FARM AND DAIRY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 June 1924, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY.

NOTES BY TEE WAY. Tlie present is a very busy and interesting time tor the Jersey men, and South Taranaki and Hauera in particular has had an invasion of breeders from‘all! parts of the Dominion such as she has not seen for nine years. That period lias elapsed since the annual meeting of the New Zealand Jersey Breeders’ Association Mas last held in Hawera. This Meek may aptly be termed the Meek for the Jerseys in South Taranaki. There is no doubt much good Mill be done by the meeting of so many men interested in the breed and m the industry, and from the clash of opinions many new ideas are certain Lo be evolved.

A strong appeal Mas made by Mr H. C. Sampson when speaking on Wednesday night to the Jersey breeders, to strongly support the A. and P. Societies, which, he said, were their own concerns specially, though all the people of a district, town and country, w r eire vitally interested. He urged them all to do everything possible for the societies. and then w'ould they flourish. A tribute u r as paid by Mr F. Hoskin on Wednesday night to the work of Mr E. A. Washer for the Egmont A. and P. Society. He said that he had been with Mr Washer on the show ground nearly forty years ago, when they were both, very young, and throughout Mr Washer had been a consistent supporter and in late years tne mainstay of the show.

The next annual meeting of the New' Zealand Jersey Breeders’ Association will be at Hamilton, about the same date, in 1925. A very large number of places and districts were represented at the Jersey Breeders’ Conference. Besides all parts of Taranaki and Wanganui, there were delegates from Damievirke, Levin, Woodville, Wairarapa, Feilding, Pukekohe, Tauranga, Wnangarei, Auckland, Te Awumutu, in addition to other places. The work of the Agricultural Department is occasionally criticised, but generally speaking the farmers realise very well the value of the work and the ready advice always available to them when in a difficulty, or making any imSrovements or alterations in methods. ne has only to think of the good work done by Mr G. Ford, Mr J. W. Deem, or Mr A, J v Glasson rn this.district to realise how much, the farmers are indebted to the Department..A nice conypliment was paid to them by Mr J. S. T. Short at the Jersey Breeders’ smoke concert, when he narmly eulogised their good" work and kindly assistance, always at the service of farmers! An amuisng arid original speaker at the Jersey meetings, arid one whose quiet wit was much appreciated, was Mr Rowland Hill, of Whangarei. Talking of cattle pests, of which so much is being said nowadays, he remarked that up North their cattle were never healthier since they had had the cattle tick. He considered they had nothing to fear from the tick. In his opinion some of the regulations made by the Department M*ere more harmful. He convulsed the listeners and highly amused Mr Massey by his tilts at the Government, arid'his reference to the importation of Angora, goats and those with, the unpronounceable name. In the course, of his speech at the smoke concert on Wednesday, Massey said that he was also personally interested in a dairy herd of ICR) cows. He woiild not say what breed they were, blit, he added, they wer© ivell fed and well'culled* a«d without these features in "management, lie said, no good results can be achieved.

Another a lapsing remark madp at the smoke concert 'ey Mr Hill Mas also in reference to his goats. He said that in the south of Europe there Mas a breed famous for their milking qualities. He added: “Give them a drink of Mater, shake them ivell, and they will give milk at any time.” An interesting reference to earlier days in dairying nffth Jerseys Mas niade by Mr E. Griffiths at the Jersey Breeders’ social evening. In 1908, he said, he and Mr Cornwall had held a sale of Jerseys and tlie prices even then realised Mere' referred to by some papers as a Jersey boom which would soon burst. But in his opinion the boom was further away now than ever. In 1888, he said, in America the- average price secured for pedigrees was £2OO per head, and £2OOO for good sires; and this, he believed, would be continued. The Jersey was now being tried out here in New Zealand more than anywhere else. He added that in the Jersey Islands the ideal animal Mas bigbodied, not the little animal, ivhich latter had been the result actually ofppor feeding. \ ■ Some interesting figures Mere given by the president of the Jersey Breeders’ Association on Wednesday. He said that in 1914 Jerseys under test numbered 70, whereas now there Mere 569. The average per cow under test ten years ago Mas 3171bs of fat, and now it had increased to 4291 b. The number of junior and senior 2-year-olds, 3-year-clds, 4-year-olds and mature 'cows Mere then respectively 10, 10, 17, 11, and 22, M-hile the first named had increased to 238 and the others showed very large increases. He hoped no one Mould rest' until tlie average reached 5001bs of fat.

The numerous interstate Jersey breeders who were in Sydney at Easter Show were (says the Australasian) greatly interested in the importations from Jersey of Mr George Birdsall, which they inspected at the show and at his farm. Mr C. D. Lloyd, of Glen Iris Stud Farm, Victoria, has strengthened his stud and the breed in Victoria by purchasing two of these imported cows and two cows bred from imported stock. Friendship V. (imp.), 27,987, P.S.H.C.*, was bred by Mr J. Herve, St. Helier, and is a robust four-year-old of great constitution and character, which won the Wheadon Cup for type and production. She also won numerous other prizes, and is by Blonde’s Golden Oxford, 5364, P.S.H.C., dam Friendship (6331 b fat), a descendant of Eminent. Friendship V. is in calf to Speedwell’s Volunteer (imp.), who won first prizes in Sydney and on the Island. The second imported cow, Countess Matilda IV., 26,096, P.SIH.C., is by Bermuda’s You’ll Do Lad, dam Countess Matilda 111., a granddaughter of Matilda’s Noble. She is in calf, to Tarzan the Mighty. Golden Dancer of AVoodside (6397) is by Goldfinder (imp.), dam Waltz Dream (imp.), and won the championship at Berry,- New South AVales, last year against strong competition. The fourth- cow, Easter Daisy of AVoodside, sire Goldfinder, dam II., has won two prizes at Sydney, and is a cow of beautiful type and quality. Easter Daisy and Golden Dancer are. both in calf to Montrose Sultan and. bred to Victorian time. In the report of one of the leading Ayrshire studs in Australia it is interesting to read that the first sire used iu the herd was Prince of Range View, born August, 1918, by Royal Prince of Gleneira, by Kin. Ora of Haydowns, a New Zealand-bred bull that was reserve champion at the Melbourne Royal as a two-year-old in 1914, and tlie _ sire of a number of prizewinners in the female classes at that show, ex Favourite of Gleneira, by another Dominion-bred sire, Sailor Prince of Matawai. The get of Prince of

Range View have turned out exceedingly well, and both his heifers and bulls have inherited his robust constitution, and they are of good type and quality, and built on pleasing lines.

STUDYING FARM METHODS. WINTER COURSE AT RUAKURA. Farm schools for farmers, which were first introduced at Ruakura five years ago, have become very successful institutions (says the Waikato Times), and the opportunity has been taken by the men on the land to attend the intensive courses of instruction in large numbers. This year the schools are being held from Dargaville in the north to Invercargill in the south. Farmers, it is shown, are eager to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by the off season, in the dairying districts particularly, of being present at the farm course, where they obtain much valuable information from the demonstrations, lectures, and discussions. The Ruakura gathering will commence on July 7, and arrangements have been made for 60 farmers to attend. , The applications for admission have come from all parts of the province and from Taranaki and the South Island.

In. addition to treating a wide range of useful subjects, including cultivation, drainage, pasture establishment and maintenance, cropping, manuring, feeding of stock, sheep and wool, pigs and poultry, two additional features are being introduced which, no doubt, will be appreciated by all fanners who attend. A demonstration on concrete w'ork on the farm will be given by a thoroughly practical man. Further, the services of an expert from abroad have been secured to give a lecture illustrated by beautiful lantern slides of the processes in conversion of ground rock phosphate into superphosphate. From the favourable remarks made by fanners and from the improvement these courses are effecting in farm, methods, it is evident that the winter schools are having splendid results.

WERAROA SCHOOL FARM. 'THIRD ANNUAL GATHERING. At the opening of the third annual farm school held at the Central Development Farm, Weraroa, representatives of several public bodies were present. Iri formally declaring the school open, Mr T. Hobson, Mayor of Levin, said that as an ex-farmer it was extremely pleasing to him to see a lot of young men coming from all over the Dominion to learn how “to make two blades of grass grow where one had previously grown.” Mr Linklater, M.P., stated that as a farmer it always gave him pleasure to meet farmers, and more particularly those of the progressive type, who were present. They were there to listen to lectures by gentlemen who had studied every branch of farming, and they would ’ hear much that would be of assistance to them in every department of their activities. During the boom period inflated prices had caused land to go to such a figure that'now it was necessary to make the best use of every opportunity in order to make farming a success. ‘One thing which was absolutely necessary was that a soil survey should be made of the; whole of New Zealand in order to ascertain exactly what fertilisers were necessary to the soil. (Applause.) The early/ settlers who had come to the Country had had the advantage of a virgin soil, but with continued farming this was becoming impoverished, and it Mas necessary that the present generation should: learn to put back into the soil whatt had been taken out of it. Many, parts of New Zealand were going back to moss, scrub, etc., and one of* the principal Things those present could learn at this school u*as how to arrest this impoverishment of the soil. Regarding the present school, he was very pleased to see that the winter instruction courses were gaining in popularity right through New Zealand and where three years ago one had been started there were now. nine such schools. It shou-ed that the farmers of New Zealand Were interested in their industry and alive to the possibilities of Marking under improved methods. He felt sure that these schools would' do untold good. Those who attended Avould not do so unless they had a real interest in farming, and suciPriien would make the best use of the instruction which they would here receive. The Mayor had said, continued Mr Linklater, that the man who made two blades of grass grow where only one had grown before was a public benefactor. They should not be satisfied such an improvement only. In the district alone hundreds of acres of land had been felled 30 to 40 years ago, and although it was still growing a fair sole of grass, it n*as nothing to what it should grow and was capable of groM'ing under proper treatment. He lvas sure that there was much land in each part of the country from which those present had come which was the same, By treating the laud properly they u r ould not only benefit themselves, but they would benefit the country as a whole, udiich m ould indirectly share in the prosperity of the farmer. (Applause.)

A SOUND PRACTICAL FARMER. The following tribute to our esteemed lokaora correspondent is paid by the New Zealand Free Lance:—A sterling good ■li ish-New Zealander and a sound practical farmer, until a bent for intensive scientific culture, is Mr. John Finlay, of. Tokaora, Hawera. John inlay is one of the best-known old identities of South Taranaki, and he might betaken for a real old John Bull but for the hearty Irish uarmth and shrewd humour of his manner and talk and the slight touch of the brogue that he carried out here from lii s native WickloM* mountains.

Mr. Finlay’s dairy farm, a model of its kind, is on the fruitful fringe of South Taranaki, bounded by th© ocean; not far away the AVaingongoro, the Snoring River, goes out to the sea between its high dark cliffs. His section is an object lesson to New Zealand agriculturists and dairymen; particularly to those in the more northern parts, who often have more land to play with than they can handle well. Socially, and in every other way, the fine old AVicklow man is of the class that can be described truthfully as the most desirable kind of settler. It we could only be sure that in the coming years the* Dominion will continue to receive such men from the Old Country as those who came out in Finlay’s day, we need have no fear for the- future of the country. Unfortunately that supply does not seem at present date anything like equal to the high quality of the past. Mr. Finlay, among other activities, has taken a leading hand in commemorating the brave deeds of the pioneers and soldiers in Taranaki, and his newspaper articles under the head, mg, “Lest AA T e Forget,’’ very effectiyely aroused the present generation to a sense of its duty towards the men who “broke in” Taranaki for peaceful settlement and very literally “salted it down with their Ixmes.”