Rural Topics

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2185, 14 September 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

Rural Topics

Lambing is proceeding satisfactorily in this district, and although no returns are yet to hand it is believed that high avoragos are boing obtained. Docking is now proceeding at Turohaua and other parts whore brooding for tlio fat lamb trade is being carried on. Bo caroful when buying slioep not to buy drieaso with them.. ' Errors in feeding are responsible for nine-tenths of tjio bowel troubles of sheep and lambs. lie who breeds a certain breed of sheep becauso ho likes it is pretty sure to succeed. The Malvern district (Canterbury) has suffered considerably from wet weather this week, and tho mortality among early lambs has been considerable. For the first five months of this 3’oar the imports of New Zealand cheese into Britain represented about 23 per cent of the total imports of cheese into that country.

Tho number of birds’ heads paid for by the Ashburton County Council is 109,285, representing an expenditure of £450 7s Id. Tho chairman of tho Council stated at a recent meeting that the figuros wore a record for a county in New Zealand. Five hundred bushels of poisoned grain have been distributed. It is proposed by the Canterbury Beekeepers’ Association to give a gold medal for the best general display of honey, wax, etc., for which there is to bo a class at tho Metropolitan show in Novemhor. The Association also intends to make a display of agriculture. An authority on stock matters in Masterton says that on 0 effect of the breaking up of the drought in South Canterbury must be to cause a heavy demand for North Island sheep. Tho flocks in l the districts affected by drought wero reduced to an absolute minimum, and now that the grass season is a.t hand there is likely, to be a big transhipment of North Island sheep to tho restored pastures. A good few of our farmers have been doing remarkablo business with their flock rams recently (says the Waverley correspondent of the “Wanganui Chronicle). Bii3 r ers have been coining hero from the Hawke’s Bay district, and taking away hundreds at a time. This speaks well for the class of land in our district, apart from sheep breeding. Land buyers are also beginning to recognise this fact, judging by the agents and buyers who have visited our district of late, and also the fact of more properties changing hands.

In his hook on Canadian Dairying, Profesor Dean emphasises that fat is the most variable portion of milk. Ho agrees with the majority of experts, however, that the fat in milk falls or rises but slightly with the class of feed applied to tho cow. Fat, he writes, may vary from 2 to 10 per cent with individual cows. Herd milk seldom will vary more than l to 1 per cent from day to day. The chief causes of variation in the percentages of fat in milk aro individuality, breed, frequency of milking, night’s or morning’s milk, period of lactation, and tho care and comfort of the cow.

A friend of Mr. E. Short, the wellknown Romney breeder, writes as follows:—It may bo of interest to his friends in Gisborne to know that Mr. Short left England for “God’s oavn country” on August) 22nd., and will arrive in Wellington on October Bth. by the Arawa. Mr. Short launched out pretty heavily in Romneys at the Royal show and is bringing out the finest consignment of Romney Marsh sheep.that has ever been seen here. They are on their way out now, and will be here for the Palmerston North show. They will be a magnificent lot, and will include the champion two-year-old ram bred by Mr. C. File, besides several other prizie-winnmg rams and ewes.

What is tho position of the Fanners’ Union in respect to the abolition of the duty on flour? This question is being openly’ discussed in various parts of the colony. The. Union declares in favor of free trade, excepting for revenue producing purposes. l,t does not consider, however, that tlie Government is justified in removing the duty from the products of the soil whilst it retains tlie dutyupon articles necessary for the economical propagation of those products. It. is open to question whether the existing conditions warrant, the abolition of a duty which will ail appreciable effect upon the price of bread, hut which will temporarily disorganise one of our most important industries and throw a considerable number of hands out of employment. —Farmers’ Union Advocate.

,A Dunsandel correspondent writes as follows: —Oil Wednesday night a drizzling pain began, and towards morning a steady downpour had set in and continued till 110011 yesterday. The ground has now got a good soaking. Feed is getting plentiful, and given warm weather, it will come on very rapidly. Lambing is now general. The cold weather Inis accounted for a good many dentils. In a ' few instances there has been a loss amongst ewes that are just duo to lamb, which may bo accounted for by the fact tlitt.t in some cases farmers have not had sufficient feed, such as oats or young grass, suitable in such cases. Lambing is general in the Killineliy district. In most cases a good percentage is recorded. Feed is getting more plentiful, and all the crops are looking well. Given fine weather, about a week should see all the crop in. Dairying continues to advance in lower Westland, a movement being now on foot to establish a co-opera-tive factory in the vicinity of Hendey’s Ferry. An instructor of the dairy division is now in the locality advising the settlers. The co-opera-tive factories established in Westland are making good progress, and the settlers in that locality having land of a fair value are making good money from milk production, in fact are in a much hotter position to show •a profit from their labors than are farmers in our principal dairying territories. Again, Westland dairy farmers have the advantage of a local market which is a good way off being over-supplied. And even when they liave a surplus for export they will be well situated, owing to their comparatively low cost of production. Up to the present time no cheese factories have been established in Westland : and considering the difficulties settlers in some of the localities labor under in regard to methods of transport (says the New Zealand Times), cheese manufacture would probably he found more satisfactory and profitable than the production of butter.