ON THE LAND.

Feilding Star, Volume 6, Issue 1353, 13 March 1928, Page 7

ON THE LAND.

NEWS, VIEWS AND COMMENTS. A scheme fur the housing uf dairy herds in winter is being initiated un the Haiiraki Plains. Feed in the Maipukurau district i s showing prolific growth, and is coining on in abundance. 'Pain in Poranaghan has given the land a good soaking and was just what was required to start the new growth of grass for the winter Iced. Itoot crops in the Pohangina Valley have benefited considerably from the recent rain. Several heavy crops are to be noticed in tho district. The horticultural products of New Zealand are estimated by Government officials to be worlb £'7, ODD.ODD yearly. f Tho capital value ol land and improvements in the North Island is estimated ta 102.877.87:1 and in tho South Island £200,072,858.

The number of stock in New Zealand at tho end of 1027 was: Horses :301b718 ; cattle. 3.257,720; sheep 25,<340.016; and pigs 500,113.

Wool growers and. buyers in South Africa, have largely profited by the shipping freight war in that country for freight rates on wool have been cut to .id per lb.

Attempts to sell unhealthy and undeveloped/ purebreds easts a reflection on the whole purebred business. Courage to sell culls to the butcher is necessary to success.

Tliei combined chain and tripod barrow is an excellent implement lor spreading animal manure but there' are occasions when a, heavier implement must be used.

At the last oddments sale held in Wellington sheepskins met with good competition and. showed an all-round advance of Id per lb. All bides were lower in price .‘end call skins on a par with recent rates.

Some monster specimens of potatoes were on exhibition at the Stratford Horticultural Society's Show, and one gardener reported that in one bead recently, lie found 20 potatoes, all of good size.

Potato crops in the Waimatc district, South Canterbury, do not, it is reported, promise! very well, and blight is stated to be prevalent. Tins is due to over much rain at the beginning of the season.

A trip through Central Hawke’s Bay discloses that the hay season Ui l .s been an exceedingly good, one, and settlers have taken advantage, of the opportunity to build large reserve stacks of hay. It is sale to say that despite the seven weeks of dry weather this year the season all round has been one of the best experienced in Central Hawke’s Bay for many years.

When young pigs are about one month old in Ireland they ale encouraged to eat, by feeding the s> " two or three times in their bouse from a, flat trough, and when they have learned to eat they are fed apart three times daily on sepal lied milk or fresh butter milk with a mixture, of equal parts of bran, pollard, oatmeal, a- small proportion of boiled potatoes also being given. -Milk is freely given to young pigs.

The experiment, recently carried out on behalf of Mr D. Blumhardt, of Whareora-, by -Mr H. Seally, the tlie Wluingarei stock specialist, for the treatment of vaginitis on several small dairy herds in the district, proved a gratifying success (says Northern '"Advocate). Altogether 73 affected cows. a number of which were chronic eases, were treated. I lie percentage of cures proved to be exceedingly high, 7*2 ol the animals lining restored to normal health, only one case, which was beyond human aid, had to be destroyed.