ITEMS FOR FARMERS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 8445, 12 August 1911, Page 7

ITEMS FOR FARMERS.

■ 'The Southland "News" Says; The National Mortgage Co. report having disposed of the, Mararoa Run of 38,000 acres. The land,, which was sold on behalf of, Mr. Alex Cochrane, who occupied' it for about four-years, was purchased by Mr J. R. Donnistou'n, of Timaru. .Some of the Taranaki dairy factories have only been closed for a month, and have been compelled to re-open-earlier than usual, as many farmers- have already commenced milking. One fac tory is turning over eleven boxes of butter every alternate day. Mr Wallace, the well-known pig specialist, of Hook, is at present fattening a number of pigs for the market, and he claims to have one which has put on 281b in a week. He weighs his pigs every Aveek, and feeds those he is fattening on boiled potatoes, peas, and wheat. An Otepopo farmer who, three months ago, refused an offer of £4 per ten for his crop of 400 tons of potatoes has now his tubers under offer at £2 10s per ten. Even at the latter figure business is unlikely to result. The manager of the Weraroa State Farm is very well satisfied with the results of the experiments with the Holstein herd at the farm. The herd numbers fifty, and it has been established at the farm for two years. One cow (Mr Drysdale, the manager, says) is probably the champion milker in the Dominion in regard to the quantity and quality of a season's milk. In the nine months of the last season she gave 15,2171b of milk, with a test of 3.8. The butter-fat was 5791b. It would be interesting to' know if this record has been beaten . The yearling bull of this cow was sold last year for 73 guineas. The "Dominion" 'states that Mr Drysdale obtained the cow from Mr Grigg, of Longbeach. Commenting on the fact that the Government Veterinarian had lately advocated that lambing ewes should be kept on short feed at lambing time, Mr A. Matthews, of Featherston, who has had some 50 years' experience in the Wairarapa and is one of the oldest Romney breeders in New Zealand, told the Dannevirke A. and P. Association that he did not think it was right, as his experience was that if they were well fed they would not have paralysis. Ewes would often mope about, and later the wool would start to come out and the sheep would die, and a postmortem examination would show that such sheep would be carrying two dead lambs. If ewes were put on good feed at lambing time this wouid be obviated.