ABOUT THE FARMS.

Shannon News, 11 May 1928, Page 4

ABOUT THE FARMS.

Notes and Comments. ’ i Lincolns for California. A consignment of 90 stud Lincoln nuns and ewe lambs was sold by prominent Wairarapa breeders recently for shipment to a well-known stock breeder in California. The prohibiting export from England owing to foot and mouth disease having closed that source of supply to Californian stud masters so that the Dominion breeders of.Lincolns' will be keenly interested in the reception accorded the recent consignment. Heavy Buyings. The extensive operations of export buyers since Christmas had exerted a pronounced influence on the market, stated an Auckland authority. At least two Arms with commissions to fill army and navy contracts had been buying heavily, drought conditions in Australia having to some extent caused them to seek fresh sources of supply. In all probability, he said, the coming winter should see a further considerable increase in the prices of beef. Agricultural Education. The Auckland provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union met on Tuesday evening, the president, Mr. A. A. Ross, presiding. When a letter from the Scddon Memorial Technical College Board, requesting a donation of £lO towards the formation of agricultural clubs, was under . consideration, Mr H. M. Rushworth said he rvould oppose all such contributions on the ground that the time had arrived when agricultural education should be placed on a proper basis of development by the State. '‘ I believe in the slogan, ‘ back to the land,’ ” said Mr W. L. Martin, M.F. The union, he thought, should do anything possible to encourage boys to take an interest in farming. . A grant of £5 was made. Zulu as English Farmer. The son of a Zuiu chieftain, Mr Albert Makaula White, wbo was adopted by a British- missionary and his wife sixty years ago, has been a farmer in Kent for the last twenty-five years. Mr White is now sixty, and his neat, closely-cropped and crinkly hair is al-. most snow-white. His wife is English, and he has one son and one daughter. His daughter is appearing in a West End theatrical company. Dominion’s Grass Lands. At a conference on the subject of grass lands hold at Aberystwyth, Professor R. 6. Stapiedon, M.8.E., M.A., Director of the Plant Breeding Station, gave a paper on “Some Grass Land and Other Lessons from Australia and New Zealand.” He said that Australia and New Zealand had one outstanding lesson to teach farmers of Britain and that was the influence of the grazing animal on sward formation and sward deterioration. Eighty years ago New Zealand was without grazing animals or herbage, but to-day its stock unit was 71 as compared with 100 of the Mother country. Intelligence and tenacity had done much for New Zealand, and the best swards there were as if lifted bodily from Northhamptonshire, except that they were 20 per cent better. Both Australia and New Zealand were wonderful countries, and he would advise everybody to go and see them and never come back.

Shot the Calf. / A Wcstmcre farmer had a yearling calf that had been kept with the .mother, The said calf and mother were looked upon as two of the choice animals of the farm and were sleek of skin. There came a time when the best of friends must part, and the calf was put in a separate paddock, greatly to the consternation of the mother and offspring, who protested vigorously, and more particularly during the still hours of the night. To the farmer the noise became worse than an overdose of static, an.i he remarked to a handy youth on the farm of some 15 summers, that if the calf continued to annoy the slumbers of all hands on the farm it would have to be shot. The youth took the farmer at his word, and early next morning, before the farmer had time to rub the sleep out of his eyes, the youth knocked at the door and wanted to know- how much meat lie required. “What meat?” queried the farmer. “I shot the calf,” replied the youth. “You remember you told me to if it continued to make a noise. ’ ’ That youth went as near getting the sack as possible, but on reflecting, the farmer came to the conclusion that the lad had only acted according to instructions. Dairying Development. A good sign this year in the dairy business has been the very keen demand that has existed and that still exists among dairy farmers for pure-

bred pedigree bulls. Dairy farmers are now no longer •content to buy any sort of bull for use in their herds* They realise that if improvement is to be made in dairy herds there are two highly important things to attend to, and one of these is the use of a pedigree bull with good butter-fat backing. All breeders of pedigree .Friesians report that this last year has brought them considerably more sales than in any previous year. One big Taranaki breeder has had a record number of sales, both mates and females. A Waikato breeder has sold no fewer than 35 pedigree Friesian bulls since August last. A prominent Canterbury breeder has sold all his available bulls and still lias keen inquiries for more. An Otago breeder has sold between 40 and 50 pedigree bulls. Many owners of Friesian dairy herds have put their herds under herd tests —with most gratifying results. A Bay of Plenty herd under held test in 1925 averaged 10,1431 b milk and 4091 b fat in 297 days, four cows giving over 6001 b fat, r and one cow 7461b5. fat, while the same herd with over 40 cows including, seven two-year-old heifers in 192627, averaged a production of 416 lb. fat as paid for by the dairy factory. A Shorthorn Champion. At the 1927 Sydney Royal Show a very promising yearling Shorthorn bull, Clifton Viking, a' white, won in his class ancf was sold during the progress of the show for 1300 gns. Though shown in light condition, through haying been used a good deal, he won the championship of the Shorthorn section, at the recent royal. - '

Top Prices in Britain,

At the Birmingham bull sale in February, the top price for bulls under two years old was SOOOgns. Fiftyseven had averaged £95 12s 6d. At the Royal Dublin Society’s bull sale Shorthorns totalled 390 against 297 last year. Aberdeen-Angus 317 against 260, and Herefords 140 against 19$ The best of the Shorthorn bulls made lOOgns. to 380 gns, dairy Shorthorn bulls' 85gns to 200gns, yearling bulls /50gns to 105gns, Arberdeen-Angus bulls 50gns to 180gns.