LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

Southland Times, Issue 18822, 15 May 1920, Page 7

LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

THE WORLD’S STOCK.

BY “HARVESTER.”

There is little in the world’s stock sta tistics recently published to bear out th British Food Controller’s theory of a pros pective world meat shortage. ' As a mat ter of fact* the figures are decidedly th. other way. In the following coinparisoi Russia, Germany, Austria, Siberia, Mexico and a few'countries of lesser importance an omitted, a a no up-to-date returns are avail able. But the figures below are sufficient ly complete to show that flocks and herd have been maintained surprisingly well dur ing the war. In those countries where de creases are shown, and also in Central Eu rope, breeding sheep and cattle have beet preserved, and provided seasons are favour able, pre-war numbers will soon be reach ed again.

Totals .. 310,432,000 321,070,000 It will be seen that cattle figures have increased by 21,000,000 head, and sheep have declined 11,000,000 head. As a stock country, the United Kingdom is the wonder of the world. The British Isles support as many cattle as Australia, and run 27.000,000 sheep. A sensible proposal was marie at the annual mooting of the Gore branch of the Tanners' Union the other clay. Mr G, T. Johnston, a well-known Border Leicester breeder in that district, moved: — "That, this branch consider the time is opportune when the Government should appoint capable inspectors and instructors to assist fanners and advise them in matters relative to the improving of their stock.’ 1 The sneaker urged that this would be for the betterment of the whole community as well as the farmer himself. Such action would improve methods, and there would be a better understanding between officials and the fanner. They hail only to look at the stock in their sitloyards to see the need of what was urged. Mr A. Held (manager of the Kuapdale Bhorthorn stud i. -•ecnndod the motion and strongly stipporled it. The settle in the district were in much need of improvement. The mongrel sire ought to be prevented from injuring the district. A district should, and could, become famous by the class of us nock. The north-east of Scotland was noted for its stock. If in such places they could secure £llH!() and £151)0 for yearling calves, there was no reason why it should not be done in this country. Mr Gilchrist said hr- was ;>le;!»<«d in hear such opinions, expr-t.-sed from two such successful bn-de:e. They struck the right note, and the remit was one of the best, that could be sent to the conference. ■ Xc-edT.-s to add. it was adopted. Before rite scheme could he entiieiy .successful, however, it would be ne-cs-'.-rv for fh- average faint lo Lard a more kindly ear to exp, on ; n , fp’cior.s. There ;s S’ d! a If. rid deal of r ;•■”,! a-’ To the :eal"y of "Theorists” to iea-’i "men who make their lr, i"g at it.'' But a- one of Ihe speakers .--dd. ju-g "look at the slo k j m the sali-yards.” j Pomm'-ntim: on the subject of surplus i woo! protiis, the M'ibourtie "At .at:.-s;;y< I art no further ludif ties he- thrown upon j payuienf ef any 'hv: hj a cornu, cl ion i wt'ii the pn.hG -rather a (i the portion j b-aorae .-om.r.vh.A a: V'-re. rah!:- i j naioit- i. - * 11 1 !■■ 11 ’. a,mi it i m y be r. •-iuiy t eporl ■■< l ofdci. ! t’ttercr.eea v.-pen oariau-r ampljiic-i may ap- i pear somee.aar more favour;;!)!e, leu at the '■ morm-T-t th-y -ire led eiaa-emaL'in'r. Tiirrh-:-;- j informed ten ittinished by the ciiak man of the t-enira! V-.Tol comruitt- e tiiaclo-i-s the - t!•;;?. oti March idth. there ware prec- j i'aaa.y i -l;d (iod b-ih-a of apprais'd wool ; n Austral--;, ami 2’o M 220 on tie- water. The -tuck m Au.s' rah -. cui-.'Ms i.n the proportion of hvo hair; oi merino to .rix of cre-bpsa!, and it is staled there is a large accumulation of iinenor <■ ros-b;-;-' : s tu lin-.'la.rn!- - therein hes the weakness. April woo! sales in London aho-ve-1 a di-tirmiby ea-h; • fee! unr. except in th ■ case of i in- Lest m'-rin.-as, and it would rc-em ns if a halt itl been called in prii-rs—douhrlr--financial disturbances were responsible for the change. Experiments have pro veil (says the Live Block Journal t that sound sheep kept with diseased sheep, even on concrete Hours, would contract foot rot, and aim lint sheep from a dis.irict in which fool rot was un- • known did not: suffer from six months’ ex- j posure in a meadow, but tin- ■ aum sheep ' readily took the disease after being placed I for a fortnight on a pasture with diseased ; sheep. The early stage of the disease is dis- j coverable by tut eruption between the digits. I Damage of the hoof horn will generally be ; followed by disease of one kind or another, i Briefly the remedies advocated arc u dress- ; log of corrosive sublimate, the danger from this being its poisonous character, and driving the flock through a large trough containing carbolic acid in the proportion of one in fifty of water. The difference of opinion as. to whether foot rot is contagi- -, oils is no doubt owing to the fact that there are several kinds of foot disease which are known as foot rot. A thousand pounds seems a big price to pay for a yearling bull in thin country, where the South American millionaire breeders are not yet operating; but some par- | ticulp.rs Mr Trank Moore has supplied of the earnings of his Hereford bull Rufus show that when you get the right stulf a thousand pounds leaves a big margin for profit. At the recent, sales at Bus hey Park, the progeny of Rufus brought ,£2tU)O 2s; Rufus himself, now up in years, sold for £307 10s. and his progeny previously sold realised £6525 15s. To this total of £0583 7s has to be added the value of three bulls, eleven ; bull calves, and thirty-two females by Rufu.-. remaining in the Bushey Park herd. One of the crops of the farm among the least used is the field pea. It would be fair to ■ say that, with few exceptions, it is hardly known outside of the Marlborough

Friesian Buying in New Zealand.

district. The dairy farmer looks for green feed and hay of high-feeding value. This is expected from lucerne or clovers. The sheepowner would appreciate an early crop for feeding in spring for lambs for marketing. The field pea is not looked to for either of these purposes. It does not appear to bo recognised that of all the legumes, the field pea is the most easily grown. It does not demand the preparation of the soil of lucerne, and, unlike red clover, it may be grown again and again on the same soil. It may be sown at two seasons —in spring and in autumn. If peas are sown in May, on warm mellow soil, the crop can be fed off about October in average seasons. It sounds unusual to us, but sheep and lambs thrive excellently. The crop should, of course, be fenced in breaks, as for feeding off roots. The peas will come again for a second time if the first feeding down has been early. This should be at about the time that the pods are forming. The second growth is not usually of great I bulk. It comes quickly in a favourable season nnd, if not made use of for cutting or feeding, it is one of the most valuable of till of the plants of the farm for ploughing in for green manure. There is an obI jection that is heard to the use of the field I pea, that it is difficult to cut‘and harvest. So far as the first consideration (the. cutting) is concerned, it will be found that the horse rako can well replace the mower, for when the peas are fully ripe they will easily pull out by the roots. The haulm can be raked directly into heaps. The pea requires a considerable time to weather before it should be stacked. This is probably the only special treatment that is required. The usual practice is to thresh out, and stack the haulm for later use. The unthreshed haulm provides a most valuable ration for all stock. The precaution should bo adopted of restricting the quantity that any one animal may consume, or the effect may be serious. The peas that may Bo shed on the ground in the harvesting will not be wasted, if sheen or pigs are permitted to run over the pea field. Peas for hay or for soiling are often sown with oats. The proportion of this cereal and (he legume is about a bushel of oats to one and a half of peas. It must be remembered that the oats would offer too great a resistance to the method of the horse rake for harvesting; ! it would he necessary to use the mowing j machine. It must be realised that a crop I to be cut green for soiling is to some extent expensive in the handling. Still this is the I better means of securing the greater feedj ing. The grazing is the least costly, but it lis more wasteful of the crop. The harvestj ins and stacking as a provision for winter | will bo probably the more general tire of I the field pea. Farmers will do well to make I more use nf tins valuable leguminous plant's j especially as it is a great soil improver. I Now that the growing season has prac- ) tically finished all fruit still remaining on j trees should be harvested and carefully graded to eliminate disease and rot, and

( should bo stored in a dry, cool shed. ApI pies left on trees will only sutler from frost and effects of rough weather. Where woolly 1 aphis still shows cm trees an application of Black Leaf 40 at I-SOO can still be applied to great advantage, the aphis not having found winter quarters in crevices being destroyed. Later on, when all fob age has fallen from trees - and pruning operations are complete, the heavy winter oil spray at 1-1-can be applied, which will penetrate to where the aphis is hibernating during the winter months. Binning can be started on stone fruit whore bare nf foliage. Fungus diseases such as Shot Hole of apricot and plums, French Curl on peaches and rust will be much reduced next season by an application of Bordeaux mixture li.-i.-lf) at this time of year, this will destroy the spores which entry disease forward to next season. Where new trees are to be planted orders, if not already given, should be immediately placed with a nurseryman to mivp eieri- ( ointment. For Soullilanil the following • .if apph-s will be found most amiable Beauty of Baih, Woman ;rv IVarmain, Yorkshire (Irrcning, l.’einc-uo du Canada and Uyua-r. Stumble plums for Snutidaud ciimaP- ar,- .leii'erson, Victoria, Blue Diamond, Bin .-:; m Dam.-on and Coe’,-. CoMeti Drop. When pluming it is well to remember that rlmin r i- a mo.-t important turn under Southland em'-iteme. Any dr:.-u; m reonired in the oj chard should now be attended to, nil t r.i-Cmg drum-' n. A.I • el: u - live if otherwise, t'.i'-r v. .n-h v.u-f and other rubbish sh-ndd be ploughed m, !v:p mm tom iveu con.lt.-..led in locks were ike more profitable to fat it m The •’Murk lam' li:-.;ie- re-lev,my the ere;nr-, .-a/ t’i: : ; i :: line. 1 le i -o finish dim:- -. v ;<■ tin i'-die ’ e:m m: the heifer,- prove*’ more im'eio, Pern on dee than tin- Imli-.c!:.., and b. at hull of ;hen-. and v.t!h:".t e.x ;, -.i rehe. -mring -,m tinner eve: hi. 'l.v.y also prove | more- cv-, n -m 1 1 ru-.

v. >- ! .'i,’ vnrr.-'l cr-iv-tfu-nm'y nt ( this .-i Mid ; i ovr d much morn u.fveti 1 Ilf th> ir lood. t;!tlitji-.y.li 11-l 1 -- •'( o;>i pi- - ■ ■ ' v." , ■- m! v ’ . Win: I :• - i o. ; . I'm tv, e nf i piM’-.T.- ■ -- mv, and ;:, i; ; i wa 1 f ; ill£*’!ri'M! : i! .1 is alMV.ad 11l ;• ■ ; lure tat icn.:,;,' ■ -i. a.- , , i.f: n i.ani t ivl £f c; j;i c:..*m un. j..t on ! h;a point has | r;-: 1 1 i ■ :::• 1 :1 1 .■ , o.ion.y of . i..• ;>r • lice of I good i’cj:iiipof •: >t waiting iiil in:; o;f | mm i.::a . ■, i i i;; tin fall v.ing 1 qualities ~f mm it■-•••!. a- iiuk- or j; r;ri:i:i.r A I lost in • lie nbik. Ov. ill ha rr:na'"-tion (hip lo the shortu. - :!!■ 1 ■;n , i • • ~,• -:. Ny worK- - a: .'oillhdown dosed Oil MalliM ::.y. lac 1:., n ;n 1 I he • I'-’Miu uin-K' the n, i'liv.!::;; Vi ci'n. .-(icy. : i'he* V,'e. ;!b id Tree.-hr: foiing-uy kwi wc?;: w. only '.voil.ii: •: : ; Imlf capacity. air A. J. Act l !., of .1-hi ii;i;el!, rccon'd.v A‘l‘. i) Mr A. l .- ii'.'lvy, :>[ , ".•iui'nvn, n 'i-nii.-rv, a sin-y 1 rad 1 1 VjiJt-rL dingus i: I bullock for ,I 1011, -hr iveiin was iasyaiathe uimal for .-how purposes, but ho chough; wi: too wood a price lo refuse. Kccont Sydney cables state that tiie report' trom ihe stru-kaa back country coa- ; tiniic dolorous. o»er wide grazing areas i site :Uk'.-i it. .Hal ving and (none, or ha.s been removed to districts where feed is available. j The outiock for tha winter is regarded as ' oiuinou::. The position is one of the worst ■ ever experienced by sioek-jtrowers. j lav cry point iiiiiuathr of production in 1 the cow should be prevent in that contour ; of tha dairy bull. He should be out- ■ standing in ad indications of constitution, j capacity, nervous temperament, blood circulation and ability. To determine the presence of any of these essentials ,the examination should begin at the head and end at the tip ox the tail. The following description should be complied with:—The ■ nostrils should be large and open; the mouth j largo; the jaws broad, wide, and strong; the face long and elean-eni idoni the eye to the nose and extremely broad between eyes tha! are large, ptomimmi, yet placid and expressive. The horns, though heavy tha base, should Ire c{ reasonable size end not coarse; the ear, of medium size, rather than coarse, mu! covered with short, line hair in.'.cad of that which is long, coarse, and wiry. The neck should be j long, clean-cut in the throat latch, well developed in the region of the- windpipe and well crested on top, denoting masculinity. A bead and neck of this sort go far toward indicating constitution, capacity, : nervous ienipcranumt, character, ami preI potency, ail of ivliicii ait desirable poin'j to be transmitted to the offspring. Tiie shoulders should lie oblique and not coarse, although masculinity encourages coatseno.-s to some extent, and bulls are always heavier. comparatively, in the front quarters ilu.it cows. Depth of cheat and oblique*

ness of shoulders tend toward narrowness at the withers. There being no reason for width at this point, it is a mark of excellency for the top of the shoulders to be pointed, giving the animal a wedgeshaped appearance when viewed from in front. As further indications of constitution, capacity, and quality, the heart girth j and barrel should be long and deep, the ribs deep and well sprung, and the body covered with hide that is soft, pliable, elastic, and oily, the hair fine and silky. These points, with the exception of the character of the hide and hair, are more evident in the male than in the female, and therefore, more readily distinguished. Furthermore, in the well-bred sire of proper form the backbone shows, greater development, is more open jointed and, larger, and like the well-bred cow of desirable conformation, there is an absolute freedom from beefiness in these regions and over the entire body. Much consideration should be given the hind quarters of the animal, for these parts indicate the ability he is liable to transmit to his female offspring. Reasonable width between prominent hip ( bones, great length and straightness from i the hip to the pin bones and width through the thurls indicate that there will be a like conformation in the calves. In the case of heifer calves these points indicate that wi'.n they have grown to cowhood they will have roomy, productive organs and long, well-balanced udders. If the bull’s ramp is short nnd drooping, and there is narrowness between the thurls, it is quite likely that his calves will be of the same conformation, and few, if any well formed and well-balanced udders will result from his use. Viewed from behind, the thighs should be thin, well curved, and free from fat and beef, forming an arch that is at once high and broad. By conveying the same peculiarity to his effeminate offspring suitable provision is made for the placement of an udder that may be wide and hung well up behind. Bulls beefy in the hind quarters and not cut well up behind should be guarded against, as their heifers are seldom of a desirable sort. As an indication of the size of the udders and the placement of the teats on the progeny of the bull the rudimentary teats which should be found forward on the scrotum should be recognised as an index. It is believed that if these teats are large the teats of the female progeny will be largo, and if the rudimentaries are placed fur apart the teats on his daughters will be placed far apart. In addition to being a desirable trait this is an indication that the udder will bo both long and wide. Mammary veins and milk wells are important points to observe in .selecting sires, for, as in the cow, they indicate (he volume of blood (lowing to the lower parts of the body. Inasmuch as it is so important that there should be a great flow of blood through tlie udder of the cow, it is necessary that tile characteristics of the bull indicate that ho will transmit that trait to his descendants. Bulls differ greatly in size, length and development of mammary veins much as do cows. Some of thorn have large veins that pass as far forward as the shoulder pits. Others have veins that are small and short, with no signs of branches, and curling in milk wells that are so small that they are difficult to find. It is not to lie expire]ed that a bull’s veins and wells will bo as large as those of the cow, for the same reason that the veins of a young heifer or a confer advanced in the period rf lactation will not he as large as those of an older cow or one that is giving a large flow of milk. Heavy production develops the size, and it is noticeable (hat cows well fed and forced to yield large amounts of milk for a long period exhibit greater veins and wells than those that have never been stimulated to do their best. Nevertheless, the pre-cnee of large, iotluou;, numerous milk wells on the sire indk-al-.' that Ins heifers v. ill iiavc correspondingly desirable veins and veils. When the heifers come into milk they will be developed by good care and feeding.

In a letter to The Leader from Wellington, N.Z., Mr A. W. Jon.'?, of St. Alltans, Geelong, states that he !.:i> completed his inspection of the 1.-aning Friesian herd' in the Dominion. Mr Jones states that in ye.'cedin',' 32 'MPt- ■ m! one young bull parch;.---'.! during the tour, he kept as close a? possible to the Noth'; 'and family, and Mr Joint McDonald expressed the opinion that, thc.-e additions to tiie St. Albans stud will give the owner more blood of the Xcthtrland family than can be recorded by any other breeder in Australia. As he will raouire anoihar nvii n; xl- s "a.-on. Mr Jones: .Dieted on" in the sit;.! o a ai.i’i-hed by . "N.:!i and : on-. He A related to Nethi rland family, pi.: sire, an ini; oria.l i dll::; om of ! : ■ r.r.v raw i'a.hhng tiie highest n-cot'd in lit.' if; 3 a it Kmpire, viz.: Mi!.:. i’>>; dal:: Mat. 953 ih. The pra-ent owner di.to place t Ids bull whit a 1: heifers bat,ire sending hint to the St. Albans stud. Mr Jones bis a it'-rd of fpl) made cows, winch ha ('('rices to replace with padim-ee Jei-ry and Friesian slock. ’i lie 1 fie toil lei ns r,- in New Zealand an:;ss.;.;e mu-h bigger prices for ',heir sto. i: .n i .■:• nsvr r.;ti;vc, end Mr hr; e;;;"'.’ ; c; it.'on that outside vs " i; we iis.e .;;anv oyiiorl'unities in 'rite Do.,',hd in '- hn is eons hen"! >luy ;iI not I Z;-.d..11(! (i .fy hti.u'n; a:.; I it. y car.!;'" Set'f’i :;:;V I liii.y srii; i' Ann ns. i i 1 • '-s i t;; bee", thrnonh i nhi .l suit' - and Its nig -een ltd;, . :.r- in.,:, nh, in; r ; - - iM- ! ;.n,t lirr;'(le’s ;;f d-iyv caitl-e iiiv-'U'dioit: Ar..--frahtsia have 'nna'i to learn in the way of *’• i ding 'nah'.nvad • tions to dairy cow-, tie :,i . .\"V '/.<• ■:,’• ( son,-, of the ig ( r c :*'t *:■ - -a f t dai.'y entda, l.fi; tin yenn.;;- tin- opin'.;; nat m nr a;s: ,a;g many li;e ifondin n i rn :o ids A.;, art ■ ■nr a ,i; in 't \ h;‘in ; ; i .. i i hj. m for t he I■ i ■ 1 1 prodm. non. s ;' son; ~ found tn in'..! t.mi. .' erlien 1 r ' i f. n ■ ;dl n, hr r( --, c ca-- - .he I:';-., dendi dm ■ he .h- o v’e. i .- i in n in.:! i si.nng good e.ie ih: ' !:• Ira. dm %. :y In si ,m) (;micr tJne o' n -i ,t ;e To Vicioria (: a (.h-.verr.t:!a l .; iiiii "'.cry bree-ler enteriug the tan juu- - pit: , l! sautnl cows in t’s.e I"sl tip to Mho yef-rs of ;.ge, show how th-.v arc ! I ’nsg■ r.re f.tily :d!owa: 1 to m il; ; it. ■ ; !"■••<•• n da,,'. Any buyer coming riiio Vinoim cs.it go to the i)rnati"nmt of ’an- :;"d i'o.i out trot!! 'hr S’ 'vimt 1 ■ hssis o; fan ".m iweaders arc doing u;-d- r i-.-st. him; n; it s' -S.i i ),". M. , ~.f ;P'r (r t Its,’ ih ,m-r ! i; ay :a a nt I :.. . Z . y.- 1 m. o! tahiog a !i v; i;t .. n i; or. in aottie cares p.'s,hue.ion is n\ .-r nine '.r twelve tnonths’ I; is seldom shown in these lasts how hang a ac-t a (ne.v has had before coining into the lest, or how long she is currying a calf, if any, during test. Mr .iones I old the New Zeah-ndi tv that “We have one weak point in our herd-testing in Victoria, inanely, as long as a cow ftr.-rhcns every firieei, ir-ontht-- .-he complies ■ nth the conditio:.;: ot the test. This is not fair to the cows, that are in the lest year in and year out. Some that have been awarded championships under tire tests are not entitled to it. It should only be awarded to cows which completed their tests the ptemou:- season, otherwise they should be handicapped or compelled to win twice in succession. It is a greater honour to a cow to win two reserves in succession for butter-fat, providing she is constantly under test, than it is for a cow to win one championship after a long tost. Our testing scheme will never give us the lAiUsfucttou we would like tmtd yem'-in and year our production is adopted, or until tiiose that are not in tiie test annually are handicapped. Under the present system a wealthy man has a. big advantage in that lie can buy otic or more cows that have probably hud a long rest and win the championship for production on a nine months’ test.” The .Sew Zealand Department of Agriculture, in Mr Jones's opinion, should make hst.t teiting compulsory with ; all piu'Ci.ied sound dairy cattle up to eight or ten years of age, charging, say. 2s ti l -. r 5,i a head for te.-.iii';;, and then award prizes for yo.-.r-In am! year-our production. Any matured cows coming into (lie Dominion should allow how i-i.ig a re.-.t limy had before the tests, olhcr-.v;sa they may have a big advantage against a poor man whose cow:; have been constantly under test. Mr Jones states that if rhe New Zeal-nd Goicrnutcnt will cany out his

suggestion then herd testing in the Dominion will be of practical value, and every breeder will be on his merits as to breeding and feeding for j’ear-in and year-out production. A buyer coming into New Zealand will then have a better chance of selecting some of the best dairy stock for yoar-in and year-out production. lie is sure all honest breeders will welcome and back the dominion Government in making herd testing compulsory with all purebred pedigreed dairy cows. Important details concerning the Australian and New Zealand wool position were supplied in the Federal House of Representatives the other day by the Prime Minister. He stated that the deliveries of woo! and tops for consumption in the manufacture of equipment on account of the British Government, expressed in terms of raw wool, were approximately as follows; —For the year ended March 31st, 1918, Australian and New Zealand wool, 800,000 bales; for the year ended March 31st, 1919, 900,000 bales. The amount allocater! directly to traders at the issue prices fixed on April Ist, 1919, was 450.000 bales. The quantity of wool actually sold by the British Government at auction since the auctions were resumed, in April, 1919, until December 20th, 1919, was 1.030.000 bales. No recent information was available showing the stocks of wool unsold in the United Kingdom, the United States and Belgium. It is just 100 years since the introduc- ! tion of the first plough into New Zealand. The following is teproduced in Booth, Macdonald’s catalogue by permission of Mr W. Barton, “Fareham,” Fealhcrston :—“On the morning of Wednesday, May 3rd, 1820, the agricultural plough was for the first time put- into tiie land of New Zealand at the ividdi-Kiddi, and I fdt much pleasure in holding it after it team of six bullocks brought down by the Dromedary. 1 trust that this auspicious day will be remembered with gratitude, and it? anniversary kept by ages yet unhotn. IS very heart seemed to rejoice on the occasion. 1 hope it will still continue to increase, and in a short time produce tin abundant harvest.---.1. G. Butler.” The Kiddi-Ividdi referred to is : la w known :::■ mi Ivcri. in the Day of i id awls, and the Dromedary is believed to have been a British sloop of tn; u in ...\v Zeal-uni waters. The Rev. J. G. w: i < in charzic of i!u- ini.'.-'.ob; hlhmon isirblisited in ißi9 by tin- Rev. 8. Marsdcn. Some remarks on hj aid vJnrs in the South, in::;by Mr H. M. .ilulehinson, who lias ju-t rmnnmd to Poverty Bay from a visit to tiie South JfL.vt, arc interesting Hr Ilutehiii.-on said that goo-1 faun? with bmldim-s and plou’df.ib!,- countty were sellin. r in tie- Southland province at mint Shi 10 .UN) per u'ul. Tiii-a to a North Marnier. was rental kahly low. but, of course, there wtts the disadvantage of tiie winter chmate which Not'.heritors md not r.r.der- ■ y ml. Hi’.! country and no i.v.e tussock canyitt;; a Go up to the a: with pi. ughabie srw.s. was m lliir; a I L-i (id. ami he was, in i’a. t. p in'., i out a ; dace Ihai It.;:I >n i chamo d I-am Is : l tiu t liatiiv. him Gi. borm-ite came to the conclusion that ihenpc.-t land in the Dominion was to 11 ■ found i:i Southland. Negotiate n : for the pitrcha-c by the Imperial. Go\ ernmnit of the Dominion's baiter or.':.'.il far next season arc now to r!y compit ted (says tiie Hamilton cortv oota'i (if the V,h eady Pn-s- >. Discs ha.: ,he .-.;;:decl. .dr ’,V. GoodfMlow, gen- I , mi i.mmayy ,A ih,, yaw Zealand C .-operathe -airy Coi.opa.r., Ltd., and a .lumber the \i-c, z .ca vid Butte;' Committee, | y led ;:.c.; idr T. C. Brash, asm t; at seers! a: y is the N..tii>n:il J>airy A-.-mi: i,rn a; V.’ci'lnyl oy, vcm reccnlly ; nit to J./ndon to conduct nc yoiisuon ■ on iichsif of Dominion producers. ib.ddently te-ms and I im.nLi; inns were now homo m cussed -;i I.otl- i Pi.:i, as, c.ccoi'lnn: to a '.••.'..'.'v.tr.ui recently I it w.m stoted, th.a; Nm Zealand ami Aus- ! India would malm cm excellent bargain fori their butter a! the j.re. em rel it;! price, in bine.land. l! v. a- cstim:.!;;! that this would ;, mm-' at ah'out 2- 3d per pound f.o.b. A pmvious communication received by the Duller (iouio-.itit r indic.uyi that the Imomial Government in:;'.';.led not only to continue the fixation oi prices, but also to ration butler (hiring the next twelve months. If sue!) should prove in lie the case (said Mr Gooiifelknv. it would obviously be imperative that the whole of the butter imported into Great Britain should hr purchased, in the first instance, by the ! Imperial Government. According to private information received from his company’s London agent, it was probable the imperial Government would otter the New Zealand producers the actual shipping and selling charges. If such an arrangement v. ere come to, it would be nccesary to stipulate that no other country, be paid a higher price. The Canadian dairy producers Mr Gondfeilnw added, were demanding complete de-control of the British . market, while Australia was asking for a free market or an equivalent to present retail prices, less commission. At a recent meeting of the Dominion Butter Committee, the Prime Minister was asked to request, the Imperial Government to reconsider its previous decision and allow New Zealand factories to consign their produce as in the post. This request would also have to be considered by the Imperial Government, The special prizes at the Sydney Royal Show for the best purebred dairy cow of any breed yielding the highest quantity of butter-fat on one calf was won by Melba loth of Darbalara, a Milking Shorthorn, owned by the Scottish-American Investment Go. Her milk yield for 273 days was 13 5101b, producing sS7lh butter-fat, average test 4.3 per cent. The cow that gave the highest percentage of butter-fat was Wagga Jasmine, a Jersey belonging to the Hav.'ke.'.fcury Agricultural College, but this cow aborted, which rendered her ineligible. In 273 days she producer! 95341b milk, representing 8001b butter-fat, average test 0.2 per cent. For 305 days her yield was 11,5<541b milk, representing 7431b butterfat.

Following his visit to America, the Victorian Agricultural Superintendent (Mr A. E. V. Richardson) is endeavouring to induce Victorian dairy-farmers to feed their animals better, thus to obtain, greater production. He contends that the mild winter of The Australian climate is a great asset, but that the dairyman must have made it a drawback. In America, the dairymen must house and hand-feed their stock all through the freezing winter, and this has taught them to -conserve fodder and also to recognise how important concentrated foods are if cows are desired to show a profit upon their upkeep. But the Australian farmer, having discovered that the cows can “starve” through the winter, without actually dying, lets them fend for themselves, with the result that it takes all the feed »they can find to sustain life, and there is nothing over for the dairyman. Mr Richardson urges that, the American system of regular hand-feeding should be universally adopted in Victoria. I The position of the butter supply in England is very serious (states the London Grocer of January 3) and there appears to be no prospect of the situation being relieved until home-produced butter becomes available. Adverse weather conditions in Australia have seriously affected the production and New Zealand has suffered from a similar cause. The quantities afloat from the above sources are seriously below normal; in [ire-war limes it was this source

of supply that greatly helped to keep butter prices down. The absence of good supplies from Siberia is keenly felt, and stiff rates have to be paid to secure Danish butter. Dutch can be had, but the authorities hesitate to pay the price wanted. It is believed that certain quantities may be forthcoming from the United States,.but nothing large enough materially to influence the situation. Butter will remain short and consumers must perforce adapt themselves to the adverse' conditions arising from the war and the unfavourable weather in the colonies. The fact that manure itself is not a balanced plant food, but may, with profit, be reinforced with phosphate, is becoming more and more a matter of general knowledge. At the Ohio Experimental Station fertiliser added to manure increased tha yield of corn by 11 bushels per acre. The residual effect of the fertiliser increased tha wheat crop which followed the corn by ofi bushels per acre. The clover crop, following the wheat, showed a gain of 1100 pounds of hay per acre. The fertiliser paid for itself three times. The live stock statistics for New South Wales indicate a decrease of in the number of sheep in the State at December 31, 1919, as compared with December 31, 1918. The decrease is almost wholly attributed to drought; heavy losses occurred with breeding ewes, and the lambing was almost a failure.

CATTLE. Recent Before Estimate. War. Argentine , . 27,050,000 25,867,00 Australia 12,349,000 11,745,00( Brazil 28,962,000 30,705,00( Canada 10,051,000 6,533,001 Cube 3,962,000 2,830,00( Denmark 2,142,000 2,463,001 France 12,443,000 14,788,001 India 130,145,000 125,042,001 Italy 6,155,000 7,100.00C Japan 1,343,000 1,3S9,00C Netherlands 2,301,000 2,097,00C New Zealand 3,021,000 2,020,00( Norway 1,119,000 1,140,001 Paraguay 5,249.000 2,461,000 Spain 3,071,000 2,879,000 Sweden 3,020,000 2,721,000 Switzerland t , 1,616,000 1,443,000 U’d. Kingdom 12.311,000 12,145,000 United States 67,866,000 56,592,000 Uruguay 7,803,000 8,193,000 Totals 341,979,000 320,159,000 SHEEP. Recent Before Estimate. War. Argentina 44,850,000 43,225,000 Australia ,. 86.683,000 92.047,000 Brazil 7.205,000 10,653,000 Canada 3,053,000 2,175,000 Cuba — Denmark 470,000 515,000 France 10,487,000 16,213,000 India — Italy 11,000,000 11,000,000 Japan — Netherlands 521,000 842,000 New Zealand 25,828,000 23.996.000 Norway 1,281,000 1.327,000 Paraguay 600,000 222,000 Spain 16,012,000 16.441,000 Sweden , 1,344.000 OSS.000 Switzerland 172.000 101,000 U’d. Kingdom 27,063,000 27,552,000 United States 49,803,000 49,719,000 Uruguay 24,000,000 24,000,000