OH THE LAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3112, 7 January 1911, Page 3

OH THE LAND.

AUSTRALIAN HOME MARKET

Mr. Samuel Clarke, of Wyndham, Otago, states that the bottom has been knocked out of the Australian horse market. One North Island dealer, who took 35 horses to Melbourne, lost no less than £l5O over them. Mr. Clarke was present when the horses were sold, and they brought as low as from £lB down to £7 10, one good animal, which cost £46 in Feilding, only fetching £44. SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SEED. AVe have been informed, says the “Marlborough Herald” by a reliable authority, that a squatter not a. 1000 miles from Mahakipaiya who is not ove r well acquainted with carrot seed, had an experience the other day that it w;l! take him some time to shake oft. '{iho squatter in question decided on putting in half an acre of carrots, the seed duly arrived, and the sower being somewhat dubious as to the seed being the correct thing informed his “boss; the latter told the employee to go on snwiii'e which command was obeyed. Subsequently he discovered the pared contained carta way seeds, which, we are informed, did not germinate. CORNSACK CLOTH TOR WOOL PACKS. AVith regard to the complaints made hv woo! manufacturers respecting packs, iiitc manufacturers in Calcutta say that the whole trouble arises from the lowclass cloth used in the- production of ordinary woclpacks for Australia, being the necessary outcome- of the keen desiie to obtain a low-priced article. At a little increased cast Australia could purchase a pack which would eliminate these obiections. It had been suggested bv some in India to use cornsack cloth for weolpaeks. If woolpaeks were made from the former, they would weigh, roughly, BJibs against 11 Jibs lor the ordinary wool bale now in use. Ike difference in weight is accounted for by the fact that the weft in the woolsacks is the commonest of jute. In<' cornsack cloth is about 17.40 ozs per var.i 2C' inches wide against 23 ozs, 27 inches’ wide, for the woolsack cloth. Cape Colony takes a quantity of "cornsack” cloth of 17 ozs per-.yard, and the standard woolsack there weighs about gibs., against the 11 Alb sack used in WHERE’ SHEEP ARE HERDED BY A BIRD. TV. yakamik of South America is, so far as 'is known, the only “shepherd bird” anywhere. V. c have ail kuov. n.oi course, of dogs that, unaided, may he trusted to shepherd a flock of sheep, but a shepherd bird, which will drive its charges to pasture, protect them trorn prowling animals, and gather them carefully together at nightiall to bnn ,r them safely home again, is indeed a unique creature. The native owners oi sheep and poultrv in Venezuela and British Guiana are the possessors of tins shepherd bird, and to the care of tins species <,f crane—for to that family the yakamik belongs—are entrusted sheep, ducks, anti other poultry. The South American eppe; them depart for their feedmggveunds, secure in the knowledge xnat the crane will bring them hack safely. Any unlucky animal detected by the vakamik while prowling.about to steal gets much the worst of it. Ihe bird savagely attacks tbe marauder with wing and beak, forcing it to retreat in Paste A doc is no match tor the yakamik. At dusk the bird returns with it- flock never losing; its way, no mat-t.-w how far it may wander, for its sense" of location is' extremely acute When it arrives borne the- \ aka mil- | roosts upon a tree or shed near its charges, to bo ready to resume its supervision of them when thev are let out acain in the morning. Tins queer bird jjf sa i ( l in be as affectionate as it is tiustworthy. It will follow its mastei about with capers of delight, showing its appreciation of anv attention given it by ilia most oxeraordinary evolutions. LABOR FARMS. Air. R. B. Greig, a member of the Scottish Commission at present in Australia paid a visit to tile Pitt Labor Tamil, which greatly pleased him. He remarked while there, that ythere were, thousands of stiong, healthy men in England working in shops and offices anxious to got upon the land. If they knew they could go down to the Pitt Town Farm for three months or so, and barn the rudiments of farm work, they would flock here in thousands. These mi’ii when so trained would be as useful to the Queensland farmer as the English agricultural -laboier.. The casual laborer element should be removed elsewhere. 'The farm could also be made a valuable means oi training the English ex-soldiers after their time expired.” AA e have no sympathy with the labor farms which are used hv the politicians to dump down the waster and the ne’er-do-well when they won t work elsewhere. But the training of a labor-, er to farm work, and the encouragement of the town resident to take to country life has on all grounds our heartiest support. 'The Londoner who i.s caught young, and taken out into the country often' Tna’kes as good a farm hand as ain one could wisly. They may be small, but are extraordinary nir\, and an generally willing. That they are smart cvervono knows, and if thev could onh be here early in their life when good feeding would have some effect, thev would grow bigger and stronger, ami become useful citizens. DAIRYING IN JAPAN. .'The “Dairy AVorld” (London) gives the following interesting information concerning the dairy industry in Japan, to which a considerable number or American-bred cattle have been export(There are in tbe country nearly one and a quarter million cattle, nr nine l).— square mile. This number is small compared with England, but it must be remembered that thV consumption of meat per bead per year m Japan does not exceed one and three-fourths pounds, against one hundred and eighteen norrnds m England, the cattle were formerly chiefly used ior draft pm - nose s and the making of manure, and wovr neither good as meat producers m milkers. Improvement is .being biovpJu, •livmt bv the importation of stock from America" and England, the establishment of Government farms, subsidises to farmers and inspection for tuberculosis. At the end of 1908 there were nearly 4500 fpreign cattle in tlm. mostly Holsteius, Avrslnres, and Sbortborns. These are already having an influence on tire milk yield, and a ce tain amount of butter, cheese, ami condm sc-'I milk are made, but it will be some time before imported dairy m;o----dme can lie done without, the chief breed kept is the Ayrshire first introduced bv the Agricultural College of Sapporo ’ This bleed is considered most suitcu to the climate of Japan. The m'lk is sent twice a day to Otaru, being cold at about Is Id- per gallon. Ibe breeding of Ayrshires has been most successful, and a cow lias been sold tor over £IOO.