FARMING AND COMMERCIAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1003, 19 December 1910, Page 10

FARMING AND COMMERCIAL.

TESTING THE DAIRY HERD. AMERICAN AUTHORITY'S ' BULLETIN. . t ■ Professor Lcroy Anderson, Professor - of Dairy, Industry and Superintendent : .of-University Jfarm Schools, California :■■ "'College .'of' Agriculture, has . the follow- : ;ing: to say bn' "Tho' ba'iry' Cow's Re-' 'cord'.' iii:'Sis,latest bulletin,:—

"Regularly testing the-dairy lierd is only' tEe":begiriiiihg. of' the improvement; .that-will surely follow a persistence in tHe practice' of - testing. The -first imptirtant thing to'-liiio'w is which'are the best- cows..' This • knowledge, is the foundation upon which all future development and'progress aro builded., Into " man's' hands .has been placed the power of'-'improving all domestic animals. i;lt : fa'a ..'power which when wisely .used brings increased tevenue and a joy and a. satisfaction in . having added something'.substantial to the world's progress. _To theiover of nature, nothing can appeal 'more strongly than the possession of the .ability to improve upon the animals or plants with which our lot happens; to. be cast. : Every dairyman may be a real, breeder if he so. desires ■and so wills and follows the laws laid ■down by nature.

Climato and Heredity. .rv/; v "In addition to. selection for breed- ;. E3g purposes,, tho other chief influence ' > ftjr ' the improvement of animals' are ■ food,. 1 climate, and heredity;- -The.soil . is.'conse'rvwl in this improvement in so far as it affects the character, and quan- . tity of. food produced. It l is interesting .: :.y+6 :notof.the influence of these forces, working under comparatively natural i Ocdiiditions, as we 'see .them in tho development of ?somo of our, famous dairy breeds. • That the different. breeds of 'cattle sprang frpm. one source is; believod to be one of the. established facts in the . evolution of animal life. . " 'gij ' .''We have but to notice the changes made in animal form,"or in the pro'duction of iiibat and milk during .the ;->/past;'half century,' to niake. it readily. . conceivable that tho antipodes of breed a ' '.characteristics'..' could have' developed : ; ;from one. parent; stook during the ages . rii-which!. cattle have', undoubtedly "been . - upon the earth..- The. most noted and : remarkable differences - are .'found ■ beV "tween the cattle .whose whole tendencyis to produce ' meat and those / whose ■• ; . tendency is to produce milk. But it is more to our .point to consider the Jat- >. ■: ter. only: aildamongst these' variations ;:'V-''"aTO:.f<rand-' breeds, which show marked -.sNo' better, illustration .of opposites ;in development' jn .dairy, <attlo could be. imagined than is ,af.forded by the Jersey.cattle' on one hand iaiid the Holstein-Friesian 011 the other. .' J Their differences are (indicated in form, • .size, and quality of milk.

: 2000 Years of Breading. . 'i'i ,'jTlie: history. of Holstein-Friesian oaf tl'eiis known, in legend at ~ least; for more than" two thousand years and the ■I;' :iniportant .part in their. history is n y : ; ■ study 'of the soil, ': climate, ' and food .. -which made up' tlie 'formative', portion • (oif. ltheir-environment during this long . '/' 'period. • '' :-"The native •home of these cattle is ithat portioik of the Netherlands' lying, contigious tbithe.Nprtli.Sea, where the: i'-t'V';.diriiato.-is '.cbol and moist,,, by reason," of, . : 'mtielt fog and a high degree of prccipiJi- ' : t The soil.. is of that dense, cla.rey nature which, with _ the . large C ' ataount ; of' moisture prevailing, induces .. luxuriant growth :of ? grass. This coniI'iU 1 :; binatioii also "produces" a. pasturage 1 • carries a. higli percentage of water ; . and; a correspondingly, low content of or nutrientt:substance: ■ v.. ! : -i, ■ "Holland dairy,practice has been, for . 1 the most part, ito have I 'the,cows calve' J'\:, during the, spring months so as to have v' ;them" in the flush of ;. niilking , wiieii v:' ' j turned from winter, 'stable , to pasture:/ '"'• -The: cowsrthen, ,duriiig "their.' heaviest. \; ; .milking, period' and during-' the time V ; when, they were obliged to consume : tho most; food in; order to'produce:milk . as well:as maintain, life: and: growth, were'forced to'.obtain the needed,sns- ■ teh'ance from' the. prevailing luxuriant .but watery grass.. : i, "In order ..to secure sufficient nourish- , irient,- the: cow: must take into her body . '• large amounts of:-this succulent food, :VWf ana the .natural.resiilt, of such feeding . was' to . develop' :a. large abdomen with V.-' a, correspondingly large digestive' ! : -capacity. . The correlative effect upon ,j .ft tthe- size—was to inajie it larger,- and 1:1: . . upon the bony structure to make it ?f. f somewhat coarse., and, angular.. But ■ fwhat-' is 'more to oiir present purpose. ■ V , . 'is .the-effect of; these .large' quantities UvV of watery food .upon tho milk producY:>' 'tion. ; Tho natural result has been to .Sincrease tho flow. ....

* '.Tho Mailing of the Jersey. : "Q u '! : .B opposite.:to' the. above coiidi-., f;./ ", tiolis were; those'under, which tho;Jersey cattle :have been, developed. -Their English ' -Chanuel t vv possesses a climate made, mild' arid . equable by the.Gulf Stream, and one much than the climate, of North K'.V.V'"'.'.HoUaad l '-'an3.';Fiioslan : 3." The. soil: is: a loam,. carrying ( jn;comiection' with i\ .the relatively light > precipitation; ajr herbage which, is not abundant, but is 'i• .'comparatively high in luitritivd substajico iutd'.low .. in . : water, : content. ■'. Whetlier the" Jersey cow ivas at pasture • 1 or. stall-fed, 'at no, time was she obliged : : ■ to. '• consume , largo: quantities, ; of food ' iri order, to. provido '.';-tlic;.nourishment'.that'.' her system re- .' quired.. . . \ ■■■ i. "That '.the widei variations found -between .the breeds under 'discussion are . : ,due : in a largo degree 'to different-con- - editions of soil, climate, "and food is Be-. - iieved to bo quito true. "What the --original typo, of' animal was,,.in .either J .: . case; before coming: u'iider v the,influences where history 'records 'their beginning ' ; as distinct breeds, 110 one knows. What they', are to-day: and what has been their ''Habitat for centuries is known to all ; , readers:, of animal histtry. There combo, but one conclusion, viz., that the : .. naturarconditions and exigencies which ".. .: go to make up;tho environnicnt of ...the; respective . countries 'are -■ responsible fin :? ; ■- the ' largest'degree for tho dissimilarity ;•',' i between the two breeds.".. .' : .' '

. ; FREE TO ALL DAIRYMEN, v. ' FARMERS . AND 4 STOCKOWNERS;;" The Wellington edition of SYKES'S Journal for Dairymen, Farmers, and Stoekowners. has now issued from- tW press, and-contains the most comprehensive information necessary to successful dairy-farming "ever distributed. Specially useful will; be found the extensive tables jot'recording tho daily • milk-testing records for the'year. Tho diseases common to cows and their treatment are explained -inVlanguage that ; no farmer can mis.understand; Breeding tables,' seed-sowing tables, licrd ■ register, account books, in fact,' everything . a farmer should know aro now. offered to you free. If I have overlooked your . name, in the Wellington distribution/ send at once a postcard to tho publisher, and you will receive one by .return mail. A. E. SYKES, Chemist, Proprietor SYKES'S DBEJiCH, New PJy- : mouth.—* <

AEWS AND NOTES.

. ' VALUABLE RAIN. A HAWKIi'S BAY DOWNPOUR. Rain . fell generally throughout Hawke's Bay 011 Wednesday and part of Thursday. The fall was very heavy in southern Hawke's Bay. The downpour "saved the situation," for a fjood many farmers, who wero on tho poijit of selling tho stock tlioy had intended for fats. Tho rape crops have been saved by tliS rain, and the grass lias been brought qlong niccly. Tho district enjoyed almbst twenty-four hours of a steady, warm downpour. /The. effect is that the . land , and the stock have benefited considerably, and tho farmers have taken heart again. Some of the crops were so bad prior to the rain that't-Jio farmers had turned tho sheep on ..to theni. The rain will at, least temporarily stop the exodus of sheep anctcattle. '• The oat crops in southern Hawke's •Bay will, however, be poor, in many cases this season, for besides the shortage of water there has been, a lot of wind, which helped. to intensify the dryness.

THE SHOW SEASON. A.. TABLE/OF DATES. ' The'following is l a list of dates of A. arid- P. Shows up,- till -February nest. Many South Island shows' 'and some in the far north 'of this island aro omitted:— ''' January^ 25.—Bush Districts,. at 'WoodTille.' 22.—Eketahuna (Farmers' Union). February.' I.—Central'Hawko's Bay! 1. Horowhenua, at Levin. " 7-S.—Feilding,- at IVilding..-. ' . B.—Dannevifke, ,;a't' Dannevirke. lOrll.—Pahiatua-Akitio,. at l'ahiatna. I-t.15.— Mastertbri,'; :at! ;Masterton. ; IG.—'Waimarino A:, P., H., and I, Assoeia- . ■ tion, at Kaetihi.

COMMERCIAL ITEMS. ' INVESTMENT SHARES. A sale of Bank of New Zealand sharcn at £10 12s. 6(1. was tho only transaction in investment sliaron recorded on Saturday, The quotations were- as under:— Buyers. Beliefs ' Sale?' £s.d. £ s.d. £s.d. National Bank 5 46 0 5 17 6 — Bank N.Z — 10 13 0 10 12 6 N.Z. Loan and Mercantile 010 0 — . Well. Investment... 0 11 0 — Well. Trust and Loan 7 10 0 7 15 0 — Well. Gas (£10) .... 19 0 0 - - Well. Gas (£6 155.) 13 12 6 , - — N.Z. Insurance — 4 5 6, •— .. Gear Meat (£1 paid) 3 5 0 O— — Well. Woollen. (ord.) 3 15 0 — — Well, Woollen (pref.) 214 6 — — Taupiri Coal 1 0 0 1 0 6 - Wcstport Coal — 6 18 6 — . Westport-Stockton — 0 7 0 — Lcyland-O'Brien ... 1 6 6 — — Manning and Co. ... 4 7 6 — — N.Z. Con. Dental ... 1 2 6 1 3 6 — N.Z. Paper Mills ... 1 3. 3 — — : Taringamutn.Totara 2 5 6 — — v Ward and Co — 5 5 '6 — , • AUSTRALASIAN WOOL EXPORTS. , , Tho exports of 'wool from Australasian ports for the first five months of the current wool year, according to Dalgety, arid Co., comparo witli thoso'of the corresponding period of last year as under:—; - 1910.'., 1909.. Balc3. Bales. Victoria 194,679 205,362 New 'South Wales ,424,CC6 ,' 335,583 Queensland K6.337 . • 1C6.617 South Australia. 116,146 .121,211 Wcet Australia. 34,366 31,080 New Zealand .87,248 70,384 1,002,832 . 870,337 Tho figures show a net. increase of 132,495 bales, of which 16,864'bales:must be credited to New'; Zealand. MISUSE* OF THE WORD "BANK." The, absence of any effective, restriction in . Great Britain on the usa of the word "bank," which has recently been emphasised by the failure of what was. known as Charing /Cross . Bank,.' eceiE3 to 1 bo equally, noticeable in tho conditions' under Which financial institutions are allowed to operate in. the . United States. In that country banks are,.divided into two main . classes—those ..which work-' under what is called the national l system and those which, do not. recently compiled- show that while the national banking institutions numbered. 6893, with an-aggregate capital ...of .£187,000,000, tho re that category .. numbered ' 14,956, witli an aggregate capital of . £173,CC0,CC0. It wlll .be seen that while there -were more than twice the -number of banks outside tho national 6ystcm, the. aggregate capital was £14,000,000 IcssJ Further investigation reveals how little capitalyjs. considered necersary to„riui a "bauk" in the United States. No fewer than 3223, pr 21.6 per cent., of tlie outsfde banks conducted their

opsraLioua on a capital of between £2GCO and £50C0 each. Tho?e having over ££CCO numbered 2305. while thc:e with less than £IU,CGO totalled •1174, Between £10.C00 and £20,0C0 there were 1879. Hanks with n, capital of between £250,0CR and £I,OCO,CCQ numbered 142, Ices than 1 per cent. of the whole group, but they.had thi. largest capital, which aggregated £44,450,000, or .25.7 per cent, of the combined resources of all this class of * institution. There were in tho State of Missouri 439 hanks with a capital of £2000 or less, and 273 with between £2000 and '£5000. Reforms which were effected recently ns a result of vigorous administration and persistent pressure on the part of the controller led to what. % was declared to be a-complete reI hnbilitaion of the unsound and poorly | managed banks,'but there appears to be I room for ntill further improvement in ! some directions.

FOREIGN LIMITATIONS. Tho complaint of British manufacturers that their brands and trade marks aro fraudulently imitated by roreicners is well founded. The following taken from the "Journal" of the British Chamber of Commerce, Paris, shows to what extent and in what variety English good 3 aro copied by foreign competitors, and has reference to-the fraudulent marks recently traced by this society:—Germau embroidery crochets, carded "W. Prickle and Sous, superfine crochet needles. Redditch." Wpol felt hats, German origin, marked "Superior manufacture, London." Belgian hones, marked: "Best in the world, does not glaze." Silk and cotton neckties, German origin, marked: "High-class manufacture." Varnish manufactured in France, marked: "Horley, Sydney Works, Hereford." (No such firm exists in England.) Belgian boots, marked: "The- Elite Shoe, Goodyear welt," Needles, marked: "Superior elliptic, between price, crowned 1860, London, warranted not to put in the eye." Cycle and motor parts, manufactured in France, marked: "Coventry," and this lattev term registered as a trade mark. French perfumed soaps, exported with labels imitating those of a British manufacturer. Italian straw hats, marked with the Royal arms of Great Britain and the word "London." Felt hats marked with a bad imitation of the British Royal arms' and the words "Lingo Bennc," sold in Marseilles. ;

CUSTOMS. Customs revenue collected at the port ot Wellington on Saturday.; amounted to £1166 ss'. Id.', the collcction for the week beinjj . £21,366 17s. 9d< Compared 'with tho 1, corresponding dates of last year,, the receipts? for the past eight" weeks show as under:— • ■ • • , ' 1910. 1909. .£ £ . October 29 9,647 - ' 12.345 , November 5 ... 22,534 16,97.7 November 12 ... 8,581 6,252 November 19 ... 17.570 15,058 November 26 •,..■13,995 10,021 December 3 ... 19,249 15,270 December 10 ... 12,969. 12,305 December 17 21,367 17,374 124,912 105,602

Tho beer duty for tho. past week lotalled £537 4«. Cd., as against £402 4s. for the corresponding week of last year. • FEILDING MAJtKKT REPQRT. Messrs. A. 11. Atkinson' /uul Co., Ltd., of Feilding, report ,on Friday's sale as follows:—There was an average pig entry and a very big penning of poultry, tome 4CO birds selling .at the v.sual season's prices. Pigs arc steady at late rates, with 110 keen demand except for porker? of suitable; weight and good forward stores. Potatoes were scarce, with good demand, at 12s. to 13s. per cwt. Quotations: Pigs—Weaners, 7s. 6d., Bs. 3d 'to Bs. 6d.; slips, lis! 6d., 145., to 15s. 6d • stores. 175.; porkers, 255. 6d., 265., 265. 6d., 275. 6d., to 365.; boar, 205.; sown, to 3Es. Poultry, at .per pair—liens, 3s. 9d., 45., to 4s. 6d.: roosters, h. 6d. to 4s. young I birds, 35., 3s. 6d„ to '4s. -6d., and 4s. 9d.; | chicks, 2s. to 35.; geese, 4s. 9d., ss. 3d., 6s. j 6d.. to 6s. 3d.; ducks. 3s. 6d., 3s. 9d., to 45.; ducklings, 2s. to 35.; turkey gobblers, 145., 15s. 3d., 18s., 245., to 285.; hens, 10s. to 15s. Potatoes, 12s. to l?„s. per cwt.; cabbages, Is. 9d., 2s. per sack;'lemons, 3s. 6d. to 4s. per case; grain, at last week's rates; hams, 9d.; sides, 7d.

. LONDON MARKETS. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Rec. December 18, 5.5 p.m.) London, December 17. Cotton.—The Liverpool quotation for middling upland American cotton is 7.89<1. per lb. Hemp.—'The market is flat. . FebruaryMarch shipments aro quoted at £20 15s. per ton. , Rubber.—Fine hard Para Tubber. is quoted at ss. IOJd. per lb. Copra.—There is a moderate busmen* passing. South Sea, in bags, £23 to £23 2s. fid. per ton. THE METAL MARKETS. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Rec. December 18. 5.5 p.m.) * London, December 17. Copper.—On spot, • £57 2s. 6d. per ton; three months, £57 18s. 9d.; electrolytic, £59. Tin.—On spot, £175 per ton; three months, £175 ss. . Lead, soft foreign, £13 ss. per ton.