Farming and Dairying.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7992, 1 December 1905, Page 2

Farming and Dairying.

ADUIiK.SyttS liV CJOVKiiNAfKiN'T , EXPERTS. THE QUESTION OF MODEL FARMS. I'lvder the auspices of the Taranaki Agricultural Society a meeting was held on Wednesday evening at tlx* Town Hall when Messrs (Jilruth (Chief (.'overnmeiu Yw erin.arian), kinsella (Chief Dairy Commissioner), ar.d Captain Young- ((iovernment Yt tori nary Surgeon) gave addresses to ihe fanners and others -who were present in large number, and the speakers were listened to with the greatest of intercut. His Worship the Mayor presided, and amongst those pres. Nt was Mr J. 0. Ritchie, Secretary of Agriculture. Captain Young dealt with the advantages of establishing <model dairy larins, not. in opposi-iiou (o (lie 00, , vernuii/nt. bin (>ll different lines. Ibeens.ulered there was a need for this in Taranaki. lie pointed out that it, was essential to make the. land produce as much as it can. He laid stress on the mvd of scientific farming. Sterilising milk was no good unless tins used for milking* were brightj and clean. He urged that a co-operation dairy farm should be started in Taranaki independent of the* (lovernnivnt. Everything oa this farm should be model, with a'complete system of be ok-keeping. They | could go in for the best breed ot cows and after that the best grade so as to prove which* suited t»ho district best. This could be followed by experiments in feeding. Jl wu.s also necessary to find out 4 what was the best winter feed and the best way to grow it—the most economical feed being thus determined. An experimental farm at Spots wood would not be a commercial success. Jl.o favoured the Agricultural Society taking the matter up in preferenco to the Farmers' l.'nion and he suggested a joint committee from th« Taranaki and Haw-era Societies should take actii.ii. The farm.should 'be near the railway line so as to be available for technical education of children.He left .Mr Kinsella to speak as an expert on the subject. He had indicated the general idea of the project. It. was not any good to jump on a farmer for ill-constructed buildings and arrangements, as it was far 1,-otter lo show him 'before lie built what he ouglu to do. lie had seen at the Show that day a liorst exhibited as a good animal but having the head of a draught, the hindquarters of a thoroughbred, and the body of a whale—(laughter). Ho had shown the great need of educating farmers on practical matters -ami though a model farm nlifght not pay them -directly it would be a God s.nd 'to Ihe colony. The larmers had eiih<T to gel double out of their land or face a slump.

Mr (••ilrut-h considered the idea, of a model •demonstrative dairy farm was very good. 'I he most enthusias tic Taranakian jwould not deny there was room for improvement.lie print, (•d out. the danger xif farmers 'buying cows about which they Knew nothing ; thereby running a ri.sk <h«t could be avoided by care, lie referred especially to the loss caused through, abortion which was an infectious <Msease. Although the Department hail done its.best to 'disseminate information (-11 live subjects of -abortion and sterility it was astenishing to find how ignorant Vhey were. lie attributed this partly to (lie Government not i s h.irging_ _Jor the information and farmers \aluing advice acceriling to what they paid for it. The treatment recommended by the J>epartniont had been prowd effective. There was 'no short cut in dealing w!ih these diseases: the 'details must: be carefully followed. For the treatnienl oi milk fever he advocated each dairy factory keeping two or three air pumps for the suppliers' use. In cases whvre matter was coming from the udder the only course was to isolate and dry oh. the cow. otherwise it would spreaA to and destroy the utility of the whole herd. As a precaution against ttiberculosis he strongly advocate.: the sterilisation of skimmed milk, thus saving calve* and pigs from infection. He cuuld not see any difficulty in this sterilising l ; being done, at the factories, though they differed from him on this point. Another | mallei of importance was tire necessity of [aru;ers aird their assistants laying /sort's: s on perfect cleanliness, and rprfyclrig germ production to a ininimunY. ' Complaints were occasionally made that butter opened up on the Hume market was fox to lie "off." Tlvis was mostly due to microbes emanating from the manure heap and contaminated water. For- I innately thd separator prohibited j most of the germs getting into the cream, but it returned them to the farmer id the skim "milk. lie did not believe in compulsion, but if farmers wuthl not do what was right, they should be made to do so.

Mr Newi on King, in t hanking Ml Gilruth on hi half rf the Agricultural Society, asked Mr Gilruth whether it would not be possible for the inspector to alt-end saleyanis and prevent the sale of stvrMe bulls, and was it no! advisable to have legislation on the subject If that could be done he would consider the meeting had resulted in some good. .Mr Gilruth agreed with mil Mr King said, but he v attributed thi cause (if sterility to disease, ami he was quite iu .favour of legislation. He pai'd a tribute of praise to the auctioneers lor Hie support and assistance rendend lo the odicers of the Department in every way.

Mr Uitchic. Secretary for Agriculture, said a 1 till had been prepared to ikocl tin' matter. and lie hoped il would past next session. Mr kiosi'll.v coiisiiliTr.t thai the oflircrs of Ihe Veterinary Pepart meat Ivad done a great' deal .of good in coping u iih (liq diseases mem icned h.v Mi' (iilrnth, and |he lirgvd 11nfarmers In lake his advice to heart. Mr (lilntlll and hiiiiHdf had for the lnsl live anil a half nil's Ibeon agitating for lho sterilisation of skimmed milk—a process which lin Henmark WHS »m<i« compulsory. With regard to experimental farms, lie sympaihised'Wit'h t-h<! proposal, hut considered its execution was n 'question of cost, lie considered Hint' the Slate experimental forms- i n . this: colony had not yet been l.rought tip to the murk, as t hey wen, jn ranada.. Tie ipiilc agreed ; that, something musl lie done to clteapeh tlie cost of product ion so as In meet Irnrl [irices and compete with other iiim-Ms.; He urged the weeding: o,ut of unprofitable cows, and n tax, on cows to pay, the expense nl, experts to lest I lie milk, and if il.is tax did not siillice they could auk (or a | CoVi-nvpu at s»bsily. .Vnotlver mailer was Ihp fjueslion of adulteration of Inittor, \Ye had beeij li-ying, said t'lio speaker, to produce a good) dry butter here. W c did not \want qtianlity liy adding isture, liuf- quality—one choice product. lie deprecatedjsending out unsalled butter. which lent itself to faking. This was a matter of the greatest importance to 't-he colony, lie considered the farmers owed Mr (I'ilruili a <l''ln of gral i!|ide for his scietit itic work on their behalf.

Mr Morton. in ; moving a heartJ|f vote of thanks to the officers of the I Oeparipient who had addressed them | thai e\epj|ig. menlioncd Ihe (pioslioii i of y-ivnig poluis jor b.ui.lci', arvd askI'd Mr Kinsella whether 1 he would n«>i allow the butter at the show to be pointed, as the exhibitors had promised a prize for aii butt .-r o\er point*. Mr Ivinselia said In* had Vhad m'. indicat ionfrom the ex,-cut ive t Mat point in»- was r equii-.-d, and he AvM ; therefere judged the butter without, pointing, but \\ould on Thursday car- | ry ouijthe wish of the Society. .Mi' (»ovet t secon-ded the motion. .Mr \V. K. Spuneer referred to the work of technical 1 instruction in dairying as mentioned by doling. Me consitlercd that the results of experimental farms could be taken ar.il applied to the improvement of tile industry, and he urged tint, school children should he (aught the principles u! ''daii-yinn. j|' a 1 farms Weiv ,si arl ed ( hev would bv the coping stune y( teciuii-

nil education in Taranaki. It was j only fair to get a Government grant \ Mr Kilehio agreed that it was no- I cessary for some experiments to bu carried out in Taranaki, ))iit as this I would lake linn} iio advocated experiments being- made on some of the farms in !he district. This was 'being' done in the Waikato with good results, especially in relation to the effect of fertilisers. I!<• believed the (ioverninent wotiklt subsidise' l-hese experiments if the societies took up the matter on the lines .indicated by him. The Mayor said this was the most interesting meeting* ho had attended in Taranaki, and. he advocated using waste lands for -grow-inK flax. The Oovernment subsidised freezing works and had ma-de money, and if \ bey suhsi-disul experimental farms Ire was confident if would benefit-tjho (Juverniuent and t'he settlers. The vote of thank* was earned by heart y aeclatnal ion. A concluded the proceedings-'.