FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 290, 2 December 1908, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY.

According to tile Hon. T. V. Duncan, a sum of something between .050,000 and 170,000 wa> lost to tlu> Dominion last year through butter which should have been lirst grade. A leading dairy authority informed the d'aimeiaton Times the other day that owing to the condition of some of the dairies the milk was *o contaminated that it went sour and spoilt the milk from the clean suppliers, so much so that it was impossible to follow out the dried milk process with it and that butter graded new went back after it was graded. The aggregate loss to the industry be described as enormous aad said that the only way •to prevent it would be to keep the butter sonic time before grading and then the low grades would compel the factories and larmers to deal drastically with offender?.

liLAIKLKC HKIiIJLATIOXS. In continuation nf the policy that lias been followed lor several yt'iirs past by tin 1 Slock Ucjiartnifiit ior the eradication of thai dread scourge blackleg, calves are being inoculated this season. Sunie Ihrec years ago tliis disease wrought great havoc among calves on Xaranaki 3 dairy farms, but since then the measures taken by.the Department lor its extinction have proved so effective that last year it was suggested that the regulations were to be withdrawn. 1 lie lesponiible oliicial. howevur, decided that lucllioda lor prevention of the

spread of tile disease should still be employed ; but it is hoped that this yrar will lii' tilt' last of general inoculiUiuu. With the disease practically -subdued it is said thai farmers have already forgotten its seriousness, and ill consequence of the indifference the officials responsible for carrying out the work of inoculation have not been accorded as much assistance as was formerly the case. Stock yards most centrally situated in some of the country districts, where a large number of calves could be satisfactorily dealt with, have been demolished or allowed to get into disrepair, and arc not available—at nnyrate the ollicials get such replies to their communications. However, in order to keep pace with the obligations of their positions the ollicials lind it necessary to put through as many calves as possible in one day. It is desirable, therefore, that suitable centres should bo arranged. Gillies and Xaldcr, auctioneers, have placed all their district saleyards at the disposal of the Department, but in some districts the saleyards may not be within reasonable distance of a large number of farms, and the ollicials would doubtless greatly appreciate assistance from farmers in the way of arranging for yards where the operations could lie proceeded with. Xo cases of blackleg have been heard of ill the district for some time. Oil farms where the disease was known to have existed previously, calves have been attended to, and the general iniioculation has now been commenced. The district being under the regulations means that farmers are not allowed to sell the calves at the saleyards unless they have mnoculated. For such an ail offence, and also for failure to notify the Department <»f deaths through blackleg, or what is thought to be blackleg, there is a heavy penalty. Farmers are certainly neglecting their ; own interests if they Jail to offer the Department every possible assistance in their work of blackleg prevention.— llawera Star.