GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1941, 26 December 1913, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

A Jersey bull and a fine hay horso have boon running in a paddock together at AVanganui for some time past. Jersey bulls arc proverbially treacherous, but this bull had a splendid reputation for docility. It had been brought up by hand, and had never been known to be other than quiet and docile, so much so that tho owner's children had been allowed to pet it. On Sunday, without any apparent reason, it suddenly manifested all the worst characan "outlaw." AVith a mad rush it charged the horse, buried its horns in its flanks, and literally ripped it to death. Tho heavy rain of last week has proved very disastrous to the fruit crops in.tho AVanganui district. Some varieties of apples, such as the Jonathan and Pippin, suffered very severely, the trees, being depleted of foliage. Plums will bo a very small crop, the fruit not having had a chance to set, owing to tho unseasonable weather conditions. On tho other hand, peaches are fairly good, considering the adverso . circumstances, but the cherry crop is another failure, owing to the fruit cracking imclor tho heavy rain and wind. Tho milk supply at the Mangarama, checso factory on AA'cdnesday was 1165 gallons. Tho biggest daily supply received this year was 123u gallons. The tests for tho last testing period ranged from 3.3 per cent, of butter-fat to 4.4 per cent. Tho intake of milk at tho Mangatainoka cheeso factory on, tho same date was 2400 gallons. Twentynine export cheeses were manufactured from this quantity of milk. Tho largest supply delivered on any one day this season was 2500 gallons of milk, which was 200 gallons ahead of the biggest daily supply delivered last year. "There is blackleg ill Taranaki now, and unless .the law is strictly enforced wo will have it spreading into this now country, which must bo keptclean," said the Stock Inspector, Mr. Beere, in the S.M. Court at Stratford tho other day. The defendant, stated the inspector, had bought the stock at Knhuratahi, and was tho only buyer who had not heeded the warning to h'avo tho animals inoculated before they "crossed tho border." There were 22 bead. Tho law provided that, even though tho stock had been inoculated, a fdirther vaccination was necessary before the stock could be moved out of the quarantine area. Tho inoculation rendered tho stock immune from the disoaso for about four months. Tho offender, Ralph Bond, is a settler at Nihoniho, in'tho Ohura country. A fine of £3 and £1 2s. (id. costs was inflicted. Tlio dairy farmers of Otago and Southland havo had a most bountiful season, and, in spite of the strike, havo succeeded in shipping more, cheese to dato than at tho corresponding period of last year. On account of the strike, 10,000 crates of cheeso have been railed from tho Otago factories to Bluff for shipment, but during the past week or two exporters have again been using Duncdin for dispatching their cheese, ■ The Meremcro Dairy Factory Company pays out £2G4G Ts. for November butter-fat, individual suppliers receiving £297, £174, £159, £139, £128,-£ll3, £108, £104, etc., This is the largest month's pay-out yet disbursed by this company. Reports from the South Island show that the past lambing season has, all things considered, been a highly satisfactory one. The incessant wet wwlhci-.tli.it has obtained for the past Month in tho districts bordering on the coast lino has, however, told against the progress of the young sheep and impeded their growth to a marked degree. Unless tho conditions improve to a considerable extent it- is sure to have an effect on the number of lambs fattened. Buyers from tho Australian horse market aro stated to bo at present scouring tho country endeavouring to purchase some young Clydesdalo stal-

lions and pndigrccd mares which suit their reriuiromwits. They insist iiixin havniß substantial horses of heavy bono and groat weight combined with quality, and will not look at anv other sorts. Both tho Boiigotea and Glen Oroua dairy coni])aiiios paid out Is. per lb. for November's butter-Hit. The average test for the Makowhni cheese factory since- its commencement is 4.1. The lowest tost was onlv 4, and this is considered highly satisfactory. Tho Kaupokouni Dairy Company is finding a groat improvement in tho finality of the milk supplied caused through paying on grade of milk. Any milk tainted is labelled second grade, and only paid for at the rate of 9d., as against Is. for first grade. A settler near Ekotahuiia lost 100 riowly-shorn sheep last week as a result of the cold snap in the weather.