LAND, STOCK & CROPS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 110, 19 February 1935, Page 7

LAND, STOCK & CROPS

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By "TkM Trsmp"). The necessity for producing best quality butter for export was stressed by Mr P, J. Carroll, Commonwealth supervisor of Australian dairy exports, when addressing butter and cheese factory managers .and secretaries at a conference in Brisbane. He said that during the past season about 10,000 tons or 10 per cent, of exports was not up to table quality. New Zealand, with 88 per cent, of the finest quality,-and Denmark, with its 100 per cent., left Australia in an unfortunate position. Whether due to quality or marketing methods, Australia's position on the London market to-day was infinitely worse, comparatively, than a year ago. Moreover, Australian prices were well below those of New Zealand, although they were on a level last year. Another aspect was the failure of London buyers or sellers to discriminate between the different qualities. He urged that means should be devised for placing the best butter before British consumers, so that its value as table butter would be better appreciated.

The provisions of the Road Transport Act, under which the owner of a lorry used for conveying liye stock to a market cannot carry with him the owner of the stock, on the ground that the lorry is not licensed as a public service vehicle, was strongly criticised by Welshpool Bench, (says a Home paper). In fining Edward Davies and Sons, haulage contractors, Llanidloes, £3 on charges of carrying two farmers as passengers with their stock, the Bench made the following pronouncement:— "This Bench" is of the opinion that the law as it stands inflicts considerable hardship, not only on these engaged with the business of transporting farm stock, but also on the farming community in preventing them from travelling with their stock. "•We are further of opinion that attention should be called in the proper quarter to the desirability of legislation being introduced which will enable owners to travel with their stock." The farmers who rode on the lorry denied that they were fare-paying passengers.

Two rams of a breed little known in New Zealand arrived by. the Waitaki from Melbourne last week (states an exchange). Both are examples of the Polwarth breed, and have been purchased by a Uruguayian client. The rams come from the farm of Mr G. W. Dowling, of Victoria. The Polwarth is bred the opposite way to the Corriedale, and just as New Zealand is the home of the Corriedale, so Australia is the home of the Polwarth. The breed was produced by crossing first a pure Merino ram with pure Lincoln ewes, then the ewe progeny again with the pure Merino ram. The ram progeny and the ewe progeny is then crossed to the fifth generation before they are eligible for entry into the Polwarth Association Stud Book.

The Polwarth resembles a plainbodied extra-long-stapled Merino with a much better mutton carcase. The fleece is of even quality of about 58 count, with not less than a 4-inch staple. The shorn sheep is mutton of a most desirable size and quality, maturing at an early age. The Polwarth is said by experienced breeders to be much more resistant to footrot than the pure Merino. An advantage of the breed is that all breeding ewes can be mated and lambed together. Polwarth sheep lamb well and are hardy under all conditions, and, like the Merino, are confined by comparatively weak fences.

The medical attitude towards the pasteurisation of milk was stated by Dr. F. S. Mac Lean, Medical Officer of Health in Wellington, in the course of his address on undulant fever to the conference of the New Zealand branch of the Royal Sanitary Institute reports the "Post." "The medical profession," lie said, "holds that even when clean methods of production are enforced there is a risk of disease and it is that which makes the average medical man hesitate to recommend unlimited supplies of raw milk to be consumed by small children. The medical profession »lso is interested in the nutritive qualities of milk, and if it thought that pasteurisation appreciably affected the nutritive qualities of milk it would not be such a strong supporter of pasteurisation. Admittedly pasteurisation does lessen the nutritive qualities of milk but to such a small extent that a slightly-increased consumption of milk would make up for it. ; .". "We can't wait until tuberculosis is eradicated," said the doctor. "In pasteurisation you have an efficient method of protection which can be put into use in a very short time."

Town and country folk alike in the Hawke's Bay district have been mildly surprised by the revelation of Mr C. Scott, farmer, at Haumoana, 11 miles from Napier, that a cow on his property has given milk every day for the last 11 years without having' calved. Tiki, as she is called—the animal has long been a family pet—is described by her owner as a "lacteal gold mine." Tiki (says a correspondent of the "Auckland Star") was bought by Mr Scott nearly 15 years ago for £l4. She was then a second calver, and had two more calves in three years. Following after the third calving she dried off, but from the time she produced her fourth calf 11 years ago she has given milk daily. In appearance she is nothing out of the ordinary; she is, in fact, a fair example of what an American dairying authority once called ''just plain cow." At Stortford Lodge, Westfield, or any other sale yard, she would be unlikely to realise more than 30s if her record were unknown. Her breeding embraces three distinct strains of Ayrshire, Jersey and Shorthorn, and in age she has already long passed the mark where a cow's usefulness is customarily considered to be ended, and where many another animal has passed into boneless beef or fertiliser. She is 17 years old, but it has not been possible to ascertain whether she was capable cf passing on her remarkable productivity, as, unfortunately, none of her four calves was a heifer. Tiki's record for continuous production is in no way attributable to special feeding. Even under the extremely dry conditions lately ruling, she has averaged a gallon and a half a day. When the spring flush in growth sets in her production leaps to the twogallon mark. '