FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 232, 8 January 1898, Page 6 (Supplement)

FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

The Weatheb and The Farm.—Farmers are everywhere congratulating themselves upon the altered aspect of their business caused by the welcome rain of this week. It is seldom iu this district that there is such a scarcity of green herbage as was the case before the rain fell, and dairymen were suffering heavily by the rapidly-diminishing flow of milk ; in some instances we have heard of, the yield dropped off fully 25 per cent. It is to be hoped a moderately moist summer and autumn wili compensate in some measure for the unfavourable season experienced 'so far. The grain crops are too far advanced to benefit to any appreciable extent from the rain, but it certainly means the salvation of the root crops, and mangolds, carrots and potatoes already show the beneficial effects received from it. Turnip-drilling is now one of the chief operations requiring attention ; the land is in splendid condition for working down to a fine tilth.

The Esolisii Butter Market.— Latest cable advices report a falling market, with prices ruling from £4 10s to £3. The cable man attributes the weakness in the market to the business being overdone ; but Messrs Wed del and Co. -report that the supply of butter coming to . hand from all sources in January will be fully 30,000c\vt. below the average, so that if their opinion be correct the slackness will be but temporary.

The Grain Markets.—Wheat continues to hang persistently around the 40s mark (5s a bushel), this being the latest quotation cabled from London for best samples. British, Continental and American markets are reported firm, so the incoming colonial crop should meet with a ready sale at a payable price. Oats are also firm, but as the new crop comes to hand prices arc sure to recede a little. The yields, unless from earlysown crops, both of wheat and oats, are not likely to come up to the average in this district, and in other parts of the colony farmers have the same cause for complaint. The crop prospects for Canterbury published by the Lyttc'ton Times all tell the same story of unfavourable weather and deficient yields. Of the North Otago district, a gentleman who has made a tour of a large part of it informs the Oamaru Mail that the crops arc not in nearly so bad a condition as most people imagine. They are very irregular, for while some arc looking remarkably well others are wretchedly bad. The failures are, he says, generally found upon light lands, where the want of moisture is most keenly felt by vegetation.

Demonstrating tiik Tkutii of a Proverb.—Father: " Now then, my hoy, it's bedtime ; ' Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,' you know." Little Johnny : "I suppose, father, that's how it is that the farmers are all so disgustingly wealthy !"

Good Cur3.—Tho Romney Marsr r.im imported by Mcssis Beah'y Brothers, and which took first prizes and championships at tbe Christcburcb. Wellington, and Dunedin shows, has now been shorn. The fleeco gave ISAIb of gnoi clean wool with very little grease. At Puketoi sta tion, Otago, tho wool clipped from six ram hoggets weighed 181 b, 191b,19J1b, 17/flb, 18Mb, and 17Mb. + + +

Tub SniEAD of thk Tick.—Latest reports from] Rockhampton state that noarly all tho herds on Stewart's Creek hive been infested with ticks for a considerable time. The " R jckhampton Record " says :—A discovery of ticks at Raglan shows that the cattle station is not tho outpoat in that directio'n, but that tho advancs guard of the enemy is already 25 miles nearer GKetone than it was supposed to be, Though this advance does not bring tbe tick any nearer the actual quarantine line, for the boundary runs as close to the cattle station as it dco3 to Raglan, yet, as they appear to be following the stock route, it is certainly bringing them nearer the officially clean country.

Tiik Bacon axd Pork Industry.—A Turauaki correspondent writes :—There is a considerable boom ia the pig market here this season. The bacon factories conuot get enough pig 3 to koap them ful'y employed, and on the other hand farmcr3 cannot procure store pigs iu suffi cient consume their milk and whey. Consequently anything of the semblance of a pig brings a fabulous price. Of course, pigs being such prolific nnima's, this stato cf things will soon be rectified, and the pork inlustry bca considerable source of revenue to the dairy-farme-. I have lately seen the account salts of 100 pigs averaging 801 b, frozen and shipped Home last June as a trial. They a\eraged 43d per lb, leaving a net return of a trifle over 3 I per lb. As these pigs rcc -ived no grain, hut were fed entirely on skim milk and whey, and fa 1 teued rapidly, the shippers are satisfied with their returns. + + +

Sunixowkrs.—Why aro sunflowers not more extensively crown by farmers ? asks " Hodden Gtay " in the M Ibonrao " Woekly Times." On very fow farms are sunfl*wtrs grown at all. Sunflowers grow luxuriantly throughout Victoria. This crop gives a large return of seed per acrts. The seed is very rich in oil. No skill is required in growing the crop. It grows on almo«t any soil. It is ea.-ily harvested. Tho seed, when crudied and mixed with straw chaff, jrovides a rich fodder. Last winter farmors were paying •i high prico for treacle for mixing with straw, for stock. Straw chaff, or even chaff from a threshing machine, or a stripper, mixed with crusbed sunflower seed would make a much better fodder than straw and treacle. If every farmer grew his plot of sunflowers, hive would be a valuable fodder for next to nothing. Better grow sunflower seed thin pay £8 10s per ton for treble. It only wants a beginning. If one or two farmers would set the example and utilise sunflower seed in this way, others would quickly follow, and in time a few acres of sunflowers would be grown annually on every farm. It is th=t little things like sunflower growing that, when put to proper use, make farming pay. There are lots of districts where it is not yet too late to sow sunflower seed. Give this crop a trial.

Profits of Daiuying in Tahanaki.— The supplier* to the Kgaire Co-operative Fact-ry were recently paid a third and final surplus of one- penny per lb of butter fat on the milk supplied during the 1896-07 season, the returns of the cherso consigned t) London having been received, and bearing out the estimate made of value of unsold cheese at dntc of balancing last September. This bulanco sheet (says the Haw era and Normanby Stir) is worthy of perusal by those interci-ted in that industry, to which Turauaki owes the prosperity of recent years. It shows that the suppliers have been paid Oil per lb of butter fat (equal to 4d a gallon for milk) for the whole season—probably the best result in the colony for the year. The factory opened its doors in December, 1801. The total cost of land, buildings and plant has been £I7OB Isi 4d. from which £305 h'ts been reduced for depreciation. The capital paid up by tho shareholders, who are alsj suppliers, is £1367 7s Od, being maioly the accumulation of deductions made monthly from milk cheques at the rate of 1-V1 per sixty gallons of milk. The debt remaining on tho cost of tho factory is now only £l2O. This company has consistently done busiuess with ono firm in London, Messrs Lovell und Christmas, and the result has been eminently satisfactory.

A Knowing Dodoe —With the subdivision of the Keilambete Estate," writes a correspondent of the " Warrnambool Echo," " there will 1.-c much removal and re-erection of fences, ami tin's process will astonish some c-f the purchasers, for this season. I- know a veteran bullock driver, who always made it a point to camp by one or other of the Keilambete paddoeics. Iu the night lie would quietly knock a post us much to one side as possible and then, with a small handsaw, sa,v off the top rail close to the ro r. It was an osy nwtUr then ti pit his 12 bullocks where they could do good execution, and be very fit for the next clay's wo:k. He drove them out at daybreak, and lifting the rail up to its old place, tipped the back to its ho izontnl position again. When this was done, no boundary rid jr in the world could detect the frail I, and it is only when the fence is taken to pieces that the operation is revealed. The o'd chap, who was a perfect adept at the game, served dozens of panels on various pirts of the run in the same style, and, so far as I know, was never even suspected. He was a model of innoc nca in appearance, and mniecl his bullocks afto; vaiious scriptural characters.

The Result of the Rixdkrsest.— How long will it take South Africa to recover from the losses sustained by the terrible scourge, rinderpest, is a question that is of very great importance to Australian stock • ownc-s. Such enormous numbers of cattle lnvo died from this disease that the most optimistic authorities aro of opinion tint even if rinderpest is effectually checked, which is not likely, at least three year- mutt elapse befor J tho country will to again stocked up with a (sufficient quantity to provide for leal food requirements, and tho probabilities are it will tike a much longer periodto repair the ravages of the disease. The herds of tho country have been so attenuated that the stock-owners can, under the most favourable circumstances, havo only a comparatively few animals for sale for a long timo to come, and it must not bo forgotten that it will tako years to place a new generation of fat cattle on the live slock market. Tho necessity of tho South Africans is the oppor! unity of Australia. In tho Hand beef has been selling retail at Is 6d per lb, and mutton at Notwithstanding tho severe drought which has prevailed for s> long a period over a greater portion of these colonics, there will, says tho Argus, be a surplus of beef and mutton to dispose of, and in South Africa thero must be a market that is worth testing. Stock-owners will bo w inting in enterprise if they fail to seize tho opportunity that now offers, + x +

Colonial Leather.—Mr John Springthorpo, who Lad been for f >rty years connected with the English boot trade and is at present in Melbourne, recently told an interviewer that no effort seemed to be made by colonial tanners to learn the requirements of the boot industry at home, and the consequence was that American leather had almost a monopoly of tho English market. Australian hides were so indifferently tanned and (rimmed that it was usual to put them through tho pi's a second timo iu England, thus entailing a largo amount of unnecessary handling, which might be avoided if tho tanning wero done properly in the fust instance, besides giving the colonics the benefit of the higher value belonging to well-taunccl hidc3. That tho difference in price i* considerable is shown by tho fact that the av>rage value of Australian hides is about Sd per lb in London, Mhen they have gone through tho process of retonning they are worth lid. Mr Springthorpe strongly counsels Aus'ralian tanners to follow tho example of their American competitors, and make themselves acquainted with the oonditiom of the English leather trade, and to aim at the production of leather of the highest quality. There is a disposition on the part of Leicester boot manufacturers to use Australian leather in preference to American if the quality bo equally good, but ttu-y cannot ignore the foreign article as long as colonial tanners are indifferent and careless as to the character of tho product.

All These the Waikato Possesses. —ln a recc.it itsue the Scientific America ilea's with the beet sugar industry, and enumerates certain natural resources required for successful prosecution in any distriot where it may be established. Beet sugar experience, states that journal has put several points out of the range of discussion. Amongst tlic.se " the factory must be centrally located with regard to the beet growing distiict, ami at the same time it musr, if possible, bo situated upon a railroad or have connection through its own private side tracks. If the enterprise is to compete successfully with others, it should have the various materia's of manufacture, such as limestone, fuel and water, within easy reach, and, of course, the nearer the factory is to the markets, the larger the net pofits which will accuruc to the farmer from his crop. A plentiful supply cf water, fuel and limestone is required, and if any or all of these have to be brought from a considerable distance, it can be ssen that the profits of the undertaking will be seriously reduced. The necessity of rail connection is further evident when we bear in mind the large amount of residue in the shape of filte-ed cosscttes. The is a valuable feed for cattle, and with reasonable transportation afforded it could bo disposed of at profitable prioes in the outlying country. When it his been proved that the soil is suitable, that the materials of manufactute are near at hand, and that a market can be depended upon, any agricultural district may lay out its beet farms and build its factory witli a certain assunnce tint it will prove a piofitab'eand, what is bctt' r, a permanently profitable, investment both for capital and labor."

To Get Rid of Sorrel.— Soirel is one of tho most difficult weeds to git rid of onco it gets fairly established, aud in reply to an enquiry as to the best pr.ictice for its elimination it oan bo ntatod says the Leador, as one of tho poMtive faots that it Is labour in vain to attempt to get rid of sorrel in rainy or even cool weather. The work must be done when the sun's rays are sufibently powerful to wither the plant when it is turned up and by keeping this fact steadily in view many farmers in the Western district have been able to eradicate the pest. In wc«king the land they fiud the best thing to use is a " skimmer," an implement invented by the onion growers of Portarlington, and used by them as the best means of cultivating the soil for the onion crop. By carefully watching a field, and working only on hot day*, each successive growth-of sorrel is killed as it appears aud paddopks that were formely overgrown with the weed are now free from it If the soil is moist and cool the sorrel will sprout with undiminished vigor, but the combined efforts of heat and the skimmer ore too muoh for it, the result being shown in clean fields. As the namo indicates, tho skimmer is an implement designed for operating upon the surface soil only, though it eun be set to stir the ground to a dc/th. of 3or 4 inches. It consists of a rectangnlar iron frame, to which aro attached two steel knives, each about 2\ feet in length, and set ho as to form two sides of a triangle. The depth of working is regulated by a wheel, and handles at the end are used for guiding the implement. Onion growers u«e it because it provides a firm seed bed for the onion.«, preventing the bulbs from growing downwards in the soil, a point of great importance in onion cultivation. In recommending tho Portarlinjrton skimmer the idea is to explain whit is wanted, but any implement that c in be adapted to the same work will do.