FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 241, 17 November 1909, Page 1

FARM AND DAIRY.

Oat crops are in ear in Opaki, Wairarapa.

The Maoris of Waipa county, Hawkc's Bay, own about 150,000 sheep!

Hawera Dairy Company will pay out the sum of £5735 for the October supply, being at th>rate of 10'/ s d per lb. The amount of butter-fat received was 131,0051b. For the corresponding-month o la.it year 110,4101b of butter-lat was received and paid for at the rate of Is per lb. The month's cheque totalled £0528.

Mr. Kidman's horses sold at the recent sale at Kapunda numbered 2098. and flic aggregate realised was .£39,331)! Tlie horses averaged £2O 7s, and ponies £ll 7s. With other lots added, the number of horses sold was 2400, which constitutes an Australian record,

Taking the oomlitiun of the milk supply all round, it is suit- to s'.iy that till' standard of .purity and soundness has not been improved since the use of milking-machines 'became general. The opinion of many of the cheese and butter makers is that this standard 'has been lowered considerably on this account.—The Dairy Commissioner.

From 10th October to 31st October there were exported from the port ot Pa-tea lUsßcwt of butter to the value of £8250 and 5463ewt of cheese worth £15,21)0. New Plymouth during the saiiiie period shipped B!)B3c\vt of butter (tM4,!H«) and iuli4e\vt of cheese (.tol(iU). Wangauui sent away HOcwt of butter ( .CODil). No cheese was exported from the last-named port.

South Tarauaki dairy produce manufacturers iluive lately had some .peculiar milk to deal with, according to a wellinformed authority. The milk was not really dirty, though the samples looked bad enough, and there is l doubtless room for investigation lo ascertain the cause of the trouble, which has been experienced at cliees and butter factories alike. One theory advanced is that this peculiar milk is supplied only with the fecundation iperiod,. and that the milk is in some way affected by the excited nervous constitution of the animals.

Denmark is a country of small holdings, in I'JO4 the statistics showed that of a total of 75,271 farms 73,200 were not more than 2SB acres in size, and 70,000 were under 200 acres. No fewer than 21.582 were from 24 to 43 acres in extent. It is well worth recording here a system that exists for the promotion of small holdings. Under a comparatively new law (writes llr. 11. Drew to the Olago Daily Times) a farm laborer, as soon as lie has saved onetenth of the value, can purchase a house and from one to ten acres of laud, the (lovernnient granting a loan of the remaining nine-tenths of the money at 4 per ceni.. uf which 1 per cent, goes lo amortise the loan. The idea is to encourage laborers lo remain on the land instead of flocking to the cities, and to render them more contented and happy. These men. called "housemen,'' supply labor on the larger farms' or estates for part of their time, and during the remainder they cultivate their own little bds. The scheme sprang out of a desire to cope with the increasing shortness of farm labor.