BY THE WAYSIDE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 151, 14 July 1937, Page 13

BY THE WAYSIDE

, News of Interest To H.B* Farmers BRITISH CATTLE SUBSIDY During the two years and seven months in which it has been in operation, the cost of the British cattle subsidy has been nearly £10,000,000. Up to the end of March the actual figure of £9,880,084 was paid on 4,167,858 animals, and the average payment per animal was £2 7' 5. The number of imported animals marked at the ports of Great Britain under the scheme in the year ended 31st March last was 570,605 head, as compared with 477,883 head in the preceding twelve months. Of the participating animals, steers have disclosed a decrease in the six i months ended 28th February, heifers increased by nearly 40,000, while cow heifers showed an increase of over 30,000 compaTed with the corresponding months a year ago. This would neceSsarily suggest a considerable depletiou of breeding stock. A Ooimcil'8 Venture. Two years ago the Mosinan (N.S.W.) munioipal cOuncil bought six sheep for £4 10/-, and let them roam in Rawson Park. The flock prospered and increased in number to sixteen. In the two years the council received more than £8 for the sale of the wool. A few weeks ago the flock was sold, when prices were high, for £10, states a Sydney exchange. So profitable was the experiment that^the council has now decided to buy more sheep. "The sheep are far better than mechanical lawn mowers, " said the town clerk (Mr. A. O. Marshall). "They cost nothing for petrol or repairs, and yield a net profit of 200 per cent.5' The new flock will be bought for about £5 ,and the council hopes than the profits will be *ven greater than before. Feeding the Pig. The pig is not so well equipped as the fowl to handle rapidly eaten food, yet under most farm conditions fast eating is the rule. The pig can be helped to make better use of its foods in the following ways:. — (a) By feeding easily digested material; (b) by grinding the less digestible foods; (c) by ensuring the animals sufficient feeding room; (d) by arranging for some open grazing, where the animals may eat at their loisure. (by) feeding aids to diges. tion. Charcoal and coke are extremely cellular materials, and possess a great number of surfaces. At these surfaces rapid digestion of food can take place. By feeding eithor of them in powdered form, coarse lumps of food become coated with a film posscs. . !g an actively digesting surface. Queensland Dairyiug. According to figures "presented to the annual conference of Queensland Butter and CJheese Factory Managers' and ^Becretaries' Association by the secretary of the Dairy Produce Equalisation Committee (Mr C. Sheehy(, the Queensland dairy industry in the 193037 season suffered a loss of £2,600,000 as the result of a drought in the coastal regions of the State. Queenland's production figures for the year just closing were estimated at 1,500,000 boxes, as against 2,000,000 last year and 2,325,000 boxes in 1934.35. Pigs and Mud. Pigs are really clean animals. They will respond to whatever conditions they are given. They are not natural inhabitants of mud and filth. Housing is of great importance. Warm, dry sheds, with no draughts, but with large roomy outer yards should be used. Concrete in the yards prevents dampness from being brought into the sheds. A wooden floor in a pig house prevents the animals from becoming cold and miserable and- ftom contracting pneumonia to which young pigs are susceptible. The chief trouble in rearing young pigs is the ease with which they contract disease from germs in filth. Cement troughs should be used. The World's Wheat. According to the latest information issued by the International Institute of Agriculture the world exportable supplies of wheat are estimated at 700,000,000 bushels, or 24,000,000 more than the estinuato compiled in October. They are still, howevor, the lowest re. cordcd for many years, and are 24,000,000 bushels bolow the exportable supplies o£ last year, which constituted a low record, and 49 per cent. below the high record of 1928-29. The revised estimate of the probable requirements of the importing countries gives a total of 580,000,000 bushels, or an increase on the October forecast of 35,000,000, resulting from the increase in the probable European demand, which is raised from 420,000,000 to 435,000,000 bushels, and also in that of the non-European, which has been increased from 125,000,000 to 145,000,000 bushels. The total world wheat requirements at this figure are much larger than they have been in reccnt years. Compared with last year, the figure shows an increase of 73,000000 bushels. The expected re. covery in the world wheat demand is explainkd by the meagreness of th« 1936 crop in the European importing countries, who have been obliged, notwithstanding the difficulties of their balance of payments, to make up for the deficit in their supplies by purchases abroad. Co-operative Farming. Co-opcralioi) in most farming activi. lius as a nielhod of securmg helter financial returns is advocated in an

editorial in the Dookie Collegian, issued at Dookie Agricultural College. It is suggested that while farming, as compared with other forms of industry, has come to be accepted as an oceupation which gives a poor return for the money, brains and labour expended, it is, nevertheless, attractive, beaause of the free outdoor life and the independence it offers. The farmer has been aided by the discovery of improved methods and varieties, but it is sug. gested that oue line has not been explored — the avenue of co-operative effort ,not only in marketing, which, in some primary industries has already had striking results, but also in every other phase of farming, collective buying, controlled co-operative production and organised selling, in addition to group investigation and dissemination of information. The outstanding barrier in the way of united farming, it is stated, has been the lack of geographical centralisation. This has been removed by telephone, wireloss and motor-cars, and the irn. ])ediTiient now is only Ihe spiril, of indopendemro so eharacteriatio the dweller ou the land.