NOTES BY THE WAY

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23140, 2 October 1940, Page 6

NOTES BY THE WAY

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SHEARING COMPETITIONS One of the attractions of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Show in its earlier days was a shearing competition.,, A member of the writer’s family recalled the other day that one of his first places of entertainment when he arrived in Canterbury as a lad, nearly 70 yeass ago, was the show then held at Sydenham Park. Brought up on a farm in the Old Country, the newcomer thought he knew a little about shearing, but he had never seen anything approaching the ease and speed with which the fleece was removed at this particular show. He recalled that the winner was one of the well-known Withell family, a name that has been kept well to the fore in the intervening 70 years by the skilful sheep-breeding methods of those who bear it. There has been some argument lately as to the availability of shearers for the season about to commence. Apart from the position this year, it is as plain as night following day that the tendency is decidedly towards fewer shearers. Money is too easily earned at easy work, in spite of the high shearing rates. Tins factor, combined with the allurements of the city on Saturdays, the number of young men brought up on the land now in camp or at the war, and the depressed outlook for farming generally because of the mounting production costs, will all tend to retard the natural production of young shearers. Thirty or 40 years ago the acute shortage of shearers was overcome by the droves of Australians who came over every year, but in those days passenger rates were only £3 or £4, big stations abounded, and there was no exaction on the shearers’ earnings,, as there is to-day. As the big estates became subdivided, more young men on the farms learned the art of shearing, and these young men to-day do a fa'ir share of the station shearing. Shearers who just do odd jobs between seasons of long runs are becoming fewer, and it would appear that as time goes on the ranks will have to be increasingly filled by the farmers themselves. With this in view, it could be a useful function of the agricultural and pastoral shows to encourage a knowledge of shearing, as was done in the early days, and it is therefore encouraging to see that the Marlborough Association has arranged for competitions at its show this month. Two classes are to be provided for young shearers under 20 years of age. A general adoption by associations of the initiative shown by the Marlborough Association could bear most useful results.

THE DAIRY HERDS Statistics are now available for this year of the returns of stock, other than sheep, the numbers of which have already been recorded. From the statements of dairy company directors and others closely identified with the industry a big decline in the number of dairy cows was expected. The figures show no such decline. This, in view of the number of dairy cows culled out of many herds last season, is surprising. The decline on the recorded in 1939 (as at January 31) is only 4634, the respective figures being 1,739,874 and 1,744,478. There are actually just on 1000 more cows this year classified as “dry.” In the peak year of the industry—l93s—there were 1,827,962 • cows in milk, and 124,000 classified as dry, or 1,952,000. This season’s total is 1,850,000, or a little more than 100,000 fewer. This is rather a perturbing drop in the space of five years, although some hope may be extracted from the fact that the decline has been arrested, judging by this year’s figures. The 1939 decline was close on 19,000 on 1938. The cattle figures as a whole, however, prdvoke some comment. In the last few years, In spite of the_ dairy drop, there has been a substantial increase in “all” cattle. Last year showed an improvement under this heading of just on 59,000, and in the year preceding the increase was 117,000. This year’s figures show under the same heading a decline of close on 32,000 head, of which, roughly, 27,000 are cattle other than dairying. The arresting of the dairy decline and the pronounced one in beef cattle are contrary to what observers thought. It raises the possibility of a proportion of cows being returned by farmers as “dairy” instead of in the category of “all” cattle. A DISAPPEARING CROP The quantity of oats threshed last season was 1,848)800 bushels from 43,318 acres, the average yield being 42.68 bushels an acre. The Canterbury average was 34.75 bushels and the Marlborough 44.14. The best return was, from Southland —59.91 bushels — Otago following with 44.66 bushels. It is surprising that with such yields more oats are not grown for stock feed. The Canterbury season was a poor one, but the other three agricultural provinces had exceptionally good years, as indicated by the yields. It is interesting to quote from the old records to show how the advent of oil affected the production of oats. In 1906 an area of 360,569 acres was sown in the Dominion for grain and 238,687 for chaff, etc. The average yield in 1905 was 42} bushels an acre, and in 190 C 35.86 bushels, the respective totals being 14,553,611 and 12,707,982 bushels. The need for oats is infinitesimal to what it was a generation ago, but from 14,000,000 to less than 2,000,000, even In the space of 35 years, indicates the extent of # the decline in what was once a major farm product. As in all these cases the decline has been allowed to go much too far. This fact would have been disagreeably brought home to farmers m the winter just passed through had it been a real winter, instead of an extension only of the autumn.

SUGAR BEET FOR PIGS

September and sowing the crop about mid-October. To grow good crops under the more difficult conditions likely to be found on many farms,. it is necessary either to skim plough in the autumn or early winter or to disc the turf heavily, following this by deep ploughing in July or August. Naturally, with a crop of this character manorial treatment is important. Lime should be applied after ploughing. as sugar beet requires a sweet soil. Artificial manures for a first crop after grass on fertile soils can be confined to five to six cwt an acre of superphosphate. Superphosphate and blood and bone would be better where no additional animal manure is available. Where animal manure is not used, a mixture containing readily available nitrogen in addition to the nitrogen in the blood and bone is recommended. A 30-ton crop of beet sugar with a dry matter analysis of 24 per cent, and a sugar content of 18 per cent, is equal In feeding value to between six and seven tons of barley grain. It has been calculated / that a quarter of an acre of sugar beet will practically carry a sow and her litter through the winter. It would seem that the use of the plant could be greatly extended, particularly now that the demand for bacon has expanded to such an extent.

There is a good deal of advocacy of sugar beet for pig feeding, and the constituent parts of the plant support its claim in that respect, as it is high in sugar content in comparison with other roots of a similar character. The September issue of the “Journal of Agriculture” contains <an article on the subject by one of its field officers, Mr C. J. Tamblyn, of Palmerston North. This officer describes the plant as "something really good” for the wintering of pigs. It is closely related to the mangel, but of very much higher feeding value. Naturally, the beet thrives best op deep alluvial and fertile soils, or where carrots and mangels do well, but it will not do well op soils with stiff clay at or near the surface, nor on peat soils. Sugar beet is deep rooted. Where there is any tendency to a stiff subsoil within six or eight inches of the surface, deep ploughing is recommended. As for other crops, the ploughlpg-out qf grass should be done as early as possible to allow the turf to rot before planting time, Excellent crops of sugar beet have been grown this season on deep and fertile soils by ploughing but of grass about mid-

Interim stock statistics estimate the number of breeding ewes available for mating last autumn at 19,676,458, or 286,000 less than in the preceding season, which, however, was the highest on record.