GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1091, 1 April 1911, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

"This creamery lias practically made the district," said a speaker at -the opening of the new well of the Springston creamery (reports the "Ashburton Guardian''). Before the- creamery was started the district was sparsely settled and there;was no school. Tho cheques' from the creamery.were, a great help to tho people, and.the district soon became more cbosely settled -and 'the people better off. ; Tiie work of dipping sheep is. reported to be well advanced in the Wairarapa. A shipment of 640 crates of c'becso from the Auckland proyin'co was taken by the steamer Karamea, which left for London direct on Saturday. This (saj's an exchango) brings tho total exported from the provinco for this season up'to 6469 crates, as against 8097 for tho corresponding period of last season, a decrease for the present season of 1528 crates. Increased local consumption accounts to some extent for tho decrease. A Wanganui farmer alleges that grub-infested potatoes are being imported there from infected districts. Tomatoes, which were very cheap in Wellington a while ago, are being sold in Mastorton (says an exchange) for one penny per pound.' Less than a quarter of an inch of rain fell in the Masterton district during March, according to tho "Ago." .- Denmark'is behind:the times in. the. manner of paying for the milk at creamerics (says J. H. Mpnrad, in "Hoards 'Dairyman"). Instructor Kyed has col-lected-statement's from 993 creameries, which show that only 22 per cent, pay according to fat percentage, 20.9 per cent, according to cream percentage, 60.2 per cent, according to cream percentage modified by factor 2, and 5.8 per cent, modified by factor 3, whija 10.9 per cent, pay by weight or measure. As the cream tests are made only onco or twice.:a' week,',.even''.tli6u^ji aat:';j)rre.'gula'f times, thero is'yefc a' temptation to water or skim, though tho penalties aro.pretty.heavy if caught. The iiidispcnsableness of the horse is .thus-pictured by. .Frank Fenwick in tho "Rider and Driver": —"By a. thousand tokens tho horse has proved his abiding worth. Ho is no experiment, no toy whoso transient worth may wane to- I morrow; the horse has been on the job for countless centuries. He has been the contemporary of every ago, and a servant of man through all these periods of growth, development, enlargement, and enrichment of life. When the bicycle enjoyed its phenomenal vogue of a dozen years back, people nrophesied the horse would bo-little Hsed, or completely abandoned, for riciiig purposes. How:about,to-day? And now they are telling'us that power-driven . vehicles .will., usurp, the functions of tho horse and kill him as dead as the proverbial door nail. But I bejieve it not at all. The horse will bo on the job when you and I aro gone." Members of the Dannevirko A. and P. Association havo waited on the ActingPrini'o Minister in regard to obtaining a permanent tenuro of the Domain, 'flie president (Mr. ,J. Armstrong) explained that tho society had' Hold (wo shows on: the Domain, each attracting about 6000 people (sjys an exchange). The Borough Council" had granted the association a year-txbyear tenure of the Domain, and this precluded the association from making any permanent improvements. What they "desired was a permanent tenure, arid they would like to know.whether legislation could bo passed giving tho council power to grant such a. tenure.". The Domain was Grown, land, and at present the controlling board could only -grant a year-to-year tenure. Mr. Hall said that lie had seen Mr. Kensington, Secretary for Lands, recently, and had been told that the Borough Council had power to grant a teriuro for a period of" five to seven years. The Minister..agreed .with this, but said ho could quite understand that tho. Agricultural and Pastoral Association desired, a longer period. Provided the local body, was agreeable, ho could see no difficulty in the way of, getting the necessary-legislation passed. The association should be encouraged in every way, for it. was an asset to the town, "if the members would bring the matter, up during the next session ho thought the tenure could be arranged at once.' It was quite a.simple matter. . At tho recent conference of Australian Agricultural .Ministers, the uniform'fruit ease, a matter which has been exercising the minds of fruitgrowers for a considerable time, was dealt with. A motion was .adopted (says (he Sydney "Herald") to thV effect that a standard bushel case be adopted, tho case to'contain'-io less than one imperial bushel, or 2218-cubic inches; tho half-ease to contain half that capacity, and the quarter-case one quarter of that capacity; arid that the capacity of .all cases shall be indelibly impressed in the wood. The shape of the casa is left entirely to the people engaged, in tho trade. Ah Australian's advice: "Milk rapidly. hiit do not rush-as if you were pumping water or heaving coal. Ordinarily we are told to milk fast, but we urge you to millwell, whether you milk fast or slow." It is said in America that every animal that happens to be run' over 'by an automobile turns out in Court to be of royal blood. If it is a pig it is sure to be a pedigreed Berkshire or Poland China If it is a chicken it always is of the leading families in chiekendom. If it is a cow it is sure to be a registered Jersey, Ilolsteih. or Guernsey. In view of that fact a New York lawyer said tho other day that he had noticed that nothing so improves farm slock as crossing it with an automobile.