FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 286, 12 May 1915, Page 2

FARM AND DAIRY.

KAUPOKONU[ COW-TESTING ASSOCIATION. Summary of returns for tlie 30-day» period ending 'April 21, 1!)15: — TEN ITItiIIJiST HERDS.

The average Association herd gave: Milk 39511w, test 4.8, Tat, 1!).241b5. The best cow for the period gave. -13.47 lbs fat, and lias also produced Hll.liSillm lat in 1.30 days. T!ie worst cow for tbe period gave 3.121bs fat, and has produced L'i.Ullbs fat in -230 days. Herd No. 5 consists of 12 t\vo-year-o!d lieifors, bred from tested cows, and have averaged in 231 days, -22-1.C21b» butter, fat. This shows what can be done by continual testing and by using a-pure-bred sire of milking strain. Vet there are about six hundred thousand cows ia New Zealand not being tested, and not ten per cent, of the herds are headod with a purebred sire.

NEWS AND .VOTES. Ihe Patea branch of the Farmers' Lnion lias dee.ded t;t lerm an agricultural class lor the district. Mr. j{. lirowne, technic:! 1 instructor of niiricultr.viy has aii.-ie., : d ; ; u . l.vnch oil the subject, and a romiuillcp ins Insr-u formed to carry (-lit iiull'.il '.irrau<';-:".!ients. , At least one duir.v company lms cause to con«ratiilate itself on not selling the whole of its season's make of cheese (says the Southland Timw). The. Tuatapeye Daily Company has received advice from its agents that its consignments of cheese have been realism;; O.'is. per ev.'iwhich is equal to the extraordinary price of lild. per lb. wholesale in. Loudon. The agents had strongly urged upon (he dairy company the advisablenesH of consigning its output. The area under potatoes at the Weleroa Experiment Farm this year, thoii|fh small, gave an excellent returnequal to about 18 tons per acre, the selection of good medium-sized potatoes for seed, which gil VO such excellent returns last year, was carried out again this year with the above results. Again this year several rows wore sown with the small potatoes usually kept for seed and cut sets, but the yields from'these lows did not approach that where the medium-sized whole potato was used, (lms confirming lsat year's experiments. —liorowhenua Chronicle.

Mr. Massev's reply to the deputation which waited upon him in reference to hardships imposed upon certain fanners by the obligation to cut California thistle will be received with a good deal of satisfaction. For a long time past, farmers have been subjected to irritating restrictions which (\ill for a relaxing under certain circumstance*, lint the most satisfactory feature of Mr. Massoy's reply was that the Noxious Weeds Act is to be revised during the coming session. This announcement may cause some speculation in farming circles, but it an earnest of the Government's intention to remove a number of harassing restrictions.—Dominion.

A well-informed estimate of the forthcoming maize crop in South Africa places it at about 3,000,000 bags. This is 50 per cent, above the normal, which averages about 2,000,000 bags. The Government requirements are estimated at about 00,000 bags per month, while the Union consumption probably will reach another million bags per annum. Making a generous allowance, therefore, for the military requirements for the next 12 months, the country should be in a: position to export 1,000,000, bags oversea.

Some people seem to think that the land campaign, which was gathering strength on the outbreak of the war, has been done for by Armageddon. T do riot think so for a moment. The case of creating a better, brighter and lovelier countryside is stronger than ever. Wo see that, in time of emergency, the strong back and clear eye of the conntryuian are the very reservoir of national strength. We realise as we never did before how much it concerns the welfare of the United Kingdom to make rural life a liner thing than it lias been.— Home Counties in the World's Work.

A '•cut-price" list of meat issued by a firm of butchers in Dundee. Scotland. Shown to the Chronicle by ilr. James Waldle, of Levin, make's interesting reading, it is not a special li.-.t of price's to met t the deficiencies caused bv the war, for the date shown on it is dulv, l!!l:;. Prices are as follows:—Fillet steak .Is »d per lb. Bone steak Is <ld, round steak. Is 2d, roast rib end Is Id,' shoulder Is. roast beef lid, salt beef Kldj mince (sausage-meat) lOd and Is, hough (shin) !)(], sausage 7d and Sd, boiling beef 10(1, or willi bone Sd, suet Sd. Mutton: Host loin chops Is 2d, best gi"ot (hind leg) chops Is 2d, gigots in 'cuts Is Id, shoulder Is, boiling mutton od. j

In a recent experiment at the Rhode Island Kxpcrimental Farm, U.S.A., to the amount of fertility in legumes, it, was shown that cow" peas and Soya beans were grown successfully on the same soil for five years without the use of nitrogenous fertilisers, tluit this resulted in an increase of nitrogen in the soil, and a tendency towards larger crops containing higher percentages 01 nitrogen. The larger amount of nitrogen derived from tile air durin" the growth of these plants should induce the farmer to introduce such legumes as cow peas. Soya beans and clover into his rotation.

Tost Fat, lbs 1 fiSII 4.1, 31.21 :> (lis 4.S 30.112 3 ■H!7 5.8 27.10 4 577 •1.7 20.47 4 liti ri.n 23.57 (1 ■tl«> 5.2 • 23.52 7 453 r>.i 23.! 3 ■s •180 i.fi •22.4 (i !) 4 i*2 4.7 20.57 10 :iI7 li.2 49.71) TJ:.V I.OWKST 1IEWK Milk, ji„; j i'nt. lbs 1 2H2 il.3H 2 217 5.1) ] 2.01 3 •273 5.3 14.05 4 :!;»> ■1.3 14.0JJ 5 33-} 4.4 11.87 <i 322 4.(i 14.H!) 7 270 5.0 15.07 8 3.57 1.4 lij.iU !) 3 n 4.7 16.07 10 353 4.5 10.20