FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 392, 18 May 1910, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

Recently a dairy herd changed founds near Manilla at iilO per head. Seeing that the 'herd numbered 45, it is a booming price. Another herd in the same district changed hands at £8 per head. It can be largued (says an exchange) that these prices, though high, is not a had speculation for ft buyer, taking it for granted that he is assured of their quality and calving dates. It is a move economical way of selecting a herd than buying here and ttfierc at'£s and £0 a head. At the meeting of the Hawera branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union oh Saturday the acting-chairman (Mr. Willis) read an extract from a newspaper showing that in Denmark 40,000 cows had given a .percentage of 2801,bs of but-ter-fat per cow per year. Mr. Corrigan pointed out that there were about 150,000 cows in Taranaki, and that the percentage of butter-fat per cow was only about ISOlbs. He thought this was too small, and that the percentage ought to be much higher. This view was shared, by other members present, who considered that an improvement might be made by the initiating of a milk-testing association a.s was .proposed by the El-1 tfoam branch, who 'have a remit to this i effect for the Provincial Conference this J week. It was resolved to instruct the i Hawera branch delegates to support thisj remit.—Sta-r. At the annual meeting of the Stratford branch of the Farmers' Union (the Post reports) Mr. Mapp stated that he was pleased to notice the chairman's re-! port had mentioned that there were probably 100,000 farmers in the Dominion, who with their wives and families num-1 bered 300,000, thus constituting about one-third of the population, instead of only numbering about 40,000 as stated by the Premier in a recent speech. The 1906 statistics gave the number of farmers ps (ii'.OOO, so that the chairman's Iknires were more likely to be the correct ones. Seeing the .farmers and their dependents numbered a third of the Dominion's .population, 'tifoey could obtain a .hearing for their demands if they made their voices 'heard in combination. Writers Mr. Geo. Armstrong to t'he Opunake Times:—There is one dairy factory in the Inverell (N.S.W.) district, and the cream is carted to it from the farms. The farmers place their cream on a stand, and a carter picks it up and conveys it to the factory. There is a great'future here for the dairying industry. Lucerne .grows well, and three or four crops can be cut in a. year. Two years ago a farmer put in 1000 acres of lucerne, and his neighbors thought foe was mad, but when he sold 1000 tons at £4 per ton. and kept more than that amount for his own stock, people thought there was something in it. He intends putting in milking machines and milking 500 cows. As he cannot get families in the district to work on the farm, he .has sent to London for twelve families. As 'he considers it essential that they should iliave a church to go to, he has .promised £SO towards the erection of a building. Along the coast paspdum is being freely grown, and it is considered wonderful how it flourishes ■where there does not appear to he any soil or moisture. It is the means of making rich raeu out of poor farmers, who have been struggling all their lives.