AGRICULTURAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 127, 30 May 1914, Page 12

AGRICULTURAL

NEW ZEALAND BUTTER. The Pastoral Review considers it quite easy to understand the caueo of the com* plaints being made on the Pacific Coast of America against New Zealand butter. •Ihe invasion of this market," the Review says, "does, not suit the dealer who was making a largo profit out of tho locally-manufactured article, and he has evidently been endeavouring to get the producer on his side by pulling down prices. It can scarcely bo said that, largo as the nnnortof New Zealand butter Us, tho quantity is sufficient to bring down th« price ot the local article to one-half ot its former value. Every effort is being made to decry the quality of Now Zealand butter, and some of it has even been condemned, yet the same butler is being highly appreciated in Western Canada. It has been suggested that the Government k of New Zealand ehottld station an experienced officer of the Dairy Depart' hienfc at San Franoisco and another at Vancouver to inspect all importation* of butter, to deal with any complaints that arc made, and to ensure that none but the best quality is cent. Such aft officer is already stationed in London, and he has done good work in checking the ex> portation of second -class buttei and cheese. Tho successful building up of a market on the West Coast of America will liavo an important bearing upon the prospects of Securing an opening in the Eastern States when tho Panama Cunnl is opened. I have not a high opinion of tho value of a duaJ-purpose anything from fowl to j cattle; but (says a writer in the Australasian) there arc often conditions which fcccm to point to tho profitable use of live stock which fill o twofold purpose. At tli3 present titno the demand for beef cattlo is causing farmers to turn their attention once again to cattle-raising, and thia tendency is increased by tho difficulty in securing milkmen. It will not pay to raise beef cattlo on the rich, but dear, Western district lande, but there ie no reason why tho calves, which, ur> to now have boen slaughtered indiscriminately, Bhoukl not, on lighter country, be reared and turned into profitable beef. Some Glenormiston farmers already pursue this course in conjunction with ch ease-making, tho sweetrings from tho powdered milk factory beiag .used to supplement the whey for rearing the calves, which are afterwards run on lighter bush land. Mukihg shorthorns aro commonly to be seen on theso dairy farms. There is an opening for owners of cheap country to make money by picking up tho calves from dairy farms, and fattening thorn for the market.. Prospective prices show' a good margin of profit in the business, bub tho calf from a Borubber by even" a purebred dairy bull is not suitable for tho purpose. A milking Shorthorn bull on an ordinary dairy herd will get calves as a rule which will pay to rear for beef, but no one who has been gradihg up a herd towards a Jersey or Ayrshire standard will care to ihtroduce another breed, and obtain only a. certain proportion of beefers. A suggestion, has been made by a writer in the Breeders' Gazette, which is worthy of notice by owners of any but pure herds. He advocates breeding the better half of tho herd of milkers to a pure bull of ono of tho dairying breeds, turning the cull calves into vealers, and roaring the hoifer calves. On the other half of the herd is used a beef sire, all the calves being reared for beef. No owner will care to maihtain bulls of different breeds, but this can be overcome hy co-operation among_ neighbours. The principle of cooperation in, the purchase and uso of pure stock has not caught on in Australia, but is a very essential feature of European farming. Writing of tho l-lawkosbury Agricultural College (N.S.W.), a visitor Bays:—Decidedly the boys are tho most interesting of the livo stock on tho i place. Wo had lunch in tho great dining-room at thef college last week, and as the young fellows left the tables Mr. Potts identified a few of them for us. First of all caina two Boers, wall-set-up, BtUfdy lads, who aro as clever in the classroom as they aro handy in the trades and in farm practice. The South African Government providps a, scholarship at Hawkesbury for two students for the ihreo years' coune. They are, of course, the pick of the classes in South Africa. One pair has already gone through with the highest honours, and both are now in very good positions in the South African service, their work being mostly giving instruction to sheep farmers. After the Bders came a Maori boy, son of a famous Now Zealand politician. There were Scottish lads from Kilmnrnock, and tho British nobility was repicrented by several sprigs whose Fathers aro determined that their sons shall becomehighly useful members of society. We saw ono scion of a noblt house sitting astride of a limb on a. tree, and lopping off branches. He will probably be a Fair axeman before ho has finished his cotiree. An 'old French-Swiss settler, when asked how some neighbours wore getting on, shrugged his shoulders in tho characteristic manner of his race, and replied: "They too far off tho ground." This puzzled tho questioner fov a second or two. until further action-play showed that i beiMing tho back was tho weaknes^ (says "Hickory," in the Australasian). After reading an account of 1 sugar-beet cul tivation in Suffolk (Engtahd), it has occurred to me that possibly our beet-grow-ers work 100 far off tho ground. Ihe Ahglo-Notherlands Sugar Corporation have throe thousand acres producing sugar-beet in Suffolk. To cultivate tho crop three hundred Dutchmen havo boon taken over, and their manner of working, as described in an English paper, a cutting of which h»a been sent mo by a Camborwell resident, is hardly hkoly to catch -on with Australians. Tho Dutchmen work on their knocs, a -man. to each row, and ply a- short stout hoe, thinningout boots and cloaring-out the weeds as they go. Their largo wooden shoos stand this work as no leather ones would. These I men- earn- 3b 4d per day, working ton hours, - and are said to be making more than tho English labourers around them. | I think 3s 4d per day wuld hardly bo suf; ficient pay for Australians for 10 hours work, and most would echo tho question , of an English labourer, Why can't they stand up to it like men .l Tho following interesting romsivkß avo l msude by the Pastoral Review :«~"Ab some misleading statements aro still being made about tho Northern Territory, wp ag*W emohasiso tho position. Tho Northern Territory consists of two classes of country and two classes of climate— (l) tho low- i lying malarial country, suitable for tropical agriculture, in which it i» nnpoßsiblii ' for white men to work continually and keep in health, but where is is possible tor white mon to livo and thrive if they h*,vo servants to work for them, and aro surloundetl by luxuries; (2) tho high tablelands, unsuitable for agriculture, whero wliito peoplo can livo and thrive, and which is ideal stock country. Both are in tho tropics, and the 'White Australia' worehipper invariably mixes up tho two different areas when ho wishes to mako his case good. A returning Government servant, to gain kudos, will ravo about the healthy Northern Territory. Ha takes good care, however, not to explain tho position, and thus tho ighorant peoplo aro perpetually misled." According to tho Lavmceston corrosponpondciiti of *n Australian paper, "Tasmania is experiencing whibl might bo eakl to Approach a famine iv iat stock, and thero is a strong demand for anything showing any quality at all, so much so that prime steer boef ia realising very high prices. Tho ecaroity of prime mutton, sheep, and tat lambs i& oven mare pronounced, ahd as a result tho master butchers havo been compelled to considera>bly increase tho price of moat to tho consumors. Tho King island soason has finished, nnd there will be little or nothing available from that source until August. In tho meanlittio butchers anticipate being compelled to depend upon supplies from tho mainland. Breeder's and graziers find h, ready sale for practically all .kinds _of stock, tho demand for good storos being stronger than it has over beon known at this tspason of tho year. Compared with the eainn peiiod of last year, prices are:-— 1913 : sliOGp and lambs, 14s to 16s 9d : prime wethers, 17s ; beef, 2fa per 1001b ; *pork, 34d to 4Jd per Ib. Present vulucs arc.-— Shcop and lambs, 16s tv 225; prime, wether*. 25* to 28s; boof, 30s per 1001b; M>ork t sid per lb."-