FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 30 March 1907, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY.

A special meeting of the Maketawa Dairy Company was held on Tuesdav evening to consider the advisability of putting in a cheese phut. Mr. ISr'own. who presided, mentioned that il' the factory had been manufacturing cheese during the past two years, suppliers would have had C 57411 more to divide than they had under Initter. If they made the comparison for six years it would show an average of one' penny per Hi. of butter fat in favor of cheese, while the past three years would show an average of threepence per 11). of rat ill favor of cheese. The cost of putting in a cheese plant would lie about Chun With regard to butter, they had been very successful, there was no doubt, and some sahl if they went into cheese they would lose their successful connection. He thought the reputation of their butter was a rotten reed to depend on. They were at the top of the tree in quality, hut (heir butter only fetched them the same returns as the factories which were not at the top of the tree. The prospects for butter next year were not very bright, and he thought it would be a consigning year, which experience told them meant !ld to !)'/.d. They leu! done well with butter there was u» doubt, but from present appearances ne thought they would do better with cheese.

■Mr. T. Wheeler said in order in secure discussion, he would move—"That the Maketawa Dairy Company keep to butler-making for the ensuing'year, and keep oft' cheese for a time."—Mr. J. Kennedy seconded. After discussion, -Air. 1!. ntevens moved as an amend-ment—-That it be an instruction fo the directors to establish a cheese factory in connection with the Maketawa Dairy Company's present factory." On a show of hands being taken, only three were held up for the amendment and a complete forest against it; and on the resolution being put, it was carried.

A VERY NOXIOUS WEED. In certain parts of the North Island ragwort appears to have (irmly established itself, and to he doing its best (o take possession of the land—a thing it is quite capable of doing if left to freely work its will. Of all weeds it is one of the worst, seeing that it not only occupies ground which otherwise would be growing grass, grain, or other crops, hut also is capable of producing serious mortality among live stock. The so-callel Winton disease, which lias killed numbers of horses and cattle in Southland particularly, has been proved conclusively to be caused solely and entirely bleating ragwort, Except in the* far North, but little mortality among sheep has been traced to it, but up there it has killed many sheep. In the South sheep are often utilised to cat-down the weed, and it is said sutler no ill effects therefrom. This, however, is doubtless due to the. fad that it has not formed their sole diet for any length of time, anj. moreover, even when pasturing on rag-wort-infested paddocks, they have had available a good proportion of other food. Also it is probable that this greater proportion of these sheep have been slaughtered before the chronic liver disease produced by ragwort feeding has made sullieient advance to produce tracelablc symptoms. The southern farmer usually has too much sense to utilise his flock ewes as weed destroyers. In the North Island it is sincerely to be hoped that every farmer who is unlucky enough to have ragwort on his farm will spare no pains to eradicate it, for if il once gets far enough ahead there is no hope of cheeking it. The possibilties for evil possessed by the weed are so great and so far reaching that its complete eradication should bo treated as a matter of the very first importance by every agriculturalist and pastoralist in the colony.