DAIRY FARMS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 28, 26 June 1939, Page 7

DAIRY FARMS

— o REFUGEE SETTLEMENT AUSTRALIAN PROPOSAL j Proposals have been made to the < Tas.manian Government for the settle j ment of a large number of European | refugees on dairy farms on King is. , land. The Federal Government has < been in communication with the i State authorities, and an investigation was undertaken recently by the < Minister of Agriculture, Mr R. Cosgrove. The original proposal was for \ the settlement of -JOO refugees, but 1 it is believed that the Federal Gov- ; eminent has been advised that the s area, of land wheh it i,s proposed ] should be utilised will carry only 100 c It i.s proposed to establish the col- j ony on an area of about 20 000 acres, 1 owned by a private company in ,MeLt bourne. The .Federal Government, ir. t placing the scheme befor.e the State Government, asked whether it would i have any objection to the scheme. The Minister of Agriculture rccentlv 1 visited King Island., and, after con, i ferring with one of the Held staff of i the Department, of Agriculture, sub- i mitted a report. 1 The report has been forwarded to " the Federal Government which h-.;,s i been informed that the State Gov- 1 em.ment has no objection to the I scheme. The view has been express- ; ed in the report that the area would i not be capable of taking the 400 - < tiers suggested. The number capable i -■of earning a livelihood on the area t

? is placed at 100, and safeguards have been sought.. It has been suggested that each settler should have between 200 and 250 acres of land, and that a capita' of between £1000 and £1500 would be required. The refugees, who it is proposed should form the colony, must have had previous agricultural j experience, and would undertake , dairying and mixed farming. King Island essentially is a dairy. s ing area. Ma,ny of the settlers on the t island have been assisted by the Agi'L cultural Bank } which has fairly ex-< tensive interests thetfe. Cheese and butter factories operate on the island, which has a reputation for the quality of its stock and the dairy products it exports to the mainland and Tasmania. The refugees, on whose behalf the inquiries have been made, are mostly of Jewish extraction., and have been forced off their holdings in Germany and Austria. It is considered likely that the col. ony will be established with every prospect of success. GENERAL NOTES TESTING AND CULLING According to reports Waikato dairy men are culling their herds heavier than usual, a policy which has much to recommend it. it is only repeat, ing what has been insistently urged that the dairy farmer who neglects to have his herd tested is showing n marked lack of business ability. Why shouM 10 cows be fed and attended to when eight or a lesser number of better ones would produce as much on less feed and with less attention? The value of milk recording is so plainly evident that one may well wonder why it is not universal in the country whei«e the fanners have th>': . reputation of being progressive. ELIMINATING SCRUB BULLS After January 1, 1945, every bull used in a dairy herd, in Victoria, Australia, must be the progeny of a tested cow which has reached a certain standard of production. The Cattle Breeding Act to eliminate scriub bulls, was passed recently by the Victorian Parliament. The standard of production will be fixed on the recommendation of officers of the Department of Agriculture. HIGH PRICES FOR HAY At Addington saleyards last week baled, lucerne hay of ordinary quality —the best grade had already been sold —made from 3s to 4s a light bale, estimated by some to be round about £7 a ton, if not more. Meadow hay, some of it threshed, sold at 2s 3d to 2s 9d a bale. ARSENIC IN SOIL A report which was recently released by the chief chemist to the Department of Agriculture Mr B. E. R. Grimmett, discloses that uvsenic has been found to exist in dangerous quantities in many of the mud pools and geyscr.s adjoining Waiotapu Stream, the chief water supply for the majority of the affected properties in the Reporoa dis. trict. It was also found that arsenic existed in varying quantities in the soil and pastures over an area totalling approximately 2000 acres. GOOSEBERRY HEDGES Americans are using hedges which will give some sort of monetary return as well as shelter, protection and beauty. They are using, for instance, the gooseberry and the cm- '» V J rant, and from these they take crop of berries every year, which they sell or use privately. The goose, berry they like particularly, as it has the added value of being impenetrable. SURPLUS SOUTHLAND WHEAT As a result of a big percentage of wheat failing to pas.s milling grade, merchants in Invercargill have been inundated with offerings of fowl wheat. The offerings exceed the quan tity the local market will absorb. The North Island is being supplied with wheat from Australia at much below the equivalent value of Southland wheat and there is no on; 1(1 available for shipment. The matter is being taken up with the Wheat Committee by brokers in l'nvercarg'JL in an endeavour to find an outlet ior the surplus Southland wheat.