NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2425, 13 February 1909, Page 7

NOTES.

The grading of potatoes is now bein,, insisted upon in Victoria, so that (the size of the tubers may be uniform, j ./movement is on foot in Taranaki /establish large co-operative baconcuring works at either Wanganui or Patea. A little over quarter of the milk supply coming into the Riverdale Cooperative Dairy Factory, Taranaki, at the present time comes from milking machines,- and the cheese is grading veil. r The old trick was seen at Feilding (says a Wellington writer), Romneys declared to have been shorn in November and carrying a six-inch staple. It is declared that, if the ram fairs so far held are not disclosing any keenness on the part of farmers to purclia.se pedigree sires, the private sales of rams have never been better. In more than one instance it is known (says the ‘‘New Zealand Times”) that Soil bfeeders could have sold a 1ut0%. : « or so more rams could they have supplied them. In discussing the question as to whether a judge should take into consideration the fact of a ewe having had a lamb or not in the purebred class one breeder at Feilding put it this way. If, he said, there was practically nothing to separate two ewes from a quality point of view it would be right- to prefer the one which was known to have had a lamb where the other had not, but to reduce the best sheep m the class t-o a minor position wasjlpong. She should either ire plaeejyin the 1 position her quality entitled her to or be passed out altogether. The Otago A. and P. Association has decided to support the Canterbury Society in its work of establishing" a Draught Horse Stud Book. In several South Australian fniiit districts tills year the starlings are literally willing out the soft fruit crops. They are also destroying figs and tomatoes.

The average number of settlers selecting, vuj 1 lie Crown lands of NewSouth Ajjglk'S works out at 2000 per ■anmmt.A According to the latest return prepared for the Minister for the year 1908 the average has been exceeded bv 303.

Two Mr. H. Ford, of Lagnihor, Ashburton, introduced several new kinds of wheat, one of which, the Now Era, appears to be in every way adapted for the Canterbury Plains. For nulling purposes, it is a strong, gluteuons wheat,, and is not- easily thrashed out with the wind. Mr. M. Stitt lias a large paddock under the New Era on his Eiffelton farm, near which experts consider irtiT yield up to GO bushels per acre.

The very large shipments of lamb from South America in December are remarkable and of interest to Now Zealand. No less than 11,000 earcases lamb were shipped in December, and this seems to indicate that Sontli America is going in strongly for the lamb export trade. In 1907 their total shipments were 109,000 carcases, while in 1908 this had increased to 530,000 carcases. Conwaunications were'received from one orNfiVn sources at a late meeting of the Otago executive of the Farmers’ Union expressing the opinion that Crown land rangers should be transferred to other districts at shorter intervals than at present. The executive expressed the opinion, that an officer required to be in a district for some little time before lie was posse sod of the necessary knowledge as to values,, etc., of the district, and did not consider it would bo advisable that changes should, be made as frequently as - respondents had suggested.^'