BY THE WAYSIDE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 77, 17 April 1937, Page 19

BY THE WAYSIDE

' » mm t • - News Of Interest To H B. Farmers N.Z. WOOL SALES Saies of wool in the Dominion for the nine months of the season ended March show a fairly large dpcrease, ac,cording to returns compiled by Dalgety and Company, Limited. Dominion offerings comprised 603,933 bales, of which 599,248 were sold, the corresponding figures in 1935-&6 being 698,124 and 670,706. During March 149,182 bales were offered and 148,818 sold. Exports of wool during March totalled 141,338 bales, of which 11,953 bales were shipped from Auckland and Opua. For "the nine months' period 592,981 bales were exported, against 646,554 bales in the previous season. * * * Cow Feted. Before an assemblage of nearly 500 people the Jertsey cow Brampton BaBilna was feted recently in the -Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canada. This: is the second time this cow1 has been banqueted in honour of her exceptional ie-cord'-breaking tesf performances. During part of the banquet Brampton Basilna was placed in the dining hall, near the centre table. . Here she was provided with a bed of shavings' and some lucerne hay. Each guest was supplied with a half pint bottle of milk secreted by the world 's champion dairy cow. For several days her milk had been kept in" cool etorage, and was bottled for the occasion. * ■ # * Old Wool Sells Well. Some of the slump-time wool from Gisborne has just been disposed of in London at rates that wdre very satisfactory to the owner, when compared with the average of £7 or £8 a, balo realised when it was shorn. Results of the January-February series of saies in London that have just come to hand contain details of the sale of this wool, and although it had been "baled for seven to eight years it opened up in particularly good order, and the Teports the farmer received of it werd very satisfactory indeed. # # • Sydney Show Critic. Mr. C. E. Robertson, of .Wellington, Kew Zealand, who judged Aberdeen Angus cattle at the Sydney Royal Show, with complete satisfaction to fcxhibitors, made Some outspoken, but well-deserved comment at the annual meeting of this breed society, on the showgrouud. Mr. Robertson stated that he judged in North and South America and New Zealand, and at this Royal Show his task had been made well-nigh impossible by the diversity of type and the lack of facilities provided. Not only were there a variety of types, but in many instances herdsmen did not parade the stock satiefactorily.

» ♦ w Gisborne Rye. Gisborne growers of perennial rye-. grass this season produced very li.ttle seed of high germination beeause of the wet weather experienced during harvesting and threshing. As a result, most of the best seed will be required to fill local orders. The market at present is firm but quiet, and lines with good purity and germination are meeting a ready demand, but in the abBence of suffieient good quality seed orders have been spasmodic. " * # * Distemper In Dogs. Distemper amongst dogs is very rife this year on some of the big stations in North Canterbury and Southern Marlborough and many valuable dogs have been lost. The outbreak on this occasion has been ascribed to infeetion caused by ferrets, which cause disteruper trouble in rabbit country. A hill country man volunteered the opinion that a good deal of the loss charged to distemper was not due to distemper at all. ,His own experience was that the trouble attacked dogs periodically, and was akin to a type of pneiimonic influenza, which swept the canine world as it did the human. In his own case he had dogs succumb which showed none of the symptoms of distemper. # # # Maize Crops Suffer. Gisborne maize crops are late this yetar, and are being attacked by blight and black aphis. For this reason, it is diffioult for estimates of the yield to be made. The blight coming at.this time of the year does not usually have much effect on the yield, but beeause the cobs are late in maturing some damage has occurrad. Whether the blight will have a serious effect on the ultimate yield from the district is nOt known at present. * * # Returns From Pigs. Quoting the case of Danish farmers, who get up to £20 a cow out of their pigs, Mr. M. J. Scott, head of the Dopartment of Agriculture 's pig industry advisory seheme, says that low returns on the part of New Zealand farmers are not the result of ineificieincy or inability to compound rations capable of high production. Low returns, ho eontinues, are entirely a question of feed costs afid selling prices, aftd, if these prices in New Zealand were the saMe as the Danish, then New Zealanders would be able to get as much as the Danes. # * * New Artificial Wool. Artificial wool manufactured in Italy is being shipped in large quantities to the United States. Called cisalfa, it is selling at 40 cents. a lb. duty paid, according to eable mesSages, and stocks will be ttaintained at Boston as well as New York to ensure qui-ek delivery to the mills. Top makei's, yarn spinners, and knittcrs are alst) showing a lively interest in the now "wool." The current production in Italy ia s&id to be

150,0001b. a'week. A sample of clpth cpmbi.ning cisalfa and real wool made in Italy, shows the adaptability of the fiew product for use in men's suifings. Cisalfa is also being offered, as in the case of staple Dbre, in lengths suitable for both worsted and cotton spinners. • t • Japan's Butter Saies. Japan, with its increasing dairy production, has begun to find in China a market for butter. Imports from Japan increased from 21,2001b. in 1934 to 83,6001b. in 1935. It ie regarded as highly significant that one promineiit Shanghai firm in the trade has seen fit to handle Japanese butter, especially as this firm also imports large quantities of the Australian product.