On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 25 February 1915, Page 59

On the Land

/ -1 V . GENERAL. ■Ai• , j / , As nearly as can be estimated, the wool production of the world, including the coarser grades and low sorts, fit only for the production of carpets, is approximately 2,750,000,000 pounds, of which nearly 2,000,000,000 pounds is produced by the countries of the Southern Hemisphere. ; A There are those who still maintain that large potatoes will, produce large tubers, and that small potatoes will as certainly produce small tubers. There are farmers who have experimented until they are certain of this fact. And the statement is true to just this extent: A large potato will furnish a greater proportionate amount of nourishment to each individual eye. Hence the young plants will be in more healthy and thrifty condition when they look to the soil for their food supply. The war is changing many things (says a. Home exchange). A few years ago the public said to the farmer: If the cultivation of wheat does not pay, turn your attention to something else; for instance, one eminent statesman sang the praises of growing fruit for jam and of market garden crops. Now the public is metaphorically going on its knees to the farmer and saying : Please, Mr. Farmer, grow more wheat, in order that the staff of life may not fail us. And the British iarmer will do his best, but he will not forget that we import oats to the value of about £6,000,000, and barley to the value of about £8,000,000, and these are essential products. - Each year the consumption of margarine in Great Britain is .increasing, and the position of Australian butter on the London market thereby rendered less .secure.* The war, however, has seriously interfered with supplies of’raw material used in the manufacture of margarine, and it seems probable that prices will have to advance. The bulk of the copra used for oil has been hitherto carried in German vessels, which are now no longer available. Germany has been both the largest centre of copra-crushing and oil-refining and also the largest consumer of the finished product. At least three-fifths of the edible cocoanut butter used in the United Kingdom comes from Germany and France, and these sources are now shut off. - At a recent meeting of the Waimate A. and P. Committee there was a general outcry about the grain loss sustained from the depredations of small birds this season. The pest appears to have been worse than usual. Various means of combating the trouble in future years were suggested. Poisoning did not find much favor. Members agreed that the county council was doing good work in purchasing heads and eggs, but it was stressed that heads needed to be purchased in winter time to make the crusade really- effective. It was also urged that, the borough council should join hands with the county authority in making war on the feathered devourers of the precious grain. Eventually it was resolved that the county council be asked to raise the price of eggs from 2s to 2s 6d, and to purchase the heads in the winter months as well as spring. , It does not appear to be known why one animal gives more milk than another. Physiologists have made many researches with the object of determining what governs the secretion of milk. It is evident that neither feeding nor digestive capacity are the secret. It is probable that a substance is secreted in the body somewhere, possibly by some part of the reproductive organs, -that circulates with the blood. This substance, what'ever it may be, stimulates the udder gland to produce milk. The amount of this substance which the cow will produce is hereditary, although influenced to some degree by the feed and other conditions. i? At Addington last week, there were smaller yardings of fat stock, but a fairly large entry of store sheep. Owing to the block at the freezing works no, export buyers were operating, and there was a general decline in prices. Store sheep being affected in sympathy with

fats. . Beef declined 5s to 6s per 1001 b;, store lambs, 2s 6d to 4s; store ewes, 2s 6d to 3 s6d; fat lambs, 3s to ss; and fat sheep, 2s to 5s per head. Fat Sheep.— Prime ; wethers, 20s to 24s 6d ;; medium wethers, 16s «6d to 19s 6d ; others, 13s 6d to 16s ; merino wethers, 8s 10dto 22s 6d; prime ewes, 18s to 21s lOd; merino ewes, 15s to 17s 6d; others, 8s to 14s 6d; merino' ewes, ss. Fat c Cattle.—Ordinary steers, £7 10s to £10; extra steers, to £l3 ss; ordinary heifers, £5 17s 6d to £8; extra heifers,' to £l2 2s 6d; ordinary cows, £5 5s to £9;“ extra cows,'to £lO 2s 6d; price of beef, 28s to 37s . per 1001 b. Pigs.—Choppers, 50s to £3 12s 6d; light baconers, 47s ,6d to 55s ; heavy, 57s 6d to £3 .12sequal to 5Jd to per lb; porkers, 25s to 40s—to s|d to*sfd per lb; large stores, 24s to 30s; medium, 14s to 20s; slips, 8s to 11s; weaners, 3s to ss. '.‘.'A WOOL, ARMY REQUIREMENTS, In dealing with the world’s wool market, The American Wool and Cotton Reporter says:—With the enormous armies now in the field, aproximating 10,000,000 men, the requirements of woollens for military pur--poses alone will absorb not less than half the total production of the world for the present year, leaving for the manufacture of regularly marketed fabrics but half the quantity of wool ordinarily used for this purpose.; The domestic manufacturer apparently pays, little heed to present conditions, refusing to anticipate his require-* ments to any extent, preferring to pay higher prices in the future if needs be, rather than to accumulate stocks. Prices in the primary markets are strongly indicative of higher yalues for some time, unless something entirely unforeseen should occur in the immediate future. There is, however, no precedent upon which to base predictions for the future, conditions at the present time being without parallel in the history of . the trade. England is buying all the crossbreds available at prices much, higher than domestic dealers consider a safe operating basis, and in many instances are paying more for fine wools. VITALITY OF WIRE WORMS. Farmers who are breaking up grass land for wheat cultivation must beware of attacks of wireworms (says Farm, Field, en d Fireside). About the best remedies are the chemical agencies, the fumes of which, permeating the soil, are the most effective. ' - • The pest possesses great vitality against poisons that kill other insecls, but cannot withstand the chemical fumes. To show their power of resisting the effect of ordinary poisons, the following examples may be given : A field was selected, on which a crop of potatoes had failed owing to the great number of wireworms. It was planted down with corn. Plot I.—Grains were coated with gas tar, then rolled in Paris green; in fact, so heavily coated that many grains failed to germinate. Wireworms were quite active in the soil, and attacked sprout and root. Plot 2. —Grains rolled in a paste of arsenate of lead of the consistency of cream and allowed to dry before planting. The wireworms remained alive and healthy, and the crop was seriously injured. Plot 3.—A handful of tobacco dust was placed, in each hill with the corn. The tobacco when put in the ground was very strong, but when the plants were examined for w T ireworms, the odor had quite disappeared. The wireworms were apparently attracted to the tobacco, as, they were especially abundant in it. , ..A Plot 4.—A handful of slaked lime was placed in each hill with the corn. Wireworms were found among the roots of the plants surrounded by more or less lime, apparently not inconvenienced thereby, . A Plot s.—An insecticide used instead of lime. , Crop very poor, and wireworms plentiful.