AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Speaking to a member of the New Zea-la-nd Times staff, a gentleman closely connected with the export butter business said that an order which had been received from Sou+h Africa fr\ 250 e=ises fax the next six

months, at 12'Jcl per Ib, had been taken, round the city and refused by all the firms approached. They ««:o unable to do busineise at the price. The New Zealand Times reports that the great sum of £13,526 was paid for milk dm nig- tlie month of December by Mr T. L. Joll, of Okaiaua, the largest prcpuetarv manufacturer of buitei and cheese m tho Dominion. The advance payment was lid i>er ii> of burrer fat. According to some forn->ers in the Xekon district, gorso is a \uluabie fodder for sheep. At a recent meeting of tho YTniniea. County Council (sar3 the Evening Mai!) | a councillor stated that, gorse was one of the fine3t fodder plants in New Zealanc . Ho knew an instance of whore &0 sheep | wero tnken off, six acres of gorse, and 40 of them were fat. A farmer of experience in the Seafield district has informed a re-presentatne of the Aeh'ourfon Mail that he cannot remember hares being co numerous Ln his local >tv as they are this season. In consequence of (he shortage of grass and closer, the hares are voraciously attacking the turnip and rape orops, with much loss to the owners. A shearer, who has lust, finished a round of sheds, commencing in October and finishing a few days ago. says tliat his aggregate talK was just on 8000 6heep, and that hie chequo would •be a li'tle over ££0. Includinj? the holidays In the period, this amount works out. at about £5 per week. At least 10 members cf the Farmers' Union will be candidates at the next gpneral election. say 6 the New Zealand Times. As a result of careful testing and culling:, a Taranaki farmer has been able to reduce his daily herd by one-half without decreasing the milk yield. This is a striking instance or the good which may be done by culling es a result of intelligent testing-. A meeting of the general committee of thea Canterbury A. and P. Association took 1 place on Wednesday last, Mr H. E. Peryman (president) in the chair. Accounts for £299 19s 9d were passed for payment. | Tiie Stock Committee recommended the adoption of a new scale of points in coni nection with the shows. When the numI ber of entries was less than seven the points were to be as fol'ows : — Champion 3, leserve champion 2. first 5. second 3, very I hig-hlv commended 1. When the number of entries exceeded seven the points- were to be: Champion 3. reserve champion 2, first 5, second 3, third 2, and very highly commended 1. In cases where there was no competition the points would be: Champion 3, reserve champion 2, first 3. Tho recommendations were approved. The Merino Cup Committee reported that tho scouring competition for 1907 had been, completed The winners of the competition were Messrs Ensor Bros., who would hold the cup for the current year, and receive a gold medal. The winners of Messrs Quibell Bros.' Challenge Cup for the best average money value of all scoured fleeces was the Culv'erden Estate, which would hold the cup for the current year. The sheep had been grazed during the year on Mr W. Chapman's estate at West Eyreton. They had been shorn on the show grounds on Saturday, November 9, by tho agents of the Wolseley Shearing Machine Company, and the wool had after- ! wards been scoured by Mr W. Nichols Belfast, the scoured fleeces being weighed by Me^rs H. T. Little and G. Rutherford, iun. Messrs Thomas. Millar and F. C Lorthiois had valued the wool. The thanks of the committee wore due to all those who had assisted the committee in carrying out the competition. The report wa3 adopted. Three new members were elected, and the meeting closed. The Chnstchurch Press of the 13th mst. sa%s . — A number of local butchers complained bitterly to a Picss reporter at the Addington yarcK yesterday concernmtr the condition of the meat lately received by them from- the municipal abattoirs, lney stated that there was no cooling chamber at the abattoirs, and that the recent hot weather made it impossible for the carcases to be properly cooled after killing and dressing, the consequence being that early decomposition sets in, and the meat is rendered unfit for human consumption. Un Monday last several of the butchers sustained severe losses on this account, large quantities of meat having to be thrown awar The butchers were strongly ot opiii-on that a separate cooling chamber should be provided at the abattoirs, which would enable them to have killed as many animals as they chose, and they would be able to draw upon their supply to suit their requirements. The meat would then b© thoroughly cooled after coming from tho slaughterhouse, and its keeping properties would be increased considerably. At present orders for Monday have to be delivered at the abattoirs before 10 o clock on the preceding Saturday morning, and if baturday'l sales fail to come up to cx P cc £ tions a large quantity of meat has to ba ckrried «££ and the shops are overstocked on the Monday. The butchers claim hat slaughtering should be done on Sun ay, which would give them an opportunity of ordering just what they required for M The a analysis of stock .slaughtered l .t the Ashburton abattoir dunng *c month of January shows that 40 cows, 82 bullocks and heifers, 3 bulls, 7 calves, Smp, 362 sheet, and 101 lambs were killed. Of Thele' two co«« were affected wth tuberculosis, but neither was condemned One was condemned for other causes Fifteen sheep were wholly and three partially conrlemned for causes other than tuberc'ilos.s. Ono bullock and one pig was affected with tuberculosis, but neither was condemned.