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Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 251, 24 October 1942, Page 2

" It is not in accordance with Government policy for women and girls engaged in farming production to bs transferred to secondary industries," said the Prime Minister, in reply to an urgent question asked by Mrs Grigg (Opposition, Mid-Canter-bury). Mr Fraser said the ActingMinister for National Service was not aware of any cases where girls had been taken off farms and transferred to employment in woollen mills as had been stated by Mrs Grigg. "In view of the serious shortage of farm labour," the Prime Minister continued, "district manpower officers have aiready received instructions to refrain from directing women and girls engaged on farms to other employment.' ' A summary of the experimentafl work by the Dairy Research Institute is contained in the sixteenth annual report of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research presented to Parliament this week. The report stated that dry butterfat was successfully extracted from butter, preferably unsalted, which was melted and treated in a dairy separator to remove the bulk of the water and curd. Following this, the separated fat was further dried in a vacreator. When cooled, it was run into tins and sealed for storage. Experiments arranged by the institute in collaboration with local food manufacturers and the Home Science School of Otago University showed that the dry butterfat was suitable for the manufacture of ice-cream, cakes, biscuits and eonfectionery. Farmers who intend to sow sweet blue lupins for autumn and early winter grazing should do so in January and February (writes a North Qtago correspondent) . Winter ploughing is very necessary, as sweet lupins require plenty of moisture auring the early stages of their growth. They are very deep-rooted and tap sources of plant food which are seldom reached by other farm plants. Once established they are practically immune from drought, this being a very important consideration in a district like North Otago. Farmers should note that land on which bitter lupins have

been grown should not be used for sweet lupins for at least three years. The sweet lupins may be sown with rape for lamb fattening, with turnips for autumn and winter grazing, and with oats or Italian rye for early autumn grazing. Extensive experiments which have been carried out have shown that sweet lupins are better than rape for lamb fattening. They serve the dual purpose of fattening stock and at the same time enrich the soil by the nitrogen and phosphates which are stored by their roots.