FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 163, 9 January 1914, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

, PROMISE OF A GOOD IIAKYKST. CROPS IN NUW ZEALAND. From reports to hand from all parts of the Dominion it is anticipated («ks tin- Post) that the grain crops this year will he quite up to the average of the past few years, and in several district:* the prospects are for a bountiful harvest. In the Wairarapa there is an increased area under crop—principally oats. The fields are said to bo looking particularly well, and give grrat promise of an abundant yield. Owing to the lino weather, the grain is maturing rapidly, and it is not improbable that harvesting operations will begin towards the end of this month. On-the west coast of the North Island the condition of the crops is somewhat backward.

In Marlborough thurvesting is already being carried on. The yield there will be a distinct improvement on that of the previous season. In Southland the out crop is backward, owing to the prevalence of wet mid cold

The wheat and oat crops of Canterbury give promise of a satisfactory (harvest. Favorable reports have also been received from the Waikato.

As a continuance of the general trend of recent years, there is this season a tendency to a restricted cropping area, 110 doubt owing partly to the scarcity of farm labor, and also to tile increasing success of the dairying and pastoral industries. In the Wellington provincial district the area under wheat this year is acres, an increase of Ofit) acres over last year, but oats show a decrease of about MKK) acres. In Canterbury the ligurese are: This season, wheat, l - i,"),S. r )8 acres; last season, U7,G3d acres; oats, this season, 138,(14S ncre>; last season, ItfcJ,BW acres.

THE PIG IsmuSTKY. ' ' A member of tlie Eltliam Argils stall' lias had a long conversation with a buyer of pigs in Taranaki, and some of his remarks are printed for the benefit. of farmers. "Four years back the outlook was remarkably good," said the buyer, "and .•funnel's were sending in preltv . good stuff. The bacon factories paid pretty good prices then, and fanners generally were doing verv well with tliis branch of farm work- \ov.\ (he last few years things have gone back and (his is not satisfactory to the buyer or breeder. You smile, but 1 can prove it. I.ook here. The lni;,er gets his pigs nowadays just the same, but in lesser number.. and a lot more pig's die in transit than previously, and don't forget the quality has gone down. To get good results to stand foreign competition the curers need a good quality animal, ami, I'm sorry to say, this is hardly the case just, now. 'The principal cause of this is through dairy factories swinging away from but-ter-making and going in for cheese. On the skini-milk the farmer could, with the use of :> little corn, have his pigs ready for the factory in four to live mouths, and by careful selfc-tion, get three litters in a twelve-month. Now, with wifcy it takes seven to eight months to bring the pig to a condition needed for curing, and the quality is satllv inferior. The extra eight to ten weeks that the farluer has to wait, whilst his wliey pigs arc coming on means keeping him waiting tor his money, and also means lhat in many instances he 'has only one litter a year against three when butter-making was more general. There arc not neai'l.' so many pigs being reared nowadays coin, pared-that of three seasons back. Then n buyer had no diliirnltv in getting |>itf s i» a week around lilt ham. Now a buyer could visit'nine stations and be lucky if he can capture lot) pigs. Another growl, lictoro going ?n trie weighing pen the 13crkshii>- is filled up with whey and the weight is not really there, whilst the shrinkage in the whey-fed pig is remarkable. Some linn-, are offering .V/lal a lb. for pigs, and should get the very best at. that figure, but until Mr. Farmer will crowd a little more t corn and a. little less whey into tin Tu-iu-I wod-ft carcase tilings will continue as lliov are. The production of inferior qualitv bacon and bam may lead to foreign introduction, anil should this happen pi'ubably the breeders will be al the ( iovrniiiienl tii impose some import diitv. but. tilings should not b:> allowed to driil to that p.i.-s. The rearing of pigs should be prolitable to the farmer, bill now lie docs not seem to realise that a pig needs more nourishment ihan that contained in a whey trough, (live him plenty ol corn ami fatten liim up with solid bone. Then you plea-e the baconcui'ei' and the men or women who like j-tlicit' rashers of bacon, Kei p the pigs I to the whey trough and you are heading it'ic industry down the wrong track. . Tile British Dairy Farmer records an -interesting discussion on tin- subject by ■the Morpeth liura] Di-lrht t'ouneil. Tile . I follow ing are the arguments:

ADVAXTAIiKs OF Vt'KT HANDS. wkt ant) m:v MIi.UIXC. 1. it is the hum popular a:nl natural iincl Ikiil. I ll' (liiih* |)roj)ci !\-. iiinl I lie ii;i mis ;ir<' moisicucil with only ;i fciv (ll'(>|i< of Hiill; ufter iiiL' lirst IVvv .>i|'Liirls ir.ni! liccn ifis. t'Ul':!i'(l. so dial ilripi oil' ilic iianiU ,into tlic ));iil, it .'!i,ls )ni!kiiiu. us it .•sotirns tin' hands as well as the teal* mill ndiit'V, them mure nui'iilc. II H the luals arc ali sure and c!i«p|)t'd

wlli.'h dfiCl! O'-'i'Hl'S after ill!' (';! ]l" -has been wiiii the cow in udd woul].cr- s 1 helps t» sufim the wound* and jHev'ciils bleeding in some cases. So •it facilitates milking and keeps the ni\v (jUictfi-, as Ir-s pain h ?iii-urrc;!.

•{. li is easier to find n.en who can do wet li n:d milking, as only few can milk wii h drv haiid-^. a. h is easier t\;r Indium l ! - - lo 1* >iir. | and ,-;i the ntilkin:; (jnaiilio of flie rows i ai'i- les; liable to lie impaired by learnciv. heroinin;:; proikdent .-none)-. 11. V3ilk with w;-! hands can lie ef-iVi-tri; uaii'kcr and iimut eil'r.d ivi ly, and S'> I''- jiiiblc to l.a\e !he s!; ij > |»! n lell' in the cow, and so liie milk below Covevnnieni rla;v,k;id of f.u. 7. Tliero is alwa.s a certain aniunai of 4■ ]Mill e 1;:11 products in the t:■:11 s looselv attached lu'fiire iiii)kl:i:.. v/M./i siirki to 'he ii:i)i(!•. of the n:ISr• v. ead of I'alHit:' in Ih;- ji;ii). S. il. partially r\ l-- i'ae juivpu-e of damp; iiia;.:' tie- udder before milking. as iv ratcln-* litj.ii iJ* •*" pnrticles of dsi-i whieli mi«hl til hi'rwi-.e can.-.;- e->n! .i minal iiin ol mill;: e.-pr: ia!l>.* is tain so on fanns wiieiv ; hi-- me! !:od i/. practised, win-iv \v;!-'hii;f Ihr inkb r does no! occur.

IT- iMS.AUVANTAUKS. 1. I l oniparal.ive!y few milkei> will! use iltir> method jire Millii'ii't]v eaveful to prevent e\i'e<s <1 roppin;j <ill' their hands, carry and n-fuM l or even di,sense from tlumsHvfs or tin- row ui' (itliur iiTiimul into Ilie reccptacie. Tliis i.s a st'i'ions source of eom.a\iinat ioii in old-fashioned (liiiricn t and is especially important in the distribution of skin and. other hum; nil diseases, milk lx'infi' a perfect and universally luml food, as :^gll,a^ v aiv..cxgcllMit. medium l'or man/

(pathological organisms whore they multilily and grow rapidly at certain tempera- . tu res.

2. Milk used on the hands gets left on .tin- teats and udders, currying numbers La* bacteria, and collecting tliem from tile ,air. These multiply ra[iiilly, and then tiie milk dries on, leaving the organisms .ready to be washed into the pail at -the next milking. :i. Causes taints and bad tlavors in butter and cheese from mammal and other contamination caused by the drip,ping fingers. 4. If the nddcr in not properly dried after milking it causes chaps and sores .in tin; cold weather on the teals, which ■affect the temper of the cow, and thus the yield, by the irirtation caused when milking. 5. The first drawn milk is usually used for dampening the hands, and this should lie .discarded altogether, instead of applying to the teats to be washed into the ■pail later on. Thus the danger of tain's is increased.

The prices for all classes of fat stock continue high in the Wairarapa, and owners are besieged by buyers from -various Firms.

It is anticipated that the Wellington Meat Farmers' Company will experience a record season. The butchers at the ■works at Waingawa are kept going at top speed, and the output so far is greater tnan at this period last season. The secretary of the National Dairy Association '(Air. .1. <l. Darkness) says that it is hoped to clear up the congestion of dairy produce by January 21. Bctween now and then live ocean liners will sail from Wellington with big cargoes. The Arawa, which left for London on January 5, took between IS,OOO and 20,000 crates of cheese and between 1)0,000 and 40, Ola), boxes of butter. That wa:s the Association's shipment, and there is to be added to that the produce which the vessel will pick up at other ports. The lihahine, Zeala.ndic, Tongal'iro and Tainui will follow in quick succession with very large consignments. As is usual immediately after the holidays, the arrival of stock at the freezing works at Petonc has now slackened ofi'- Within the next few days, however , (should the weather be tine), slaughtering will be at iU height. There has not been a scarcity of butchers at the Clear Company's works at I'etonc since the commencement, of the season, and the majority of the available hooks were taken before the season opened. The applications for positions far exceed the demand. Over eighty butchers are already employed, and until larger consignments of stock, arrive, full envploymeut cannot be given to the. slaughtermen now on thw boards. The beef department is very busy, and upwards of one hundred head of cattle are being slaughtered daily.