Towyn-on-Sea and Merioneth County Times

FARM NOTES. [BY AN OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTOR.] The visit of Lord Onslow to Edinburgh, and his meeting with the leading agriculturists of the North at the Conference of the Scottish Chamber of Agriculture are very important events of the past Week. Events which may have a far reaching nfluenee on the future of farming in this country. Many subjects of special interest were discus-ied at the Conference, prominently, the question of rural depopulation, education in rural districts, damage by ground game, the movement of sheep, sheep worrying by dogs, small farms, agriculturists and traders' defence association,. also the appointment of agricultural correspondents throughout the country, who would be in communication with the Board of Agriculture: On the latter question his Lordship and the Chamber were of one mind, and considered it a highly desiderable plan to establish a system of correspondents, expressing graphically the class and character of the men they would like to get to do the work. His Lord- ship said, I want to get, if I can, and I believe I shall get them, men in all parts of Great Britain, who will have the training, the experience of competent farmers. I don't want gentlemen," I want farmers. I want really practical men, I don't want faddists or men who have axes of their own to grind, bat men who have a reputation amongst their neighbouring farmers, and who are knownaind respected by them, to whom they could, go to ctpreatt tlie!r opinions, and who would be prepared to hear them and deal with their opinions. I feel satisfied that there are among the agriculturists of England and Scotland a very large number of men who will be* willing to help their neighbours by assisting the1 Board of Agriculture to the utmost of their power." One of the members of the Chambar, in ntoving the resolution, also remarked that the success of the scheme depended on the class of men appointed. The late Mr Hanbury had "1.id that he did net want lawyers or politicians, or men who could write well and were always giving advice to farmers gratis. The class of men they would like to see appointed was good hard. headed practical men." On some of the other subjects there was not the same unanimity of opinion. The opening of the ports to Canadian store cattle is a question on which there ifi a diversity of opinion. A large deputation wfted on his lordship and urged him to use his influence in removing the present restrictions on the import of store cattle from Ganada. Fortunately his lord- ship was prepared for them, stuck to his guns well, and upheld the plan and policy of the Govern- ment. The farmers of Montgomeryshire, who mestly own breeding herds of cattle and flocks of sheep will no doubt back up the present Government or any government on tbtt question.—A certain proportion of the farmers, many of them wealthy influential men/who hold large breadths of land, and have been iff the habit of farming it otv the system of buying in all their store cattle, fatten- ing them up and selling them fat to the butchers, have found it rather difficult for some years to pick up an adequate, number of these store catt'le, the supply being rather short, and the prices cor- respondingly high. So they consequently keep up an agitation to try to got the ports opened for the admission of lean store cattle from Canada. The ports being clostcd at present, because of the dan- ger of introducing foot and mouth disease into our home lands. If they succeed in their agitation what will be the result ? Perhaps another intro- duction of disease again We hope not, but even if not, We would probably see such an influx of cattle from Canada that the price of cattle of Our own home breeding would drop £ 2 to £ 3 per head. A result which Would be serious (perhaps ruinous) to the large number of cattle breeders in this county and in all Wales-at all events it would tend to dishearten them in their breeding business. Many of them might fatten off their breeding stock, and adopt the system of buying in stores to fatlen off. Consequently the number of home breeders' would be lessened and the number of purchasers of stores increased till prices would again be as high as before. The law of supply and demand will always step in and re :ulace the price of any commodity. But let us look forward a little, supposing after a few years'of this system, that dreaded scourge of foot and moiith disease or pleuro pneumonia should again break out amongst these American cattle, and the Govern- ment of the day be compelled to stop their import for the protection of our own cattle. We have seen all that occur before. Where would the graziers and cattle feeders then go for their raw material ? Where could they get the stores to con- tinue on their system of farming F The foreign supply being stopped. Many of the home breeders having given up breeding in disgust,: would have no young cattle to sell. The price of store cattle would then spring up higher than ever through sheer scarcity, and the graziers be in a worse plight than before. The only remedy would be to begIn to breed them again, but that is a work of years. You may dispose of a breeding herd and adopt a fattening stock in a very short time, but it takes many years to establish a herd of breeding cattle when they have been dispersed. I By all means let us encourage the breeders of cattle in this country, and do nothing to dishearten them. Fortunately, Lord Onslow was not led away by their plausible arguments, and he replied to them firmly and judiciously. They will no doubt persevere and again return to the attack. So all farmers interestied in the breeding of home bred stock (and what farmer is not P) should be prepared to support Lord Onslow and the Government on this question. To farmers and many others the serious state of the country through the excessive amount of rain is at present the all absorbing subject for discus- sion. We hear from all parts of the kingdom of serious damage to outstanding crops of corn, to) fields of potatoes, and to unthatched ricks of grain. In our own district there is not a large quantity of grain outstanding, but there is some, and it is now being considerably damaged. We are not larte growers of potatoes, but the few we grow cannot be harvested 'and are going bad in the grouiid. Other farm work, such as wheat sowing, storing mangolds, carting out manure, ploughing stubble, and thrashing, cannot be done satisfactorily, and consequently is falling very much into arrear. Farm stock is also suffering from the excessive wet. Much of the grags land has been spoiled by noode; all of it is so sodden with moisture th:t the cattle tread it into mud, and spoil more food with their feet than they eat, or as graziers express it" every animal has five mouths." Under these circumstanoes cattle cannot be expected to do well. And unless they receive some extra food, such as cake or corn, they will lose condition. A little hay at nights now is a great help, and wheire shelter is available, cattle will do better now if take* in at night. Cowb in milk and cattle in- tended for the butoher at au early date should teuded for the butoher at an early date should especially be brought in at nights and have some dry food, otherwise they will make no progress but probably go back in condition. Horses that are at work should also be kept in at night now, for although the season is mild and there has been a marked absence of frost, yet the exceedingly wet condition of the ground, the heavy storms of rain, and the Washy nature of the grass now all tell agaiust the health and thriving of work horses kept out at night. Sheep also should be carefully kept off flooded or undrained land. A wet, mild autumn, such as the present one, is very apt to produce a lot of liver fluke. We remember the last very wet year of 1879, arid wo remember the very serious loss by fluke of the following winter ana spring,, when hundreds of s'heep succumbed to the disease, and hundreds Were sold at a low figure rather than have them dying. This season is a likely one to produce simitar results unless great care i3 taken. It is well, besides keeping the sheep on the driest of the land, to give them also plenty of dry nutritibus food. There is a want of nutriment in the pastures now which ought to be compensated by plenty of sweet hay, a few dry bats, or a small quantity of eake Where oats are not available (a thi&ture of the two is better still), also plenty of rock Salt to lick at. Folding sheep on the turnip fields is almost impracticable this year as they soon g'et up, t'o their knees in mid. The wool gets Matte'd afad hei&yy with the sdit a'dheririg to it, and tfi'eir back's an'd beds being wet they are about as uritaom for table a"s anyone can imagine, and thriving rir g^inirVg flesh is hot to be expected. A better plan is to cart a few turnips oh to some dry pas- ture till the lind becomes fit for feeding on. Wool appears to be hardening in value, arid mutton paintkinS .itk pHce better than beef does, so it behdves all sfreep farmers to look well to the state tjf tne flock. We hear still of occasional outbreaks bf feoab. Why Will nbt flock oWuex-'s adopt the system of regiil&r dipping twice or three times a yeafc ? It repays the trouble and eipehse many times over. Wo hoar also of some cases of swine fever, titherwise the health of all farm stock is very satisfactory, and much better than one would expect considering the Wet character of tiiB edasBii.

THE WELSH EXHIBITION. At the Welik Industries' Exhibition, held at Colston Hall, Bristol, last week, one of the stalls contained a large quantity of goods exhibited by M ess tH Pry cg J oii cs, Ltd, Royal Welsh Warehouse, Ne^vtdwh. The Bristol Press was unanimous in proriduueing this stall as one of the bepfc in. the hall, ana oie paper said.: No. 5 Stall was occupied by goods exhibited by Messrs Pryce-Joiiea, of New. town, Montgomeryshire, who are weli-known to many as manufacturers of Welsh specialities and their contribution to the Exhibition ia an uncom- mon arid interesting one. They make a fine dis- play of knitted ties of every colour ahd fashion, arid their knitted jerseys.for ladies, now becoming more than ever fashionable, are cjoubtless as com- fortable as they are smart and becoming, with their pretty silk embroidered fronts, collars, and sleeves. This firm also shows two or three very chic tailor-made costumes of their celebrated tweeds, whieh cannot fail to be admiied. As thtfir bHsiries^i is carried on in. the very centre of Wa!eS—though as. pioneers of the system of shop- ping by post they distribute to every part of the world—everything exhibited by them distinctly bears the impress of the Principality. Some of their Royal warrants of appointment may also be såèri on the stall together with views of their huge factories, warehouses, etc. The stall is well arranged and has attracted a number of visitors. All the Welsh counties were well to the front excepting Montgomeryshire, which Ijuf, for the enterprise of Messrs Pryoe-Johes would have been unrepresented. AV it was, thanks" to their energy, Jtonfcgbmerysfeire' ludustries were brought prominently before the Bristol public, and visitors Were as unanimous as the Press in praise of the Newtown exhibit, which certainly well maintained the grbat reputation of PVyce-Iones, £ *(<1 We understand that the takings at the doors at Bristol even exceeded^ the amount similarly realised at Liverpool, which is a somewhat remarkable result.

— AMINE OF ANECDOTES. A Surgeon's Story. — lie (ehfc" stfrgeon) was summuned to a man whose casi; he could only pro- nounce as nbt veVy hopeful, but he* gave instruc- tiohs and recbm'oiehdations as to' medicines that would at least give relief, arid' he would observe fchfr result de: his next visit. The sick xii'ata's wife then asked What his charge would be. On being told she then' Baked Ttotfl'd that iriclfrdB the medi- cine ?' No, that she must get from a chemist.' And if you comfe agaui, will you' have to' be paid agaili ?' Yes, certainly.' Do you hear th'at, Bill ? exdiiiWM the wife' of his bosom to the sick man. Ðëè (dfe) like a mtfti; nfever ware thy brass that wäy 1" Tlflt A'RCaBISHOP AND THE QtTAEER.—In his earlier yoars the Archbishop would witness the York" rades* As he advanced" in years he was not seen oirthS cottrse, but he &ot a glimpse from hitf -otftf # 0hYtfcular Sfiot affording a view of thtf hoiks'a# they turned one cofcer. '°On one oeCasJIbh thS f-pt":Ctator, observing two horses running neck a'nd rieck, became exceed and ex- clalmbd-: Two to one on bi'own juCkot.' 'Done, your4 gra'Ce,' exclaimed a voice frorh the ditch below', milSh to'the Archbishop's astonishment. The voice came from gh old quakbr who had desired to be ,a180 an UUSegri" speiitator of the race, but had also been utiablO to rOpfdsS his Memories of Half-a-Ventury. By Richard W. Hiteif, B.D. .c:p'

fi.- R. 5TH Volunteer Battatjo^ The' SobTH WALES iibRDlfUKKS. II N T A L oil? is ft s By LiWTE^A^Coeo^L E. PkVtiK- Jo&Kg M.P., Crifumanâhijf. Headquarters, Newton n, 31st October, 1903. Unrolling. The Battalion will be open for the enrolment of new members from Monday next. ald November, 1903. By Order, F. GILLESPIE, Captain Adjutant 5th V.B. South'Wales