FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 April 1916, Page 2

FARM AND DAIRY.

60UTHERX YIELDS. A PHENOMENAL SEASON. Probably 'never before in the history of Otago or Southland did favorable weather prevail for the ingathering of the cereal harvest, despite the almost serious apprehensions of grain-growers. A couple of decades ago the ingathering of the wheat-and oat crops m New Zealand, especially in the southern portion, was regarded as something in which every man, woman and child who lived in tlie country had a personal interest. This was in the days when practically every land-owner was a grain-grower. It must not bo thought that grain was grown in New Zealand because of any real or imaginary high profits resulting from the saJe of the cereal, but because at that time it gave a quick return as compared with other branches of husbandry, and did not require much capital. Conditions have changed entirely since then. The refrigerating/industry has prompted landowners to j/ive practically all their attention to li\e stock husbandry, with the result t'hat of recent years only sufficient grain was grown to satisfy local requirements. The outbreak of the European War at the beginning of August, 191.4, however, caused Attention to be once more directed to the growth of cereals, as it was recognised that the output of grain from the various large grain-producing countries would be seriously affected. The New Zealand Prime Minister's appeal to farmers—made immediately after the outbreak of war—to produce as much grain as possible was only partially successful, as the season was then too far advanced to permit of agriculturists making any radical change in their Dlans. Another drawback in the way of responding to the Prime Minister's appeal was the fact .that seed was ! n short supply, and prices increased 6 o rapidly as to prevent many farmers from participating in the production of grain. The autumn and spring of 1015, however, found farmers better prepared to undertake grain-growing, with the result that an increased area was sown in -both wheat and oats. Prices for meat and dairy produce, however, continued to rise, and many a landowner who would otherwise have gone in largely for grain production turned bis attention to the live stock branches, which were a good deal less speculative than grain-grow-ing.

THE EFFECT OF CULLIS "An indication of the good results to be obtained by systematic culling of dairy herds and the purchase of stock of proved milking strain is furnished by the returns from the herd of Mr. J. W. Odgers, of Mangamutu. This dairyman hae a farm of 100 acres and has a herd of fifty-two cows, including eight heifers, six two-year-old and two three-year-old animals, while only about six are more than fourth calvers. Two-thirds of the I herds claim Jersey hulls of butter-fat producing strains as sires, a number being purchased in the Manawatu district on testing records. Mr. Odger's returns of butter-fat to date this season show: August, 176.0711); September, 974.711b: October, 1880.891b; November, 2069.471b; December, 2153.331b. The biggest one day's load from this herd taken to the Mnngamutn creamery this season was 17781b in November, when the test was 4 0; while in December the biggest daily tally was 17501b, with a test of 4.2. On the payments made these figures s'how a net return of over £2 per cow for the herd, and taking the size of the herd and the acreage of the farm into account it probably constitutes a record for the Pahiatua district. Mr. Odgers makes a point of culling trenchantly and buying only stock with some pretensions to breeding and of established reliability. To this, combined with the proper treaitttient .of his herd, he attributes the results obtained. He is frequently improving the herd with imported pedigree stock, and he sets an example worthy of emulation to the many dairy farmers who neither cull nor 'take reasonable care of their cows.

| NEWS AND NOTES, | Mr. 0. A. Marchant, of Cardiff, returned home last Saturday from Mangatainoka, bringing with iiim three 1SI months-old pedigree Holstein heifers and two pedigree weaner bulls of the same breed. They are grand-daughters and grandsons respectively of Colantha Jolianna Lad, the noted American sire, who lias now over a hundred advanced official registry daughters to his credit. 'The cattle have excellent breeding on the dams' side, and were purchased at Mr, W. H. Baylies' dispersal, sale.—Post. The price of weaner calves is going up by leaps and bounds in England. At nearly all of t'he local auction marts it is impossible to purchase a heifer calf, even if bred, from a heifer, at less than £3 10s or over, at from eight to ten days old. Everyone is rushing to wean, as heifer calves are now nearly usobtainable. More bull calves are being secured for rearing, and ultimate steering, vvhidi, judging bv the present prices of '•-ef, should be quite as profitable as Hi-ceding dairy cattle. Of the 40,u00.000 acres of occupied land in New Zealand, 30,000 000 acres, of 75 per cent., are undei grass. Over CO per cent, of this is natural grass, and of the remainder a very large proportion lias beeii surface-sown oil bush bums.

During the first ten months of 1915 shipments of wheat from Argentina amounted to 2.U(1,r>24 tons; of maize, 0,772,007 tons; linseed, 890,011 tons; and oats, 548,478 tons. These figures show enormous increases over those for the corresponding period of 1.914. A drained soil, when ready to cultivate, has more water in it for use by crops than an undrained soil when also ready. In the drained soil there is more room for water, owing to there being more hoe-space. It has been estimated that t'he water saved in an average soil by drainage 3ft deep is about equivalent to one month's rainfall.

Tlie fanner's use of fertilisers in general is guided solely by the profits derived tlierefrom. He is continually seeking to learn in what way and iii what amounts lie shall apply his fertilisers so as to derive a maximum profit. The broad result of this general searching for the best ways is the formation of certain standards of fertliser practice. These standards are in actual operation or: the farms where the most money is being made. One of the few evidences of tlie Southland 'harvest having been : gathered bv unusual labor this summer is the number of liadly-built stacks to lie seen about the country. As a rule stacking in tlwt province is well done, the uncertainty of the climate making it absolutely necessary that the stacks shall be built to keep out rain. This year a well-built stack is almost a rare sisrht.

and on a groat many farms only round stacks have been built. In Madagascar t'lie cattle are at present nearly all owned by natives, excepting a few owned by Frenchmen. Cattle are still cheap. Bullocks fattened on manioc ,and giving about 0601b ot meat net, are selling at £ti, while those fattened on grass, and giving about 4401b of meat, sell at about £4. Last February (1915) '712 bullocks were sold at £2 18s per head, and after doing thirty days' fast trek to Majung» they averaged 763 ib live weight.