THE FARM INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 490, 24 April 1909, Page 8

THE FARM INDUSTRY

TURNIP EXPERIMENTS MINISTER'S VIEWS ON 5EEP. : ...,::: Mr.' Anstey, M.L.C., has lately .beqn.caiTy-; ing on experiments in turnip growuigivand/. ■in connection "with a visit of inspection .made, by the- Minister for Agriculture, 'thol Hpn;■,l. !■ ■Mttc > kenzieV-^'tEo , :- , '"^mi?ru''Hfera'ld tho.results; : ■■.'■^.■■;' i: \- , '' ;,; '.'\: 'VV-γ-V;v ■■.'.''!■-'"•.'■'; '': 'la , Hlib : maiiuring;4na^-' , it\-SPP.e?TO!i/:-W- i 'ue , shown tlmt potash ■prml.ucßd / ;iio;;goo(l::effects.' In'tho .variety ■.trials, : :.out:\of«tho:.31 r ,varioties. sown"' on , ; December "3.1> <■. llpnincy-'.., marshy -.a. iipw'varibty,/ was cpm , mon3<jil. i ;as/of ,,, .ifair ; sjzej' : ■and likbly-to dovelbp:m.to. , a':...g6od; hard : ,win- ■ tor turnip, , .;but ; :df':'tlip:.6thcr:- ; y.ell.bw-fleshed;. roots none- tho void:- sorts, ,; ; tho. Aberdeen,''grooh,,' arid' : purple. , ;"topsi'Tlh ~tho" white turnips," Mr), Anstey. '■■Jdro'vKspecial -attention to a now , .■' variety : j Gartoii's chaHorigqi.. early marvel.' ■ This turnjjjv.is /ready , . , for easing , olf two months after. sowing, ..-'and. Mr. Anstoy said that'..'it : pro vided.-i , an. :'■■ excellent V catch crop, being very useful to prdyido feed when grass lands woro being brokpn up at tho end of tho summer, when tho pastures word about exhausted i.fdr tho season,, and tho stubble feed was not quitoready.'■-.■: : i-i.. ' Chatting over, tho' subject of agricultural experiments generally; ■ tho Minister" said he would like to seothom carried out undor all tho varying conditions of soil and cliiriato to bo found in Now Zealand, so that fanners in .all parts of tho Dominion might benefit from them.. Mr. Mackenzie discussed how best to procure reliable seed, and pointed out that turnip seed to be reliable must bo twelvp months under cultivation; : that was tho length of time reliable British growers took to grow it, and it was the only > way that high-class seed could bo perpetuated. When at Home representing the Dominion, ho had gone to the seed fields and seen.: for himself tho conditions - under which it was produced. "The trouble is," said tho Minister, "that seed raised under proper conditions is slightly more expensive than the shoddy article, yet there aro farmers who, to save a few shillings, will.go for the cheap stuff, and then wonder what is the matter when thoy find'misses, and turnips running to seed, and. other objectionable features about the prop. With bad seed, all the manure and cultivation in tho world. will' not produco a good crop. 'There is , a largo amount of rubbishy ' seed sold' at Homo, and what .is, required is that a ' guarantee, as to quality should be given with every lot sold, as well as an assurance that it has been grown under proper conditions to cause it to perpetuate its kind!" : '.:.'' ' >■■ • . ■ .

THE HOUSING OF DAIRY COWS. Some investigations carried out under the auspices of the Highland and Agricultural Society to some extent contradict tho common belief in the value of warmth. The ohject of tho test ■'was to ascertain how far the yielding properties of tho cows were influenced by. tho tomperaturo of tho sheds ,in winter. According to. these results^the. warmth of the atmosphere in the cowsheds will have , no appreciable effect upon the yield of milk. It matters little whether the temperaturo of a cow shed is ■ 50, degrees or 60 degreoß, so long as it is maintained at a fairly uniform level. It is not a low temperature- or a high,-temperature that: affects the . milk yield, but sudden or- frequent changes from the one to ,tho other. The cow is'as mercurial in respect to heat or, cold as a human being, and nor utility, func-' tions. are liahlo to fluctuate with variations in,the temperature in \yhich she lives. -The temperature indoors will Vary .almost as abruptly and as widely as that in. the open,' and,therefore the, general; practice.; in' New Zealand of giving the cows.no mo'ro shelter at.nighfi than that afforded by,, a waterproof rug seenis to bo in ' accordance.with, the teachings of science. . .

QUICK FENCING WORK. ',-•''.- ■' '."' USEFUL TOOLS. "■'" " ■Very-handy is the fencing outfit recently put upon tho market under tho name of "Codoy's Combination: Fencing Wire Strainer and Repairing Set."- On all farms, particu-. larly sheep stations, new fencing is.frequently, needed, .or- something"has: to. be done.to old fences, and this outfit saves a 16t_of trouble.' It consists of, thrcei parts—the iron roller > the hammer (which is also , a staple extractor, wire cutter, and roller turner), and the key; Should it bo necessary to cut a fence to let the sheep pass through, tho shepherd t-akes the hammer from his belt , and does tho work without trouble or delay. ' When the wire is to be .mended again. Codey's outfit, appears to'bo about as handy: a thing as .one ooiildhavej for it is very simple in its action, and comprehensive in the number of its uses.In erecting new fences and tightening'wires' it is equally useful. Its cheapness is another of its virtues. : It can do almost everything that needs to be done to a fence wire, and it is so handy and pompact that it can bo hitched to-tho belt and carried about without encumbrance. Particulars of tho tools may be found in our advertising columns. .

PAHIATUA A. AND P./ASSOCIATION. A general meeting of the Pahiatua-Akitio Agricultural, and Pastoral Association was held on. Tuesday night, when the rales drafted by the subcommittee were discussed and adopted, '. . ... ;The first annual meeting of the association for the election of officers will take place on May 18. The place for holding.it led to'some discussion, a number of speakers being averse to holding it in a hotel, while others considered that, as all other meetings had been held there, it was tho most natural place. The matter was evontually left in the hands of a sub-committee, consisting of Messrs. J. G. Brechin, W. H. Hawkins, "W. Tosswill, and the secretary (Mr. J. A. Wal?h) to be dealt with. , . ■ ■ . It was mentioned that Mr. H. Mossop had promised two.prizes of £5 each to tho'owners of the best foalß by. his horses Common-, wealth and Ivanhoe. " "'■ ■ .. OTACO FARMERS AND THEIR CRAIN. Tho splendid season in Otago (saye our ,Dunedin correspondent) has provided a bountiful harvest of oats, wheat, diarley, ;eto. Thero is quite an unusual abundance of oats in the country at the present timo, and it seems rather peculiar that, in 'tho markets, there appears to bo a shortago, and that prices have, shown a firming tendency, going up yesterday to £9 10s.. This state of affairs is almost' altogether. attributable to an extraordinary shortage of sacks, preventing the men. on the land from carrying out their threshing operations, r WAIRARAPA AND EAST COAST A. AND P. ASSOCIATION. The Wairarapa and East Coast X and P. r Society have received the following nominations to fill tho vacancies upon, tho general committee-.—President, Mr. H. R. Bunny; vice-presidents, Messrs. E. Eagle, juri.', and W. Howard..Booth;;treasurer, Mr. G. W. Deller; auditor, Mr. j. Moncneff; committee, Mossrs. W. 0. Bayliss, C. .Campbell, A: Clark, W. J. Denbeo, S. W. Feast, G. Gaskin, D. P. Loasby, W. W. Mansfield, J. G. Macdonald, J. Monaghan, C. Morgan,.F. T.Playle, D. Reid, A! J. Reynolds, 5. Sievers, J. Snell, J. Standen, J. T. Wilson, A. G. Tyer, and H. Wilson. Thero are thus twenty nominations for seventeen vacanoics oe the committee. ■ • . . . COMPERE AND FRIENDLY INSECTS. Mr. George Compere, Government Entomologist, of Western Australia, who has been, absent 13 months in Europe, America, and China, collecting parasites to destroy fruit and vegetable pests, has returned to AVest Australia with a large quantity.of new varieties. In respect to Mr. Froggatt's statement that 'parasites were of no conimoreial value, Mr. Compere, in a press inter viow, said that this statement was without foundation. Tho first act of the now Horticultural Commissioner in Californiawas to build an inseotory at a cost of £2000. Tho Hawaiian people had been much provoked by what Mr. l<'roggatt had said about parasitic work there. For Children's Hacking Cough at niifht, .Woods' Qigut PoppcriaUit Cuto, la, OtL, 2a, 04.

■; .;. IN PRAISE OF CORRIEDALES. OT^'^BAtANpl-^AIIILEB'S ,, ' OPINIONS. .;NCoric6rnirig'tho.good qualities of tho Now Zealand Corriedalo sheep, Mr/John Gibson, of TurakinaJ.AVahganui, in. a letter to ■ tho :.."Pastoralists' : . Hoviow,". writes >: as.follows:— , ■■. ;,;'.'ln,thp .back country of. this part of New Zealand wp.; requiro a strong; ■iionedVshoep/Hvitu.'plenty of/bpnej.fand. tho, Corriddalo'-'ha's theso- qualities.;;' ■ ilibyi. carry 'strong,■'donso ; fleeces-■ of ■-.■.woolj. : '; : .the charcoal, and : will not.scr,ub":on logs.and . stjimps- liko . tho ,longVobl : . breeds,.. and when 'carefully brod .they.vgivo..a heavy-..'flecco of : long-stap!ed,.; ..lustrous; ■ high-quality wool,.suitable for, ihd.American trade. They ground. better ', than ,longwools, ■feeding:on.:;southem^faces,/ whero.tho others. , i ;mir , -':ijii!jt , ... : 'go,.' , i;'and, , . i '. , >thcrefore.; , . ono does, not V i>>qHiro...,. so;. \ inaiiy ■ cattlo to keep ! tlie pasture., in- order. They do not suffer from liver troubles, as they travel about.more, and do not grazo on rich foul camps; ..They go to higher dry ground to camp,, .land will'do well on Danthonia and grassos that long, wools won't eat. You can .carry threo Corriedales-to the acre whero you can only carry two of the longivools. A good flock of Corriodales on this, glass of country will givo an average of 28 to 30 lb. per aero of wool, and 15 to 20 per cent.' more .lambs. Tho latter do not scour so much, '. and the lambs can*be wintered on grass with a very small death rato.. Tho fleeces require less skirting, not having rough kompy brooches, being of even quality.all, over.. It has been said by tho opponents of the-breed that there aro not two alike. This is not tho case, and my experience has been that they require less culling than the Merinos or longwools to keep tho flock even, and the deeper a Corriedalo flock becomes established thoevener they become. All sheep hero that liavo Merino blood in them aro called Corriedales, hence the mistaken idea is duo to nondescripts. It takes many years of careful breeding, before they can be called Corriedales, and to breed Corriedales successfully one miist regulate the amount of Merino blood to bo used according to th'o quality of land they aro to be ruu upon. On the heavy land you must set your standard moro to the longwool, and tho revcrso on the light drier lands. As tho Merino flocks are fast diminishing in the Dominion, and if we aro to keep up the quality of our export trade, the Corriedale must eventually tato tho place of tho Merino, as the long-woollcd sheep will not do so well when the hill pastures become colder. My experienco has been that the Corriedalos are the most profitable, sheep to keep on this old hill country, where one cannot plough. 'On tho drier pastures of Canterbury • the English Loicester and Lincoln Corriedalo are best adapted. ..'-■ "It has been said by some that they are v hard to fatten, but I havo found the Leicester Corriedales to fatten- readily, and they hold their, condition better .in times '• of drought, and they aro. coming moro into favour every yeai - as they got better known. I think they will be greatly used: in near future for our back country, as they give a better-return per acre. The averago for tho flock of 2275 ewes, wethers, and hoggets was 91b.. loz.,'lambs 2ilb., stud owes 131b.,- rams 14 to 15 1b.,. The highest price obtained in London for.tho first comb. Corriedalo wool for this fivo last years was 14Jd., and lowest 9Jd. last year from this flock. I have always maintained that the sheep that givo the best not return per acre are the sheep to keep, and the figures on tho right side of tho lodger are the best arguments." .? ■

WOOL BALES FASTENED WITHOUT : SEWINC. . A Melbourne gentleman has invented a device for fastening wool bales by means of small metal hooks. No twine is required with this method of, fastening bales. There can nevor bo any loose ends of string dropped on the floor and into. tho wool, so that with proposed paper or wool-lined packs and the fasteners the chances of -fibres working into wool will he reduced to a minimum. The fasteners lire easily and quickly inserted, and hold very strongly, and moreover have,the advantago of being very easily taken out without harming tlio pack or'fraying the jute. It is said .that bales fastened with them, stand travel well, and can- bo dumped without in any way affecting, their holding, power, and tlie more wool there is packed in the bale the tightor-they hold.. A considerable amount of time and labour, is saved by using them, because the bale is finished right awayiiii the press and can be trucked direct to tho wagon or the stack. Two men with one press are able .to finish sixty bales per day, whereas, under tho old method, it takes three men : to pack fortylive bales a day; one being engaged in sewing, and trucking, alone.

DIG APPLES. Included in the fruit collected in Now Zealand by the' Department of Agriculture for dispatch to tho Shepherd's Bush Exhibition, England, were a. number of Prince Alfred apples, of which IS weighed,2s pounds! Thie is at the rate of 20 apples to a quarter hundredweight.. . ,-.;■■ : WANTED, A NEW ZEALAND JUDGE. In its report of tho Royal Show at Sydney, tho "Pastoralists' Review" saysf— "In Border. Leicesters. Mr. J. B. Reid, of Oamaru, New Zealand, was the most successful, winning , both championships; and other prizetakors were- Messrs. Brunskill, Stan, and Oliver, James Angus and Sons, . and Andrew Chrystal. Tho jtomney Marsh entries excited considerable interest on count of the diversity of types, and it would do the show good in this respect to get orio of the best judges from New Zealand to come over and explain the true typo once and for all. ■ Until Bomething like this is done, there. will ho no unanimity as to which is the truo type of Homney. Mr. S. S. Hunt, of Huntleigh, won both championships; and Messrs. Conroy and Doyle, of Cardington Hall, Molong, and Mr. J. B. Reid,, of Oamaru, New Zealand, were also successful exhibitors." SHOW DATES. June 1 to 4. —Dunedin TVintor Show. June 15 to 17.—Invorcargill Winter Show. '.. June 22 to 25.—National Dairy Show (Palmorston North). • ' . July 6 to 10.—Waikato Winter Show (Hamilton). ■■'. ' ..-■.■•■ October 20 to 21. Hawko's Bay Spring Show.