FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume VI, Issue 428, 29 April 1899, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

The weather has been fine, but nomewh it cold during- the week, the temperature during the night falling at times pretty near to frost, and wan rather suggestive of winter. Fortunately, owing to the genial rains, which fell some weeks ago, a strong growth was established and tins is continuing in spite of the cooler weather, ho that the luck of feed will not be an appreciable trouble, at least, during the early months of winter. It may be as well to remind flockowners that the present week is the latest allowed (by the Aot), for dipping sheep, and irrespective of this, once fairly into May, the weather is inually toD cold for tho rmrpose ; the dipped animals not infreq'eutly taking a chill if bleak, southerly weather Bets in. With the advance of the season, prices for stock and produce are showing some chances. In stock, stores will have something like a standard put upon them, at the approaching sales of turnip stock, at which, prices are fully expected to rule higher than at late sales. Fat stock are plentiful ; but prime quality are not so generally yarded, and are selling 1 at an advance. In produce business is brisk, and prices advanoing, even potatoes ana onions, if of good quality are on the upward grade. Owing to the outside demand potatoes are wanted, and the probabilities point to fair prioos before the season is over. SDutherns are now in the Auckland market, and though not fully matured, are selling at £3 per*ton; local grown about 10a per lb. loss. As expected the late rise in better has brought 1 forward largo quantities of Taranaki production, the town auctions being well supplied at a reserve of 9d per lb in bulk. In addition to these supplies considrable quantities are being stored for future sale in the different freezing chambers about the city, so that anything like a big rise in butter is not likely to take place until the winter is fairly advaneed. Contrary to expectation, chaff is not coming into the Auckland market vary freely; good samples readily making from £2 7s 6d to £2los per ton, but inferior lots are almost unsaleable. Locally, good chaff is none too plentiful ; prices running £2 to £2 5s per ton, and it i» likely to rise, as the consumption increases. The fruit season is almost over, and few will regret it. The sawmiller, carrier, and commission agent,have, betweem them obtained the lion's share of the returns from the orchard, and it is hoped that a similar disastrous season will not be experienced again. Steps should certainly be taken by the various Fruit-growers Societies to devise some means of disposing of the surplus fruit, during the height of tho season ; failing which, the risk of glutted markets and ruinous prices can never be removed.

Tub Law as to Hedges,— A correspondent, writing to the " Otage Daily Times " respecting the complaints made of the increase cf a dangerous nuisance in the shape of macrocarpa hedges, says —" Many people fancy they can do exactly as they please on their own premises, without regard to their neighbour's safety or convenience. They are mistaken. The law recognises the neighbour. Briefly then, it is not lawful to plant a live fence macrocarpa, bramble, or what not—near a boundary fence without first obtaining the written permission of the neighbour, the owner on the other side of the boundarv fence. Failing such permission, he grows his live fence at his own risk. It may be cut doA'n, or he might be compelled to remove it as dangerous, and should such fence take fire he will be liable for damages caused by such fire to dwellings outbuildings, fences or crops."

An Abstruse Calculation.—A correspondent reports the following conversation, which took place recently betweon two worthies residing not a hundred miles from Oamaru, to the North Otago Times :—" Dit you'll wass bocht a coo, Tugal ?" " Yes, I wass bocht him Rory." " And what did you'll pay for coo, Tugal?" "I was pay for her to Mr M'Schluther, sree pounds serteen shillin' and saxpenc?, Tugal; but Mr M'Schluther gif me back ten shillin' and tounty pence, and five sacks of sma' wheat for her hen, and twa baggies o' oatmeal for her prose, and I gif him eight days' wavk in the tattles and fower days' in the neeps, and ho carted my coal two days. Aud I was kill his pig and salt her, and he wass gif me strae to theak my hoose, and I wass mend his sreshing mill and break iu his young beasties That what I wass pay for the coo, Tugal, whateffer, forbye, for effermor." Can any of our readers tell what the coo cost ?

An Interesting Return.— Au interesting return of the cost of keep, product, and value of milk of a Jersey cow is furnished to the Lire Stock Journal by Mr A. F. Parbury. The cow (a pedigree one) was born in March, 1882, and in the year 189-1 she gave 817 gallons of milk, valued £3l 9s, the cost of her keep for the year being £l3 8s 3d. In 1895 ahe gave 518£ gallons of milk, valued at £22 9s Id ; cost of keep, £ll lis Id. In 1896 she yielded 438 gallons of milk ; value £2l 8s 3d ; cost of keep £lO. In 1897 her yield of milk was 907 j gallons, value £3B 9s lOd ; cost of keep, £l9. In 1898, when she was 16 years old, she yielded 543£ gallons of milk, value £26 14s 4d; cost" of keep £l3 12s. The differeme in the cost of kei p was due to higher or lower feeding and the prices of fodder. The fluctuations in tho yield of milk were due to the times of calving, the amount being taken from Ist January to 3lst December in each year. Her average profit for the five years was £l4 lis lOd per annum, truly a remarkably profitable animal. Useful Instruction. —Of the system being adopted in Victoria of teaching school children to discriminate between useful birds aud bird pests the Australaiian says:—Boys and girls in our public schools have been taught that it is wicked to kill those birds which have « dea'ly appetite tor insects. Pictures of such birds, beautifully coloured, adorn the school walls that the children may be familiar with them, but it has been found that something more will have to be done if the farmers' feathered allies are to be preserved fiom extermination. While the boys obey the law a 3 to the birds they recognise no restriction as to the eggs, because they do not know one egg from another. Such, at least, is the excuse offered. In future on the walls of tho public schools will also hang representations of eggs of insectiferous birds, each egg being an exact counterpart in bi'zs and colour of the natural article. A suitable design has been submitted by a local artist, has been approved of by Mr Fench, the Government entomologist, who thinks that the idea is a most serviceable one. The only excuse which the juvenile nest-robbers of the future will have to urge is that tuey are colour blind.

The Milking Strain of Shorthorns. - A Victorian dairy farmer is forming a herd of Sho; thorns of the milkiug strain, as he expects to see a revival in these cattle. He recently wrote:—" I have been a consistent believer in Durham stock for years past. 1 intend keeping my cattle pure Shorthorns, selecting and breeding them for milking qualities a.* well as for shape, feeling sure that the Shorthorns will conin again in Victoria. Victorian cattle have been ruined through the rush for dairying stock. You cannot get a decent line of steers for love or money, and I believe a great many dairy farmers will see before long that it would pay tlicm to keep good Shorthorn bulls in the place of the mongrel' graded' Jerseys, Ayrshires, and nondescripts they are now using." Of course there arc a. number of very fine Ayrshire and Jersey herdi in Victoria, but the breeders sell their young pure stock as fast as they become fit for use, and the demand is always ahead of the supply. The general average of the dairy stock is

low, and there can be no doubt that better sites ave greatly needed. In New Zealand a systematic effort is needed to improve the dairv stock, for the most is not now being made cf the abundance of splendid feed that the colony produces. Australian Education in Russia. A report sent out by the United States Department of Agriculture says:—The Government of Russia is planning for the establishment of a quite extensive system of agricultural education At * recent meeting of the agricultural council an advisory body of which the Minister of Agriculture was chairman, an out ine presented by the Minister was considered at length and a general plan of agricultural i-'ducati m was elaborated. The introduction to this document states tint notwithstanding the fun lamented importance of agriculture to Russia and the great fertility of some of the Russian soils, " the crops obtained even on the ch rnozem (black soil) are only onethird to one-half as large as those harvested from the incomparably inferior soils of western Europe. Almost everywhere in Russia the primitive processes of farming are persistently followed by the farmers, while the number of persons who are fitted by education and training to disseminate information on the rational methods of agriculture is comparatively insignificant," The scheme outlined for (I) higher education, furnished by independent agricultural institutes located in the chief agricultural zones of Russia, and by chairs of agricultural and allied sciences in the universities ; (2) agricultural high schools, which are in the nature of technical schools and schools with courses in agriculture ; (3) lower agricultural schools ; and (4) the duffusion of general agricultural information. The schools for the so-called lower education include (a) secondary agricultural schools, (b) primary agricultural scuools, (c) agricultural classes, and (d) practical agri cultural courses. Goats fob Milking Purposes.—A travelling stock inspector iD Queensland has made an excellent suggestion that is worth considering by those who keep goats for milk supply purposes, and in parts of this colony the goat is pretty numerous. It is that the Angora goat should be substituted for thecommon goat, ai their hair would form an item of export of some value. The difficulty with Angoras in Australia, has been that they have not boen found to thrive well when kept in flocks ; but when kept in small numbers, running at liberty about home- ; steads, and having access to old huts or : to other shelter, they do remarkably wall. They attain heavy weights and yield heavy fleeces, while the wethers when slaughtered youug make excellent mutton. The pure and grade Angoras give as good yields of milk as the common goat. It would be a matter of some difficulty to procure a sufficient number of Angoras to establish a pure flock of any size ; but purity, or what is equal to purity, may be obtained in three generations by crossing with a pure Angora buck on selected females of the common goat. This is accomplished by selecting white nanny-goats of the common variety and coupling them with a pure buck. The femalei of this (first) cross are then coupled to n pure buck when the hair of that (second) cross, not equal to that of the pure breed, sells readily in England. The females of that (second) cross are in like manner put to a pure buck, when the progeny of that coupling produces hair epual to the pure breed. There will be no danger in resorting to close in-and in breeding in establishing a flock in this way, as goats are not subject to tuberculosis, and have a very hardy constitution. The third cro:-s, is seven-eights towards purity, but it is not deemed advisable to use bucks as sires of less th&n fifteen-sixteenths grade —that is of the fourth cross. ORCHARD AND GARDEN. WORK FOR MAY. The Orchard.—ln planting young trees be careful not to plant too deeply. Support them by putting strong stakes to them, and tying firmly ; put some soft substance between the stake and the plant to prevent it from being chafed. Pruning may now be commenced. Gooseberries and currants, being the first to vegetate, will require first attention. Whero raspberry beds were not attended to last month, it would be well to s>e to them now. Follow directions for last month. Put stakes to them, tying three or four canes to a stake. The Garden.—Cut down artichokes ; dig the ground about them, at the same time being careful not to cover the hearts of the plants. Rhubarb beds should be trenched three feet deep, and a welldecomposed manure be incorporated with the soil, planted two feet apart, and three feet in rows, to allow the •working between without injury. To ensure a good crop from established beds, they should receive a liberal supply of manure well in about the roots. Asparagus beds should be trenched at least three feet deep, and heavily manured. Sea sand oan be added with advantage ; intermixing the whole as the work proceeds, and leaving rough to receive plants in July. Clean refuse on* all vacant ground. Turn it up rough, Sow oabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce for spring plauting. Cover soakale for forcing. Place the pots or boxes that may bo used over the crowns, covering them with about two feet of good stable manure. The manure should have been previously shaken out and turned two or three times it will cause it to retain the heat a greater length of time.