THE MAN ON THE LAND.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 35, 12 February 1915, Page 7

THE MAN ON THE LAND.

AN ENEMY TO BLOWFLIES.

Whilst ut his estate at Jindabyne (.N.S.W.) Sir Joseph Carruthers had

nis attention called to the fact that .he blowflies were being attacked and killed by two distinct varieties of insects. His manager lirst noticed these insects attacking the flies in the fields, killing them wholesale,and later on he secured a specimen, with its sting in a victim. This has been sent to the Government Entomologist for identification. There are swarms of them at work, and they appeal- to be small wasps. Master J. 13. Carruthers also noticed these wasps at work, as well as a small but long fly, like a horse fly, which was attacking and killing the blowflies with rapidity. No specimen of this could be obtained.

STARLINGS AND GRASSHOPPERS

There are myriads of starlings on lie Snowy River country, and some of hem were recently examined at Jinjbyne, in order to ascertain whether uy were living on- insects, or seed, hey were found on dissection to be all of grasshoppers, which, as a rule, tave been a pest in the summer on •lonaro, but which are now being conolled in numbers by the flocks of tarlings. THE PROFITS OF AN ACRE. The results obtained by intensive nethods adopted by .Messrs Kook iJros., at their farm at Rock Mount, Ltiverell (N.S.W.), for the past few ears have been excellent. The present .eason, however, promises to outstrip 11 previous records. From a little oss than an acre of land 11,0211 b of omatoes were harvested this season, oalising £l7l 16s 9d in hard cash, i lie varieties grown were Early Pride lid Dwarf Champion. Of the total nentioned, no less than £ll7 was a ken off in 18 days from when the first ruit ripened. The same plot is now icing put under cauliflowers, and vook Bros, anticipate bringing the otal receipts up to £3OO for the .M'ftlve months on land that is generaly regarded here'as being poor. With>ut anything in the way of irrigation, liese results are remarkable. The {rowers have throughout kept most letailed particulars, and the accuracy if these figures are beyond question. LESSON OF THE SMALL LOT. .Some years ago (writes a much-tra-elled correspondent of the Sydney )aily Tlegrapli) you published a desription 1 sent you of tho methods of ultivation introduced into the city of Detroit by Mr Dingee, who was Mayor i tliat time, and a mutual arrange-

iioiit was made by many owners of unjccupied and uncultivated suburban ands by which the more thrifty could these lots for the cultivation ol

. ogetabbs for their families. 1 am ■eminded of this by the following item : i a New York, paper, describing pre-.ei'it-day German methods of a similar character. ."The 'thoroughness of German methods of meeting the difficulitts |)roduced by the war is indicated id the means taken to increase the food supply. The subject is covered in .1 letter just received from Dresden. All waste land, including vacant lots in cities, is to be put under cultiva- : ion. Shortly after the outbreak of the way all undeveloped and uncultivated areas were surveyed, and an analysis ivas made of their soil for the purpose of" determining ,the crops for which

ley were l>est adapted. The Govern

merit's decision on the point is final. The owner must take measures to raise crops as directed, -or allow the cultivation to be done by others selected by the Government Bureau. In the case of city' lots, or land adjacent to cities, the owners in many cases know nothing about agriculture; hut the difficulty is met by the Government Bureau, which assumes all responsibil. ity, arranging with some party possessed of the means and the knowledge necessary to make the land bear the crop which, as indicated by the analysis, will best repay the cost of cultivation."