RADNOR ROAD.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 48, 26 February 1913, Page 2

RADNOR ROAD.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Owing to dry weather some of the .turnip crops.had to he re-drilled, but the majority are doing well now. Westheld special turnip manure seems tg bo producing excellent results this season. There are so many chemical manures on the market at present that the ordinary farmer is puzzled what combination to use for tiny particular crop. Taking phosphorus, potash, and nitrogen as the three chief elements used by growing turnips, a popular combination to supply these elements is as follows: Super for phosphorus, sulphate of potash for potash, and nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia for nitrogen, with bonedust, slag, or guano as a stayer. But there may be other equally good, and perhaps better and cheaper combinations for Taranaki soil, which can only be discovered by local experiment. This, we are glad to hear, the Government are undertaking on a -small scale, and we hope they will publish results in leaflet form. There are some very good oat crops in this district, and so far we have had good harvesting weather; still, we would not advise those who have late crops to hang off too long. . .Cereal,or grain crops appear to do njuch better ofvlate years than formerly, and the bij|ds aro not nearly suchla nuisance since the bush has been cleared away. ’ : Probably some of the pat crops around here would run 80 ibushels per mere. We axe glad to say: that tho manufacture of casein is going along smoothly at the Midhirst factory, and wo must congratulate the directors -on their enterprise.' ~ Some suppliers take the whey home to feed pigs, while a good number leave their share to be run off into the river. This latter method is:.-to he regretted, as the lactose or milk sugar has a marketable value. llf the process of extraction is not: too costly, it would he gratifying if this milk sugar could bo saved. Although of somewhat lower value than butter fat, it averages nearly one per cent, more in milk than the fatcontent, so that the sugar would run the fat close in actual value. Against this, it may he mentioned that extracting and refining nlilk sugar necessitates the installation of rather expensive machinery. To quote an authority: The whey is first treated with milk of lime, chiefly to coagulate the albumen, which latter makes an ideal marketable chick food. The albumen is precipitated <?n canvas filters. The whey is then evaported / under vacuum, which hastens evaporation. When reduced to thick syrup, it is run into the crystallisers, where it stays for several days until solidified. It is next placed in revolving cylindrical sieves, which separate the crystals from the remaining syrup. After being washed, the crystals are removed from the drums, and boiled in vacuum pans to the right density. The crystals are again removed from the syrup as they form, and granulated in a steam heated drum and afterwards powdered in a pebble mill. After all, extx'a'cting milk sfigUr i& not the simple process some farmers imaging.