GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 676, 29 November 1909, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

■ •'■Twenty-four prize Eolstcin cattle arrived by i the Mararoa from Lyttoltou'on Saturday, morning, and were sent on by train to. Palm'erstou North. . They woro consigned to Messrs. Dalgety and Co., and 'were from-Mr. John Grig, of Longbeach, Canterbury. ; The opening dates of London wool sales arc as follow:—January IS, unlimited; March 8, limit 175,000 bales now; April 20, limit not fixed; July 12, limit not fixed; September 27, limit not fixed; November 22, limit not fixed. A Mastertonian, .who has recently visited the Hawko's Bay and Taranaki districts states that there is a decided upward tendency in tho land market • generally, particularly among sheep farms whero winter crops can be grown. •'People in 'tho Hawko's Bay district who' last, year had overdrawn their bank account to a very material extent, have been able to wipe off their- liability, and aro now in ; a better position than , they, were before. ; ' . , Already 200 sheepfarmers have; been 'enrolled as membors of the sheepfarmers'/ union, which it is proposed to establish, in Poverty Bay. ■" A co-operative butter factory is to bo erected at Piri j'iri, on a site previously secured, and it is to be ready for work next season. Cows to tho number of 305 have been promised. The following committee is' doing - the necessary preliminary work Messrs...' j. , ltule (chairman), J. btratford, jun.y Hansen, J. Campbellj and. J . Maycock. Directors -of tho Tamaki Co-operativo Dairy Company, Ltd., held'a special meeting last Week 1 to tonsider. tenders ior installing a rain and laying on pipes to, supply water to the factory. Six tenders-wero received, and :that of. Messrs. Holben and Kirk, the lowest, was accepted. The daily output now exceeus twenty boxes of butter. ' .. ' : ' • ■•;■•• A ' special, meeting of tho directors of the Alton Dairy Company a, week ago, .after; ; a meeting with buyers,- of'-whom there was a good , muster present, ; decided' to . consign the output througn' Messrs. Wright, Stephenson, and Co. ' Mr. T. Alexander, of Maxwelltown (says the "Wanganui Chronicle"), has;bought tho' 303acre larm formerly owned by tho late Mr. John Humphreys. He paid Js3o per acre for it. v ■;■■■ Via understand (says the Taranaki "News"), that Mr. D. O. Shute, Okoke 1 ltoad, fJrenui, has sold, his farm for ,£l4 per acre.': Ono supplier at a Taranaki factory (says the- "'News") was taking the wonderful yieldi of-.17701b. of milk froui a herd of 39 cows—a" perfdr'inanco quite good enough ( for show purposes. ' Unfortunately,»; however, ' his ■ test, .was; only 2.3 (the standard test on which.' butter!fat ..is •' paidbeing'3.6), •so that the ■ returns jfroni this yield were considerably diminished. '•iThe creamery manager, as usual, came' in-for• ;cqnsiderable':bully-ragging:'at the hands of" tho' ■supplier, iwh'o 1 considered 'thiat'his sample "was ;being . doctored. One day the head factory •'manager; paid a surprise visit.to this creamery, .accompanied by a Govornment, official, , and Jsecured. a sample. of the milk, which again' tested 2.'3. As' a result of this visit ':tho- quah-' tity,■'•of milk; dropped ,to 10001b., ..whilst testi went'up to 3.7.- 'The. question that. 1 is •now." puzzling the supplier is liow, such a'.quantity of water got in tho milk. , Tho Eltham dairy factory has beon now ; making 161 boxes per day. The grade quality's 92. The milk, cheque for October-totalled ~£BOOO. The quantity of mili received .during; October showed a big lift above tho figure's for tho.samo month in lSOS: : '■ ; ' '•> Testing milk'.for" water (says the Egmont-. iVillage correspondent of the "Taranaki Herald") is the very interesting topic 'of conversation amongst tho ifarmers, and.' iudg--ing froln the remarks, more attention, is being jpaidi to water than ito butter-fat.' .In orio .inistahce, jri particular, from- figuros'.wiicli came -under Any notice; the' watering !of .'.milk was ■paying ':tho . farmer; handsomely..'.,jV-fAnother' : sample of' milk..';showedi;loSper:;centi'of.'Water, which the owner ,o£ -tho milk • disputed: The temperature/of' the milli;at ithe time the test Was made was 62.degrpe(s Fahr.' At 60.,dejjrees : Fahr, the test slewed' pure milk, so if either the' thermometer -or,'bactomoter 'are a degreo ; wrong -a'Jfarmer; may be 'wrongfully accused and-miltiat '62 degrees''TabT/ may-'havd 10 . per cent >.water, but:' the • bactometer'' woiild not' he • reliable. -• • r ; v'; .: ■ •;> ■ Discussing the subject /of . wool', prices . with, .a ; reporter (says tho "Poverty Bay Herald".), a : well-known 'local commercial ■ man, referring* to ..the operations of buyers, .explained l ,that wool intended-for' the' American riiarket , must bo Hne,:,clean,vand light, in 'condition to ; warrant the payment'of an import duty~bf'il cents per .lb., Americans . looked for a • «V«ss • of' wool ■ that gave' i'the i-largest' .possible ' ■ yield. in scouring tliari . light-conditioned classes,\and-.theso gave results from 10'to'. 15 per.cent, better.', For' the most ■part Poverty Bay''wool- was hardly bright enough, ijr sufficientlylight.: enough' .in condition, to "sttit tho Americans, with the exception. - of a fow of the district's, choice,and old-estab- , iished clips. Bradford prices were quite dis-' tinct from" tho figures offered by tho Americans, and it was hard to understand the large, difference that exists between the two'pur-r chasers of wool, as a. perusal of a London catalogue would confirm'the fact that Bradford buyers for tho most;part wero'.pfforing-a .fair parity of valuo at such figures as'Bd to : 9d. ;Questioned -as to prices, obtained locally',-, ho ;said. that a-good many sales had' beon effected' at prices which ranged..frpin ; 74d. to, Did., and it ■ was understood 'that - ono spe'citil'' lino had exceodcd this. . ' ~.'•. •• ' .