SCIENTIFIC TESTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1073, 11 March 1911, Page 8

SCIENTIFIC TESTS.

THE DAIRY AND PIG INDUSTRIES. (By Telegraph—Pros* Association.> Ashburton, March 10. There was an attendance of over one hundred representative men from all parts of the county at a banquet tendered to Mr; John Grigg last night., on tho eve of his departure on a visit to tho Old Country. The Minister for Agriculture also attended. In tho courso of a spccch at tho dinner, ill replying to the toast of "Agricultural and I'nstoral (Interests," tho Minister referred to the necessity of soientific tests of dairy herds. Mr. Mackenzie acknowledged that quite half of tho cows in the country were not paying the cost of feed, and the tests the Department had .made at Dalelield showed that twenty-two of tho best cows produced more than thirty-eight of tho poorest in ono herd, and in another casctwenty-onoof tho best produced more than forty-five of tho poorest. Regarding tho pig industry, if tho Department succccded . in bringing our tierds tip to tho . necessary standard thoro wero undoubtedly great prospects for trade. Tho world's, pig herds had gone dov/u -by eight millions, and consequently thoro was an increasingly great demand for pork. New Zealand was excellently adapted for supplying tho demand, provided proper methods wcro adopted. Recent Departmental tests showed that out of 222 pigs fed upon pasteurised skim milk and whey only two wore affccted by disease,. ono but slightly in a neck gland, and the other probably before entering tho test, whereas those otherwise fed showed that out of 381 tested 175 wero wrong.