FARMING TOPICS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 160, 1 April 1939, Page 4 (Supplement)

FARMING TOPICS

Enterprise Of Show Committee In Hamilton recently 1 received a school lunch bag issued by the Waikato Winter Show to advertise its next fixture. The bag is of parchment paper, about 12 by 8 inches, and entries on one side a message to school children about the show. On the reverse side is A guide to tne feeding of children.” The first section of this states what every growing child needs. The second .section deals specifically with the school lunch. The information was compiled by dietie experts, and is given in clear, practical form. Ihe association believes that the wide distribution of these lunch bags is serving a useful social purpose, and benefiting their show. I understand that about 00.000 of these, are being distributed.

“Other” Meat Markets. The Meat Board advises that to the end of February there have been sent this season a number of meat shipments other than to Britain. One noted is 1320 quarters frozen beef to New York, also some boneless beef. To Canada went more than 10,(XX) lambs and 750 mutton carcases, mostly to eastern ports. Other interesting shipments were _ ot 280 lambs to Calcutta and also of 353 and 551 to Hong Kong and Singapore. Those are all really wry small, compared to the millions sent Home. But viewed as seeds, from which great t growth may be fostered, they are of significance. To be of real value that growlb needs lo be thousand-fold. It would be well worth while the meat interests of this Dominion devoting £50.000 a year to promoting this “outside” trade in order to push all classes of our meats, specially the cheaper types.

Mechanized Farming. Tn an overseas advertising booklet I came acro.<w some extraordinarily interesting photographs. We usually associate mechanized farming with extensive operations such as wheat, growing. But here I found the principles applied to market gardening. A first eye-opener was a big track-type tractor in a lettuce field. This hauled a huge trailer behind it nnd also, at right angles, a conveyor-loader. Behind this worked seven pickers, cutting and placing trimmed lettuces on the conveyor. The whole outfit required about a 10-mnn team and doubtless would harvest acres daily. The plant used would cost in our currency, landed out here, ab ut £ll'oo at least.

Another outstanding picture showed the plant of mint, just the ordinary garden variety. tractor hauled a planting machine, on which .sat eight men attending the outfit. The field being planted appeared to lie fully I<IO acres in extent.