FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1918, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

NEWS AND NOTE 3. _ The electrically driven saw for splitting down carcases of beef in freezing works and abattoirs, an Australian patent, is now on the market. It is said to h»\e been submitted to thorough tests at some of the leading freezing' works in Australia. According to a special telegram received in San Francisco from Calgary, Alberta, tiie highest pries ever recorded were paid for wool at the Calgary Association's sale, which closed on August S. Fine clothing wool brought the top price of lit: (37d) per lb. A total of 150,0001b sold at an average of 00c a pound. Last year's average was 29.2 c. Messrs Roderick, the Bloemfontein live stock auctioneers, cabled to the Live Stock Journal as follows:—"The British pedigree stock sold at Bloemfontein realised £75,000. Holstein bulls made up to £IOOO, females to £550; Shorthorn bulla to £375, females to £200; Ayrshire eows to £2OO, and Aberdeen-Angus and Hereford bulls to £140." At a meeting of the Canterbury Council of Agricultural, Pastoral, and Dairying industries, when the question of organisation of labor was under discission, Mr.H. F. Nieoll said he had two College boya now working for him. They needed no special catering for. They were paid Is an hour and found, and were, doing excellent work, almost that of a man, although they were only about seventeen years of age. The experience had been altogether a satisfactory one. A British Friosian cow, Eske Hetty, 7714, belonging to Mr. F. B. May, Ileybridge, Essex, holds the record for the breed for England. On May -5, 1915, she calved, and 311 days in milk, yielding 15,0101b, with 3.50 per cent, of'butter-fat, equivalent to 525)b butter-fat. She calved on June 1, 1010. and was 257 days in milk, yielding 14,8001b, butter-fat 3.27 per cent., or 4771b butter-fat. On April •21, 1917, she had a heifer calf, and in June was still givmg 951b milk per day. '•'ln looking through a list of farms capable of growing wheat in Canterbury," said Mr. John Brown, Government Director of Agriculture, recently, "I was astonished to see that very many big farms were growing small areas, while most of the small farms were growing large areas. This did not seem fair, as by growing wheat the small farms were depleting their fertility, and the large farms were conserving theirs. It might be well for the Government to look into this fact." Uruguay has been the biggest customer for Hereford cattle this year from the United Kingdom, no fewer than 114 having been exported to that country. Brazil comes next with 104, then Rhodesia 65, South Africa 35, Argentina 15, Australia 5, and the Falkland Islands 2, a total of 345. These figures were up to September 26, and before the year closed no doubt considerable additions would be made At least three bulls have also been ex ported to New Zealand during the year, but are not included in the above list. From experiments carried out at the Nebraska University, it appears as if four inches is about the proper depth for planting seed tubers under their conditions. Tlie depths varied from lin to sin. At the shallow depths there was a reduction in yield, and the tubers were npsbapely and irregular. At the greatest depth the 1 tubers were slightly better in quality, but not sufficient to justify the extra labor in digging. On plots of equal size the yields were:—Planted lin deep, 1821b; 2in deep. lS81b; 3in deep, 2981b; 4in dcen, ?,171h- "in d?en, 3061b.

There is still a very_ large ftemand Shropshire sheep in ilie united States. Messrs Alfred Mansell and Co., Shrewsbury, England, recently respatched a consignment of 90 Sbropshires from the wellknown flocks of Messrs Bibby and T. A. Buttar. Nine rams and 41 ewes were from the flock of the former, and were £ired by such sires as Ifardwicke Strongbone, Hardwicke Chief, etc There were 10 rams and 30 ewes from iihe Corston flock, sired by Corston Kclipse and other prize-winners. Along with the Shropshires were sent ten Oxford Down flhe«s> of excellent quality. Potato-growing in the Channel Islands, Where big yields of early potatoes are obtained, apply heavy dressings of bulky manure and of chemical fertilisers. In the autumn about 30 ton* seaweed per acre is spread on the surface, and allowed to lie for a month, after which it is digged in to a depth of about shi. In the following January 20 tons staWe manure per acre is ploughed in din deep; The tubers are planted in February or March, with a half-ton to the acre of Peruvian guano in the drills. The plants are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture at the end of May, which is repeated in a fortnight Hundreds of examinations of the contents ot the crops of house sparrows show that from 75 to 80 per cent, of the food of abult birds consists of cultivated grain of some sorts. Young birds in the nests feed partially upon insects; but only for a short period. Sparrows drive away insectivorous birds. The Scotsman estimates the annual loss from sparrows alone at 4,000,000 bushels of cereals, valued at £1,500,000. The English Board of Agriculture it. promoting the: formation of rural clubs for the destruction of sparrows,, which migrate from the towns when the crops are ripening. The dispersal sale of Mr. ,T. D. Hay's celebrated Gleneani Border Leicester Hook at Perth, Scotland, attracted a very large attendance, buyers being present from all parts of the United Kingdom. Trade all through wafe on quite sensational lines, the general average of £22 7s for the whole catalogue of 160 being a long way the highest that has ever been realised for a " -1; ccrllcctioD of the breed. Indeed, it in bo doubted if thermal result has evo , re been exceeded at a dispersion sale ;uiv sheep breed. Previous individual |ic\es in ewes were also 'by a good way exceeded, the sale as a whole giving great satisfaction to breeders The top price, fot stud rams was £l7O, ram lambs £SO, brooding ewes £B6, two-tooth ewes £57, and ewa lambs £'24. A man who was charged at the Magistrate's Court at Christcbureh with failing to send a child to school regularly gave as his excuse iliat as he could get no labor he had kept the child home to assist him in planting potatoes. "T have scoured the country for men to help me, your Worship,""he said, "and cannot get any. To tell you the truth, 1 did get one man, hut he only planted a couple of vows. Theu he put' on hi« coat and said he must get awav to the hotel for a glass of beer, as he felt had " While sympathising wirti th c man the maglstrate pointed out that such treatment was not fair to the child) who wa., !S years and ~ months old. and iuui onlv passe*, ehe second standard. A uoa.il fine was glinted.

VARIATIONS IN MILK. Professor Douglas A. Gilchrist, of the Armstrong College, Newe*stie-iiponTyne, has issued an interesting leaflet containing important information ri'latin:; to variations in the composition of milk' Lb the course of the pamphlet be point* out tfca* Ota «niU» al m&, fewUwUt k> «,

man nor almost beyond belief, both in frequently ;md degree. " As a rule reason i:*n he assigned for the changes, though they may not be intiilligible u> the lay mind, bur, sometimes they e-imiot be ac- | counted for, and nearly alwa\;' the ferm|er is impotent tu prevent tiiem. The percentage of butter-fat is particularly variable. Professor Gilchrist atatcs that in a given period the milk of 24 cows that were milked three times a day for experimental purposes varied in but-ter-fat from '2.1 to t>:l per cent., although the average in the morning's milk was 3.25, in the mh!-day milk ■• M, and In the evening's milk 1 4.03 ner cent '' fluctuation was equally r .■i:!:.r'.; ;■!'' in the milk of the ten enws niilkiu !.. i,£ daily. The- buttcr-lat fell in om: ea-ie ;:s low as 1.4 per cent., and rose to 4.0 per cent.. while the morning average was ') -14, and the evening average 8.57 per cent. The solids not fat varied almost in proportion. Commenting on the extraordinary' inconsistencies revealed, Professor Gilchrist says: "In the earlier trials it was conclusively shown that eows of an excitable temperament give milk which is much more variable in quantity and quality than those of a quiet disposition. It was noticed that when a cow Is in season, usually the milk in poorer in fat and is Icbs in quantity. Tt has also been noticed that greater quantity of milk does not, a« a rule, mean poorer quality, nor the reverse. Exposure to cold and inclement weather lias also been found to reduce the fat content of the milk of cows so exposed. This interesting examination of a question that gives rise to many disputes, allegations, and not infrequently, unmerited prosecutions, shows the great disadvantages under which the small farmer labors. It is clear that safety from the long arm of the law, or at all events the "presumption" to which deficiency lays the vendor open, consists in mixing the .milk of a considerable number of cows—the greater the number the less risk of incurring suspicion. A good deal can he done by the selection of a good class of cow of Imperturbable temperament, but an owner is not warranted in putting his trust in individuals, whatever their qualities, as all are liable to fluctuation sufficient to involve Mm in trouble.