FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 18, 15 February 1909, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY.

' A meeting of milk-suppliers held at •Woodville ra Wednesday decided to •make an effort to establish a cheese itac'tory in the Woodville district. Half the guarantee required was taken up at the ■meeting. It is stated that a large number of 'families in South Australia, are making a comfortable living on twenty acres of land, devoted to the growing of lucerne, 'which is cheaply watered by shallow ar'lesian bores. In connection with the very successful •district classes for farmers conducted •by the DlepaTtment of Agriculture of Victoria, the department provides the "staS, pays all expenses in connection with the course, except the rent of the nail, advertising, and transport of pupils, which is borne by the society under whose auspices the elass is held. The question of the establishment of eo-operatfve freezing works in Wair.ttapa, has been considered at a meeting of /the Martlnborough branch of the Farmers' Union. It was decided in the end that a meeting be held at Masterton, at which delegates from other district branches of the union be invited to attend, when the matter will lie further discussed. The proposal of the Sew South Wales Minister of Agriculture to take over the Berry factory as a training place for dairy factory managers and to establish a veterinary college in the vicinity will be greatly facilitated by the fact that thero Is a residue of the David Berry bequest of £IOO,OOO for the establishment of veterinary aTid agricultural colleges in the district oi BeTry. Latest advices from New South Wales go to show that in those districts where fruitgrowers have followed the instructions of the* State experts the fruit-fly ' has quite disappeared. Crops of peaches which last year were swarming with the maggots of the fly have this year not a puncture in them. The billions of maggots boiled and burnt in infested fruit last season meant the destruction •of just as many flies. Mr. Elwood Cooper, a Californian horticultural commissioner, is reported to have discovered a method of preserving tfruit in nitrogen. The fruit is first packed in papier-mache cases rendered impervious to air, but provided with a small opening. These cases are then placed- in an Iron receptael* from which the air is exhausted. Tl»» iron vessel j is then filled with' nitrogen, and the openings in the cases closed by some mechanical means. It is claimed that cases of fruit treated in this way remained perfectly sound and fresh for several months. The Ashburton Guardian states that farmers pronounce the present season to be "delightful harvest weather" in that portion of Canterbury, and that rapid progress is being made with all classes of farm work. During January 54,139ewt of butter ■valued at £275500 and 61,394«wt of cheese valued at £171,088 were exported from the Dominion. Taranaki's share was 2lJK3cwt of butter valued at £144,115 and 32,355cwt of cheese valued at £89,999. During 1907 Japan imported wool, n the form of "tops' and "yarn," to the vilue of £1.940,008, and woollen tissues to the value of that expansion in 'the Japanese trade Vill be in the direction of the finer qualities of wool, 60's to 70's, for the purpose of manufacturing fabrics known ~*s mousseline de hiine, which are now largely worn by ladies in Japan in garments' known as jiban, koslii-makc, and obi; also for children's kimono. They are now largely taking the place of silkgoods hitherto" worn, such as habutae, white and colored, afco silk crepe, white iand colored—these last-named fabrics ■costing about four and five times as much, respectively, as the mousseline do laine. ~ The steamer Kaikoura, which sailcil from Wellington for London on Thursday last, took a large shipment of dairv produce. The rough total is 43,000 boxes of butter and 12.000 crates of cheese are from this island. The Papanui, which ■was to have sailed yesterday from Lyt- ( telten, took 5410 crates of cheese, which. with the Kaikoura's cheese, easily make a record fortnightly cheese shipment (something over 21,000 crates) for the season. : Our attention was drawn to a milkcart ip Vogel-strcet this morning, complains the Woodville Examiner of Wednesday. This cart is used for the conveyance of milk to one of the cream-1 erics. It was in a most disgraceful state, and the effluvia from it Would '..'■•.' fcontaminaite milk half a mile away. Wc , will not mention the name of the owner, tout he is a gentleman that has a lot to say against the Dairy Regulations and any other proposal of the present Government, and we hope he will profit bv this reference. We are certain that if a dairv. .inspector saw the milk-cant in its present condition he would order V-.lthat it be burned.