RURAL TOPICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9190, 12 September 1908, Page 6

RURAL TOPICS.

(By "Agricola.")

THE WEATHER.

For a considerable period there has been an absence of anything like strong westerly gales, hut on Tuesday the wind changed to that quarter of the compass, and continued throughou 1 : the two following days, and yesterday (Thursday) culminted in almost a hurricane Some very heavy showers occurred at intervals, but except along the foot hills of the Tararuas they had very little effect in saturating the ground, and did not reach far across the plains. The gale has really had the effect of drying up a large area of country in the dist'ict, and has been anything but beneficial to crop pastures and gardens, all of which require rain at the present time. Reports from all parts of the East Coast of the Wair irapa are that the country is drying up fast, and that many of the creeks are at a low level. The weather wise predict another dry season, and many are of opinion that Clement Wragge's forecast will come true. Certainly there are indications of a dry period, and unless soaking rain comes speedily, feed and crops will suffer. Settlers would be wise to make every provision, and conserve all the feed possible in case of a repetition of last season's drought. There is reason to think that now the major portion of the snow has melted from the mountain tops, that mild weather will eventuate and fronts cease. LAMBING. Though generally speaking there is every prospect of a good lambing percentage being obtained, I am infoimed by several sheep farmers that there are instances of quite a number of weedy lambs, and that 'the lambing is very irregular. Some farmers attribute the cause to the shortness of feed when, and after, the rams were turned out. THE SEARING OF LAMBS'TAILS. The searing of lambs' tails is surely but gradually supplanting the use of the knife in docking, and though the operation takes slightly longer to carry out, it ha 3 many advantages—viz , it saves the loss of a number of lambs through rendering them immune from being fly-blown, stops bleeding, while it prevents bloodpoisoning, as it is well-known that the burning process with the searing iron acts as an antiseptic. It is alsc claimed that the wound heals mucr more rapidly than when the knife is used, and that the animals regair condition quicker. The latter is i most important item when viewed from thefat lumb standpoint. THE STRONVAR DISTRICT. It is always pleasing to chronica progess in any part of the country and for some time settlers in the Stronvar district have been on th forward march. Situated som< twenty-seven miles from this town Stronvar is somewhat out of the kei of the ordinary traveller., bu through gradual road improvement and weekly coach communication, i is coming under public notice, an with the completion of the Werait Road, will be brought some fiv miles into closer contact with Mas terton, its market town. Telephon ' connection is urgently needed, an taking into consideration the diffi culties the settlers have had to cor tend with in the past, and the littl assistance given by the Government they have a claim for more libers treatment at its hands. Howevei by 'hook or by crook, the settler seem determined to obtain this boor and get linked up closer wit civilisation. The improvement an transformation which is taking plac on the face of nature in the distric is mainly attributable to the progres sive methods of new settlers wit advanced ideas, and the use of th plough iR demonstrating in a ver marked degree that land at one tim condemned as unfertile is capable o producing excellent crops of turnips rape, and oats, after which clovei and other grasses take kindly to th soil. , Mr J. "VlcKiliop, of Puketiri, ha UP in the pasts cultivated a good breadt of land, and has now under way ar other 100 acres, while 50 acres ar being put in readiness for rape an 30 acres for oats. At Fernyhurst (Mr Westmorlam in charge) there will 50 acres i turnips, 60 acres in oats, and 3 acres in rape, and in addition 50 acres of scrub are being felled. At Glenlean (Messrs Tuxfor Bros.) -50 acres of turnips, 30 acre of rape, and 15 acres of oats are i coarse of being sown. Mr C. Trukham has also com menced the good work of ploughing having some ten acres turned ovei Mr H. Wardell is clearing u about 100 acres of scrub, and th Messrs Mcßae Bros, are cleanm and making improvements on thei holding. Throughout the district very heav, frosts were experienced during th< past winter, causing a dearth o feed, but notwithstanding this, stocl are looking in excellent condition the death-rate being very low, am the future prospects are that ther wiil be a bountiful crop of lamb and a heavy yield of wool. Some £2OO allocated from th Weraiti loan is to be expended ii 1 installing, which is very mucl required between tho Brancepetl boundary and the Fernyhurst home stocl. WET WOOL. This subject has received a goo< deal of attention, and'from time t< time has been a fruitful source o: •friction between 3heep-ownera anc shearers - as to when wool is too we to shear. This matter is of import ance to the shearer, from the poin of view of his health, for it is as sorted that shearing wet wool has e very serious effect on the corstitutioi of aomo men. The wool-grower requires to know when wool is in a fit condition to pack, and what percentare of moisture in it will be detrimental to its market value, and alsc what quantity will engender combustion. With regard to the harmful etf..'ct oa 9hearer3, a conference of p j r,toralist3 and shearers has been h"IJ in Melbourre, and it was decided iu appoint a doctor and a scientist to make investigations into the question of the danger to men when shearing wet sheep. Finality haß hardly been reached as to what amount of wet in w<;ol is hurtful ui.un it is packed closely and shipped. Experiments

instituted by the Royal Commission appointed by our Government were anything but conclusive, and so tar as they went demonstrated that so much as 951b of water mixed with fleeces in an ordinary bale of wool did not seriousiy effect its quality af Ler being shipped to London. Instruments have been invented for the detection of moisture in wool, with more or less satisfactory results. But the crux of the whole question is—to arrive as to what percentage of water in wool is detrimental to its value, and what amount will cause combustion? I understand that Messrs Levin and Co. can supply instruments showing the degrees of moisture in wool, but not having seen any tests, I am unable to say if they also indicate what ••degree" of moisture is dangerous. Of course, the safest plan to adopt is for wool growers to refrain from packing any wool that is "damp,", and therefore any instrument which will detect it is ot service.