POTATOES FOR PIGS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 532, 12 June 1909, Page 8

POTATOES FOR PIGS.

DOESCOOKINQ PAY? Tho question whether it pays to cook potatoes before feeding them to pigs has been investigated in tHie University College of Walos at Aborystwyth. Two tests were conducted. In the first test Uiero wore two groups of pigs, each consisting of four York-s'airc-Borksliiros and one Yorkshirc-Tam-worth; and in the second - two groups, each consisting of fivo of the white pigs commonly found in Cardiganshire. The food supplied to each group consisted'of 2'Jlb. potatoes and 21b. of mixed barley and maizo meal. But in ono pen in each test the potatoes were boiled and fed cold, and in the other they were fed row and pulped. The results are stated as follow:— ; . First Tost (eight weeks). Boiled. ' Bsw; Potatoes. Potatoes. Total increase, 1b5.... 154 123 Value at 6s. score ... £2 6 3 £1 16 10 Cost of cooking ... Bs. — Net gain ... £1 18 3 £1 16 10 The profit when the cost of the extra labour is deducted rests with the cooked ration. But the dilfcreace is very small —about 3Jd. por pig. Second Test (six weeks). •Boiled. Raw. Potatoes. Potatoes. Total increase, 1b5.... 127 108 Value at 6s. score ... £1 18 0 £1 12 4 Cost of cooking ... Gs, , — Net gain ... £1 12 0 £1 12' 4 Hero also the cooked potatoes gave greater weight, but they did (not pay for the cost of the cooking. FERRO-CONCRETE FENCE POSTS. DETAILS OF COST. Forro-concreto makes excellent fence-posts where the cost is not too great. It is neatlooking, exceedingly strong, does not decay, grows stronger with age, and is proof against lire, frost, and water. It is therefore an idoal form of post for general farm use; and where gravel is closo at hand, as it is near the Wairarapa, Manawatu, and some other rivers, it may ho considered practicable to use it. Fencing timber is growing scarcer and dearer in a number of the busiest farming districts, and, at the best, the wooden posts soon dtcay, and ato hablo to bo destroyed by bush and grass fires. In somo districts ferro-concreto posts can bo made and erected as choanly as wooden ones, and as they are evorlasting there is no room to doubt their superiority in suoh cases. Generally, however, the cost of ferro-concreto nosts will bo found to bo greater than UlO cost of wood.

Where the material has been "tried in Australia and America, tlio posts have usually been made stout at tho bottom and tapering toward tho top, and of tho following sizes:— Straining posts, 7ft. 9in. long and Sin. by Gin. thick; stays, 9ft. long by 4in. by 3iu.; ordinary posts,. 6ft. 3in. long, 4in. by 3in. -it tho top, about 6in. by 4in. at tho bottom. Tho posts are mado of a mixturo of, cement 1 part; saud, 1\ parts; gravel, 5 parts. 1117 side, extending from end to end, are four pieces of ordinary plain fencing wire, bent at tho ends for greater security. These wires nro spaced inside at a distance of about an inch from* each corner. Tbo posts arc supplied ■.with wire bales made when the posts aro first moulded.

The moulding of tJio posts is tlono in ,i wooden frame, mado on a smooth floor of wood (or bard soil), with a number of slats fixed nt distances apart to givo the required sizo of post-7-Y/ider apart for the bottoms of tho posts and closer for tho tops, to givo tho taper. Wooden pegs aro used .to nialco tlio wire holes, and, in tho caso of (ho strainin;; posts, a niche may bo made for fitting tho stay. A foot also may bo added if desired. Instead of wiro holes (or in addition to them) long staples or pieces of bo.nt galvanised wire may bo inserted, tho inside ends being twisted to givo a strong hold. When the fence is to be erected tho fencing wires are tied to the posts by small \viro>s passed through tho holes or attached to the staples. Tho gravel used may vary from the size of mnrbloa for the. smaller posts up to the aizo'of oggß for tlio larger poeta, Tho poate,

after being moulded, arc kept in ttio Bhade for a fortnight or moro to season. About 181b. of cement is required per post, and a mnn can make 100 posts or more per day. Wellington prices for material are as follow:—Cement, £3 os. per ton; sand, Is. pur 2001b. bag; gravel, Is. per 2001b. bag. At theso prices tho cost of material for making 100 forro-coneroto posts would bo, approximately :— £ s. d. 18001b. of cement 2 15 9 45001b. sand ' 1 2 6 90001b. gravel 2 5 0 Embedded wire and staples, say ... 0 5 0 Total per 100 posts 6 7 3 Tho labour must bo put at not less tlian ss. per 100. Although on tho farms, freight and cartage would need to bo considered, this is usually tho case with wooden posts also. At tho prices stated, the cost of material and labbur works out at about Is 3Jd per post. This is dearer than wooden Jjpsts, capable of doing tho tame work, but cheaper when their special strength and everlasting wear are considered. ASHBURTON SHOW. (by teleqgm?h—pbess assocmtios.) .m, ... . Ashburton, Juno 11. , /he sixth annual winter show, under tlus joint auspices of tho Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association and Poultry Society, opened to : day m favourable weather. Tho poultry division included the .South Island championship event, there beinr- 23 championships on this account. Poultry entries totalled 869, or 394 m excess of last year while, in tho agricultural division, the total was G/7, as against 585 last year. In the poultry division white leghorns were very strongly represented, and brown leghorns mmorcas, and all classes of wyandottes, with black orpmrfons, woro also numerous. Indian runner ducks were a feature of the division, while, in pieeons; .the tnmblcrs' and magpies pens were the best filled. In canaries, the chief breeds represented were Norwich and Yorkshire, whilo the entries in the juvenile classes were almost doublo those of last year. < Tho agricultural division, though roots and garden produce mado a somewhat weakdisplay, was satisfactory, tho fat stock being very fine. There was keen competition in tho farm and dairy produce sections. PAHIATUA NOTES. The weather," , as far as tho Pahiatua district is concerned, has been variable of la to, but good on tlw whole, and, all round, there is probably more feed about for tho season than has been tho case for some years past.' Tlioso interested in forming a farmers' co-operative meat company hero, mean business, judging by tho well-attended meeting of the provisional directors, which was held in the Commercial Hotel on Tuesday. It was decided, after the memorandum and articles of association had been adopted, to immediately issue tho prospectus and prosecute a systematic canvass through tho country for applicants for shares. A Finance Committee, consisting of tho chairman (Mr. J. Cooper), Messrs. T. Quirk, Caselberg, Hodgins, and Kumriier,- was set up. This committee- is also to take up tho manage mont of tho company in its initial stages. Tho newly-formed Pahiatua-Akitio Agricultural and Pastoral Society, has also held a meeting recently, at which it was decided to advertise- for a secretary, at a salary of £50 per annum, with a 5 per cent, bonus on all donations and subscriptions over £100. Committees were also appointed for tho year to consider and report on a desirable site for the grounds,..to control the finance and to tako charge of the agricultural, horticultural, and industrial sections of: the association. It was also decided to register the association. SHOW DATES. Juno 15 to 17.—Invorcargill Winter Show. Juno 22 to 25.—National,Dairy Show (Pallnerston North). . July C to 10.—U'aikato Winter Show (Hamilton). October 20 to 21.—Hawke's Bay Spring , Show. . ■ ■ - October 27 and 28. —Wairarapa and East Coast A. and P. Society's .Show. October 27 to 28—Timaru. • October 29.—Rangiora. November 3 to 4.—Ashburton. Nov. 3 to 5. —Palmerston North. November 10 to 12. —Canterbury. November 16.—Taieri, at Mosgiel. November IS to 19. —North Otago, at Oamaru. November 25 to 26. —Otago, at Dunedin. December 14 to 15.—Southland, at Invercargill. FARMERS' UNION CONFERENCE DATES. Farmers' Union Conferences Trill bo held this year as follow: Otago.—Not yet notified. End of July.—Dominion Conference, at Wollington. A biennial conferenco of agricultural societies will bo held in Wellington this year, probably at tho end of Juno.

"Is your climate rather changeable?" asked the tourist. "No,: it isn't," answered, the old settler who always contradicts. "If it was, don't you suppose we'd havo changed it for something. else years ago?" There is a young that's me, Whom a trip would, suit to a T, Laxo-Tonic I'd take, Shure your fortune I'd make, While crossing from here to Fiji. Laxo-Tonic Pills, IOJd. and Is. 6d. 9