GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 815, 12 May 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Experiments.with a new heater for pasteurising skim inilk are being-,made by the Department. ol . Agriculture at the Kairanga' ■'• Dairy: Factory,' -Lo'ngburn. , .Large .quantities of - oateheaf chaff, are being carted to .the.various Ashburton merchants, and there appears to be a very strong demand for ' this commodity. It is understood-that-the" demand for chaff is chiefly from sources outside of the province. ■ '--,-. The.Pictoh Freezing Works closed down on Saturday last owing.to tho freezing chambers being full of carcasses. Operations will be resumtd as soon as a Home liner«comes along and relieves the pressure (says the "Express"). Last week was a busy one at the Mataura Freezing Works... On an average 1700 carcasses per day were slaughtered, and on Saturday the butchers worked 'overtime to cut out. Last , month somewhere about 41,000 carcasses were handled, ;or an average of 1577 per v day. Aii Ashburton farmer, who has returned from a trip through North Otago and the back country, states that, there is an un- . usual shortage of'stock feed in that country, and an uncertainty as' to how farmers there are going to winter their stock. '- The milk supply is now rapidly decreasing at the IJairy Union creamery at Kopuranga, and now only warrants working every other day.. . , On tho meeting of the wool class at Mr. Hechler's' woolshed, Mangamahoe, on Tuesday, the; instructor,-;Mi;:.. S. Wood, adjourned the class for; an hour as a mark of respect to the memory of the late King. After this had been done Mr.' Fowler, a local resident,., read the proclamation declaring-George V King. There was a large attendance at the class. Complaints are stated to-be pretty prevalent at Hawera about the '.number of empty cows. The "Star" says the percentage in some herds is up to 20 to 25 per cent., which nie'aris'a/b'igioss to many suppliers.;";; '-'•-."■'■•">' -^ Says the "Southland.' .Times":—Some sheep which recently went north from Southland were fattened up for a fortnight, and were then rushed into the freezer, and emerged forth as "prime Canterbury mutton" for the London markets. Thus Canterbury receives; the benefit of Southland's -.produce.". , ■■"■ ', *V*

•■'Tho rain which -. fell-- at -the beginning of this week, was'.'welcomed'!in Southern Taranaki. The recent gales (says the Hawera "Star") had dried up tho ground and shrivelled up'the grass, and paddocks wore looking in. poorish condition.

At the annual meeting of the Egmont A: and P. Association a credit balance of ,£lls on the year's working was reported. The following .officials,..were elected for the ensuing year:—President,' Mr. T. A. : Winks; vice-president, 'Mr. Jas. Grant ; treasurer, Mr.- A. ■ W.- •-Gillies; auditor, Mr. J. A. Turton. ....

. The Barry's Bay . Dairy Factory, at ■Akafoa, will close this week after the best season it has had,-more cows having been milked than in any previous season and feed having been plentiful throughout. The total output was'l6l tons, half of which has been shipped Home, and half sold-locally. The mauingenftnt expects that the total return to the suppliers will bo over Is. per lb. of butter-fat. .-• --

A- well-known farmer of the Ashburton district, who has made many distinguished appearances in the judging ring was good enough to tell me (writes W. W. D. in the "Weekly Press") what his ideas in judging an animal were. "When Ipo into the ring," he said, to judge a class, I always try to divest myself -of any small prejudices about tho breed. I.say to myself, 'Now,-if I was goin» to bny one of these horses for my own personal use, which ono should I choose?' After all, that is the great test, the test of the commercial value of an animal, and I place constitutional and utilih-'far before" any arbitrary contours of carcass, or accidents of. colours, which breed fanciers have decided to bo ..absolutely necessary."-