NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20269, 11 August 1937, Page 13

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Two-headed Calf. A grade Jersey calf with two die- j tinct heads was horn on the farm of : Mr W. Adams at Karamu this week, I but survived only a few hours. It is ! the intention of the ownpr to have the strange specimen preserved. Grassland Management. The interest that farmers of Ohoira have in oorreot methods of grassland management was apparent when Dr. H. E. Annett, of Matangl, lectured there last week. Despite heavy rain, there was an attendance of 70 to hear a lecture given in the afternoon, while . at the leoture given by Dr. Annett In the evening there was an attendance of 100 fanners. Cattle from Galatea. Evidence of the suitability of Galatea for the production of top quality chilling cattle continues to be provided by the lines of cattle being sold at the station to export buyers. A line of 130 head recently sold on the station for £ll 10s, and It Is reported from the works that every bullook In the consignment killed out In prime condition. Last week-end a line of 200 steers sold on the station for £ll. Fertile Palestine. The opinion that Palestine was the most fertile oountry In the world was voiced In Hamilton recently by Dr. G. J. Rolls, international lecturer. Vegetables and grain, he said, could be produced more readily and at less oost than In any country he had seen. One of the principal vegetables was the cauliflower, and, judging from . lantern slides shown by Dr. Rolls, these are grown abundantly and are of particularly fine quality. It appears that farming methods In Palestine are still very primitive, and teams of oxen or camels or a combination of both are in common use. Value of Pedigree Pigs. When commenting on the fact that there did not seem to be the amount of interest in the pedigree pig on the part of the average producer as there should be, the Superintendent of the Pig Industry, Mr M- J. Soott, made the suggestion in Hamilton recently that at future shows all pedigree female stock shown should have one of their litter in the commercial bacon or porker class. The superiority of the pedigree stock as far as commercial purposes were concerned would soon break down any prejudice against the pedigree pig. Visit to Australia. During a visit to Australia this month Mr G. P. Harington, formerly recording officer to the Waikato Pig Recording and Research Association and recently appointed advisory officer under the national instructional scheme, Intends to avail himself of the opportunity of visiting the experimental station to obtain some Idea of t Australian management methods and I breeds of pigs. Australia is now coming to realise its potentialities as j far as the production of pork and j bacon is concerned, and the extensive ! propaganda that is being carried on ; with the view of encouraging dairyj farmers to take up pig-keeping Indicates that the Commonwealth bids fair to rival this Dominion in the not very distant future. Importance of Grassland. At the opening of the New Zealand Grassland Conference in Dunedin today Mr A. H. Cockayne. DirectorGeneral of Agriculture, said that the great importance of grassland in the Dominion could perhaps best be expressed by the statement that 32,000,000 acres were devoted to the production of the grass crop, and less than 1,500,000 acres to other classes of crops. The New Zealand grasslands were producing annually about 80,000,000 tons of green herbage, or an average of somewhat under three tons to the acre. The poorest grazing land did not reach one hundredweight to the acre, while the most productive areas exceeded 20 tons per acre. From this 80,000,000 tons of green herbage there was produced annually 205,000 tons of butter and cheese, 375,000 tons of meat of which lamb was the largest single item, and | 100,000 tons of wool. These three 1 commodities represented in an overwhelming degree the Dominion’s international livelihood.

: ■ ... ■ .... - I I Bright Beer Market. The outlook for beef cattle Is still very bright and the bidding for all lines at the Frankton sale yesterday was reminiscent of pre-depression sales. Anything well finished was sought animatedly and the price of £l4 5s obtained for heifers from Mr T. M. Hall, of Hamilton, was one of the best figures realised in the beef seotion at the central yards this year. Both at Morrlnsville and at Frankton the quality of the ox beef offering was not outstanding but the prices paid were if anything In advance of previous sales. Boners are now In shorter supply but this type of cattle is still ready of sale. Sheep Continue Firm. There is it tie change in the fat sheep market but extra prime wethers continue to appreciate In value. The top figure at the Frankton yards | yesterday was 44s 3d, which represents one of the highest ruling rates to date. Lesser quality offerings i continue to make up to 38s. Ewes were very firm at Frankton, with the best maiden pens selling to 34s 6d. Woolly hoggets were forward in small supply but the demand was very nalmated with the best lines meeting the market at up to 395. Few store sheep have beeix yarded but anything close to lambing is accorded keen attention. Fat Plg9 at Premium. The values for fat pigs have been advancing steadily over the past few weeks, and at the central yards yesterday baconers sold to• the exceptional figure of £4 13s. This price has not been equalled at Waikato yards for many years. Both baconers and porkers are in keen request at all fixtures, and it will be Interesting to see how long the advance can be maintained. At the present Juncture of the new dairying season few farmers have finished pigs available and the market Is sure to ease when the milk yield increases. The rates ruling at Frankton would be equivalent to 9d per pound for pork and 7d for bacon. Market for Pig Products. For the present at least the United Kingdom is practically the only export* market for New Zealand pig products. The present position has not changed materially from what it was in 1936, when the United Kingdom imported 363,124 tons of bacon and hams, 5800 tons of fresh pork, and 51,400 tons of chilled or frozen pork, a total of 419,524 tons of pig products; in the same year the Imports of frozen lamb and mutton totalled 315,626 tons. The 51,400 tons of frozen pork imported in 1936 included 29,028 tons imported from New Zea- ! land, this being 56 per cent of the total- When the quantitative rela--1 tionshlp between the pork and the bacon imports of the United Kingdom | Is taken Into consideration, it becomes • clear that any substantial increase in j the number of carcases of porker j weights exported would involve a disj tin-ot danger of over-supplying tho i market with the usual inlluence of I this upon prices. Production of Baconers. . In the face of this position greatly ! Increased ouLput 'of pig products for | export by New Zealand is considered j highly desirable, but as a glutfed J market is invariably unsatisfactory to the producer, the increased producI tion of pig products to.jV of the | fullest economic value cleaTiy must bo j correlated with the production of a greater proportion of carcases of j baconer weight, and the proportion of ■ such carcases must become progressively greater as exports grow. In view of the market position, it is i gratifying that there already Is a trend lln Increase,! proportion nr carcases i of baconer weight; in 1932-33 there j were 33.(508 lianon carcases in a total of 310,389 carcases, while in 1935I 3<> the corresponding figures were 219,690 and 679.501. The position is still belter in the elapsed portion of j tlic current producing year, the figj the eight months to the end | total of 642,669 carcases.