FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 285, 11 May 1915, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

WEST COAST HERD-TESTING ASSOCIATION. The following id a summary of the West Coast Herd-testing Association for the period ending April 28: — FIVE HIGHEST HERDS, lbs Milk Test lbs Fat 1 537 4.0 '21.70 2 50.") 4.4 22.22 3 411 5 :i 21:52 4 457 4.3 "u.54 5 481 4.3 20.G8 FIVE LOWEST HERDS. lbs Milk Test lbs Fat 1 254 4.!) 12.44 2 20(1 6.5 '13.(10 3 285 5.2 14.83 4 280 5.4 15.12 5 338 4.8 10.22 HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL COW. lbs Milk Test lbs Fa* 870 5.8 50.48 LOWEST INDIVIDUAL COW. lbs Milk Test lbs Fat CO G. 5 3.00 AVERAGE ASSOCIATION COW. lbs Milk Test lbs Fat 377 4.9 18.47' CONTROL OF MEAT SUPPLIES. GOVERNMENT PURCHASES. £1,230,000 .SINCE MARCH 3. The Prime Minister lias had an interesting statement prepared showing the total payments to date to freezing companies and their clients, and the distribution of same, together with the weight of meat purchased since the Goi ernment took over the control of the meat supplies on 'March 3. The statement is as follows: — Weight of meat 'Amount, purchased t s. d. Lbs. Auckland .. 07,40« 0 5 3.377,532 Poverty P.av 18,313 2 5 830,081 Kawke's Hay 185,427 2 0 9,192,049 Taranaki .. 001 15 3 32,929 Wellington 337,493 10 0 18,303,38(1 Nelson .... 5,284 6 1 244,12(1 Canterbury 557,810 7 7 24,767,020 Otago .'... 7,099 2 « 230,989 ■Southland . • 59,102 fi 4 2,610,177

Totals .. 1,239,200 1 7 59.594,875 Mr. Massey stated tliat both the Government anil tlio Ship-ping Committee are taking steps to further relieve "the pressure which is being felt in Canterbury, on account of the drought, at the j earliest possible date. The Meat Supply branch has reported to 'Mr. Massey that on May 31 it was expected that there would be in the freezing store 2,120,413 mutton carcases. After that date it is expected to largely reduce the amount in stock. THE FCTUISE OF BUTTER. Although consumers are ready to complain of the high price of butter, j Is Gd per lb, yet it must not be over- j looked that so far as the dairy farmer I is concerned, the making of cheese is at present a more profitable branch of , the industry. Many dairy factory companies in the North Island are now considering the question of erecting cheesemaking plants, and there is no doubt that if the market warrants it there will be a considerable increase in the manufacture of cheese next year, at the expense of butter. That may possibly not come about, but if cheese continues to be the more payable product the only way m which butter can keep pace with it is for the latter to maintain a high price. An interesting article on the butter industry appears in the April number of the Agricultural Gazette of Xew South Wales, by Mr. M. A. O'Callaghan, the well-known dairy expert of that State. Tie is of opinion that the famine price of butter in the British markets as a result of the war is go-' ing to result in margarine capturing a great section of the community who were previously eaters of pure butter. It may be news to many that margarine is now on sale in New Zealand, even in ' butter manufacturing districts. There is only one factor, Mr. O'Callaglian thinks, may help butter makers for some time after the war ends, and that is the tremendous wastage which must be taking place in the dairy herds of Europe. Meat has become such an expensive item that the dairy herds of Great Britain and Europe will be considerably reduced owing to the sale of dairy coivs ar.il heifers for beef purposes. He points out that farmers in Xew South Wales and elsewhere have become seized with the possibility of the butter industry being I made an unpayable one by competition ' with margarine, and to-day a great many are/turning their thoughts towards cheese makim; as a safer industry in which to have their capital invested. The cheese industry, however, can be very easily overdone, as the world lias never shown any tendency to develop an increased capacity for the consumption of cheese in the same way that it has shown a desire to consume more butter, according as the quality improved, and the price became reasonable. Xew Zealand has practically supplied the deficiency in Canadian cheese exports to England, anil as New Zealand has greater facilities for the manufacture of a high-class cheese than they have in New South Wales, generally speaking, it goes without saying that Xew Zealand ia more likely to supply any further deficiency which will take place in the supply of cheese to British markets. lie urges those engaged in the butter industry in Australia to make an effort to reduce the percentage of inferior butter which is manufactured and placed on the British market. Mr. O'Callaglian seems to make rather much of the fact

that margarine is displacing butter, and that that is the reason why more attention is being paid to th<- manufacture of cheese. As an easily portable article of food, cheese, is no doubt being largely used in ieeding the. armies abroad and at Home, and it is commanding an exceptionally high price for the time being, and proportionately higher than butter. When this abnormal demand ifi over, cheese may fall more in price than Imtter. New Zealand is, however, -well fitted to undertake the manufacture of either article, as many of the factories are equipped with dual plants, and the. manufacture of cheese or butter can be undertaken according to the market price of the article. There is, however, a good point that Mr. O'Callaghan makes in regard to the reduction of the. dairy herds, and in this respect the Continent will probably feel the effects of the war more than the United Kingdom, which is largely relying on outside supplies of meat. It may be that after the war the Continent will become for a time as good a customer for frozen produce as it is likely to be for frozen meat.—Christchurch Press.

NOTES. For horse food, an authority says 10011) of maize is equal to 10811) wheat, 1131b linseed cake, 1-4411) oats and lOfilb bran for producing work when fed as a supplement to ordinary maintenance requirements. Oats, of course, were the ideal horse corn, but were often not the most economical, particularly for farm horses at slow work. A mixture contain maize, bran, pollard and oats would {?ivc tliem much cheaper results than oats alone; in such a mixture, maize would form the main bulk; while Sic bran, having a laxative action, would tend to regulate digestion." 'Molasses under their local conditions might lie used in limited amounts, as a useful spice or condiment to render inferior hay or cocky chaff more appetising. The late Sir Walter fiilhey, the famous horse-breeder, in a preface to the latest volume of "The 'Arabian National -Stud Tiook," stated that up to the present time more than 4000 distinct works, in various languages, have been devoted to the horse, and among these are nearly 00 in Arabic and Persian wbicb are specially devoted to the Aral) breed. The history of the horse shows that there have been two distinct types in Britain since the time of Julius Caesar, nearly 2000 years ago, viz., the light horse and the heavy horse. Use lieavv horse is a distinct type, and lias been developed from the ancient British war horse which evoked the admiration of Julius Caesar. This breed of horse was the anxious care of Parliament from a date nrior to the time of King" John; I and it is noted that the weight a riding j horse of this type had to bear, with its | mail-clad rider and the plate of armor I with which it was protected, might he upwards of 4cwt.