AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 112, 13 May 1911, Page 12

AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

THE USE OF LIME. The necessity for applying lime to tho soil in many portions of New Zealand is boginnihg to bo recognised, but there is some uncertainty as to the best method of employing it. Experiments were started^ at tho West of Scotland Collego Experimental Station a few years ago, and it wao found i to be beneficial For cereals, but injurious to potatoes, even where tho soil was deficient in lime. G-as lime applied at the rate of four tone per acre to tho turnip_ crop produced a oon> sidorably smaller increase than an equal weight of burnt lime, but in the seven succeeding years of tho rotation its action wa-8 much, more beneficial to tho crops., ln that period it gave a total increase of more than three times the value of that produced by burnt lime, and on account of its low cost and its efficacy it guv« much more profitable returns than nay other lime-dreesing Used in tho oxporiment. New Zealand _ breeder* might find an opening for their i surplus horses in Tasmania. The arrival in that State from Now South Wales recently of a large number of horses, says a local paper, draws attention to tne fact that in the matter of horse breeding, Tasmania is rather behind. For years past numbers or horses have been shipped from New South Wales, but still the shortage continues, and no attempt seems to bo made to enable Tasmania to supply her own requirements. As evidencing the rapid rise in the value of farm land in the Patea district, tho local paper c.tates that portion of ", farm adjoining the Wkenuakura rivor was recently sold for £55 per acre. An interesting development has taken place in the matter of payment for milk at cheese factories, following upon dissatisfaction amongst suppliers at the Tariki (Taranaki) factory. Mr. W. M. Singleton, of the Agricultural Department, who was present at a meeting of the suppliers, gave a very clear explanation 1 of the relative values of high and low-testing milk for cheese-making, showing that the supposition that the latter was less waste in fats was erroneous. In referring to the Hart's test for oasein, he said that although it was not universally accepted as absolutely reliable, he considered it was on the whole, in conjunction with the Babcock test, the fairest basis for paying for milk £or cheese manufacturers; at any rate if % tho suppliers of the Tariki factory wished, the Dairy Department would supply the Hart test and undertake the testing for solid* during the next season. The offer was accepted, and Mr. Singleton, in reply, thanked those present for the atention they had accorded him. The department, he Baid, fully recognised the importance of finding a method of payment for milk that vrould give satisfaction and bo fair man to man. It was in the interest of the oheeso industry that such should be found. The Hart test was only in vogue in a, few factories at present, and this would be its first trial in the Dominion. Ho congratulated the company on the unanimous way the offer had been accepted, and considered it spoke >woll for its members, especially the Jersey- men, that they, had so readily displayed thoir willingness to adopt an experiment of this sort. Owing to the success of silage in the South Coast district last year (says the Sydney Mail), farmers, are busy conserving their fodder. There are splendid crops of make and planter for tho purpose, and these are being conserved in tub and stack silos. During the last two years silage making hoe made remarkable progress, and, whereas only an isolated farmer conserved his fodder in this way, there is scarcely a_ farm now where there is not a eilo. Dairy farmers speak highly of fiilags oa a milk-produaing fodder ' v Growing lucerne for eeed is a profitable undertaking. A New South Wales farmer has taken over 10001b per acre oft' his farm, while another had this year a return of nearly £500 for 44 bags. The attention of the Department of Agrioulture in England was directed during the past year to notice* in the press as to the conviction of a dairyman in the French oourts for selling adulterated milk. The oonviqtion was based on tho assumption that it is possible to water milk either by feeding cows on watery food, or by causing "them to drink water in large quantities, or immediately before being milked. The department was not aware of any sufficient evidence to show that when the total supply of nourishment is sufficient it is possible to increase the quantity of the milk, at the expense of the quality, by these means; and as they considered that the dissemination of incorrect information on this subject among officers of local authorities _and others might lead to hardships to dairymen, they referred the matter to the Agricultural, Education Association, and arranged with them to conduct experiments at the Midland Agricultural and Dairy College to test the points raised. Seven typical dairy cows were selected from the college herd of the dual purpose Shorthorn type. Theso cattle were 6tall-fed during the whole of the time the experiment was in progress. Their food consisted of _ concentrated dry fodders, with tho addition of mangels, and at stated intervals — viz., every seventh day — it was supplemented with a definite amount of salt. The result of the experiment showed that periodical doses of common salt administered to cowe, even to the extent of purging them, do not necessarily cause them to consume excessive quantities of* water, and that tho quantity of water consumed by cows has no direct bearing on the composition of their milk yield. An English visitor to the Argentine tells of a colossal concern in the South American Republic, and which is claimed to be the largest dairy in the world. At Cosares Dairy they milked 15,000 cows in summer and 9000 i« winter. Tho milk was driven into the dairy from all the quarters o' tho estancio _by horses, of which som>9 800 were required. The milk was first sterilised, separated, and the oream made into butter and cooled by ice made oa the promises. There were two churns, driven by steam, and each capable of churning 7001b of butter at a time. Out of the milk a kinci of sweetmeat was made. At the Caeares dairy, ho added, a lot of Shorthorn cattle were bred, ana a large number of horses. At the estancio of Mr. Martinez do Hoz there were some 25,000 cattle, 40,000 sheep, and a large number of horses. The land belonged to himself, as well as all the stock. There they saw eomo of the best Shorthorn bulls which they caw anywhere. Those who know the Argentine well predict that before many yoars have passed it will occupy as, prominent a position in South America as the United States do in the Northorn Continent. Poisoned larks were despatched to London by a farmer in Feltwell, Norfolk, for human consumption In the proceedings taken against him it was stated that he had been laying gram poisoned with strychnine on his land xor killing and taking the larks, and that he had senfc eighty dozen of the bird* to lK>ndon. Some of tho poisoned larks were afterwards sent to Pans. The price paid for them in London was Is 9d per dozen. The chairman of the Bench of Magistrates (Colonel Mackenzie) said he did not think he had ever hoard a worse case during all the years that be had sat on the Bench. The accused (Arthur Banham) was fined £8 2s. , Farmers liavo suffered very severely owing to the depredations of wild pigeons in thq Islo of Wight, and a campaign waa organised for their destruction. It is estimated that a thousand guns were called into requisition, landowners and tenants taking part in tho slaughter. The shooters wero stationed in woods and coppice* over a wide area, and §otne heavy, feage jycr© obtained* ' J