Farming Column

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1933, Page 8

Farming Column

LAND REVALUATION.

BASED ON PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY.

A scheme for the solution of the farmers’ difficulties was put forward by Mr N. 13. Fletcher at a conference held in Wellington recently. Mr Fletcher said most of the valuation of farm lands had been based on the speculative value paid for similar land in each locality, and not upon the productive value. That method of inflating the producing lands had contributed very largely to the present position. An immediate revaluation was therefore necessary. That would be made by the occupier or .owner on a special declaration form, which would contain the necessary information regarding the farm’s operations and carrying capacity. The valuation would be based upon a gazetted price level for all primary prooucts, apd would stand good for seven years, at the end of which time another valuation would be necessary. Mu Fletcher said various checks would be provided, and in all cases where the present mortgage exceeded the declared value, the mortgagee would be given negotiable interestbearing bonds. A provision would be made that no legislation should interfere with existing mortgage contracts,' bill} they would be adjusted, allowing registration up to the declared value. The whole scheme would be managed by H realisation trust board, completely independent to political control, which would arrange all adjustments, issue valuation forms, collect sales tax, attend to bond interest payments, and redeem bonds from time to tine as the funds' permitted, |

SOME USES FOR WHEY. Whey is always of use in pig feeding, hut it may also be used in the mixing of soft mashes for chickens, instead of skim milk. It. means a splendid drink for poultry of all kinds. Whey contains very little nutritive matter besides the mills' sugar and traoes of salts and minerals, yet it has been found when fed to* pigs' to have effected, a distinct increase in,growth. Whey is commonly rated as of half the value of skim or separated milk, but' when whey is used instead of milk the meals must, of course, be much richer in protein or albuminoids. Skim milk is a food Complete in flesh formers, excepting the - butterfat. Tbe value of whey no. doubt lies in its "trace's of salts minerals, etc., more perhaps than in its carbohydrates in the form of milk sugar. If a supply of whey, is .available it may be used to mix with the meals when the calves are about a month old. Whey may be used, too,; with a little oatmeal and fishmeal porridge.

NEW ZEALAND, FARMERS’ UNION

NEV\fS AND NOTES. The Railway Department has* decided to make a reduction of 15 percent on the present freight charges on butter, cheese, frozen meat, hides, potatoes, live sock, and wool. It is estimated , that the reduction will mean a decrease of about £460,000 per annum in railway revenue, unless counterbalanced by extra business In return for this welcome concession it is the duty of every farmer to loyally support the departmenjj with all his transport businessThe freight paid to the various shipping companies' for' conveying outproduce to London approximates £5,000,000 per annum. As long as the rate of exchange remained’ at 10 per cent, the shipping companies paid the exchange, on the refrigerated part of ouit exports i.e. meat, dairy produce, and fruit. This amounted to about €370,000 per annum. For (lonsiderirble ij'ime there has been an attempt by farmers in different parts of the Dominion to have motor-lorries owned by farmers and used solely for the transport of their produce exempt from heavy traffic fees. The N.Z. Farmers’ Union has consistently rejected such a proposal, as it savours too much of preference for one section of the community. But the main reason for its rejection is that the union is striving to get all rates for reading purposes abolished. There a lie (over 1(2,000 lorries and trucks ip the Dominion on which heavy traffic fees totalling approximately £150,000 are paid. Out of this amount the farming community pays about £30,000. If exemption were granted to farmers either £30,000 less would be spent on roacl maintenance', or /rates would have to be increased at the expense of all ratepayer®. of all ratepayers. In order to ascertain the views of local bodies on this important matter, the Commissioner of Transport has communicated with the various local bodies throughout j the Dominion. The replies to date show, that 149 are against the exemption and 28 in favour. 54 county councils were against exemption, and 22 in favour, whilst 74 borough coun-1 oils were against the proposal and only four in favour. 21 town and road boards were against the proposal, and two in favour. I

CONSUMPTION OF CUTTER INCREASES.

FLEASING FEATURE OF HOME MARKET.

The only satisfactory feature of the

but tor market seem.': to be the in creasing consumption as a result o tho low prices, London deliveries o New Zealand butter for the week end. ea January 20 being 2100 tons compared with 1781 tons for the corresponding period of last year. A more optimistic note for the future is struck by the well-known journal, the Grocer, in* its 1 issue oi December 19, in which its says: “The heavier supplies to arrive during this mouth and next are partly responsible for the recent lethargy of the market. If times were ordinary, one or tw:» hundred thousand boxes of butter would not depress' values as is the case at present. It is necessary to look in' another " direction tb find the solution: Economic ' disturbance is the only answer and it is worldwide. The. latest contretemps is the difficulty in reaching a favourable settlement, with all. parties of the War Debts. I’his feature seems to. be the main cause of tbe collapse in all commodities, no one of which is es-

capinw tiie cteoacie. it ivoma oe ver,' surprising if , such a necessary product . evaded .the general depression and ;lcnver'. values. But;' a sudden recovery cannot be ruled out of serious consideration when it is borne in mind, that'the present basis- of butter prices' has not been experienced 1 for very many years. Surely a recovery must set in soon!” ~ With the recent increase in exchange rates' and the: low condition of the market it is not surprising to find little activity on the part of ; f.o.b. operators. Not for many years has such a great disparity: between white and coloured cheese prices been evident and when it is remembered that, to- : day quotations represent approxij mate f.o.b. returns of 4f and 6 3-8 d l for white and| coloured respectively , the loss suffered by those factories ; making cnly white cheese is apparent. As the butter the low retail price ; ruling at Home for cheese appears to have stimulated consumption to a ■ marked degree • last week’s London ; deliveries showing as 25,000 crates 1 acrnitisf, 17.420 for flip samp tip rind

; last year. FREISIAN CATTLE. COLOUR MARKINGS. Many newcomers to pedigree Frie sian" cattle breeding are puzzled bj colour markings,. especially whet , black on the legs of a bull is con concerned. By some a hull’s leg that it not wholly white in'the hair colouring is shunned, the reason not being easy to undersand, writes Mr Georgt Hobson in the journal of his society. Small black hair spots on an otherwise white foot are blemishes because such spots may be intensfied in the progeny until the effect becomes it; mottled black and white leg with the small patches of each colour closely intermingled. Because such mofjtled legs' .usually denote alien blood they must be avoided and discouraged, but large continuous and unbroken black patches down a leg that terminates with a wholly white foot are not in themselves undesirable or non-typical of the breed. Mr Hobson adds that recently whispers, have reached the headquarters ‘of the. British Freisian Cattle Society that breeders should not show on the sketched notifications of black hair spots oh tliei foot or feet of a hull. “Such ideas, ' which are unworthy of pedigree breeders or of any men/ who value honesty and the regard of their colleagues, cannot be too strongly discouraged,” comments Mr Hobson. “Study of the society’s' rules will indicate bow such practices are regarded and may be punished by the society. “As only a small percentage of bull calves merit retention and rearing for herd improvement purposes, scrupulous- care must be taken to ensure that the bulls sold to colleagues for pedigree breeding purposes are those calculated to inspire the maximum of confidence, to secure the best possible result, and to give the utmost satisfaction. Pedigree breeders should never forget that they are banded together for self-help and co-operation, and that their great and common object is to advance the best interests and to increase the reputation of the breed in which they are specially interested.” IRISH CATTLE. Farmers in the Irish Free State are having great trouble in the disposing of their produce through the policy of the party in power yet they are provided with no less than 200 U bulls by The Free State has some of the These are all high class animals, many of them purchased in Britain at prices running up to 600 guineas. The Free State! has come of the richest fattening land in the three kingdoms .and this scheme of providing the use of bulls at a minimum of cost is a very practical way of assisting tbe farmers.