FARMING NOTES.

Otaki Mail, 16 January 1922, Page 4

FARMING NOTES.

AGRICULTURAL SHOWS. The following are tlie dates of the remaining Agricultural and Pastoral Hnows in the uorainion tins season: — 1y22. Horowhenua. —At Levin, January 16 and 19. .Vooavilie. —January 24 and'2s. Pahiatua. —January 27th, 1y22. rending. —February 7 and 6. Dannevirke. ; —February S and 9. Alasterton. —February 15 ana 1(5. Marton. —March 1. * A draught mare, belonging to Mr F. Manor, of Canianibo, near Violet Town. Victoria, has given birth to' three foals. One foal died, but the dam and the other two are doing well. For the year ended 31st July last dairying furnished more money fox A'ew Zealand than did any other industry. The amount was £17,000,000. To arrive at what the j>rices on the London markets represent to the producer free on board overseas steamer in New Zealand, i.e., less freight, commission, and other charges, deduct 2Jd per lb from lamb prices as cabled; 2Au per lb from mutton; 2Jd per lb from beef; 2d per lb from butter; 2d per lb from cheese; and lis per cwt. from tallow.

' Evidence of the good work of cowi testing associations is not lacking, li ! is written in many Stales of America, .<ays "Hoard's Dairyman," in improved herds and better dairy practice. Perhaps the highest service that one of these organisations can render, however, is to give a man the interest aitd impetus whereby he lifts himseh from the obscurity of the keeper of scrubs to the plane of the successful breeder of registered cattle. British live stock are recognised as one of the chief assets of the British Empire. Putting aside one breed of draught horses (the Percheron), one breed of dairy cattle (the Friesian). and one breed of sheep (the merino), it may be plain, without fear of contradiction, that all the breeds of live stock.which have a world-wide reputation, and are in cosmopolitan demand, are of British origin.

A meeting of threshing mill-owners, held at Christchurch, received a deputation of the Farmers' Union to discuss the proposed rutes for threshing for the coming season. The following resolution was carried: "That this meeting of threshing mill-owners and Farmers' Union Executive regrets the finding of the Arbitration Court in the threshing mill workers' award, as it is manifestly unfair not to ask labour to bear some share in the fall of prices." Once more did the Friesian breed of cattle hold sway in the championship contests at the London Dairy Show. The Spencer Cup, regarded as the main trophy, for it is secured by the cow which gains the greatest number of points judged upon inspection and in the milking trials and the butter test, was won by Messrs W. and K. Wallace's Friesian cow Balden Early. Reserve was Messrs John Evens and Son's Burton Fillingham, a Lincolnshire Bed. Messrs Wallace's cow also won the Barham and Shirley Cups, her reserve for each'of these being Sir William Hickling's Dairy Shorthorn Golden Sovereign.

The milk veins are an important judging point in the dairy cow. These veins carry the blood which has been in the udder back to the heart. The udder must be supplied with a large amount of blood, as it is from the blood that the milk is extracted —not directly by filtration, but by the building up of cells which are broken down into milk. The veins being large and tortuous is indicative of a good cow, as they show that the udder has been well supplied with blood. In poor cows these veins are not prominent nor large, but short and small.