THE FARM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 213, 7 September 1900, Page 3

THE FARM.

ijhe Horse-breeding' Question. —Our Southland;. correspondent writes: — )Jhe paper on "Horse Breeding" read before the Agricultural Conference by the editor of the "N.Z. Farmer" appears in full in the "Otago Witness" of last week. I have noticed, one or» two articles in local papers urging the necessity of the Government assisting the horse breeding industry in some way. One paper suggests that the Government should run a stud farm for the purpose of breeding the very best of every class of stock. The idea is quite practicable, as though horses should be made the first consideration, yet by spending' a very moderate sum in importing a few jirst-class bulls and rams an immense amount of good would be done to the live stock of the colony. The Imperial Government has clone, and is stll doing, much in this way to improve the live stock of Ireland. To assist horse breeding especially many thousands of pounds have been spent. A certain number of stallions are annuillly selected by a committee of experts" appointed by the Government. The owners of the selected horses receive £150 premium, and £1 each for 50 mares which are in the'r turn selected by a trio of gentlemen appointed by a local agricultural body. This is mating the best with the be?T, and as this system has now been in force for ten or twelve years it is easy to understand why Ireland still continues to deserve the reputation of growing the best Tght-legged horses in the world. —"New Zealand Farmer." The activity in dairying circles (says our Palmerston correspondent) is inducing the directors of the New Zealand Farmers' Dairy Union to visit their suppliers in the outlying districts. During a recent meeting at Bunnythorpe Mr Parsons, chairman of directors, gave a resume of the Union's operations during the past season, and showed that the operations had been very successful; also that there was every prospect of a further payment to milk suppliers, and a dividend to shareholders. At the termination of the meeting a vote of confidence in the future of the Union was passed. The directors have also visited the suppliers at Awahou (Pohanglna), a meeting being held there for the purpose of ventilating several grievances on the part of the suppliers, one being in regard to the closing of the creamery this winter. The directors agreed to keep the creamery open next winter and apoint a ' new manager. —"New Zealand Farmer." Regulations are gazetted providing that all moneys set aside by any company to form a Reserve Fund within the terms of the Dairy Industry Act, 1898, shall be paid over annually to the Public Trustee, and shall be by him invested in such securities as he is authorised to invest the moneys of the Public Trust Office. An account of such moneys shall be kept in an account to be called the Dairfr Industry Reserve Fund Account. Upon receiving from the Colonial Treasurer a certificate that any 'company has duly paid all moneys payable under its mortgage, the Public Trustee shall pay over to the company the moneys standing to its credit in the Dairy Industry Reserve Fund Account. Addressing the dairy students at a meeting in Wyndham Commissioner Kiusella explained the why and wherefore for the institution of the dairy classes. He came to Wnydham, he said, to try and assist the factory managers of South Island, in a practical v/ay: his contention being that more benefit was IJ> be derived by practical demonstration than by platform declaration — (applause)— although, at the same time, he did not wish to cietry the. value of theoretical education. He desired that the factory managers should adopt and perfect a uniform system of making, and if they worked on the liLes he desired they could rest satisfied that the quality of their output wculd also be improved. _ Ao doubt, the Commissioner continued, some worthy managers were averse to vthe idea of departure from the oid lines; but in standing before them, and in his visits throughout the colony, lie-would never suggest anything the advJsaKliti of which he was not prepared to demonstrate. He had maJle cheese- now in varied climes, and had invariably found that though local condition's might vary, the fundamental princ-ules of successful chee^iuafciug were the same everywhere. The New Zeala^Dairy. Association (Mesrs. Lovell and Christmas) has during the past year, in the Waikato, erected seven new creameries, and s-x are either now in process of erection, made over 800 tons of butter, and but ior the drought would -have made over 1000 tons. The coming season will probably witness a large increase I these figures. Mr Spragg, New Zealand manager of the Company, estimates that its disbursements m Upper and Lower Waikato next season including wages, contracts, etc., wni be close on £100,000. The results of the butter test at the recent Snow of the B«Z* JW Society at St. Heliers bear fresh testi monylo the admirable butter^eMing dualities of the popular island breed of cattle Mr Ernest Matthews who, exceeded in number of entries au fSmer competitions on the island but that the cows tested showed a marked improvement in general excellence, as is instanced by the, fact that out of fifty-five entries there were fifty-three tested, and thirtynine were awarded certificates ol merit, in addition to the three pme cows. The forty-two winners of prizes and certificates averaged as follows:-148 days in milk, J*f yield lib 12*o Z . The gold medal cow cave 21b 7oz butter from 321b 14oz milk ratio 13.48. The lowest ra ho was 11.47 recorded by the third pme cow, while the largest yield o! bntter was 21b B*oz by a cow whose pioduce was more noted for quantity than quality.