AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 22

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

The Taranaki Farmers' Mutual Insurance Association (Farmers' Union) has accumulated funds of £1330, and a total value of policies hold of £204,000. So far it has had to meet no claim on account of fire.

A Maori farmer at Bulls had a milkingmachine installed, and a visit was paid him by a dairy expert, who was agreeably «urpiised to find that the shod was one of the cleanest that it had been his lot to see. The machinery was in the best of order, while tho floor, to use nis own expression, was so clean that one could cat one's dinner off it.

Charges have again been made against the management of the Addington salev arris, and consequent cruelty to animals. It is alleged that on January 29 nineteen pigs died in the pens from the heat, that no shelter was provided for the animals, and that the supply of buckets for sousing them with water was insufficient. The matter was taken up by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

A Waihaorunga settler told a Timaru Herald reporter that there was a larger area under grain this year than usual in his district, but that the crops were somewhat light. The average for wheat may be 25 and for oats 35 bushels per acre.

Now that, the slaughtering season ha<3 commenced (says the Christchurch Press) the Department of Labour has resumed its endeavours to collect from those slaughtermen who were fined in connection with the strike in February last the amounts owing by them. Strenuous efforts are to be made in tho matter, and unless those in arrears quickly come to some arrangomeni with the department it is intended to take proceedings first in the Magistrate's Court, and then, should these fail, in the Supreme Court. In almost every instance the whereabouts of those in arrears has been traced.

The potato blight has not made its ravages vory prominent this season, for which fnot the dry summer is probably the explanation. According- to a local grower of considerable experience, however, a good many potato-growers will receive a rude shock on lifting their crops. A number of samples, which showed no fejoiii of disease when in the ground, the shaws being apparently perfectly free from blight, ha\e developed the disease in a start line: manner a few days after lifting. A small lot of potatoes growing near Tom uka, purchased by a Timaru shopkeeper for the Christmas trade, and during the following week those unsold were left undisturbed for 6ome days. They commenced to exude a rerv strong 1 smell, and when examined were found to be in tho last stages of decay — black and gone practically to water. The digging of this year's potato crop will, in view of this exrenenee be attended with some anxiety — Timaru Post

One of the oldest Mackenzie County shcopownors told a business man in Timaru (^avs the Herald) that he has tin's season shorn more wool per head, and cleaner wool, than ever before in a quarter of a century's experience.

Mr J. M'lntyre, of Ashburton, recently took into Ashburton by a traction engine train 501 sacks of English ryegrass, weighing- approximately 23 tone. Tho committee of the Waimate A. and P. Association, at a meeting on Wednesday last. Mr Orbell in the chair, resolved tha.t tenders be called for shifting horse boxe=. dairy shed, etc., from the present position on the show grounds to the proposed new 6ite for them on the race ground. It was also resolved that a ram fair be held on the grounds on either the 7th or 9th April next. A draft of conditions of lease of race ground, erection of buildings thereon, and rent to be paid io the racecourse trustees during a leasehold of seven jears, were submitted to the meeting. Since the recent rains there has been a perceptible spring in the grass pastures, more particularly in the upper districts of ths Ashbuton County, and with the continuance of the present favourable weather conditions there is every reason to expect a fine autumnal growth. Farmers are busy throughout the country in sowing; late turnips on land that had previously been cultivated, and in consequence of grass and clover seed having failed to strike, a good acreage of stubble land is being ploughed up. to be sown down with turnips. The rain, however, has had the effect of inducing potatoes to shoot out a second growth, and generally speaking the crop throughout the county is a failure. Many threshing machines have already exceeded last year's threshing tally. Mr Owen O'Conor, brother iothe O'Cbnor Don. County Kerry, Ireland, has recently been the guest of Mr John Davies, at Heatherly, Koputeroa^ for a few days, and waa taken by Mr Davies to the State Farm and other points of interest in the district. Mr O'Cbnor was greatly interested in our mode of managing sheep at shearing- time, the construction of sheep yards and shearing sheds, especially the drafting gate, for in Ireland all drafting is done by pulling the sheep out by the hind leg. Mr Davies showed him the Roscommon sheep imported by himself and Mr J. M. Johnston some tlyyje years j-'jo from IreUud* two of wk?«ji j

were purchased from his father's estate, thd late O'Conor Don, in the County Kerry, and ho was greatly pleased with the satis* factory results from the importation and the fine condition of the sheep. — Manawatu Standard.

On Mr Moore Hamilton's estate, Barf old (writes the Daylesford [Victoria] Advocate) a new system of rabbit poisoning waa tried last week. Sliced apples sprinkled firsb with sugar and then with powdered strvchnme uere distributed in a furrow two miles long, and next morning over 600 carcases of rabbits were collected. On the night pr.or to the laying of the poisoned! bait slices of apple unpoisoncd were laid so as to encourage the rabbits. Only aboufo 201b of apples wore used for tho poisoning, and about lib of sugar to 71b or 81b of apples. The poison is much more rapid in its work than phosphorus, as the rabbits wore all found within a chain of the furrow.

An Ameiican farmer claims that the following is a sure remedy for tho expulsion of the hot fly larvm :— Fust drench the horse with a quart of mola-scs or dissolved sugar, with one quart of new milk. This induces the jrrub to let go his hold. In. 30 minutes the animal «ill get a little relief. Then dissolve 2oz alum in one quart of vater, and administer. This oontiacts the invader, and a good dose of Epsom salts will complete the expulsion. Tho division of Biology and Horticulture, under the charge of Mr T. W. Kirk, Department of Agriculture, has issued a bulletin (No. 7) on the diseases and insect pests of tho potato, in which both fungus diseases and insect pests are dealt with. The pamphlet, which has a number of illustrations, should be in the hands o£ cv or y grower of potatoes.

In the Wairarapa district buyers are now giving 4id per lb for suitable pigs. The market is active and the demand for New Zealand consumption exceeds the supply The dry \\ eather has been a severe set-back to pig raisers.

The first dairy co-operative was founded in Denmark in 1882. Now there are more than a thousand of such societies. More than four-fifths of all the farmers belong to such societies, and they own 80 per cent, of the cows.