THE RURAL WORLD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 375, 5 July 1911, Page 6

THE RURAL WORLD.

BONE TAINT IN BEEF. Of considerable importance to New Zealand is the subject oi bona taint in beef. The insurance companies, indeed, bad refused la:>t year to include in their policies the risk or bone taint. Trouble had been experience.! from one end of New Zealand to the other through beef shipments landing Home with this taint, which very considerably depreciated the value of the meat, and the returns that it gave to the producer. The trouble has been particularly pronounced with North. Island meat, and was giving ao much concern that Mr John Clark, on his recent visit to England, which was mainly a pleasure trip, made it one of his few business objscts during his stay in the Old Country, to institute inquiries into the subject, and, if possible, to find cut the secret of bone taint and its remedy. After spending a considerable amount of time and trouble in investigating, assisted by some of the meat sellers from New Zealand, Mr Clark secured an introduction to Mr Hall, manager of Swifts, Ltd., who handle vast quantities of American beef: Mr Hall furnished him with fall particulars of how the meat is kibed and frozen by up to date American concerns, and this information Mr Clark sent forward by mail to the Gisborne Sheepfarmers' Frozen Meat Company. At very considerable cost, running into between £ISOO and £2OOO, the company accepted and carried through the recommendations Mr Clark was able to supply, and it is very gratifying to be able to record that they have been attended with success. This week Mr Clark received a cable message from his London agent, stating that after careful inquiry he had ascertained that bone taint ia now quite unknown in the Gisborne Sheepfarmcrs' Company's consignments. Considering the export of beef from this district last year ran into close on ten million pounds, and for the whole Dominion over 62 million pounds weight, it will be seen that a remedy for bone taint must add appreciably to the selling value of New Zealand beef, and put it in greater demand, and is of considerable importance to producers and thia country as a whole—"Poverty Bay Herald."

HINTS TO HORSE BREEDERS. The horse-breeder wishing to breed the'best should refrain from grazing his in-foal inares and young stock on pastures which have been continually pnd recently grazed by horses, once wrote Sir Walter Gilbcy, Bart. Preference inusfc be given to fields in which horses have not fed for the last three years, and for longer if possible. Thus the dams and youngsters will obtain fresh, untainted food. The number of animals should be strictly limited in accord with the area ,of the stud farm, which should be sufficiently extensive to allow periodical changes to fresh land ; one yearling to every five or six acres is the desideratum. The theory of fresh grazing has been tested among Shire horses by placing a certain number of mares, on their return from service by the best sires money could procure, upon land where the pasture waa not fresh; in the following year the same number of mares, served by the same sire, under identically similar circumstances, have been placed on pastures which had been freshly laid down, or upon old grass land on which horses had not been grazed for several years. The produce in the latter case have been to an extraordinary extent superior in bone, muscle and constitution to their brothers and sisters of the previous year. Sir Walter attributes their superiority to nothing else than their "nature's" feeding. These tests of the fresh-grazing theory have not been confined to one year with the next, but have run over several years. Is it too much to assume that a method which has been productive of such markedly good results with Shire horse 3 would be equally appMable to blood stock. —"Live Stock Journal."

REGISTRATION OF STALLIONS. The Board of Agriculture of England has notified that it is now prepared to entertain .applications - for the registration of stallions of any recognised breed under its new horse improvement scheme. The board will certify as to the soundness of every stallion which is accepted by them for registration. No application will be entertained in respect of a stallion under three years of age, and a stallion which has not been entered or accepted for entry in the stud of its breed. Stallions will be examined by a veterinary surgeon appointed by the board, and they will be registered free of charge if their service lee does not exceed £lO, provided they are presented for examination at the place and time appointed by the board for the purpose. When the fee exceeds £lO the examination will be carried out at the expense of the owner. The Hunters' Improvement Society and the Polo and Riding Pony Society have offered facilities for the examination for registration of stallions exhibited at their shows, and it is expected other societies will be able to make similar arrangements.

Large crops of potatoes are a feature of the Southland potato position this year, and the quality is said to be splendid. There is every indication that the movement to establish t:o-op< ralivo saleyaras at Masterton on the old site, in opposition to the new Sol way yards, will be entirely successful. Reports from the north and northwest of New South Wales state that pastorali3ts are greatly troubled with fly and worms in their Hocka. The latter pest has gained ground in the long grass, produced by good seasons, and drenching is actively proceeding.