Rangitikei Advocate. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 8961, 29 October 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES.

PEW dairy farmers seem to have been convinced of the truth of the adage that it is always wise to use the head in order to stive the hands. Almost any milker prefers to add a few more cows to his herd to taking the trouble' to test those ho already possesses, although the mental exertion necessary for the latter process would save a good deal of manual labour, or, if the number of cows milked remained the same, would produce much bettor financial results. The report on the testing of the herd at Weraroa Experimental Farm, contained in the annual report of the Agricultural Department, shows such startling results that we wish every dairy farmer in the Dominion would take them to heart.

SAs a consequence of the culling process entered upon at Weratoa 81 cows were milked last Tea? as against 104 in the previous season, and vet in the mouth of November alone rno milk produced in 1000 was 18.5481bs more than in the corresponding mouth of the year 1005. A. comparison is made between six .rood cows in the herd and six inferior cows. The fact that the poorer cows were ail December or January culvers somewhat reduces the value of the comparison with cows which came into profit earlier, but one of the six good cows was in milk from April to January, thus showing that the season of calving is not au essential clement of profitable milking. Without going into {he particulars for each cow we may

state that allowing tOJtfd par lb for butter fat and j.jd a gallon for skim mil!.:, tho six good cows gave an average return of £lB 9s fid and t'ro six inferior cows £4 18s. Allowing £1 JOs per cow for feed and £1 10s for labour, a total of £4, we obtain tbo following figures Twenty cows equal to tlio six best would give a act pro’lt for tho-year of £2BO 10s, while 20 cows similar to 'tho six inferior would give a net profit of £lB is id. Put in a more startling form, we may say that 20 cows like ibe bosl would give a return equal to ;’.20. of the latter standard. Figures like these should induce the dri nyfarmer to test find weigh his milk. Iso doubt ho possesses no rows as bad as the worst of those In the Wcraroa herd, but there arc sure to 1)3 some that arc not worth the food they cat, and there is no njf thod of culling equal to the calcula'ion of tho butter fat produced, by each. cow.

THU outcry raised by members from the South Island against the largo amount of laud in that island scheduled for inclusion as endowment laud has led the Ministry to cut oft’ a trifle of 2,000,000 acres from the list. When the Laud i-Bill was being discussed most of these members consistently voted against any proposal which would allow the freehold option, but they seem to have a strange disinclination to see large areas set aside m their own constituencies under the leasehold tenure. If the leasehold is good for the country as a whole, it must be the best tenure for laud in Nelson or Otago or Westland. Yet members understand clearly that unless they oppose endowments being created in their own districts they will lose votes, and therefore they are bold enough to resist the Government proposal, Tho Ministerial journal iu Wellington, which serves for all practical purposes tho object proposed by the Queensland Premier iu his suggested Governmental newspaper, describes the reduction iu area as “a businesslike concession to Sir Joseph Ward’s freehold supporters.” The Post is less complacent, and remarks: ‘‘There has been so much backing down that at each turn .wo are thankful that it is no worse, and afraid that there may be still worse to follow. But they have surely touched bed-rock at last.” Mr McNab no longer talks about nailing the colour’s to tire mast, as he did last session; compromise is the order now, and the only question of interest is whore exactly the compromise will bo