FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 161, 2 August 1909, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY.

It is slated that lust season there were planted with fruit trees in an area of a ten-mile radius of Hastings 350 acres, principally apple, peach ami pear trees.

"Wheat is proving the liest c-rop in Kng'iaild tliis reason, and the area under thip» grain shows, in several counties, a considerable increase on that of last year.

A horticultural society in England hat hit upon an excellent idea of popularising ils shows ami encouraging a love of (lowers among the children of the district. An arrangement was entered into with the local district council to supply the children with plants and mould, a councillor giving the pots. The children take the plants home and train them and then exhibit them at the show. There were over two thousand child competitors at the last show, at which Sir Thomas Upton gave a special prize to every first prize winner. There has been a conspiracy of departmental silence of late in regard to a very serious condition of alVairs in relation to New Zealand's dairy industry (>a\Vi the Wellington Times). For the want of strong and linn control evils have crept in. with the result that the Dominion's butter and cheese have suffered in reputation at the business end. The details are quite familiar to those intimately acquainted with the industry. l«or tlie want of a thoroughly reliable system of grading at this end and expert supervision at the other there | !tave been exports of butter and cheese ' laranteed "first grade" which have j 'lied out badly; as the result of the ;:iei.tl of factory managements large quantities of our butter have been ■water-logged; inferior (jerninn salt lias ni some eases beeii used for the sake of cheapness; inferior wrappers have been employed fo r the same reason, and both the cheese crates and butter boxes used bv some exporters have been constructed of green timber. The general effect has been to damage New Zealand's hitherto splendid reputation. The problem of the departmental officials has been intensified by the considerate that to give publicity to the facts would be to intensify the evil. I'or this reason many valuable reports have been suppi essed, and there lias been a conspiracy of silence in regard to the "whole matter. With this indication of the seriousness of the position we shall be content, as we feel confident that the present Minister for Agriculture nvill take the whole matter up in a practical way and place the Produce Division on a sound and firm feu ing.