GENERAL AND PERSONAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1542, 11 September 1912, Page 10

GENERAL AND PERSONAL.

NOTES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. Mt. J. V. Stnnrt, of Eketahunn, ninnngor of the Dairy Union butter factory for tho past nine years, has, says an exchange, accepted a position on the Dairy Commissioner's staff, with his headquarters atjPalmerston North. Some idea of the labour conditions obtaining in Canada is given in the following paragraph taken from tho "Farm and Dairy" to hand by tho last 'Frisco mail:—Unless labour conditions improve, or the milking machine comes into more general use, the cost of living in so far as dairy- products are concerned, is almost certain to go higher. During the. past two years milk and cream have- advanced fully 25 per cent in the cities of Canada, while good butter and cheeso have kept up all through the year and would have gone higher for the former product had not the demand been relieved by •importations. The advance is not duo. to, inferior cows, or lack of feed nearly so niuch as to a deficiency of suitablo labour. Women milkers (and these were always most satisfactoy) have gone out of tho business, and men who will drive a team on the farm and milk 10 or 12 cows- properly morning and evening, are becoming harder and harder to find, and when, found have to. be paid a good stiff price for their labour. Many a herd that the.owner would like to.increase has to be kept down to a number that con be.handled by one man or boy in addition to the farmers family.' A prominent milk producer near Ottawa owning a large herd, of excellent cows recently found it necessary to sell off the entire lot to make way for beef cattle. To keep milkers seemed impossible even though the highest wages were offered. Except in purely dairy sections where most people grow up to milk, the situation is con-' stantly becoming more acute until the adoption of the mechanical milker seems to be the only relief in sight. Referring to a suggestion made by Mr. T. M'Phillips at the annual meeting of the Kaupokonui Dairy Company, that it would be a right step to authorise the Government to brand cull cows which only give a small yield, Mr. Fulton, of the Dairy Commission's staff, is ..reported as having assured tho meeting that testing would work out their salvation. Farmers would, not go to ordinary stock sales to buy culls—these would not be got rid,of except as stores or fats. Farmers would go to get heifers from good strains. Continuing, Mr. Fulton said he felt certain that the country was not half well enough off for bulls. There 'were plenty of common animals to be seen—bulls without lineage. What' they wanted was a good sire to get' good heifers. Somo farmers had, at great expense, gone to Jersey and the States to get bulls with authentic records. This was a-dairying country, and it wa". high time that something more was dene to supply-.this want of bulls with records of butter-fat to recommend them. The Hokianga, Pigeon Bay, and Mangaraniarama Co-operative Dairy Factories have decided to ship the whole of their respective outputs to Messrs. W. Weddel and Co., Ltd. ' . The London judging of the fat stock classes at our Yimous shows, in order to be of any value at all, must be above suspicion of error. Tho possibility of error, however, has been suggested by Mr. Basil Thompson, of Awahuri (says un exchange). He 'was an exhibitor of fat, lengwool lambs at tho last Feilding show, and won first and second prizes in his class. Tho various exhibits, were sent Home, and there Irejudged in the usual way on the basisV of their commercial value. The details reported on in London included the dead weights, which, in the case of Mr. Thompson s two winning lambs, were returned at the light weights of 37 and 381b. He considered that these weights cannot have been oorrect, of Mr. T. W. M'Jvenzio, the New Zealand 3 i'<ige, would not have awarded him first iiii-i second prizes. Discussing the matter, members of the Feilding A. and P. Association suggested that, owing to the strike disorganisation, there had been a "mus-iip" at Home, and more prominent brnuding of exhibits in future was advoeahd. It wets decided to inform Mr. TUooipjon tl at the members considered an error hud (C----curred. A prophet may bo without honour in his own country, but the cannot be said ■ of money-saving inventions. Honours, in the' 6hape of orders, aro being showered upon tho manufacturer of "Victor" Vats. Simply because these splendid Vats are far ahead of other makes and are great money-savers. Despite tho largo number now being made your orders will receive prompt attention. Albert J. Parton, Carterton.—Advt. A WINNER OF COMPETITIONS. The Egg-laying competitions for 1910-11 and 1911-12 were both won by pens reared on 'A. and P." Chick Raiser. The first essential for profitable poultry keeping. Obtainable from all Storekeepers—Aavt.