NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19890, 20 May 1936, Page 13

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Shorthorn Breeders Meet. The annual general meeting of the New Zealand Milking Shorthorn Breeders’ Association will be held in Hamilton next Thursday. The Coun- ! oil meeting will be held in the after- ! noon and the general meeting in the | evening. j Chairman Re-elected. At an executive meeting of the ! South Auckland Dairy Association Mr S. A. Ferguson, chairman of directors lof the Norfolk Co-operative Dairy i Company, was re-elected chairman for the ensuing year. South Auckland Pig Breeders. At the annual meeting of the South Auckland branch of the New Zealand Pig Breeders’ Association yesterday the well-known Te Rapa breeder, Mr R. Chllcott, was re-clected president. Auctioneer Leaving. Mr L. M. Pettitt. chief auctioneer of the Hamilton branch of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, and who has been 14 years with the firm, has resigned and has accepted a position with the New Zealand Farmers’ Distributing Company with his headquarters at Marton. Mr Pet’titt has been a wellknown figure at all Waikato sale centres for many years and he will be greatly missed from the auctioneers’ rostrum at future sales. Advanoe In Production.

The output figures of the Morrinsville Co-operative Dairy Company illustrated the great advance made in production generally throughout the Waikato. Tn the 1934 season the company’s output was 3050 tons, in 1935 2916 lons (drought season) and in 1936 3400 tons. The output, so far for Ihe 1935-36 season, represents an increase of 16§ pCr cent, over that of the previous sale.

Pig Recording Under Fire.

A certain amount of criticism was levelled at pig recording by breeders at the annual meeting of the South Auckland branch of the New Zealand Pig Breeders’ Association yesterday. The principle of recording was endorsed but some of the members were of the opinion that the matter had been approached from a wrong angle. They considered that the first thing to be done was to establish testing stations Rnd then the farmer would automatically improve his methods. The Waikato Pig Recording and Research Association was strongly defended by other members who stated that the methods of farmers had vastly improved since the recording had commenced and that the sale of pedigree pigs had increased considerably as a result of its operations. Waikato Dairying Affairs. The*annual meeting of South Auckland Dairy Association in Hamilton last week provided a good indication of the progress of the Association during the year and of the manner in which it is serving the industry. One of the most interesting points raised during the discussion was the question of butter boxes, members indicating that it was apparent that "butter box costs were going to increase because of the growing scarcity of white pine timber. The suggestion to be made by the conference to the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Finance that fibre hoard boxes bo imported from England instead of the type of box that is at present being imported from Sweden is an exeellent one for it will help lo show England llml the Dominion, is willing to reciprocate as much as possible in the matter of trade.

Trial Plots Increased. New grass trial plots have been laid down at the Ruakura Farm near the main entrance gates and it is hoped that a greater number of experiments will be able to be carried out. Although no conclusive results have been obtained, yet the experiments so far conducted have shown the varying efficacy of various fertilisers. They have demonstrated particularly the great benefit of lime used in conjunction with other manures. The experiments are very systematically carried out, the grass toeing cut and weighed and later analysed. Besides the fertiliser trials, experiments have been conducted with these different strains of grass and the superiority of the permanent over the temporary strains has been demonstrated. Land Valuation. The opinion that land valuation should be based on the carrying capacity of land was given at Saturday’s annual meeting of the Stratford executive of the Farmers’ Union, by Mr H. J. Marchant, Cardiff. The Government had made it clear that guaranteed prices were a step towards adjustment, of mortgages, he remarked. There would he no difficulty in ascertaining the production of butterfat an acre in any district. Land varied in carrying capacity within a few miles. Sheep Country was more difficult to classify, but it was possible and there was much in favour of the suggestion that, land should be valued according to its carrying capacity. Royal Show Judging.

The question of judging at the Royal Show was thoroughly discussed at the annual meeting of the South Auckland branch of the -New Zealand Shorthorn Breeders’ Association last week. Whether three judges would toe preferable to one was considered by the meeting and it was at length decided to send a recommendation to the •council that three judges instead of one bo appointed for royal shows. One could be appointed from the Royal Show executive, one from the New Zealand Shorthorn Breeders’ Association. and one from the local branch, it was declared. There can be no doubt that the opinion of three men will in the majority of cases be more reliable than the judgment of one and would certainly be more acceptable to breeders in general. Every man has his own particular fancies and dislikes, tout this fault could be to a very great extent discountenanced if the Judging were in the hands of three competent Judges. FARM VEHICLES IMPROVED RUBBER TYRES FITTED. ECONOMICAL AND LESS ARDUOUS. On a farm in Columbiana County, Ohio, his family’s old homestead, Harvey S. Firestone conceived and developed the idea of making farm work much more economical and far less arduous by the application of pneumatic rubber tires to all farm vehicles and implements.

Born and raised on this farm, which has been in his family since 1803, Mr Firestone spends much time there and has always taken a keen Interest In the improvement of farm operations and the progress of the farmer. As a result, he has developed a pneumatlo lire, known as the Ground Grip, for kind of farm vehicle and every implement on his farm, from the wheel barrbw to the combine, is now operating on rubber tires.

Mr Firestone has proved that this tiro, which has great traction and flexing life, will save from 25 per sent io 50 per cent In power and do the work 25 per cent to 50 per cent faster, with less loss to crops as the soft pneumatic tires will not destroy growing plants as steel-studded or Iron wheels do. Further, it can be used under weather and soil conditions Where the old steel tire would sink in and not be able to get through.

One observer commenting, upon the situation stated that the economies effected by the greatly increased speed with which crops could be planted, tilled and harvested with rubber-tired equipment would change the whole economic picture of farming in this country.