FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 345, 22 March 1910, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

PROSPECTS OF CHEESE. If the present position of butter is good the future prospects for cheese are equally gratifying. Here is a letter which Mr. J A. Turtoii, secretary of the Hawera Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., has just received from Messrs J. J. Lonsdale and Co., dated London, January 27, 1910: — "A few facts from the Montreal Gazette (Canada) in reference to the import of cheese into the United Kingdom may be interesting to you, and we think that you will see that there appear to be good prospects for New Zealand cheese in the coming years. From Canada, imports into the United Kingdom were 98,306 tons in 1904. This was reduced to 76,402 in 1909. In addition to that decrease, the United States sent us 13,334 in 1904, and this was Tedaced to 3765 tons in 1909. In 1904 the grand total of cheese received into the United Kingdom was 135,524 tons. These figures are significant, and explain the good prices for cheese during the last five years. The average price for Canadian cheddar cheese in London during the last five years has been as follows: — e. d. 1905 50 5 1906 61 0 1907 .. 64 11908 62 10 1909 63 0 Average for the five years is 60s 4d. The highest quantity of cheese from ..Canada and New Zealand has been 102,435. tons in 1904, consisting oi 98,306 tons Canadian, 4111 tons New Zealand, and 18 tons from Australia. While Canada has been reduced by 22,404 tons, New Zealand has considerably increased, and this year she will probably make up the shortage from Canada compared with 1904. The decrease from the United States is not likely to be made up, unless New Zealand can supply it. In fact, from a glance at these figures, it looks, as though the United States will import cheese before very long. The imports into the United Kingdom from all other countries during the last ten years are about stationary, and have not varied above 7000 tons during the whole of the ten years. The United Kingdom does hot import above a quarter of the total of its cheese from foreign countries, and three-quarters from Canada and New Zealand."

GENERAL. Within the last few years the term "intensive" has become pretty generally used in connection with farming', especially as inrmers are being urged to avail themselves of the many advantages which thorough cultivation, liberal manuring and the use of modern labor-saving implements have placed within their reach. It is generally admitted that freedom from weeds, thorough cultivation, and liberal manuring are the chief essentials to successful farming. With a little more enterprise on the part of fruit-growers in this Dominion, and with assistance from the Department of Agriculture in the way of experimenting, there is no reason why the fruit-growing industry of Few Zealand should not be very largely developed, and with the assistance 01 information gained out in Canada it may be expected that a large industry in fruit culture may soon be developed in this Dominion. As showing what may be <lone in the way of increasing the wheat yield by the employment of methodical rotation of crops, and more care in the selection of seed, it may be mentioned that in 25 years, according to official figures, the yield of Missouri, U.S.A., was increased by these means by 1.8 bushels per acre, or, based on the area seeded in 1908, by 9.500,000, equal to 14 per cent.

A weather-prooi whitewash —State Dairy Commission D. M. Wilson gives the following composition of a good outdoor whitewash: To a half bucketful of unslaked l'me, add two handfuls of common salt and soft soap at the rate of one pound to fifteen gallons of the wash. Slake this slowly, stirring it all the time. When finished this will make about two bucketsful of very adhesive wash, which will not be affected by rain." The recent rains have greatly benefited grass and forage crops in the Marlborough district, and a plentiful growth of autumn feed is now assured. Potato blight appears to be .spreading in South Canterbury. It is stated that nearly all the crops in the district between Geraldine and Timaru are affected. The bush districts south of the Waikato are reported to have suffered greatly from insect pests in the form of caterpillars, scarcely a bush farm escaping loss in this form. The Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Company, Ltd., report that up to February 28, their oiitput of fruit for this season totalled .47.000 cases. For the same period last year the output only reached 19.000. The arrival in London of a cargo of about 1000 carcases of pigs irom Russia a short time ago (says the Live Stock Journal of February 4) led to developments. ISlearlv 200 of them were consigned to a cold storage in Bcrmondsey, and there rejected. Up to £6l per head was paid recently for draught horses in the Riverina district of New South Wales. At the clearing sale at Yong, in the same State, £32 was paid for a draught yearling colt and £4l for a two-vear-oi 1 draught gelding. A Raglan settler estimates that several hundred pounds' worth of grass and clover seed were eaten by quail in that county alone every season. A good deal of loss is being experienced by dairy farmers in Poverty Bay (says the Gisborne Herald) owing to the stock being affected ('blown) by the rich growth of feed. As the weather becomes colder, and there is more moisture in the grass, the danger increases, and much trouble is entailed in guarding against it. One settler at Ormond lost two valuable cows on Monday night, and other settlers have had difficulty in saving cows affected.