GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2000, 6 March 1914, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

In Mexico it cost £3.4 16s. lOcl. per year to feed a cow producing :vilk saleable at Is. Id. per gallon. ' In Japan there arc 1683 Ayrshire and 783 bulls. There arc 100 Jersey cows and 37 bulls. .Cotswold sheep are an exceptionally old breed, and wore well adapted for the hills. This is cno of tho broods that aro shown -uncoloured in English showyards; the beautiful, pearly whiteness of tho curled fleece always commands attention. As a self breed the Cotswold does not produce the choicest of mutton, as its fat is inclined to be lumpy. As they cut heavy fleece?, they were much in reriucst in the old days of dear vnol. Now, though the breed is not in such demand for this purpose, yet rams aro much sought after by foreign buyers for crossing purposes. It was {join this breed mated with tho Hif'ni);sliire Down that tho Oxford Down originated. A tanner hi Suuth Taramikt who was

desirous of having the. thistles on his property cut down, endeavoured to. secure labour for the work. He could not get an extra farm hand, so he apapplicd to a nativoi pa. None of the young• Natives were eager for the work, but eventually ono eamo forward and offered to do tho-work at 2s. psr hour and "tucker"—provided he was allowed to keep his own time! He was not engaged, and tho thistles continue to flourish. '

Penny-royal, and methods of eradication -wore discussed recently I 'at a meet, ing of tho Patea County Council, and ono' councillor advocated digging and burning, whilst others thought that cutting and burning cachyear before seeding tiriie was sufficient to keep it down. Incidentally it was remarked that a considerable portion of the Waitotara Valley, was covered with , this weed, which tho county somo 'years ago declared a noxioiis weed, but the Department had ceased to compel-settlers to check its growth .as , .the- expense ..was more than tli6 land was worth. !• To.a large-extent the weed died down aftea few years, and this is happening in theWaitotara district. Tho County Council's accom-. modatiou paddocks at AVhcnuakura aro covered with this weed, being brought in by sheep, and instructions were given to cut and burn it a« soon as possible.

Mr. Arthur Tocker,,of Fcatherston, has disposed of his "Lake Meadows" property, and. has purchased " Lowlands'-' from Mr. W. 13. Sadlcrs.

So far this season tho freezing works in Canterbury and'Otago havi been far from fully occupied, the lambs being backward' this yenr on account of the rahkness of feed. While fine-framed lambs are noticeable their condition is poor. Many farmers are fully occupied just now with tho harvest, and would find it difficult to sparo timo to draft their lambs.' It is oxpected that with the conclusion' of harvesting operations tho dry weather will havosweetencd pastures sufficiently to bring the lambs into line, and that the quality of tho bulk of tho season's exports will be fully, equal -to that of other years. It is probable that farmers who have already forwarded their lambs will havo no causo to regret it,\in consideration of tho hotter price per pound which light-weights obtain and the early market". . .

Always employ only good rennet for cheesp-inaking, as cheese, is sometimes spoiled by the use of , , inferior, or stalerennet. Tho ferment contained in rennet ; assists•' in , - tlic ripening of cheese, in addition to producing a curd. Pien]iot loses about a quarter of its strength if-kept about a year. .'Bonnet from the last season should- be tested for strength, and. used accordingly'. . .

■ Tho Queensland Meat Export Company has. been carrying on such a profitable business' tliat , it was ablo recently to declare a dividend of 12 per cent., a bonus qf-.'t per cent.,, and carry £25,000 to the reserve-fuiiclj which was. thereby brought up to" £135,000/ . . ' . : . .',

Competition for stock has become so keen in Queensland'-'that prices have advanced by at least 75.. 6d'. per 1001b. The price of meat in the retail shops haSibeen advancod by -Jd., and in sbnio cases Id. per 1b..; and "this is .'regarded as only tho beginning of a , considerable advance in values.

A small lot of Jersey cattle, selected in tho Island of Jersey, has just/bceri landed by the Queensland Government on account of .private .onnersl ", 'It- is "likely tliat -in: the near, t'uturtf Queensland will • bo-jtlie.' purohaser in ', Great Britain of'a number of head of .stock/ including Jerseys and Ayrshires,'j' and perhaps Holstoins,: for thoStatfl farms, the desire being to greatly improve tlio stock in the various districts.

The selection, of the fifty South African farmers who are. to visit Great Britain at tho invitation of the .Uniqu Gastlo Mail Steamship Company '■"■is. , * almost complete, and tho to takp place next year J / ! is t 'expebted.;i'o.havc"a. very, helpful Sdnth African .farming gpn6rally.'•• Jn riiost-cases the .delegates bind themselves on return to gives'.'an. account of their impressions atoiot Hcss than six separate meetings of farmers in tho area for which they are'.clioßcn'. Arrangements have been made-for the delcsates to visit Holland, (Indiit.iS possible that' Denmark. Canada, dud America may ; also be brought within (t-licVaiigc of thetQur.

' There is every, indication that tho output of cheese from the Mangatainoka cheese'factory will exceed last season's output, says burPalmorsion correspondent. Tho present daily supply is. approximately 1700 gallons, about 200"gallons in excess of last year's supply at tho corresponding period. The tests are very satisfactory, the tftst-sh?et for the last testing period showing that ono supplier was as high, as' 4.6 per cent., while the lowest was 3.5. The grado for the last shinment of 188 oratos (over 14 tons) was 91 points out of a possible 100. . ■

Tho shet'P fair, held in the Pahiatuil. yards' on • Tuesday, was, says' our .special correspondent, an exceptionally good one from the vendor's point of view. Business under the- hainmcr was particularly keen, vendors,'-' in scrpral instances,'.-making four ■ and fivp shillinssju excess.'oT their anticjpatinns. Tho sajo was coilsiilered'by ,tho\'auctio!iecrs aucrthe'fariniiig commuriity 'to be a rccojd'.for the. district.' A line of twotoptli."- owns realised 20s. s'}.' eaf-lv, and another line of four and six-tooth ■ ewes made"l9s. lid'. .. ' » ! " '■

• The manager of the Tainaki Cq-opera-tivo Dairy Company lias received intima-' tion that his exhibit of Boll 'butter had been awarded-first prize at the Eawke's Bay Show, states tho Dannevirke "News." At'-the conclusipn of the business of a special general meeting, of shareholders of tho company, tlw chairman .of directors, Mr. W. Bell, congratulated' the • manager, Mr. H. A. Gills, 011 his-success "Bell" butter has this year secured first .'prize at the Dannevirke, Mastertan, arid Hawko's Bay A.'-'and P. Shows, and the chairmai)Ytribute to Mr. Gills's ability as a bulter-maker-was received by the shareholders present with a hearty round of applause.

• ''Tho thoughts -of- men on all possible mibjects differ as widely as thair features" (Professor Shennan). A notable exception. to this rule is furnished by.the agreement among Cheese Factory Managers who uso "victor Vats." " They 'agree that ,r \ r ictor Vats' , are the greatest help: towards better cheese productipn and bifteer profits. The strong construction of (l.Viotor Vats"' makes them the least expensive and most roliable. " "Victor Vats" enn ho fitted in three days. Send your order NOW. A. J. Partou, Plumber, C'arterton.—Advt.