FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1916, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY.

AC! P. IC CLT URAL ,'OMMITTEES. 'Prior to the meeting of the Elthaiu County Council on Saturday, Mr. Deem, field Supervisor of the Department of Agriculture, by permission of the efciirnian, outlined the purposo of his mission. ■Sc. mi! iiuiui'iis back the New Zealand Council of Agriculture hud communicated with the various county councils ami asked them to set up committees to communicate with the Department or the Labor Department on any matter or general interest to the district. Ilis duty was to plan and organise experimental work between Wellington and New Plymouth. He hoped to secure the co-operation of the various committees regarding the matter, of which farmers were 110 doubt familiar. His department desired that committees should meet and discuss agricultural •problems with him. anil draw up scheme* of experiment which might be thought desirable for the district. The committee would select one or two farmers, and then on typical grounds of the district carry out experiments, so that the Department could find out the most suitable fertilisers required, the Department paying any out-of-pocket expenses that tihe farmers owning the properties experimented upon might be put to. In the past t'he 'Department had conducted several co-operative experiments, but found that the farmers had been too busy attending to their own 'business, and the experimental work had been neglected. In consequence of the war very little could be done, but he wished to have the organisation of committees complete so that when the time arrived they would be ready to put the scheme into operation and carry the experiments to a successful issue.

In connection with the above, a News representative had a conversation with Messrs Belcher and (Phillips, two farmers of experience in the Eltham district. They stated that tlx matter had been discussed and committee:" set up, but nothing appeared to have been done. Besides experimenting on soils, renewing pastures, etc., the committee would discuss labor for farms, and any other question that was of interest to agriculture.

MR, SERGEL'S PRACTICAL KNOW

LEDGE.

Mr. Sergei is working up interest amongst farmers regarding turnip crops ■and generally how to treat the soil. At Corbett road, from the railway one notices several plots carefully marked out, and probably treated with different fertilisers by way of experiment to see what is the best adapted for the particular class of soil in the vicinity. Some years ago, long before Mr. Sergei had thoughts of being an instructor, he was keen on treating the land. One experiment of his -was conducted on the Stuart road, Klthnm,' whereby lie treated six plots in one paddock to asce/tain what fertiliser secured the best growth of clover. During t'lin experiment the farmers in the neighborhood all made weekly journeys to the paddock and noted the differences in eacli plot. At the close of the experiment even a "new churn" could pick out the different dressings. These were all carefully noted, and the lesions learned there are probably being imparted to those farmers who attend his lectures.

. 'Recently a farmer near town asked the writer if Mr. Sergei had had any practical experience, hence the previous paragraph. Whilst dairying, the present Taranaki instructor bad a fine herd of Jerseys, and always believed in the best, so those who only know Mr. Sergei of recent years can rest content that lie knows the A.B.C. of the farm, and, if put to the test, could plough a field or sow a paddock with the best.

THE OF CHEESE, At the annual meeting of the Eltham Dairy Company the chairman, Mr. Forsyth, stated that the Government had declined to pay tha price they (the factories) wanted for chesc. Xo deal resulted. He considered they were justified in asking for the price named, and stated his •):elief that the price would move higher still. There is now a possibility of a faU, as recent cables indicate that tho British Government are beginning to bestir themselves at the big prices offering. If the Government step in and fix a price below the figure ruling some factories will suffer. Still, they have had a good run, and probably can stand a lower margin. Vet with the graziers getting high prices for beef and mutton, hides and tallow, any extra going to the dairymen cannot well -be cavilled at. Usually the farmer, individually and collectively, has done well with regard to patriotic funds. Probably the graziers are doing their, little bit, but. if so, they are working very quietly.

XOTES. There is extraordinary activity in dairying circles in Pahiatua (says the local paner). With butterfat ill the vicinity of 2s per 11), likely heifers sold on Th'iirsdav at auction up, to nearly £l3.

A dealer in the Lower Hawkoa bay is reported to -have made a very successful ileal. He bought a line of some 14,C00 sheep, and without touching them re-sold at an advance of several shillings per head. Result: A clear profit of over £ 0000!

| At a meeting of dairy factory managers at InvercavgiH (says the Southland Times), Mr. , John 'Savvers said that ■tilton cheese could be made in New Zealand to-day as good as could be made in Cheshire, England; in fact, 'lie would go further, and say that at Woodlands Mr. J. K. Saxelbv was making better stilton cheese thati was being ma do in England, and with less loss.

The shortage of supplies of rennet caused much concern recently amongst cheese-makers, aiul it was thought for a time that cheese-making was seriously imperilled The companies are not yet "out of the wood," but factory suppliers are trying to overcome the shortage by saving calf velis, and there seems every reason to believe that the difliculty is I going to be, minimised to an Appreciable extent. At the same time scientists have been directing attention to substitutes, and as a result of research it has been proved that pepsin is satisfactory in coagulating milk. There is the animal pepsin and vegetable pepsin, but lit is contended that in cheese manufacture a certain quantity of animal pepsin must bo used in order to break down the cheese and make it mellow. If I the vegetable substance only were used the cheese would develop into a substance akin to casein, 'and as hard a s bricks. Agricultural 'Department- officials are edeavoring to ascertain by investigation if the use of pepsin will relieve the situation. Interesting experiments have been carried out at the Kau-

pokonui factory (luring the past week and it appears t'hat the test proved quite satisfactory, the curd being as good as that in the ordinary rennet vat and as much chgese produced, but it will not be possible to' arrive at any definite eonelusion until it is seen 'how the cheese has developed in, say' tlvrco months.— Exchange. "Things have changed since our initial effort to provide it dairy factory in the district," remarked Jlr. W. T. Welle in the course of conversation at the suppliers' meeting at Kaupokonui (pays the Witness). "We started a little factory on the Xormanby road, and got a penny a gallon fur our milk. Now wo pot about lid." "Hard times, those," somebody remarked. "Not at all, " replied Mr." Wells. "We got three good meals a day, and there was perhaps more contentment than there is to-day. There was none of the fever of restless striving there is to-day. People's desires grow with their means; in fact they outstrip their means, and the goal of general content and happiness is farther off than ever."-