FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 132, 13 September 1910, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY

A PRESSING NECESSITY. NEED FOR VETERINARIANS. It is an extraordinary fact that although this country depends on the various branches of agriculture there is in nearly every district an almost entire absence of veterinary facilities. In districts where there are thousands of pounds worth of stock there is not one veterinarian (says the Dominion). In other district where there are veterinary siygeons the existing state of affairs is not at all satisfactory. Ouo of the chief causes is the apathy of a certahi class of fanners, who have in this important matter not only penalised themselves by their action, or inaction, but also those farmers who were desirous of assisting to provide the community with si very necessary acquisition to all farming districts. A few years ago the "necessity for a vet. in the district" was about the commonest question at branch and executive meetings of the Farmers' Union. In some instances associations were formed and guarantees obtained for the purpose ol ensuring the services of a stock doctor, but, unfortunately, it has since transpired that difficulty was experienced in collecting the money due by individual members, and, in at least one instance, the few who had guaranteed the whole amount had to pay a considerable portion of it, and call upon the members who were hitherto in arrear to make good the amounts they owed. Quite apart from that aspect is the opinion of the Chief Veterinarian of the Agricultural Department (Mr. C. J. Reakes), who stated at the biennial conference of A. and P. Societies held in Wellington last August that high-class veterinary surgeons would be more famorous in New Zealand if they were afforded more protection—if they were not subjected to the competition of un-

qualified men. Departing from opinions on the matter, it is undeniable, as stated above, that most of the rural districts are sadly in need of the services of a good, fully qualified veterinarian, and that being so it is a matter of urgency that the question of making the necessary provision should be taken into serious consideration. There is little doubt that hundreds of pounds worth of stock are lost every year through the absence of a skilled man to attend to them. Mr. J. D. Mitchell, a well-known Taranaki horse breeder, recently stated that he knew of an instance in which a horse was supposed to have died, but when a veterinarian saw the animal he revived it and brought it back to such good health lhat it was subsequently sold for 170 guineas. Stories of ownerß losing cattle and horses a?id being tola afterwards that they could have saved them had they known the ailment ana the treatment are common. It is, therefore, good news, to hear of a revival of the movement to establish competent men in the farming districts. The subject was introduced at the annual meeting of the Kaupokonui (Taranaki) Dairy Company by Mr. M. C. Phillips, who suggested that Kaupokonui, Joll, and Riverdale companies should combine in the matter of providing the suppliers with a veterinary surgeon. His main argument was that "thousands of pounds a year were being los through want of a skilled man." He proposed making a guarantee, towards which every supplier should contribute los annually. After discussing the proposal, the meeting resolved to recommend the directors to alter the articles of association so as to permit the engagement of a veterinarian on a financial guarantee.

Mr. Newton King has sold the nice young Holstein bull, Bonny Bay, to Mr. Hastie, of Manaia, at 75 guineas. The Auroa and Normanby Dairy Companies have diceded to dispose of the output to Messrs. Lovell and Christmas, advance without recourse. The Hawera Company, which made cheese last year, is making butter this season and will continue to do so if the market warrants the change of policy. It is reported that Mr. Dollar, of Marlborough, has disposed of his Clydesdale stallion Lord Dundas for £IOOO. The horse is destined for the Waikato district. The London markets fluctuated very considerably during the season, our gross realisations ranging from 100s to 130s per cwt, states the annual report of the Meremere (Taranaki) Dairy Company. The management of the State Farm at Levin has obtained a heifer calf from the rather remarkable cow Mary, by the noted Holstein Bull Sir de.Kol Inka Pietertje. Mary is an ordinary herd eow of no special breed who has turned out to be a somewhat phenomenal milker. This is said to be her first heifer calf.

The Melbourne Show, with its 315 Clydesdales and Shires, is declared to have provided the best exhibition ot draught stock yet seen in Australia. The honour belongs to Xew Zealand of having bred the best horse on the ground, a son of Agitator. He was unbeaten as a three-year-old, and was placed third in the all-age class at Melbourne last year. He was victorious this year against twenty-one competitors in his class, one of them being a high quality horse just imported from England, which was placed third.

The good prices which have of late been ruling for cattle in this district still continue (says the Wanganui Herald), and at every sale figures are being bid that would have been considered wild extravagance a couple of years ago. Looking at some young beasts that fetched £3 l.'fe 6d, a settler informed us that the year before last he would have been glad to get thirty shillings for them, and the same condition is being reflected in all classes of big stock. There seems to be a big shortage at present in comparison with the demand, due partly to the fact that, owing to the low prices of a couple of years ago, many calves were slaughtered as not being' worth keeping. Mr. T. Quirk, of Konini, brought back with him from Australia some interesting figures relative to co-operative bacon curing operations in New South Wales. The North Coast Co-operative Dairy Company, which has a butter output of 8,387,454 ibs in six months, cured for suppliers during the same period 15,464 pigs, for which an average price of 4'/ 2 d was paid. The cost per head was 9s 3d, against 9s 5d for the corresponding halfyear of the previous season. The cost of killing, curing, and selling worked out per head as follows: Wages (slaughtering), 9d; curing, lOd; engine room and office, fid; Sydney smoking and general, 6d; commission, Is lid; | freight, Is 4%d; rent, l%d; trade, Is, 3V,d- fuel, liy 2 d; sundries, ll»/ 4 a- " should be mentioned that the factory is situated 350 miles north of Sydney, so that the cost of bringing produce by small coastal vessels to Sydney has to be reckoned with.