FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 June 1922, Page 11

FARM AND DAIRY.

SWAMP DRAINAGE. INCREASING NEW ZEALAND’S PRODUCTION. The Minister of Lands (Mr. Guthrie), who recently visited some of the important swamp areas of the North Island, speaks most confidently of the benefits that the Dominion is going to derive from the drainage operations now in progress. The Lands Department is better equipped for swamp drainage now than ever before. The dredges that were brought from America last year are doing the work at a pace that could not be secured under the old conditions, and a great area of land as rich as any in the world is being brought into cultivation. The Government’s drainage operations, said the Minister, have resulted up to the present in 300,000 acres of waste land being converted into rich agricultural and pastoral land. “We have eighteen new dredges at work,” he stated, “and they will be kept going for many years to come. We- Have over 100,000 acres of swamp surveyed and ready to be drained when the dredges are available in addition to the areas now in hand. In addition, there are very big swamp areas on the West Coast of the South Island, and numerous smaller areas scattered all over New Zealand. Swamp drainage is going to make an immense difference in the productive capacity of New Zealand and a very big increase in the number of our successful farmers.” While in the north the Minister saw the commencement of drainage operations on the Hikurangi swamp, near Whangarei. An. area of about 23,000 acres o-f first-class land is affected by these operations, and the scheme eventually will benefit about 50,000 acres, most of which is almost worthless under present conditions. The district has been formed into a special rating area. A loan will be raised to cover the cost Df the drainage, and the interest and the sinking fund will be paid by the owners of a portion, of the land and by the settlers who will eventually be placed on the Government area. Later the Minister went to the Hauraki Plains, where most important "results have been achieved already. “The drainage of this great area is nearing completion,” he said yesterday, “and the land that used to be mere waste has become a veritable garden. There can be nothing but prosperity and success in front of the settlers who occupy - this rich land. The dairying industry on the Hauraki swamp area has expanded enormously during the last couple of years, and the progress will : be doubled during the next three years. | I visited also the Rangitaiki swamp, where the drainage is nearly completed. This is another area of exceedingly rich land, though not quite as rich as : Hauraki.” The Waihi swamp was also visited I by the Minister. Drainage operations have been commenced there, and two o-f the dredges, brought from the Uni- ' ted States last year by the Chief Drainage Engineer, Mr. J. B. Thompson (now Under-Secretary of Lands) arfe being used on the swamp. DAIRYING IN AUSTRALIA. Among the passengers who reached Wellington recently . was Mr. G. C. Boehme, who holds an important position in Australia with Messrs. Dalgety I and Co., Limited. During the whole time of its existence, Mr. Boehme was - one of the members of the Advisory Board to the Central Wheat Board, which controlled the whole of the export of wheat from the Commonwealth during the war period and for two years afterwards. Speaking to a representative of the Dominion, on the general conditions in Australia, Mr. Boehme remarked, that I most o-f the agricultural districts, also grazing centres, have had useful rains recently, but in some localities, such as parts of Queensland, and small sections of New South Wales, rains now would ( be very helpful. From the sheep graz- . iers’ point of view, the outlook was - promising. Not only do conditions point ‘ to a comparatively high range of prices, ( particularly for fine wools, but also to ' good values being realised for lamb and . mutton. On the other hand, the eartie , raiser was not in such a fortunate posi- j tion. Queensland, • which - was the . largest of. all the States interested in the. export of beef, was now faced with 'j the difficulty that practically none of the freezing works were operating, and the local demand in Australia for ibeef j

was quite inadequate to absorb at profitable prices, the quantity available. How long this state of things would

continue was quite uncertain. “Australia’s principal competitor in beef ” observed Mr. Boehme, “is the Argentine, which appears to have large supplies, and is at the moment prepared to accept low prices.” The dairying industry, in the opinion of Mr. Boehme, is now soundly established throughout Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland, and the high prices recently ruling in the United Kingdom had been a strong induce-

ment for butter, and cheese producers to extend their operations. The tendency, particularly in New South Wales and Queensland, was to do away with the multiplicity of small factories, and to concentrate the manufacture of butter in modern, well-equipped, and large factories. The important thing in this connection was, of course, transport. Railway facilities, river cream-collect-ing steamers, and good roads for motor traction were all helpful in the quick transport of the raw material to the factory. ARGENTINE DAIRYING. With the slump in values for meat, the Argentina promises to become a big dairying country. The great field 3 of lucerne should be eminently suitable for the purpose. An American who has recently been on tour in Argentina, however, says the industry is not being conducted on good lines. He goes on to state that “One thing is certain-, the dairy business has come to stay in Argentina. Tf the industry. continues to grow, as there is every reason to believe, it will, cattle of the distinctly dairy breeds will certainly increase in numbers in the republic. There are few strictly dairy cattle in Argentina as compared with the number of beef cattle. A considerable part of the dairy business is being done with cattle, which in the United States would be considered too poor to keep for dairy purposes. As dairying increases, there is certain to be an increasing demand, for good dairy cattle.” FEEDING AND MILKING DAIRY COWS. Tn the course of an n xce'llcnt paper ©U the luunageinent of dairy cattle the

British Friesian Cattle Society has put forward the following rules for (feeding and milking:— 1. Be regular, both in feeding and milking. 2. After calving do not be over- , anxious to feed heavy a,t once. Rather work the cow along slowly by increasing her ration a little at a time. 3. Increase the grain ration just so long as the milk sheet shows an, increase in pounds, of milk each day. 4. When the cow has reached her limit for the grain ration feed, do not increase the number of pounds any longer. Increase the protein in the ration, and feed the same amount of ration as previously. 5. Ensilage is a vital necessity to furnish winter forage for the cows. Plan now for your spring planting, and have a full silo for the winter. 6. Roots, ground beets, or beet pulp, for the high producing cow that is fed plenty of grain are essential,- as they cool the digestive system, whch is being worked to its fullest extent. 7. Be faithful, gentle, and human to your cows and you will soon discover possibilities in each individual that you never dreamed were possible. AGRICULTURAL ITEML A new rust-proof wheat, named Great Scott, lias been established in South Africa, states Mr. K. Meldel-Johnsen, Government experimentalist at Uitenhage, C.P. Great Scott is a hard variety and good yielder. The lowest return at tests last season was 21 from one, and the average 45 from one. From recent experiments conducted in New Jersey, it is reported that the the application of common salt at the rate of 2 to 3 tons per acre has proved effective in clearing heavily-timbered land. The best time to apply the salt is in the spring, when the sap is rising. The Minister for Agriculture for the Union of South Africa recently stated that approx-imateTy 1,000,000 doses of anthrax vaccine were issued frojn the veterinary research laboratory during the 12 months ended February, 1f1i22; also that 1041 outbreaks of anthrax . were reported in the Union during the same period. Messrs. H. 0. Coker and Co., of Salisbury, Rhodesia, under date March 30, 1922, wrote as follows:—“We are in the midst of an unprecedented drought, some 17in. of rain only having fallen this season, and the wet season is about over. Matabeleland is much worse, and there are likely to be serious losses in stock this season.” It is reported that an American grazier is going to Australia to endeavor to convert prickly pear into fodder. It is also reported that the visitor has had a very extensive experience on his own large ranch in Southern Texas, and on which he has utilised prickly pear solely as food for his stock for .many years, and even for as long a j period as three years at a stretch. 1 The Queensland Attorney-General announced last month a further incursion jby the Government into the realms of i private enterprise. He said that the i public curator of the State would shortly undertake general auctioneering I and conduct general sales of real ' estate, so that in -future his activities I would not be confined solely to the i real property in the 'estates administered by him. According to the. 56th annual report of the Union Stockyards and Transit Company of Chicago, the total number of stock received at the Chicago market in 1921 was 16,794,298 .head, valued at 434,412,531 dollars (approximately £90,000,000). The receipts included 2.793,394 cattle, 746,244 calves, 8,147,646 hogs, 4,734,408 sheep, and 33,723 horses. The 1921 receipts were slightly more than 1,000,000 in excess of those of 1920.

The livestock census report on purebred sheep on -farms in the United States brings out the great hold Shropshire sheep have attained as an economical producer of mutton and wool on the great American Continent. The total number of purebred sheep in the United States on January 1, 1920, was 463,504. 1 Shropshires come first with 124,453. equal to 26$ per cent.; Rambouillets next with 106,819; Merinos follow with 59,876. After foaling, mares should be allowed to rest from 10 to 15 days, when they can again be put to? daily work. Do not take the foal away from its mother during' the working hours. They can do no harm to crops by running with their mother in the field while at work during this period. The occasional nursing that can be given the' foals during the day, if following their mothers in the field, will be very helpful in giving them a good "start in life. ■From 70 acres at Gunnedah, N.S.W., Mr. John Aitken expects a yield of 60 tons of tobacco leaf, properly cured. This, it is- -claimed; is the largest crop yet gathered in Australia, by a single grower. The property is under irrigation, and has been conducted successfully for some years. It is managed in conjunction with gangs of Chinese, who, unfortunately, cannot be persuaded that it will pay to cufe- the leaf by flue. In regard to the area personally controlled by Mr. Aitken this system is in force, with the result that the flue-cured article is worth Is per lb more than the other.