FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2138, 22 July 1907, Page 1

FARMERS’ COLUMN.

.Recently the Ilou. McNab expressed the opinion that the colony would soon have to consider the advisability of planting trees for ultimate conversion into butter boxes, New Zealand’s natural slock of timber used for this pin pose showing evidence of ' speedy extinction. But, if the recent discovery in Victoria comes to anything, and there is no reason why it should not, then the butter-box supply 01 the future is assured, and that, too, at a greatly reduced price. It is Stated that a company with a capital of '£50;000, is being flfipted in- Melbourne tor the purpose‘of manufacturing trays, butter boxes, and tlio like, of clarezite, which is a composition made of straw. It is claimed to be tougher than pine, and more durable, non-id>sorbent, non-conductor of heat,.'odorless, that it will not split, and will stand the roughest usage. Boxes to hold CGlbs of butter can, it is said, be made and sold at a shilling each. Speaking to the Wairavapa correspondent of the New Zealand Times on the failure of veterinary associa-tioiis-Ju the North Island, a wellknown farmer declared that the reason was that stock owners did not think their animals were worth a veterinarian’s services at the price prescribed. If the farmers could get a veterinarian’s services at a shilling m hour, he said the business would bo all right—for the farmer, Alleged excessive rates were the cause of the failure of the Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu and Mastcrton Veterinarian Associations. In the Manawatii tlic case was lpost flagrant, The veterinarian there used up half-a-dozen horses, a motor cycle, and a greater part of his health, all in t|io services of the members of the Association, and eventually had to leave the business altogether in order to save his life. The position was similar in Hawke’s Ray and AYa-irarapa. A meeting of the AVairarapa Veterinary Association js to he held to consider the whole position and proposals which are to be submitted. Poultry farming, said the Chief I' - ,Xpert., Mr. 1). If. Hvde, at Hamilton, recently, was not a. business, as uas geiierallv supposed, “for old women,” hut was an important adjunct to farming, which should be taken up by everyone interested in agricultural* pursuits, lu the past the egglayer bad only been a secoudray consideration. with the result that they Pact had layers, In order to make a living out of fowls, .they must not think of anything less than IUUO birds. Egg-hiving competitions were ail very well, but they did not prove that poultry-farming would not pay. as in connection therewith, they had the maximum amount of labor for Ilia minimum number of stock, and J, utility farm the same amount of labor could deal ivitli . 2000 fowls. During the past season, said Mr. Hyde poultry farmers in the Auek- ' land district bad-received 2d or 3d a dozen more for their eggs than heretofore. This was duo io the efforts of the Co-operative Egg and Poultrv Compuny, . ’. Motors are rapidly ousting horses from farm work in 'tue United States. A farm of several thousand acres in

Sully County. Dakota, is now entirely horseless. All the plouchino harrowing. seeding, harvesting, threshing. and hauling of grain to market is done by motors.