FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 April 1924, Page 8

FARMS AND FARMERS

NEWS AND NOTES.

(By

“Rouseabout.”)

There are different methods of farming, and some are profitable (says the "Wanganui Chronicle’’). A man up Karioi way with 700 acres found there was no profit in sheep farming, so he turned his attention to rabbits, and last year came out £350 on the right side of the ledger.

< It will no doubt surprise many readers to learn that dairying land in Southland is dearer than in Denmark (says the “Southland Times”). Mr Moller, of the Chr. Hansen’s Laboratory, Ltd., who is at present on a visit to New Zealand, considers the high prices ruling for land one of the principal drawbacks to settlement in .New Zealand. Oversea immigrants hnd the price of land in the Dominion too high lor them.

The following are round figures showing the distribution of cows in New Zealand, and they reveal that Auckland has more cows than any other two provinces put together: —> Auckland, 500,000; Taranaki, 200,000; Wellington, 200,000; Hawkes Bay, 65,000; North Island, 965,000; Nelson, Marlborough .and ‘Westland, 60,000; Canterbury, 90,000; Otago, 60,000; Southland, 75,000; South Island, 285,000. Grand total, 1,250,000. Another interesting chart gave the number of cows of the different breeds (not necessarily in the Dominion. The figures are roughly : —Shorthorns, 68,000; Jersey, 370,000; Friesians, 160,000; Ayrshires, 40,000; total, 1,250,000.

The use of carrots in conjunction with strychnine for poisoning rabbits has resulted in many inquiries being received by the growers round about Christchurch for supplies of this vegetable. It is stated that the Government officers concerned with the control of the rabbit nuisance have recommended this method of destroying the too prolific “bunny.” The method employed is to put out some untreated carrots for one night, and the following night to put out a supply that has been treated with styrchnine. The demand for carrots apparently Indicates that the method has been found successful. The present prices paid, for carrots are reported to- range from £3 10s to £4 a ton. Years ago and in periods when they were not in demand for poisoning rabbits, the price was as low as 15s a ton. Just now inquiries are being received from all parts of the South. Island where the rabbit pest exists, and particularly from , Central Otago, North Canterbury, and Kaikoura. Last year one grower disposed of 50 tons in Central Otago, and just recently the sale of a line of 40 tons for a locality in North Otago was effected.

CONVEYANCE OF LAMBS. Experiments have recently been conducted by the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board with a view to determining the difference in the condition of lambs arriving at freezing works by motor lorry as compared with lambs which have been driven. These tests have been made oh lambs delivered by Mr Frank Wall, of Martinborough, who offered to allow these experiments to be made on lambs from his property, and the results should be of great interest to farmers throughout the Dominion. The drafts of lambs tested were weaned lambs. The Board had, earlier in the season, made tests on lambs “off their mothers,” but as the season was too far advanced they were not satisfactory, and further tests will be made at the commencement of next season with the first drafts “off their mothers.” The first line of weaned lambs tqsted consisted of 88 Down Cross and 140'Romneys. These lambs, which were off turnips, were drafted on March 1, and after they were drafted they were put back on the turnips until 3 p.m. the next day, when they were placed in a bare sheepyard and kept there until 5 a. in. next morning (March 3). One hundred ana fourteen were then despatched "by lorry and 114 by drover. In order to get the two lots as even as possible the lambs were first divided into two lots—Down Cross and Romneys—and then each lot put through the race separately and each lamb drafted off alternately into the motor lorry and the driven lot. Mr Wall’s property is 25 miles distance from the Waingawa Freezing Works, where both lots were slaughtered. The lot by motor lorry was killed on the afternoon of the same day as delivered, viz., March 3, and killed out as follows: — 104 Primes 42/under 3,8161 b at 9 3-4 d, £155 0/6; 4 Primes 43/over 1781bs at 0 l-4d, £6 17/3; 6 second-class 2071 b at 8 3-4 d, £7 10/11; totals, 114, of 4,2011 b, £169 8/8; average 36.81 b. Less lorry charges 25 miles at 1/8 per lamb £6

17/9 —£162 10/11. 41 woolly lambs, 73 shorn lambs, total 114. It may be noted that if it were possible to have railed these lambs straight from the drafting yards to the works the railage for 25 miles would work out at approximately 4d per lamb, as against 1/2 d per lamb by motor lorry. The 114 driven lot arrived at Waingawa on March 6, and were killed on the following day:—92 Primes 42/under 3,2971 b at 9 3-4 d, £133 18/10; 4 Primes 43/over 1771 b at 9 l-4d, £6 1/5; 18 second-class 6171 b at 8 3-4 d, £22 9/11; totals, 114 of 4.091 lb, £163 5/2; average 35.81 b. Less estimated share of droving for the 25 miles £1 5/ —£162 0/2; 41 woolly lambs, 73 shorn, total 114. These driven lambs were actually four days on the road and the total cost of droving was £5. Under ordinary circumstances, however, a small lot of -114 lambs would not be driven this distance, but would be linked up with other lots of lambs and the size of the mob would govern the cost of droving, so in actual practice 25/ would be a fair estimate to place against them as a droving cost. During the time these lambs were being driven to the works, the weather was normal, a careful drover had charge of them, and there was a fair picking of feed on the road and plenty of water. As compared with a larger mob a small lot of lambs like these would travel much better on the road and would probably arrive in better condition.

■ A further test was made on lambs from this same station at the end of March, and the results are as folows: Lorry lot killed March 31: 109 Primes 42/under 3,8061 b at 9 3-4 d, £154 12/4; 1 second-class 321 b at 8 3-4 d, £1 3/4; totals 110, of 3,8381 b, £155 15/8; average 34.891b;' Less lorry charges 25 miles at- 1/2A per lamb £6 12/11- —£149 2/9. Nine woolly lambs,. 101 shorn, total 110. Driven lot killed April 4:—105 Primes 42/under 3.5511 b at 9 3-4 d, £144 5/2; 1 Prime 43/over 451 b at 9 l-4d, £1 14/8 ; 4 second-class 1201 b at 8 3-4 d. £4 7/6 ; average 33.781 b. Less estimated share of droving for the 25 miles £l5/ —£l49 2/4. Ten woolly lambs, 100 shorn, total 110. The grading of both tests was superintended by the Board’s Supervising Grader. For the purposes of making a comparison in* values, both drafts have been treated as woolly on the basis of .woolly