FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 May 1921, Page 6

FARM AND DAIRY.

NEWS AND NOTES. A Taranaki business man informed th*. Manawatu Times that never in his long experience has he found such a keen demand for milking machines, which demonstrates in a practical manner the faith of the community in the dairy industry. The New Zealand Dairyman says it has been proved in the North Island that lucerne has saved many farmers from absolute ruin during the recent drought. In fact, in Hawke’s Bay and parts of Taranaki, the only green that meets the eye for many miles is that of the lucerne field. Farmers must not think, as many do, that growing lucerne will do away with turnips, etc., for lucerne is not a balanced ration in itself.

At a dairy conference at Pahiat.ua last week, Mr. Curie, of the Dairy Division z of the Agricultural Department, said indifferent care Was a blight that was threatening the dairy industry. Factory directors in installing pasteurisers recognised steps were desirable but they were putting an ambulance at the foot of a cliff instead of a fence at the top. They took steps to improve the milk but allowed it to come in in a deteriorated condition all along the line. In the last six years with 45 per cent, of cheese made from pasteurised milk there had been no improvement in the average grading. It was safe to say that the milk supply was responsible for this and the machine plants had a good deal to do with it. He was prepared to say that not one milking machine in the district was receiving any more attention than it required, while most'were receiving less than was necessary for the production of first class milk. This problem of milk supply had to be met in a determined manner. It had been left to the Government to take steps for improvement of quality. The factory managers were now taking the matter up. The first requisite was a district association, so that a supplier of bad milk could not shift to another factory, and then the producer had to be educated.

During 1920 Australian wool imported to the United Kingdom comprised 508,554.500 lb, while 155,005,000 were sent from New Zealand, 43,571,700 lb from the Argentine Republic, 57,652,000 lb from South Africa, 41,925,000 lb from the Cast Indies, and a quantity from South American countries other than the Argentine. During December the imports included 39,755,600 lb from Australia, 4,409,400 lb from the Argentine, 211,300 lb from other South American countries, 7,143,900 from South Africa, 2,927,700 from New Zealand, and 397,2.313.500 lb from the East Indies, 700 lb from other countries.

A new way of harvesting has this year been carried out by some residents of Taradale. They have cut and stocked the stialks with the cobs still bn. It is claimed that this saves the expense of erecting a corn crib, prevents the birds from robbing the grain, and keeps the stalks in better condition for winter feed. Whether the rats won’t have a good time in the bundles remains (says a correspondent) to be proved. Returns of live stock Germany indicate an increase during 1920 of 5 per cent, in cattle, 15 per cent, in sheep, and 24 per cent, in pigs. In the United States cattle decreased by 4 per cent, and pigs by 7 per cent, during the same year. Returns now published concerning the first live stock census in India show that the number of cattle was 146,000,000 in April, 1920. As a result of careful testing and rigid culling, -Mr. W. W. Turner, a very successful Californian dairyman, is making a remarkable showing with his grade herd. This year his seventy-three cows have made an average production per cow in a little over nine months of 8261 b of milk and 377.311 b fat. He has four cows that produced over 500 Tb fat and thirty-three that produced over 4001 b fat/