses there are allowed to drink while they eat, the same as mankind. Our horses, let them be as thirsty as possible, must eat their dry fodder, their dry hay, and oats and corn, with nothing to wash them down, but in Norway every horse has a bucket of water beside his manger, and as lie eats he drinks also. It is interesting to see. how the Norwegian horses relish their water with their meals. Now they sip a little from the bucket, now they eat a mouthful, then another sip, then another mouthful, just like rational human beings.”

Proposals which it is anticipated will open up 2,000,000 acres of land for settlement will (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph) be submitted to the Victorian Parliament by the Government this session. The railway proposals, which have not yet been announced, are credited with being sufticient'to make 500,000 acres available while the establishment of irrigation settlements on the Murray will account for an additional 1,500,000 acres. The Minister for Lands states that Parliament will be asked to pass a resolution authorising the compulsory purchase of an estate, the trustees of which, while prepared to sell, have no power to do so. By the end of this week the Minister expects to have 50,000 acres of good land available under the Improved Small Holdings Act; already twelve properties have been secured, and negotiations for two others are expected to result satisfactorily this week.-

THE WOULD’S MOST EMINENT BREEDER OF LINCOLN SHEEP. N one will gainsay that to Mr. Henri Du tiding, of Riby Grove, England, belongs the exalted position of be.eg the most famous breeder of Lincoln sheep in the world at the priscnt time. The performances of bh« Riby Grove Lincolns in the show and sale ring in recent years will go down to history. The views and experience of Mr. Budding on all questions affecting slice]' management cannot therefore fad to be of interest to every admirer of tlie ovine race. It must always ii\> remembered that no man ever gets to the to]) in any line without carefully testing everything which might tend to help him in Ids advance. Bolide ; bone, symmetry, and general stvl i a good fleece of wool is indispen•■abl'i to show off a sheep to the best advantage. It may be taken for 'ranted that to this fact Mr. Diuldiug is, and always has been,, fully ?.Tve That the improvement of the growing fleece has been carefully con--iiilered by him is clearly evidenced In a letter written to Messrs Quibell Bros. (Ltd.), of Newark, re their “Improved” Powder Dip a few weeks before liis greatest sale ring triumph in July of last year, when lie received the record price of 1450 guineas for a two-tooth ram, In it he states that he “cannot/ speak too highly of its quality for killing filth, preventing the attack of maggot fly, and improving the fleece of Wool.” A slieep-dip about which the leading breeder of longwool sheep in the world speaks in terms of such unqualified praise should he used on every farm and station throughout the length and breadth of tlie land.

The continued wot weather in tho Poverty Bay district has had tho effect of making feed very scarce and slock generally is at its worst just now. A spell of warm weather would be welcomed by graziers, particularly lambing will soon become general.

Gisborne lias been allotted two dates in connection with the next series of N.Z. wool sales, yud as a result it is expected that English and foreign buyers will attend and bid lor noxt. season’s clip. The dates fixed aro December 5 and January 20.