Farmers’ Column.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 20, 10 June 1871, Page 9

Farmers’ Column.

ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL INTELLIGENCE. As we lui-n over the pages of our files of agricultural journals brought to hand by each successive mail, we are always forcibly impressed with the conviction of how much the British farmer owes to the establishment of those glorious institutions, farmers’ clubs. . The number and variety of subjects that are discussed ; the able and practicable manner in which that is done ; and the vast amount of most valuable knowledge that is in this way gleaned from the fields of practical experience sown broadcast throughout the land for the use of the present, and at the same time garnered up for the guidance of the future generations, is truly astonishing and something to be proud of. The management* of grass land, the growth of sugar beat, arable and grazing farms, the factory system of cheese making, impediments to agricultural progress, tenant right, the cost, of an acre of turnips, and the supply of English cavalry horses — such are the titles of a few of the papers read and discussed at various farmers’ clubs as we are informed by the journals to hand by the last mail. From all this we conclude that the British farmer spends some time, and some thought too, on these clubs, and that such time and thought are well spent and judiciously invested for the benefit of prosterity there can be no doubt whatever. Yet somehow, strange to say, colonial farmers are slow to imitate the good example set. They will not spare the time, and do not care about investing their acquired knowledge for the benefit of their children, although such investment woffid bring to themselves immediate interest. This, however, is a digression ; to return to our mail news. The weather throughout the month of March, up to the time the mail left, bad been mostly mild, open, genial, and spring-like ; most favorable for the growth of grass, the preparation of arable land, and the sowing of spring crops. The arrears of work caused by the protracted winter were being rapidly overtaken ; the stock of roots and fodder seemed likely to meet the requirements of cattle till grass become abundant, and altogether towards the end of March the agricultural prospects were of a cheering character. Wheat had experienced a steady rise in price, and on the 17th of April, as we learn by telegram, had advanced3sper quarter, Adelaide wheat being worth 658 per quarter; but the financial crippling produced by the war on the continent, it was thought, would tend to check any rise to extreme prices for breadstuff's. On the 20th of March the highest price for butter (Dorset) was 160 s, whilst Cork brought 148 s to 150 s ; bacon, 68s ; cheese, 70s to 90 ; and hams, 96s to 100 s per cwt. Attention is being strongly directed towards the cultivaton of sugar beet in England, and Professor Voelcker, at a meeting of the Society of Arts, read a most elaborate and valuable paper on the subject. In the discussion which followed the reading of the paper, it was pointed out that it might prove more advantageous to use sugar beet for the purpose of producing butcher’s meat, which is gradually becoming scarcer and dearer every year, than in the manufacture of sugar. The answer to this,

made by Mr James Caird, C. 8., the chairman, was that wherever the growth of beet root for sugar making purposes had been adopted on the Continent, it had been uniformly followed by an increased production, not only of wheat, but also of fat cattle in a similar ratio. He eonsidered the most successful plan would be to combine the two and produce sugar and butchers’ meat, on the grounds that thus a larger pmount of labor would be employed in the sugar making, and work provided through the winter months when labor was slack and out door work scarce. In the department of the Nord, in Erance, where sugar beet is largely grown, the farmers look upon it as the “ patron divinity” of agriculture and the salvation of their calling. In connection with the growth of this invaluable root, the fact is patent that it has led to an improved system of agriculture. Bare fallows have become extinct, seeds and implements of better quality and improved construction have been brought into use; deep cultivation and the making and application of large quantities of manure the practice; and as a natural consequence a largely increased return of all sorts of grain and farm produce. The subject is attracting a large amount of attention in England ; and the following is the opinion of the “ Agricultural Gazette” on it:—“ It seems certain that the beet sugar manufacture will prosper in this country as it has prospered in Germany and France. Mr Caird’s address—as chairman of the meeting, which assembled at the spacious rooms of the Society of Arts, to hear Dr Voelcker, on this subject —contained much satisfactory evidence to this effect. Mr Duncan, who has beet sugar works at Lavenham, reports that on a capital of £12,000 there engaged he has, even with an inadequate supply of roots, made a clear return of 15 per cent, after writing off a considerable sum for interest and depreciation. He alsosays,thathaving had only 4500 tons of roots supplied to him, lie had made less than he otherwise would. If he had had 6000 tons he would have made a profit of 6s a ton; 7s if he had used 70C0 tons, or 8s if he had had 8000 tons—simply because only with the larger Amount could he have fully employed his machinery. He also says that nobody should enter into this enterprise unless he be in a position to complete the process of sugar manufacture ; because, if he confined himself to the manufacture of syrup, he could not always be sure of a market; and the syrup could not be kept any considerable time. At the same time, the smallest factory which, in his opinion would pay, involved a capital expenditure of about £9OOO. The manufacture 6f sugar, however, from English grown roots appears from all this to be a perfectly safe and successful speculation.” The great drawback to the establishment of a sugar making industry from beet in this colony would seem to be the cost of labor, and yet in California they appear to have got over this difficulty, for some time ago we noticed a report of an export from that State of sugar made from beet. The report of Mr Fonblauque on the agricultural statistics of Great Britain has been recently pnblished, and be has ably managed to render it readable, interesting, and highly instructive. Mr James Caird is thanked for the introduction of what has long been a feature of our Victorian statistics, viz, the size of holdings; and from the returns, under this heading it would appear that in England 54 and in Scotland 58 per cent of the farms are under twenty acres in extent. This would seem to indicate at first sight that a system of “ petite culture” prevailed, and that small farms were the rule. It is however, shown that 65 per cent of the total acreage under cultivation is held in farms of over 100 acres in extent. Curiously enough, whilst our South Australian neighbors are having their attention strongly directed to the growth of flax, these returns show that this “fancy crop,” as one writer designates it, is going out of cultivation in Ireland, where it once occupied an important place amongst the crops grown. The growth of mangles is steadily increasing in both England and Ireland, and Kohl-rabi is also being more grown, whilst the cultivation of sugar beet advances but slowly. The principal feature ot the year’s history is the breaking up of a large quantity of permanent pasture land. A lessened amount of production in daily produce must follow in consequence of this, and with an ever increasing demand for such products, it ought to be the aim of our farmers to supply these. Australian preserved meat has been prominently brought before the British public in consequence of the important part it has played in supplying food to the starving inhabitants of Paris, and as portable food for troops. The “ Mark Lane Express” has an article devoted to the examination of our sources of supply, and in doing so the writer takes stock of our live stock and its increase since 1856. He ga y S.—“ Commencing with Victoria, the most populous colony. In 1856 this colony had 607,126 head of cattle ; in 1865, 640,645; and the last, 692,518 adding, “ There is no great increase or surplus for slaughter there.” The fact is overlooked that the large accession to our population

on the discovery of gold kept down the increase during the first named period and the visitation of pfeuro-pneumonia in the second, and therefore the figures given do not represent the producing capabilities of the colony at all in this respect. At one time cattle were regarded as less profitable than sheep, and the scourge of pleuropneumonia converted many cattle stations into sheep stations at an alarming sacrifice to their owners. Now with a ready market for preserved meat no doubt increased attention will be devoted to the production of beef. We quote the concluding sentence of this article as being deserving the serious consideration of both farmers and squatters. “ There is a strong, tendency for higher prices than have ruled for a year or two; for prime stock the tendency is decidedly upwards, and it really seems as though the time was at hand when it will pay to feed stock upon something better and more conductive to rapid development of beef and mutton than the present system of dependence upon the indigenous pasturage.” In connection with the subject we may mention that in consequence of the unsettled state of the Continent, cattle plague has been spreading in Prance and Belgium ; and in order to ward off’ its entry into Britain, an order of the Privy Council has been issued prohibiting the importation of live stock, fresh meat and unmelted tallow hides, manures, hay, &c., from those two countries.

The French Peasant Farmers Seed Fund, amounting, with the aid of £13,000 from the Lord Mayor’s fund, to about £40,000, w as being energetically administered. Seed corn sufficient to sow 14,000 acres of spring wheat, 9000 acres of barley, and 10,000 acres of oats, had been supplied, besides 600 tons of seed potatoes despatched to Boulogne and Honfleur. With this, and what is being got ready, and the donations of seed still coming in, the money subscribed by English agriculturists will have secured a crop of nearly 40,000 acres of land to the poor French farmers who had been ruined by the war. —“ Melbourne Leader.” AGRICULTURAL GATHERING IN ENGLAND. There is no part of England or Scotland in which the double plough is not exciting more or less attention, and strenuous ars the efforts of the rival manufacturers to excel each other. At a great meeting held at Eirkby Thore, Westmoreland, recently, there were no fewer than 24 entries by twelve of the leading English and Scotch makers. The ploughing quite surpassed the expectations of Westmoreland “ statesmen,” The first prize (ten guineas and a silver medal) was unanimously awarded to Messrs Howard. The second prize to Mr Starker, a local competitor ; and third pi*ize to Messrs Howards’ second man ; and the fourth prize to Messrs Ransome, of Ipswich, whose plqugli was in the hands of their champion man Barker, with fine Suffolk horses sent all the way from Ipswich, while Messrs Howards’ men ploughed with horses of the district. The draught of the double ploughs at the great meeting a few days since at Bramham Moor, as recorded by the dynamometer of the Royal Agricultural Society of England was as follows :

The first prize at this important match was also gained by Messrs Howard, of Bedford. This meeting was succeeded by another at Milnethorpe, in the same county, on Friday, Here again the Howards vanquished both their English and Scotch rivals, carrying off the first prize (a silver cup) with the greatest ease, their plough being held by their champion man, George Brown. The judges remarked that this work was far ahead of anything in the field. To Messrs Gray, of Uddingston, Glasgow, was awarded the second prize, the third prize to Messrs Howards’ second man, B. Sims, for rectangular ploughing (a pair of horses each 23 years old were used to draw this plough) ; and the fourth and fifth to Stalker, a local competitor—whilst neither Messrs Ransome (who had their champion man, Barker, and horses-from Ipswich) nor Messrs Fowler, of Leeds, were noticed in the awards. The draught of seven competing ploughs, as ascertained by Messrs Ransome’s dynamometer, was as follows r Cwt. qrs. lbs Cwt. qrs. lbs Howard 4 0 0 Gray 4 2 21 Howard 4 0 10 Ransome 4 3 15 Stalker 4 2 5 Fowler 5 1 20 Stalker 4 2 7 Since the new double plough competitions began, Messrs Howard have met Messrs Ransome in nearly all parts of England twenty-five times in less than twelve months, and have won no less than fourteen first prizes against them, and a total of twenty against allcomers. —London “Daily News.”

Name of Exhibitor Depth of Furrow Width of Furrow Noon eoun ter of Dy ■ namometer Total draught in cwt. qrs. lbs. Tl. draugh in lbs. Howard 6 18 in 50-65 4 3 24-45 556 45 Howard 51-85 5 0 9 64 569-64 Ran some 5615 5 2 0-88 616-88 Rrnsome 69 85 6 3 11-40 767 40 Fowler 56 8 5 2 8-03 624-03 Cooke 65 8 6 1 22-90 72290 Shivas 70-7 6 3 20-73 77673 G-ray >1 )> 71-3 6 3 27-32 783-32