FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1071, 15 February 1883, Page 3

FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Notwithstanding she has three hundred thousand fewer sheep, Victoria had an increase of sixty million pounds of wool for last yar. Improving the breeds of lnr flocks gave ‘he latter gitisfactory result. 'lheOi'inaru Times, in a paragraph, referring to heavy fle ces, says ‘Two years ago Mr Umnon, of Rugged Ridges Station, purchased from the Hon R. Campbell six merino rams, from his flock at Otekaike. The second year of shearing the fleeces averaged 2Ulh, and this year they average the unprecedented weights of 261 b 13oz etch. Of the six rams one reached 331 h, two of them 3olb each, the remainder making up the average of 26>b 130 z.”

With regard to the result of the wheat harvest in Victoria, a recent issue ~f the Argus says In the northern aieas of the Colony, the crop is found to be lighter than was expected. The dry weather which prevailed in the spring op to the middle of October was so severe that considerable injury to the crops has teen the result. In the southern or coast districts however, the yields are likely to be very abundant. The Australasian, whose agricultural reporter has completed a tour of inspection in the cdiief wheat-growing dis triels, estimates the average yield of wheat at 8.9 bushels per acre, and the total jield for the Colony at 8,8u7,10(» bushels. This result is 1,397,0Uu bushels below the previous year’s crop us estimated by the same aatlar.ty, so

that, tin* exportable surplus of tlie c>l.iuy

will probably bo diiui.iishad by that quantity.

Among the principal flocks of Queensland is that which is called the Jim hour flock, the property of the Darling Downs and Western Land Company, Limited, situated about 17C miles from Brisbane, on the Southern and Western Ra Lvay. Ihe country in that locality is very level, consisting of large plains. The soil is remarkably fertile, the grass in every direction being most luxuriant. I h re are a variety of grasses together with many fine herbs, all of which aie well suited for rearing and fattening all kinds <«f stock, »nl. notwithstanding the heavy summer rains, such a thing m f« ot-rot is never known among the sheep. The stock consists, in the meantime, of about 90, 00 sheep, winch have been mostly bred from the fircst imported rams. Perhaps the most sue c*6sful of the importations w<re two merino rams taken out by Mens Le Grand from ft pain, ard purchased by the late Sir Joshua Peter Bell, the then proprietor of the above property. These rams were of large frame, one of them we.ghing 2101 bs, an 1 the other ;9(!lbs. Thj wool was of fair quality and good staple. A judicious selection of the best ewes was made from the fl icks first brought from Maitland on the settlement of the country about 40 y ars ago, and to these ewes the inn orled rams were put ; and in a few years by carefully selecting the lambs, a stud fPck was formed—the only one in Australia that can trace its descent from the sires imported from Spain, Ibis flock is known as the ‘ Le Grand Stud F-ock.’ A grandson of the imported ram that weighed 210 h was shown at the New South Walvs International Exhibition, where he carried off find prize.