FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 June 1922, Page 11

FARM AND DAIRY.

BEEF. BELOW COST. WHOLESALE BUT NOT RETAIL. WHAT THEY DO IN THE ARGENTINE. London, April 20. It is useful to know what the other fellow does. For that reason the views of an English provincial weekly on the policy of the Argentine meat traders vis a vis Smithfield are worth recording (writes a London correspondent). A good deal of comment, this provincial critic remarks, has been made recently, and a question was asked in Parliament with regard to the working arrangement come to between tne various Argentine meat importing firms to regulate the supply of beef reaching this market. Ever since the Continental demand for meat suddenly stopped early last year the shipments of beef from the Argentine have been greatly in excess of the demand, and consequently prices on Smithfield Market have remained at almost pre-war level for over a year. Costs in the Argentine, of course, have been reduced considerably, but it has not been possible to reduce them sufficiently to avoid heavy losses on the business, as much as 30s loss on every quarter of beef having been admitted. However financially powerful the firms engaged in the trade may be (and amongst them are some of the strongest combinations in the world), it is impossible -for them to continue indefinitely to drop £50,000 per month on their operations and the agreement now come to seems to be an attempt to bring the supply of meat more into line with the requirements of this market. The public, however, appear to be alarmed lest the effect of such an arrangement may be an increase in the price of meat. The imported meat trade, like all other highly organised trades, he goes on to say, is a business that the long view. The big firms that control the industry have to lay their plans for years ahead, and the object they have -in view is not to force up the price of meat to the consumer —a policy that would defeat its own end by curtailing the demand—but to keep it sufficiently low to enable the working classes to obtain plentiful supplies of meat at reasonably low prices, at the same time giving the producers in the Argentine a profitable price for their cattle, so as to enable them to develop their business and steadily increase the supply. It is not in the interest of the “Beef Trust” to squeeze either the producer or the consumer. The chief complaint of the importing firms is that the consumer is not getting the benefit of the cheap wholesale prices because of the high retail prices still being charged. This view is supported officially and impartially by the Smithfield Market superintendent, who in his recent annual report stated that the only profitable section of the meat trade for some time has been the retail end. The effect of any curtailment of supplies may be to increase the wholesale price of beef; but as retail prices are already too high, and cannot be further increased, the only people to suffer will be the retailers, who have had a very prosperous time for some years past, and can now afford to work on smaller margins.

hour or so may be spent both in and outside of the conservatory, as there seem to be innumerable stands of pot plants of the most rare and beautiful varieties, whilst there are also over 100 specimens of valuable roses all named and labelled, which must be a glorious sight when out in bloom. It might also be mentioned that one end of the building is literally covered with prize winning tickets obtained at the New Plymouth shows for both flowers and vegetables, which speak highly of the care bestowed on both these classes by Mr. and Mrs. Topliss. The vegetable garden is also well worth a visit, several rows of peas being now in flower, different classes of cabbage, spinnach, which is a native of New Zealand, and not generally known, and is said to b'e first-class for table purposes, besides many other varieties of winter vegetable, are all doing well in the sheltered spot set aside for this purpose. AN INTERESTING PROPERTY.

Our Urenui correspondent writes:

Last winter at about this time I had the pleasure of spending a few hours at Mr. A. H. Halcombe’s beautiful homestead at “Ferngrove” and inspecting his splendid line of pedigree and grade Jerseys > and last week an equally interesting visit was paid to “Moerangi” (which is only a mile or so distant from “Ferngrove”), the residence of Mr. Sam. Topliss. Although Mr. Topliss has been out of dairying for some three years, he, previous to that time, had a herd of some 70 well bred Jerseys, which he had practically reared himself, the foundation of which, by a curious coincidence, was a bull out of the famous purebred cow Whitepatch, who is now some twenty-three j years of age, and still alive at “Fern- ! grove.” However, Mr. Topliss has now i turned his attention to other pursuits, | among them being aforestation, having ’• established an up-to-date nursery for i this purpose, and an inspection of the | various plots of seedlings (chiefly com- , prised of Macrocarpa) bears evidence j as to his success in this respect. Up- ' on taking up the scheme less than } two years ago, Mr. Topliss had a commodious hothouse erected in concrete and glass, the dimensions being some 30ft. by 18ft. Into this are placed the seeds gathered from a special macrocarpa tree some fifteen years of age, and as they become developed and sufficiently strong to bear removal are hardened off’ in boxes out in the sun, and then transplanted into the various , plots, from which they are removed as required, and either sold or used up cn the waste portions of the farm. Alto- - gether there are now some 30,000 seed I lings ready for planting out, all look- ; ing healthy and strong, and Mr. Top- 1 liss is at ‘present having a waste sid- I ling cleared, and which, when laid out .. wiH take some 8000 trees, which are I being placed in rows 6ft. apart, Gfi. I also being the space between the trees. < There are several other spots which are at present only a harbor for rubbish and of no value as a grazing proposition, which it is intended to plant out, and in the course of a few years will prove a valuable asset, for fencing and timber purposes, it having been prove 1 that posts of this material pla_-?.l in the ground over sixteen years ago are still jßcrfecthy _&RYisioa is

being made for future requirements by having another plot prepared adjacent to the homestead, which will contain some 50,000 seedlings, as Mr. Topliss is receiving constant requests to supply •trees to local residents who are taking up this matter of tree planting. There are also those different varieties of Australian gums being grown, as well as pinus insignis, etc., whilst in the grounds surrounding the house may be seen healthy specimens of totara, lancewood, miro, kowhai and puriri, either grown from seeds or seedlings taken from the native bush. Several yOung orange trees of the Papperind St. Michael and Washington Navel varieties are also doing well, and give promise of bearing prolifically in a year or so; whilst there are several rows of Cape gooseberries which have yielded heavily, and enabled Mrs. Topliss to manufacture a considerable quantity of delicious jam. To a lover of flowers an interesting BUTTER FOR AMERICA. A GROWING DEMAND. In the past two years the United States has taken a fair quantity of butter from New Zealand, and the American Consulate furnishes the following figures: 1921. 1922. Imported by Boxes. Boxes. United States 08,769 23,500 Honolulu G7O 29,439 28,119 The figures for the year ended March 31. The weight of the butter thus shipped was for the year ended March 31 last 1,574.6641 b, as against 1,648,641Ib, a decrease of 73,9971 b. The shipments to Honolulu increased substantially and probably the trade with this island could be greatly increased. The United States as a market for butter presents great possibilities, notwithstanding that considerable protection is afforded American farmers. At one time the United States was a regular exporter of butter to the United Kingdom, but in recent years the production in the States has been barely sufllcrent to meet domestic requirements, and this feature is likely to become pronounced. It is well, therefore, to keep close watch of the prospects, and to seize every opportunity for extending the trade with the States. NEWS AND NOTES. DEHORNING CATTLE

Dehorning with a saw or clipper is not recommended with animals which are less than one year of age, because of the chance that scurs will develop. This may happen with older- cattle when the horns arc not cut sufficiently close to the head, which should be about one-quarter of an inch below where the skin joins the horns, so that I in dehorning a rim of skin is left on I the horns removed. Mr. Sullins recommends the use of caustic potash on the young calf as the most satisfactory method of dehorning. To be successful, this caustic potash should be used before the calf is more than three days I old. The hair should be clipped away from the small buttons which will be felt, and the stick of potash moistened and rubbed on the spots until the skin | bleeds slightly. It is cautioned that care must be taken to make certain , that not enough potash is used so that i it will run down the calf’s head. Where [horns have been allowed to develop, dei horning should take place out of fly season and in cool weather. If it is : clone at other times, pine tar should be applied to the cuts. Care should be taken also that animals do not have access to straw plots or brush immediately after the horns are removed, as they may harm themselves seriously by getting foreign matter into the wounds. CHEESE AS A FOOD.

Dr. Bishop, a well-known New YorK specialist on diseases of the heart, in a book he has just written, cannot emphasise enough the wonderful power of cheese as an item in the diet of human beings. It is of the utmost importance, he says, in combating diseases of the heart and preventing a subsequent breakdown of the body. What cheese does not contain for the necessary nourishment of the body is supplied by bread, so that a cheese sandwich represents everything required by the human frame to keep it in health and strength. John D. Rockfeller, the American millionaire, said not long ago: “I am eighty years old, and have just learned something. I have discovered that cheese is one of the most wonderful foods in the world. T wish I had discovered cheese 80 years ago,’’ and Mr. Rockfeller’s “discovery” is endorsed by the highest scientific authorities. A nation could maintain its efficiency and live comfortably solely on a diet of bread and cheese, says an American writer, and if everybody in the United States subsisted for one year on this • food a cheese of huge dimensions would I be required. It would meausre approx l '.- 1 inatcly 830 ft. high and 415 ft. wide. Pro- ; lessor Sohn, in his book “Nutrition,’’ {writes: —“One pound of cheese contains as much nourishment as IJlb of lean i meat; and 6oz. of cheese with 240 z. of ! bread will supply all the food nutrients required in twenty-four hours by I an average grown-up individual.” Alj though cheese is probably the oldest of i the dairy products, and has been a staple food with many races for countless years, the tendency has somehow got about to regard it as suitable for use only in small quantities. People in Britain make use of cheese much more freely and in much larger quantities than they do in America. Cheese and bread form part of the midday meals of the hardest workers, and they can testify to its powers of nourishment and its ability to build up bone and muscle. During the war the coal i supply was seriously threatened by the ! shortage of cheese, and the miners’ Tai'tion of that commodity had to be 'materially increased before ;he threat- ! ened danger was averted. In America I cheese is likely to become a very popular food, and the quantity consumed is ' expected to increase largely. The more ’cheese we eat, American scientists say, the healthier we will be, the longer will we live—and, by the way, the richer will we be. ENGLISH FARMING. The mefet striking feature of the returns for 1921 is a decline in the arable _urea. in EnglajMl and .Wales amounting a

to 402,000 acres. Even, however, with this and the similar decreases of the two previous years, amounting in all to 781,000 acres, the 11.618,000 acres returned as arable last year still remains, excluding the returns for 1918, when the ploughed area was greatly increased as a result of the food production campaign—the largest since 1905. The disquieting feature, however, is that the loss of the land which is being withdrawn from arable cultivation is not being made good by a corresponding increase in the area under permanent pasture. It is true that during 1921 -.there was an increase of 39,000 acres permanent pasture, bat, even with this, the decrease since 1918 amounts to 63,000 acres, and practically one million acres as compared with 1914. LIME FOR COWS. A New South Wales dairy farmer, in discussing the matter of bloat or hoven in cattle, a’ trouble most farmers have to contend with in their stock with spring pastures, stated from personal experience that if a few handfuls of lime were thrown occasionally into the drinking troughs there would be none of this trouble. The use of lime acted as a preventive, and doses of lime water could be used effectively for cattle affected. “Tapping” could be resorted to in extreme cases; but, generally, he found that if lime was added to the drinking water the cows did not become affected.

BRITAIN’S MEAT IMPORTS. A new record has been created in the imports ,of beef into this country (writes 'ithe London correspondent of the Pastoral Review), as the combined arrivals of frozen, chilled, and fresh beef amounted to 11,363 cwt. This shows an increase on the previous largest total, 1920; of million cwt. The proportion of chilled beef shows a .big advance on that of the .preceding year, but the 1921 contribution of 26 per cent, of the total beef imports is still a long way . short of the pre-war total of 60 per cent, of the beef imports. As regards frozen beef, it will be seen that all exporting countries fell away in their shipments as compared with 1920, with the exception of Australia, which practically doubled her export to this country and Uruguay, which shows a comparatively small increase. This position is reversed when we glance at the mutton and lamb totals, for the Australian total has fallen away by over Ig million cwt., all other sources of supply recording an increase. New Zealand maintains her position as the heaviest supplier, her contribution approaching V>o per cent, of the total import.

PRUSSIAN AGRICULTURE. In introducing his new programme to the Prussian Landtag, Herr Warnabold, the Minister of Agriculture, stated that as agricultural production is at the present time only about 60 or 70 per cent, of that of pre-war days, certain measures are proposed with a view to increasing production up to the pre-war standard. These included a larger number of land settlements, which would, it is hoped, by increasing the number of small owners, attract people from the towns to the land and keep them there. The agricultural population was decreasing rapidly even before the war; in 1914 it was only about 28 per cent, of the whole Prussian population. Tt was hoped to create 4000 new settlements in 1921. It is proposed that increased production of the soil already cultivated shall be encouraged by more State credits to farmers for purchasing fertilisers, while moors and waste land, particularly around the coasts, will be prepared for cultivation. The production of nitrates, which has lately been increased greatly, will have to be devoted entirely to the needs of agriculture. The working capital of farmers should in Urgent cases be assisted by [State The number of schools

of agriculture would have to be Increased and the curriculum improved, and there was need of greats ..ecurtty for agriculturists and peasants npcin.'J looting, theft and other risks. T! >; > present system of arbitration between employer and laborer also needed

A sudden chill may giv e in the head, inflamed throat or bronchitis. Remember! if you should take a chill don’t wait until you are laid up but use Nazol freely right away. Thou/ aande know its value.