AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8098, 1 May 1906, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

The Taiei'i and Fcninsula Milk Supply Company, of Duncdin, intends to appoint a representative in Great Britain to look after its interests. The Agricultural Department intends issuing, a bulletin witli a view to stimulating interest in the search for phosphates throughout the colony for fertilising purposes. ■Millet culture is progressing in some of the northern; districts of New South Wales. Some of the farmers on the Hljinter say that it pays better thau lucerne, and a few growers on the northern rivers even maintain'.that it*,pays beitcr than maize. The value of the annual yield for last year was, according to the Macleay "Argus, valued at £29,240. There is some particularly' fine grazing country in tl»f iAMfo* ifinuity;. where there are instances, . under favourable conditions, of very suoeesf »i, t »!ts in both .sheep and dairy One return {rom a, trustworthy source shows that from a . sheep fafm of 470 acres the owner this year netted £7OO from his wool and fat shiep. *' Jjf Koscwell settler near Coal Creek has just threshed 4r7 bushels of wheat to the acre; thjs yield being taken off land for which (Is per acre is paid by way of rent (says th'e Titnaru " Post.") It was not taken ofE a few acres merely, but from something over 100 ncrss. " ' '

Only a few weeks ago the people of Aa ,i Zealand were reading with horror of the awful destruction caused by the bush fires in Australia. 'News now comes to hand from New South Wales thafthe whole ot the Lachlan country that':was recently devastated by bush [fires'is now like a wheal,field. .. Thousands of acres of what was formerly densely-timbered scrub are now fit for the plough. Who shall doubt the recuperative powers of tlie Commonw ea! !i after tliu> P

Tie rabbit season at Mata'urii, Southpromises to; be an .exceptionally busy one, says the " Sonthern Standart" The vaiiicus exporters have bceii! engaged for) some, time constructing boxes for the reception of the rabbitsiand great piljes are iiow stacked ill readiness for the ieason; In order to the exacted increase in the nuiuper of carcases this year, two additional sheds art being erected, making Seven in all. i Every facility is be ing afforded expukers by the freezing company. i

T|e value of barley as feed for.stoek. is not yet recognised as it ought to be. Forfpig feed it is one of the best grains thatf can be fed, producing pork of the finest quality. It is also a good grain for horses, ke'ping them in excellent condition. Fr : n.ileli cows barley steeped and all .ial t > begin to sprout is oie of the bestj'milk-i roducing feeds thatjcan be giv iu jNut oniy is it useful Ks grain, bnp jrpon Ivirlev is an excellent change for nil kinds of stock in the early spring, ind is inc of the eargreen foods.' tli.it can be grown, and frill yield several good cntfcngs if put in early. u-t <*_ ■ Cajnpbell Island (^ay->>flie Jjyt(e't>n ■' Tinics "), away to tlis south of iSew Zealand, which js Jhald vjindpr lease from|the Government by Captain Tucker, of Gisborne, i 3 cvidentlypxccllenfc Sheep country, 'though ' 'Wind-swept frongthe Antarctic. It has an area, roughly speakipgj of 85 square miles (544,000 aere,s), On which there arc now |razing COOO kkeep,... The increase. last season was equal to Do per cent., which would be considered satisfactory on thie mainland. A rcceut visitor inform! an .Invercargill paper that the stock! ij' in" splendid condition and i