GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1005, 21 December 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

.Of 407 pedigree Ayrshires exported frqm the Old, Country during the year ending in October three <were for New Zealand. '.The United.States' (149), and Canada (129) took the biggest. numbers. Thirty-nine went to' Japan, 8 to'.Sweclen, 3 to Russia, 7, to South Africa, 3'to Spain, 2to British East Africa, 1 to, Queensland, 1 to Rumania, and G2 to Finland. Rats are a very'serious farm pest in England. Farms near waterways are particularly subject to them. Just now the rodents are the butts of strong language by, agricultural writers, who urge the farming community to malce systematic and regular, raids upon the destructive creatures.

Regarding the milk qualifications of Ayrshires it is to bo moved at the-next meeting of' the Ayrshire Cattle Herd Book Society of , Scotland that cows giving 1000 gallons of . 3 per cent' milk and heifers giving. 800.. gallons :of ■ 3 per cent.: milk should, equally!, with cows giving 800 gallons of 4- per Cent milk and heifers giving 600 gallons of 4 per cent milk, be eligible for the Herd Book.

The British Dairy Farmers' Association having considered the Margarine-Bill ■presented by Mr; D. .Kilbride and other members of Parliament, representing all parties, agree with them and the Select Committee of the House of Commons on .Food Adulteration, 1890, -that to allow the sale of margarine as a colourable imitation of butter leaves an open door for fraud, and they desire to urge 1 the absolute prohibition of the artificial colouring of margarine to resemble or. imitate butter, says the "Live Stock Journal" to hand by yesterday's mail.;;.-