FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 134, 15 September 1910, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY

TESTING RESULTS. Mil. ax-SGLiiUiVS OFFICIAL REPORT. , ! In the current number of the Journal of the Department of Agriculture there is a lengthy article by Mr. Wm. Singleton (assistant director of the Dairy Produce Division) on the work of the Dalefield Cow-testing Association. in a preface Mr. Singleton says that for some time past "progressive dairymen have been endeavouring to improve' the milking capacities of their herds. Iu 1 earlier years this- endeavour took the shape or recording the quantity of milk produced in the season by the individual, cows of the herd. With the adveiit oi' the butter-fat tests, together with the [ adoption of the principle of paying by; test, in about 1891, the method of cow-J testing was necessarily varied to takej cognisance of the richness of the milk in" butter-fat as well as of the total quan-, tity of milk, which latter had until that' time been the sole criterion." !

"It was only in August, 1909, (the ( writer proceeds), that the Cow-testing Association was organised. This occurred at Dalefield, Wairarapa, where, with tlie : , co-operation of the dairy company and a number of milk suppliers, the Dairy Produce Division has conducted a monthly test during the past season, including in all some eight hundred cows. "The season covered by this test has probably evidenced the highest production pur cow that has obtained for many years. The early spring, together with > the (most propitious summer and autumn, lavoureu as they were with rain 1 whenever the pasturage required it, pro- i duced conditions which enabled the ' dairy cows to make record yie.ds. The 1 increase in the average yield of some i herds this season will amount to 15 per i cent. 1

"A number of cows calving in December and January .would 1101 milk much alter tiie eud of the oramary season, since they would probably be coming in at an earlier date during aie succeeding season. In such cases Ldiey should be counted in estimating tlie general average. The mil/king period averages iJoi days. Au interesting table is inserted snowing tne average production of eacli herd, inferring to mis, Mr. dingie loh ia,ys; — "This tab*e discloses the fact that these nerds have received a good deai ui cuning and improvement at the hands of their owners. A certain amount of weighing and testing had been done at some tarns priot to the starting of the testing associatioji,' aid some of the : nerds yielded vefy creditably indeed, some wno think these records too high may bfe suggest that the figures are unreliable. It can be confiutuuy stated, from-checks made by the division, that there is very little, if any, discrepancy K.'tliis ejection. In fact, these checks' indicated that members aa a whole were .careful .with the portion of the work 'wiiicli constituted their | shsire of this' co-operative movement.. The average test" for the season of the average cows is not higher than, that ot the average 'factbry supply, while tlie weights submitted' by the several members whose figures given herein have been found' to J agree 1 , (slosely with the quantities of tfwe delivering at the tinie such" weights were taken."

'From the; Mhenic--on Monday there, >vere landed; > a 'Jine o of. Komney Marsh sheep for ■ >!*.« iiJi< * iteidj of Oamaru. Mr. Reid bought has 1 importations at the ( JRoyal, the. ißatiij' and* the West of Eng-. land shows. 'all' were -bred by Jtr.j Charles Eltfaam, Kent. Sixj sheep were- Slipped, : but; 1 unfortunately,; two died 'on fit»e 'way ;l Out. j Settlers it" titf- Mredtoa- district ar?j somewhat altoined-ato 1 the spread of the shrub "tawhiriu." An effort is being) made to iniftice 'tlie' Government to, schedule it-us* taSxjotis weed. Tawhinu, it may be htenliG&ed, the effect of sweetening' ilie - The average yield' of 1 potatoes in the United States; sWys an American writer, is 96 acre! The highest average m" 't&e 'desert State of Wyoming is' 26& !bu;sheU," which is due to tlie of, one man,- who himself reached' IOOp 'bushels per acre, I The GoverniheHt'" Department of Agri-j culture is at; p'iegM, •circularising the branches of the, New, 'Zealand Farmers'! •Union with a viia4:t&;<tollectmg informa-| tion to determine';the'\causes of the in-j juries to the ttiri/Ip f 'crop last season, and the extent of Wc lbsses sustained. I Serious apprehelikion i! is experienced] throughout Dbininion at the damage, caused to turnips rase, and kale crops by the attacks of insects and by diseases' of a fungoid nature. Incidentally, it is 1 asked that in detailing the injury caused; by insects, the use of the name "turnip fly"" should be avoided, as it is mishad-' jng, there being no'flies that cause au> ( trouble to turnip crops in New Zealand, tin term "turnip "fly" "being used inlis-. criminately for either aphis or black | moth, information in regard to joth of; which pests is required. The ciriularj contains a tabulated list of iaquiriea, to which the Department feels assured! that farmers, being deeply raterescc/l inj the question, will give their earlier ana best attention. Copies., of the circular have been received by the executive of th Otago branch of tlie New /ewuid ]'a liners' Union (says the Otago Daily T.mes), and that body has decided, in its own interests, to strongly rea.mirucnd farmers to supply the information aiked for. i Lord Islington maintains a nice of Jerseys at his country seat in land, including a number of prize takers.: The cow brought out by Lady Islington has a beautiful Jersey head, and is alto-j gether a fine type of the utility Jersey, though she has a weak udder. She gave on tlie way out upwards of two gallons of milk a day, with a high percentage! of fat. ' In the business set down for the sitting of the Arbitration Court at Palm-) erston (writes a correspondent), no men-, tion is made of the new award, which: will have to be made for the dairy industry of this district. Both the union and the employers were anxious to get this matter settled at the next sitting ( of the Court here, but it looks veryj much as if it was going to 'be put ott'i till the flush of the season, when it Willi be inconvenient for anyone to attend the court. Furthermore, many factories | want to know how they are going to, fare, and what are the conditions that are likely to be imposed upon them be- J fore they make alterations, and provide j further accommodation at their factor-1 ies. There is a good deal of unrest I 1 among employees also, and it is urged that the sooner the matter is fixed up the better for all concerned. I A Beekeepers' Association lias been i ionned at Pahiatua. ~ ' | Statistics just published show tnati \ Winnipeg is the largest, wheat market, in the American continent. The crop /for the year that ended last week; I totalled 88,000,000 bushels. I ) "Will the Government endeavour to prevent the importation of weevij-in-

fected maize into New Zealand, and this (session legislate to that eil'ect'; asicu ' -Ur. Hemes in the House, liic Hun. T. . Mackenzie replied that legislation woulu be itetcasuiy to give ellect to wlmt was jfeiK-u. The question oi introducing u bill on the subject was receiving cartful consideration. I Tiie annual meeting of (shareholders in the .Viakahu Co-operative Dairy Co. took piace on the 9th inst., when Messrs. A. W. Lelimann and S. Martin were elected directors, and Mr. J. H. Thompson appointed auditor. The chairman was voted a honorarium of £5 ss. A motion that for the future no butter be sold on credit except to I suppliers was also carried at the meetling. At a subsequent directors' meeting Mr. A. Coyne was re-elected chairman of directors.