ON THE LAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2684, 14 December 1909, Page 7

ON THE LAND.

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL. INSPECTOR MILLER’S ANNUAL REPORT.

Following is the annual report for the year ending 31st March. 1909, for the Poverty Bay district supplied to the Government Agricultural Department by Mr W. Miller, who was until recently Inspector-in-Charge of tliadiistrict and has since been transferred to Dunedin: — , , Seasons and Pastures. —The inspectors in the Cook and Waiapu districts are agreed that the past season has been all in favor of the stock breeder, the winter and spring being mild with a fair amount-of-rain throughout the summer, although the coastal .country in the Waiapu district was fairly dry and somewhat short of water for stock, but this did not continue long. Recently warm autumn rains have set in, ensuring abundance of pasture to carry stock through the coming winter in good condition, if not overstocked. There has been ample feed throughout the year and the .prospects for the pastoralist during the coming season ‘are all that could be desired. Sheep.—This being a large sheep carrying district it is satisfactory to note that no serious mortality has oc■curred amongst hoggets. The flocks generally are very healthy and have fattened well, the two freezing works at Gisborne expect to put a record number of fats through this season. The total for the twelve months ending 31st March 1909 580 251. Inspector Kingston Teports that an additional number of Natives are turning their attention to sheepfarming in the Waiapu County and that some big lines of excellent quality fats have been sent to the Freezing Works at Gisborne from that district. A large increase of sheep is recorded eadli year i a Poverty Bay, and notwitlistanding that large numbers have been shipped to Canterbury during the autumn and a greater number put through the freezing works it a. - anticipated that a considerable increase will again be recorded this year For year ending 30th April J- 908 wEen the returns were takem .there were 1,918,000 sheep m the distnot, an increase of 208,639 over the P{® v " ous year. Some 17,000 ewes have been exported to Canterbury during the past, six weeks buyers from that province having been operating m the distnct. _ Romney Marsh rams for flock pur poles are still the fashionable in tins district, large numbers: having been'imported from Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay. Last year no demand : . .....

existed for English Leicester rams, but there has been a big demand this year and large numbers have been imported from > Canterbury. ; Border ! Leicesters, demand gone off an favor-of'English Leicester. For Lincoln rams there has been a poor demand,the fashion having changed to English Leicester and Romney. Lambing.—'Has been very heavy and will easily average 95 per cent. Cases of high docking have come under notice and there are instances of 114 per. cent from hill country, worked out on the whole flock system and not on the principle of the ewes that came in at docking, and 141 per cent, from paddock ewes. In one instance 2000 ewes were |nnt to the ram and gave 140 per cent of lambs, 2000 of which in the first draft were sent to the freezing works. Fat lamb, production is,somewhat in its experimental stage in this district, English Leicester and Southdown breeds being mainly tried. A good deal of cultivation on stations for lamb fattening purposes lias been done as compared with previous 3 7 ears, but not on a sufficiently extensive scale, if lamb fattening is to become a success iand for which industry the district is eminently suited. A danger to be guarded against in connection with the fat lamb industry is-in the wholesale disposal of the best ewe lambs which would in time result in the depreciation of the flock. Prices for /all classes of sheep have dropped fully 2s per bead compared with last season.

Wool. —Good clip 3 of excellent quality have been obtained. -Some iiockowners who have paid careful attention to breeding have obtained pines reaching the top. Dipping'. —In my last year’s report I mentioned that the auctioneers had just completed the erection of a dip at the Matawliero saleyards and that it would no doubt be found a great convenience to small farmers in the vicinity, besides being available to di/p infected sheep before removal. Inspector Ross now reports that it has been largely taken advantage of by farmers in the vicinity and by those taking sheen to the sales. Since the Ist January* last 30,000 sheep in small lots hove been put through it. In the Matawai district near Motu the settlers have formed an association and have secured land and built a dip of proper dimensions where their sheep can .be dealt with in a more satisfactory manner than in the small dip usually found on a bush farm. Inspector Kingston ..mentions that a dip is being erected in the Waiapu Valley on the share system which should prove of much value to the native owners, who have a good deal to contend with in regard to dipping appliances owing to their isolation. Movements in the foregoing direction all tend towards the flocks throughout the district being kept in a cleaner and more healthy condition. The flocks are periodically inspected where possible with the staff available, and careful inspections are made at the saleyards. A few prosecutions have again been necessary this season for exposing lousy sheep, but generally an improvement in the result of the dipping is noticed. Cattle.—Considering that Poverty Bay is a large cattle breeding district (in Cook County alone there are~Dß.loo and Waiapu 29,274, a total of 127,374 in the district, showing an increase on the .previous j’ear of 14,848) cattle are generally speaking healthy. Tuberculosis prevails to some extent, but the condemnations at the freezing works and abattoirs do.not exceed the average elsewhere, although exceptionally big lines of fat cattle are forwarded to the works continuously during the season. A few oases of actinomycosis and epithelioma are occasionally found. Dairying.—Dairy Inspector Williamson reports:—“l am pleased te .say that the dairying industry in the district continues to expand, showing an increase of 49 dairies during the v cur, some of these being in the newly settled Te Arai Estate. The year under review has been a most favorable one for dairy farmers, sufficient rains having fallen to produce a good growth of grass. The milk supply for consumption in town is very good and the samples taken have never been under the Government standard, but are much higher. This may be accounted for because of the rich nature of the pasture, ana the good class of cow used. In almost every herd used for dairying the Jersey blood is very prominent. The usual conditions as regards cleanliness isi found; some are always clean in their methods while others have to be continuously looked after. Some 7450 cows supplying the factories and town come under my supervision and the numbers are yearly increasing. The usual percentage of disease is found and I have reported 40 cows and 2 bulls from the dairy herds during the past year, and have had several cows dried off for mammitis, but on the whole dairy cattle in this district may he described as fairly healthy. In writing of child labor I* can only say as I reported last year I see no children under 14 years assisting in dairying and very few as young as that.” . ' . With regard to the improvements generally in the conduct of dairying little objection is offered to the reasonable requests of the Department to improve the condition of premises, yara-r, etc. by those engaged in the industry who’have freehold properties or lengthy leases, but we have in this district a large number of tenant dairy farmers whose tenure is only from month to month.

Diseases. —Contagious abortion, mammitis, and septic metritis have been very prevalent during the past season and dairy farmers and cattle breeders suffer considerable loss, through these complaints, especially in the casei oi contagious mammitis. The Government veterinarian advises the necessary treatment in such eases, and the veterinarian employed by the 'Poverty Bay Farmers’ Union treats tbe cases when called upon by settlers who have the command of his services. (To be Continued.)