AGRICULTURAL REPORT.

Southland Times, Issue 1228, 25 March 1870, Page 2

AGRICULTURAL REPORT.

■ (From the Melbourne Argus, March 9.) The produce markets continue dull, and the slow decline in the value of breadstuff's has not been stayed as yet. Prices are changing gradually, butthcy are decidedly easier than they were last week, and wheat is not in such good demand. Barley is rather more inquired for as the malting season approaches, but feeding grains are , neglected. The coming abundance of maize promises a considerable reduction in value, and as oats are certain to be affected to some extent the trade in them is becoming more limited. The supply of hay being little in excess of requirements, prices remain se they were, and it is hoped that the market will not be again glutted for a while. 1 The Government of South Australia is at < length taking steps for the collection of the returns. As a guide in the meantime, the Register has prepared an approximate estimate of the yield, from the answers to a circular sent out from the proprietors' office, and before referred to. By these answers it appears ' that in the northern portion of the colony where bo much wheat is grown, the failure has been '. rather extended, and that the crops have yielded i from one to seven or eight bushels to the acre in 1 the several districts of it. Wide tracts of the '. plains have yielded from four to five bushels, the. i former amount being a very general average. In i a southern direction the results have been more < favorable, and many of the yields reached to 9or 1 10, and occasionally to 12 bushels to the acre. '. In. the soath-eastern, or Mount ; Gambiar district, i the average is said to reach 15 bushels; but the higher yields having been obtained over compar- i atively limited areas, the general average is < supposed to be about six. This, supposing the < •ame extent of land, 830,000 acres, to have been < under cultivation last »o in the previous year, •would give a total yield of 3,180,000 bushels, or j 2,000,000 bushels lest than in 1868. The •urplus I

available for exportation last year was estimated at 80,000 tons, and this year, if the foregoing calculations are to be depended on, it will be only from 30,000 to 85,000 tons, the deficiency of 3| bushels to the acre as compared with 1868, mating fnlly this deficiency. This present estimate is certainly founded upon a rather narrow basis, but it cannot be very wide of the truth. The want of rain is beginning to be severely felt in several parts of this colony. Grass has disappeared completely in places, and water is now failing; swamps have dried up, and waterholes are sinHng rapidly out of reach of the stock. Last summer was bad enough, but water is saidto be even more scarce this year. In New South Wales and Queensland quite the contrary is the case, heavy floods causing much loss in both colonies. Prom the quantity of rain that has fallen within the laat few days to the westward of the mountains, a fresh is expected in the Darling. 1 A little of their superabundant rain would have been most welcome here, but we cannot be very long now without. The excursion tickets for the National Grain Show at Ballarat next week are to be liberal in regard to the time, extending the period of return from the 16th to the 21st." The committee of the society have been askedby Mr Grey, of Kingston, if they would offer a premium for a reaping and binding machine, aB he was desirous of showing one ; but it does not appear whether this is to be a working-machine of full size, or only the model exhibited at Smeaton and Kyneton. At the last committee meeting it was proposed that Parliament should be petitioned- to prohibit the sale or importation of wax matches as hitherto manufactured, on account of their being so easily ignited, and therefore so dangerous, but no formal motion to that effect was adopted. There eanjt>e no doubt that many destructive fires both in town and country are caused T>y the careless use of matches j still the general community can scarcely be restricted in their use by act of Parliament. A serious difference has occurred amongst the members of the Smeaton Society, in; consequence of an attempt, on the part of a few of them to have their own friend appointed secretary in place of Mr Macey s> and without "competition, but now applications for the situation are to be invited by advertisement. It would be a pity if the perpetration of any such blunder were to damage the credit and fair fame of a society hitherto so distinguished for its straightforward and spirited management. The meeting of sheepowners at Hamilton last week passed a resolution to petition the Assembly in favor of local boards of management to administer the next Scab Act, the members, however, to be elected on the same principle as rules in the Shire and Borough Btatute^-namely, the number of votes to depend on the value of the property represented. It was feared chat if the owners or holders of flocks above 500 in number were all. to vote on equal terms, the owners of small flocks, free selectors, and others, might oufc number the bona fide representatives of station property^ and get the management into their own handß. The desire is, we may presume, that there should be a vote for every 500 sheep, in which case there could be no doubt with whom the power would lie, but are the sheepowners as a class generally in favor of boards of manage- ! ment ? It was supposed, when the last bill waß proposed, that, the opponents to this principle being bo numerous, the question was not to be raised again, but the South Australian Act taken as our model. Some of the speakers at Hamilton declared themselves in favor of this act, but with the addition to it of the New South Wales system of management. The difference between the laws in the two colonies consists principally in the presence or absence of this system, and it would simply be absurd to jumble the two together and spoil both. Either has proved effectual, and we ought to adopt for our guidance one law or the other. - Some meat has been lately exhibited at Sydney, cured by Mr Lavera, under his patent, by the interpenetration of sulphurous acid gas. One [ piece of this had been exposed to the air for four months, and was declared to be sound, but the carcase of mutton had only been subjected to the process a few days before. The certificate cont^ijjiuM^jflasgejttta in tjie effect,. Ibati lUe_grea.terpart oi the joints remained perfectly sound, although the weather had been very hot, and that the portions cooked were excellent, and free i from either unpleasant taste or smelL from this it is argued that the proposed mode of curing should be tested to its fullest extent, but the acid' in question has been fully proved in England, and its use most successfully applied by Pro- J fessor Gamgee. This acid is apparently used by ! Mr Manning, for a sample tin of his curing was I declared by Professor Voelcher to remain hard, and retain a strong sulphurous taste, do what he would to it in the way of cooking. Mr' Manning states, however, that this must have been a portion' of the meat cured some time since, as he I receives commendations from all quarters of that prepared lately under his improved process. And by using it he is enabled to send meat away in cask, and thus save the expense of tins, without any risk of loss. j