FARMING NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 11 December 1913, Page 7

FARMING NEWS.

The Holstein breed.at Weraroa now consists of just over 100 head of purebred gtock. The milking Shorthorns of the Australian type give every promise of providing a most valuable addition to the; dairy herds of the Dominion. The milking herd is being added to by the addition of selected Shorthorn colws of a, definite dairy type, and it is believed that they ate of such breeding-that they will claim registration in the herd-book of the lately-formed Milking -Shorthorn Association. All the co-operative'dairy companies in the Taranaki district are experir •* encing a very good season, as the figures representing the -amounts paid for bnttSr-fat show (says the Taranaki Herald). Perhaps the best to hand &o far is the Marigorei Company which distributes £4062- 19s 2d for/October, as compared with £3OO6JOs 8d for the corresponding month of last year. This represents an "increase "of £1056 8s 6d, or over'3s per cent. During September and October tii more boxes of butter were made than in the corresponding month of last year. Nearly j38,000,000 acres, or roughly, 95 pei" cent, of the total .land under occupation in New Zealand (says the Journal of Agriculture) wholly .utilised for pastoral purposes. Another 1,000,000 acres is devoted to the growing of special annual crops used to supplement the feeding "capacity of the pastures, during those crucial periods of the year when the grass supply is liable to be insufficient. Thus, over 97 per cent, of the'-occu-pied'land'is devoted entirely to the maintenance of our flocks and herds. These figures serve to show the ov"erwßelming importance of the gracing and pastoral interests in New Zealand agriculture. With a view to converting the Farmers' Union movement into one of ■ Australasian' significance, the Atick? land Provincial Executive is now negotiating with the Queensland- Fanners' Union., The provincial secretary: (Mr A. Schmitt) has forwarded certain resolutions bearing on the question, and it is hoped to get into touch with the farmers' .unions of other Commonwealth States, the idea being to arrange for co-operation in times' of emergency, such as that which has caused the mustering of farmers in Auckland at present. Further than this, the; Auckland executive hopes that the linking up of unions throughOut New Zealand and Australia will, prove beneficial in regai'd to general agricultural interests. In replying to a-question in the House byMrR. W. Smith regarding the spread of noxious weeds', the Hon, Mr Massey (Minister of Agriculture) said it was, intended to obtain the advice of the Board of Agriculture in regard to the notxiousi weeds Generally, and until the Board's opinion was available no change would be made in the present policy, which bad been unchanged for years past, and which was as follows: The extent to which landowners' or occupiers of land } are compelled to clear noxious weeds is 1 left to the discretion of the inspector in charge of each district, subject to general control by the director of the tfiv.iaion which deals with this part of the Department's opeiations, and subject also to the approval of the director being obtained before prosecutions for failing to clear weeds are undertaken.