FARM NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8144, 19 May 1906, Page 3

FARM NOTES.

•FERTILISING GRASS LANDS. The most marked feature in the 'history of agriculture in England is 'the continuous decrease in the area voder wheat and the proportionate increase in the area of grass land. This ia shown by the returns published by the British Board of Agriculture. In, the year 1875 wheat was selling at 45s per quarter, and the area undei wheat in Great Britain was 3,350,000 aores; but since that year the price has gose baok in the same ratio, for in 1904 the area was only 1,300,000 aores, while in the thirty years the area under grass has increased from 13,500,000 acres to 17,000,000 aores. The great dimutiitiun in wheat growing and proportionate increase in the area of grass lands has caused much atfeution to be given to the question of manuring pastuio lands in-order *o maintain them in a profitable condition, and it is generally acknowledged thai they have been sbhouhly neglected to the prejudice of British auriaulture. lu New Zealand we complain that we cannot, except finder exceptionally favourbie conditions, maintain our pastnren in a profitable and permanent; condition, and that the sown grasses give way in a few years to those of au inferior and undesirable kind. \ Grass cannot be expected to give good returns year after year for an indefinite period ■without some artificial assistance. nnd, we were uuder the impression that "this was fully recognised by j British farmers, and that top-dress-ing of the pastures was looked ] upon as indispensiblo to profitable I farming. That this is not the oaso is shown by a report which says that "the land is continually grazed with breeding animals or milch cowo; hay crops are taken coansion ally or regularly. i"et nothing is done to ret lace the annual drain upon the resources of the soil. 1 It appears, then, that the breeders, feeders and graziers of Great Britain are not fully alive to tue necessity •of restoring to their grass land some of the ingredients which are taken from it, although roots and cereals are freely manured every year.

JN-BREEDING AND OUTBREEDING. "Jn-breoding aud out-breeding ■■play au important part iu the raising of all elapses of domestic stock, bat in none so raucb as sheep. The average breeder will (says "Lana'Viu the Sydney Mail) tells you that much in-breeding but euoh a statement ia generally abased on nis own practices. B?th liorse aud cattle breeders' proved the statement erroneous, Bur id Australia, a few sheep breeders have conclusively proved that, given -attention to proper interchange of relationship, breeding on one continuous system, close culling' aud 'beeping the sheep always on the same class of country they have been accustomed to, in-breeding has not the slightest deleterious effect, whJlßt a stoady improvement can be accomplished. 1 will, for instance, name two typoß, or subtypes, of the merino. One, the Murray, in South Australia; the osher. the Rawden, iu New South Wales. Both flocks have been inbred for over 60 years, without any rforeian introduction. The Murray flock, on the death of the founder, between his four sons; ; (jut "each of them continued' on the laanietlines as their father, with the advantage of being able to ob- ' tain, through the division, a greater interchange of relationship in the flocks.,. And if the eame lines con" tinue to be followed it stands to. reason that the characteristics of the -flock will not chaugo for the worse, and will be open to further improvement. Nor have the good qualities of tho Kawdou (Cox Bros.) • merinos deteriorated through inbreeding. It is only in in breeding ■ on erroneous lines that failure occurs, and then it is a case of out-breed-ing. 1 have come across many in-stances-of the kind in Australia, and one or two' produced curiuus and rather interesting results—viz., reversion to either the original type or to a strong inf asiou of another type. The late James Tyson once told me that he saw no necessity to buy rams for his flocks, pb he -could always pick out the strongestlooking of the ram lambs at marking time and keep tbem as sires. He was too busy a man to investigate the result of this short-sighted policy, otherwise be might have changed hie opinions. In breediug however, should never be undertaken unless the owner of the flock thoroughly understands the principles of the science, and oau give th e sheep his personal and undivided attention.

IiUTTEK FAKING. The Select Committee ou Butter Adulteration has been aporouited and has aec to work (writes a L.on- . din correspondent). Its programme is a full one, if it tackles all the issues and collaterals connected with the abuHes of the t-ade which have gradually arisen of late years in connection with the practice of blending and adulteration. A whole hose of new interests associated with butter bare been created since the application of ekilled ma ■ cbinery to buttei-bleuding and faking. Mespra Pearks. who were the first to introduce "ojilk-bleudert butter," have Rot into trouble through . selling this article with moisture in it to the extent of 30 per cent. They iiave established tbeir right at law to sell tbeir goods if they clearly state by placard the nature of the article. In the oase in question the card had on it the statement that tbe goods were "choicest butter blended with full-milk cream, containing about U. per cent of moisture." The mistake In the estimate of the percentage of moisture was their undoing, and they were fined £2O and £ls 15s cost. Experience of the milk-blenJed butter convinces that : it is a sounder and more pleasant article to eat than any of the mixi tureß of rancid bntters which come up to the legal moisture' limit—l 6 per oent. Professor Long, a skilled writer on all these subjects, pats

forward a draft of what the coming legislation should be. Summarised, bis ideas are these:—(lv The introduction of a "revelatrice" into margarine, euoh as sesame oil; woen margarine with this in it is üßed to adulterate butter its presence is easily deteoted; it is used in Germany and Belgium, and ia to be used in Denmark and Franoe. (2) Water limit to be 16 per oent, 13)£ per cent, to be regarded as a sound working percentage. (3) No drug yj£ any kini should be allowed to be used, either as a preservative or for colouring. (4)fModiHcation of the warranty law, under whiuh prosecutions for the sale of faked butter often fai*.