FARM & DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1915, Page 12 (Supplement)

FARM & DAIRY.

NEWS AND NOTES. Many agricultural industries depend for their profit 011 the by-products. Ail experienced potato-grower believes in changing the seed every two years. Keep the cattle of an age together. The calves will do better by themselves. The value and use of skim-milk are matters of great importance to the dairyman. Cows differ in their capacity to consume feed and in their power to elaborate milk. We require to follow more economic methods of production, and to prevent soil-robbing. The best dairy temperament in the world cannot find much nutriment or inspiration in corn stubble. Humus is the substance which contains the nitrogen, the most expensive of all elements of fertility. The problem is not so much how to make poor soils reproductive as to keep good soils in a fertile condition. Care must be taken in developing the constitution of heavy milkers along with their milking qualities. The use of artificial manures has taught us to value the farmyard manure more highly, and to save it more carefully. Lime is not primarily a fertiliser, but an ameliorator, of soils. It affects the physical and bacteriological condition of the soil and correct an acid condition. We do not know much about sunflower cultivation in this country, but abroad it has received a great deal of attention. The seed of the sunflower is worked up into a cake, and also is high-, ly appreciated as a poultry food. The Nebraska Station, after some experience in cow-testing, states that beef cows, though producing a fair quantity and quality of milk for a few months, generally go dry much sooner than dairy cows. Every good milker should possess a well-marked milk vein. The vein runs along the floor of the abdomen towards the udder. "By passing the hand along it can easily be felt. The milk vein is one of the best evidences of milking quality. In Hungary 70 per cent, of the population are farmers, while only 9 per cent, in England belong to the farming community. Ireland has 45 per cent., Scotland 13 per cent., Denmark 48 per cent., France 43 per cent.

■Professor Fraser, oi tlie experimental station o£ Illinois, U.S.A., reports that in a test made of a large number of cows in that State he found that twentyfive of the best animals actually returned more profit that the 1020 poorest cows he came across. An important point to be observed in handling farmyard manure is that it should not be taken from the dung heap always from the top in layers until the bottom part is reached, but should be cut into perpendicularly from top to bottom, so that the more or less rotted manure is mixed together and not applied separately. It is difficult to believe that means cannot be found for utilising to the fullest ex-tent the by-products of the sugar industry in Queensland. The official returns, however, show that the 1914 crushing season yielded something over 8,000,000 galons of molasses, which was 1,069,118 gallons below the figures of the previous year. Of the production of 1914, distillers and others took 2,500,000 gallons approximately; 135,390 gallons were made into syrup, 390 gallons were turned into food for stock, 470,556 gallons were used as manure, and something less than 1,000,000 gallons were retained in hand, while 37$ per cent, of the total was absolutely wasted. It is suggested in the report of the Government statistician that the wastage was due to freights and other charges.

The exceptionally favorable season I which has been experienced in the Gisborne district has had the result of bringing the cereal crops along in surprising fashion. Oat crops in particular have never looked better as far as*'growth of stalk is concerned. One factor however, is giving agriculturists some concern, and that is a peculiar blight which is affecting oat crops this season. This closely resemMes rust, being reddish in color. When the Government representatives of the Agricultural Department visited Gisborne at show time they were quite unable to say what the affection was. Jt may be some disorder which has been induced by the rainy season, and whether is will affect the crops in the same manner as rust will not be known until the crops are harvested.

The Cape Times says that at the Klsenburg School of Agriculture, South Africa, 15 Friesland and Jersey cows averaged for the lactation period 876 gallons, which is above the average in most dairy countries. In Friesland itself the average is fIOO gallons, but in England it is below 700 gallons, and in tho great dairy States of America 700 gallons would be considered good as an average. We do not know what was the cost of food at Elsenburg. If, however, 500 gallons were put against cost, there would remain 376 gallons as profit, equal at Is (id a gallon to £2B per gallon per year. If Is Od per gallon is the average value of milk in South Africa, that Union is going to be a veritable paradise for dairymen. Even this season, when the prices are abnormal, but-ter-fat is barely worth that pTice per pound.

A gentleman in want of a coachman had an Irishman apply for the situation, when the following conversation took place between them: "You know, Pat, if I engage you, I shall expect you to do things by combination. For instance, if I tell you to bring the carriage round at a given time, I shall expect the horses with it, and driving gloves, etc." "Ye 3, sorr," said Pat. He was duly engaged and gave satisfaction. One day his master came to him in a hurry, telling him to look sharp and go for the doctor, as his mistress was ill. Pat was gone for a long time, and on his master grumbling at him for his delay, said: "Sure, they're all here, sorr." "All here," said the master. "What do you mean?" "Didn't you tell me to do things by combination*?'' 'What's that got to do with it?" said the master. "Well," said Pat, "I've got the doctor, the parson, and the undertaker," /

In the Forty-mile Bush district, a young woman has been appointed second assistant in a cheese factory. New Zealand's export of cheese for September totalled 4813cwt, valued at £18,744, as against only 133cwt, valued ±1489 in 1014. All (lie country districts round Nelson report that crops are looking better than they have been known for many and many a season. Oats, wheat, barleyall are doing splendidly. If the present promise is fulfilled the Nelson farmers will have a highly prosperous season. New York's claim to supremacy as a dairy State is based on the fact that there are 23,000,000 forty-quart cans of raw milk shipped into New York city annually, 60,000,0001b of butter, and 13,000,0001b of cheese manufactured every year. ( The prices of British corn were as follows in the month of July of each year per quarter of eight Imperial bushels:—Wheat, 1913, 33s Id; 1014, 34s 4d; 1915, 49s sd; barley, 1913, 25s 2d; 1914, 24s 6d; 1915, 35s 3d; oats, 1913, 21s; 1914,19s fld; 1915, 31s Id. Agricultural experts, manufacturers and dealers should use the plainest and simplest terms when speaking of fertilisers, so that farmers can comprehend the names employed and be able to understand the benefits to be derived from the proper use of fertilisers. Roughly speaking, the number of sheep in the world at tlie present time is some 615,000,000, and of these one-third at least are found within the confines of the British Empire. This fact at once shows the great importance of the flockowning industry to the welfare of our own Empire and co'untry. Single sheep in show flocks sometimes weigh abnormally if the wool is not all of one year's growth. We have heard of a ram of the longwood breed clipping 331b of wool, which, of course, is abnormal when it is recalled that the average back clip is a little over a third of that weight.

According to quite a number of dairy formers in Southland this season has proved an unusually good one for grass, inasmuch as cows are milking much better than they previously have done at this time of the Not only is there more milk, but returns from several dairy factories for October show that butter-fat tests were abnormally high for so early in the season.

Last week at Traversdale station, in the Forbes district (N.S.W.), a mob of 2000 black sheep was to be shorn. This flock was bred up by Messrs. Keenan Bros, of Orange. Such perfection has it reached that this year only one per cent, of white lambs was dropped. The rest were all black. The owners are disbanding this famous flock. After shearing the sheep are to be fattened and seat to market. According to the latest report published the number of sheep in the Russian Empire is stated to be 81 millions, of which 76 millions are coarse-woolled sheep and 5 million merinos. The approximate production of wool is 55 million pounds merino, and 220 million pounds of coarse wool. The greater proportion of the coarse wool does not come into the open market, but is used by the peasants themselves, or in small local factories. The New South Wales Trade Commissioner to America (Mr. Nielson) recently forwarded a sample of beet pulp for fodder purposes to Sydney. The Premier sent the sample along to the State Dairy Expert (Mr. O'Callaghan), who reports: —"The food, when treaten seems to possess many of the qualities of fresh beet, and in times of drought would undoubtedly be a valuable help to our dairy farmers, provided it could be obtained at a remunerative price." The Premier has cabled to America for a ton of the pulp for the purpose of an actual test. A corespondent, who is engaged in farming in the Old Country, writing to a friend in Gisborne, states that he was recently interviewed by a Government official in search of information with regard to the working of his staff. These inquiries elicited the fact that the staff comprised nine men, three of whom had only one eye each, two one leg each, and four had worked for the correspondent's father when he took the farm over 30 years before. The official would not believe the farmer's statement until he had had ocular remonstration of the facts themselves, when he heartily congratulated tRe farmer. An exceptionally early start has been made with the harvesting of the cereal crops in the Malrborough district. A very fair crop of oats on a farm at Ugbrooke, near the cast, was cut towards the end of October—which for earliness is something like a record; and it is reported that the reaper and binder has been, or will shortly be, at work in other directions. The mild winter, with the frequent showers of the latter portion of spring, has had an unusually quickening effect. It is stated that a few weeks age several farmers were on the point of turning stock into their crops on account of the dryness of the season; but, thanks to marked improvement in the rainfall of late, they are now looking forward to good harvesting return;! An interesting novelty in the plantselection section of the Moumahaki Experimental Farm is a stoliferous red clover. This is the development of a plant discovered in the Auckland Domain by Mr. .1. Beveridge, the Assistant Plant-breeding Officer at Moumahaki. As far as can be ascertained, this iB the first instance which has been noted of a clover plant extending itself by underground stolons—that is, similar to the manner in which Poa pratensis spreads itself—and therefore it may be regarded as an absolutely new type. At the present time the plant is being seeded in order to ascertain if it will transmit the new character from seed. Should this prove to be the case, the type will be a valuable addition to the clover' family. It would probably be of special value on lighter soils and in sandy country.

A rathci' amusing yarn is going the rounds. It is stated that a crate of hens had been sent to a recent function for disposal, the proceeds to be devoted to patriotic purposes. The liens apparently were on the old side, and had passed their days of usefulness. They did not draw, therefore, as pullets would, and consequently their sale seemed "off." Une lady then happened upon a brilliant idea, and in following it out three duckeggs were placed in the crate, A few minutes afterwards a lady came along and, observing the fowls and the eggs in the crate, naturally concluded that she had dropped on a good spec. The crate was purchased and taken home triumphantly, but so far there are no re,porta of egg production on the part of the four old hena.