RURAL TOPICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3002, 26 September 1908, Page 6

RURAL TOPICS.

(By "Agricola.')'

THE WEATHER.

The climatic conditions of the last week have on the whole been very favourable, and the growth of grass coming forward well. The days have been warm and the nights mild, with very little frost. On Tuesday 'a heavy wind was experienced from the nor'-west, and in tne afternoon rain sat in, and the rivers having their sources on the Tararua mountains were filled with a considerable volume of water. Wednesday broke fine and warm, but the westerly wind gave place in the afternoon to a gala which came on very suddenly from the southward, rain following in the evening. Thesa showers were very welcome, and did much to counteract the baneful effect of the dry ing westerly wind. Crops are making a good growth, and farmers are hopeful that there will be a good yield at harvest time. Most fruit trees are now well forward in bloom, and given an absence of Btrong westerly winds, which are so destructive to the blossoms and young fruit, there is every prospect of a heavy yield this season. THE OUT-DISTRICTS. From all parts of the eastern seaboard of the di3trict come satisfactory reports of the forward state of the pasture?, and the good condition of stock, while the lambing is said to be good and quite up to, it hoc (.von tne vritige, <>r o.nei' St!asjn J . h ■ v v-r. results will ere Ion? be known as the operations of docking and dagging will soon be in full swing. It is said • that very few stations will start shearing before the end of October—among the earliest that 1 have heard of being Watarangi and Te Awaiti, were work will begin about the middle of October. Te Parae, Branceneth and Annedale will follow, commencing between the 20th and the end of October. In parts of the Forty Mile Bush feed is still short and backward, and some of the milking herds are reported as being in low condition. '. THE STOCK MARKET. | There is little to report in connection with the stock-market this week, sheep having come forward in but small numbers, but the quality was fairly good. At the Waipoua yards, on Wednesday, there, was a good yarding of cattle. Among them were noticeable a draft of good bullocks from Mataikona. Prices for 4-year-olds ranged from £5 lis to £5 12s 6d. There is as yet very little upward tendency in the price ruling for fat wethers—as the Meat Freezing Companies are not operating at present. In Auckland the Freezing Works! have re-opened, with the result that there is a rise in stock of about 2s per head. If such a result could be obtained in the Wellington district it would be very welcome to the producers. THE LOCAL WOOL MARKET., ' At the monthly gale conducted by the firms of Messrs Levin and Co,, Ltd., Dalgety and Co., Ltd., and the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Association, on Wednesday ( last, there was as uaual at this period of the year a large offering of sheenskins, in all a total of 4,560; also 3,380 hides and calfskins. It is very gratifying to be able to report that there was a good demand and keen competition, and that prices realised were satisfactory; and also that there .was a marked improvement in the get up of a large number of the parcels submitted for auctionbut there is still rpom for much more •care. With regard to hides and calfskins, farmers are too sparing/with salt, and the marks of the knife are far too numerous. Many of the farmers exercise very little care in the proper saving of sheepskins, msnv of those shown being wrinkled up. weather beaten, damp, and badly saved generally. One lot of dead skins, from a Taratahi farmer, were, however, in marked contrast, being in excellent condition, even better than many from sheep which had been butchered. Persons who bale their skins for sale would find if advantageous to "thoroughly" dry them before packing, otherwise they come out in a mouldy, musky condition, which certainly does not add value t6 them. Also in packing skins it is desirable t.hat they should befolded with the woolly side out, for if this is not done the pelts often get torn and damaged by the wool hooks when the bales are shifted about' It would save a good deal of trouble in the sale rooms if the shanks and dags were removed from the,skins prior to leaving the farm, for they are of bo value to the purchaser'of wool and skins. At this time of year there is always a large percentage of dead skins offered, and there were at the sales under review a large proportion of them damp—needless to say these do not find favour with buyers, and it, would be conducive to higher prices if they came to hand in better order. I have m previous correspondence remarked on the large quantiy of vegetable matter in both skins and wool, and these conditions were only too apparent at the recent sales, the whole blame of this, is not, however, all attachable to the farmers—for a most fruitful source is from the manner bales and bags are . cut ab<mt in order that the contents may be sampled. English correspondents have drawn attention to this particular point. It is pleasing to nota that the "crutchings" on sale in very many instances showed a marked improvement, indicating that care had been taken in removing dirt etc. Among the best got up lots were the following brands—viz: — Kahumingi-H)-Arichor,Awatea, Bush Grove, and Winsquare. Tne late delivery of produce at the wool store causes a very considerable amount of inconvenience to those ■employed in classification, catalogu • irg. etc., of the various lota in readiness for sale. It is desirable that all Wool and skins should be delivered two or three clear days before the sale. The Wool Buyers' Association have a rule that the catalogues should be computed at mid-day on tha day prior to the date of sale, and that no alterations or additions sfould be made' after that time. To comply with this is, impossible when wool, etc., comes to hand lata. In.one instance a great deal of pro- ;, :jdvi.ce'-was not delivered to one par 'licular firm till the afternoon before lie sale, even up to so late as 5 p m.,< and as a consequence" the cissification had to be done under

'/artificial light"—a great handicap to efficient work. Attention to these matters would ba appreciated by the selling firms.

THE INSPECTION OF PIGS.

Perhaps of all animals used for human consumption, the pig is most prone tu disease, and is one of the most fruitful sources of dissemination, and should, threfore, come under rigid inspection, it has been proved beyond doubt by the statistics of the Agricultural Department that the percentage of disease was greatest among pigs fed on the by-products from dairy factories; the percentage of diseased animals ranging to 13 per cent, when fed on such products, down to 1 per cent, when such feeding doss not take place. A great quantity of pork is slaughtered on the farm, where no inspection take's pla:e, and finds its way into the market, and is consumed by rhe public. Sooner or later some thorough system of inspection of the farmers' pigs must take place in the interests of public health, in order to stay the spread of disease. One remedial measure would appear to be the sterilisation in a thorough manner of all the by-products of dairy factories prior to such products leaving the factory.