AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

Shannon News, 30 November 1928, Page 1

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

Notes of Interest

False Packing of ( Wool. Last season some serious complaints of false packing of wool bales were made by. buyers, and the evidence produced was amply .sufficient to show that these complaints were warranted. Cer tainly there' were not many of them but quite enough happened to render it necessary to call attention to the matter. It is really serious that such a practice as this should be adopted by anyone, as it would be liable to bring about a detrimental effect upon the interests of all wool growers if the buyers, through the adoption of improper practices by some growers, were to find it necessary to protect themselves by adjusting their buying values downwards to a figure which would cover them against the loss sustained by false packing. Satisfied buyers mean keener and better competition, and all wool growers should realise that one of ths best ways of satisfying them is to put forward their wool for sale properly classod and properly packed.

Corriedales at Canterbury Show. " An additional award at the Canterbury Show won by the Bushey Park Corriedales has not yet been published. It, is in the nature of a supreme championship for the breed. When it came to the awarding of a special prize the only tw6 sheep that were < considered in the hunt were the champion ram (Mr. 11. T. Little), and the champion ewe (Mr. J. A. Johnstone). These two sheep were paraded before the two judges, and it was agreed that the female animal was the most outstanding sheep. The prize thus went to the Bushey Park sheep which enjoyed' the distinction of being adjudged the best Corriedalc on the ground, the ? best of over 230. Wheat Varieties. In regard to the estimated wheat area for 1928-29 : the total acreage of 255 JOO (compared, with the final area of 262,799 acres' last season) is comprisedqff the following varieties:Tuscan, 174,999,* Hunuters, 36,292; and Pearl, 16,330; the total specified being 227,621 acres. Trucks v. Horses.

It has been conceded generally that in short city runs and in narrow congested spaces adjoining wharves and metropolitan markets, where the motor truck has to “back and fill” to turn round) the horse is the more economical unit. This is the explanation of the “back to the horse movement,” of which we hear a good deal nowadays. But in the longer runs the position is reversed. Figures given out by the Department of Agriculture Economics of Cornell University (United States of America) show that horses are morA expensive than trucks for hauling milk in the country, for distances greater than four milesv Dairymen who used trucks saved 1.1 cents, on each trip, and in addition were .06 miles longer with larger loads. The average cost of hauling 1001 b. of milk was 28 cents) with horses and 22.1 cents, with trucks,. A similar result has been dfienitely demonstrated in Melbourne and Sydney transport traffic. American Wool Market.

Commenting on the position of the Boston urool market an American authority states that it seems improbable that any considerable business will be done this,fall upon 1929 clips. While Boston conditions are firm and improving tilings have been uncertain abroad. Bradford operators have made a determined and partially successful effort to lower or hold steady the prices at London. Strength of demand for sup plies for mills on the Continent is reported by our Boston correspondent as having prevented larger redactions in recent English auctions. Bradford ’s alatitude appears to be due w'holly to a desire to hold down costs of material rather than to decline in sales or values of manufactured goods. Slow improvement appears to continue in the American goods traffic. Manufacturers, like their fellows in England, want cheap material, but with goods no worse than it is in both countries, with strength in Europe, and with only normal supplies in sight, price recessions do not seem more likely than do advances. Probably the situation is becoming stable.

Ashes For Pigs. Many pig raisers practise the feeding, of charcoal or wood ashes separately or with salt to their stock. One of the American agricultural experiment stations gives the following as being a good tonic and mineral mixture for - swine:—Charcoal, 1 bushel; hard wood ashes, 1 bushel; salt, 81bs.; air-slaclced lime, 41bs.; sulphur, 21bs.; pulverised copperas, 21bs. Mix the lime, salt and sulphur thoroughly and then mix with the charcoal and ashes. Dissolve the copperas in one quart of hot water and sprinkle the solution over the whole mass, mixing it thoroughly. Keep some of the mixture in a box before the pigs at all times. This mixture is easily made and supplies the mineral elements most likely to be deficient in swine rations.