FARM and DAIRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 30 August 1924, Page 9

FARM and DAIRY

NOTES BY THE WAY. Frozen meat first came to England in January, 1916, when a party of Eskimos took frozen game in airtight cases to Harwich. Mr. H. A. Reid, F.R.C.V.S., who has for many years been in charge of the Agricultural Department’s veterinary laboratory at Wallaceville, in the Hutt Valley, and who has been absent on leave in England, is not likely to return to New Zealand, in w'liich case the vacant position will have seen to he filled. Mr. Reid was a very able officer who studied in England, and at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. For some years' he worked under Dr. Gilrnth, when the latter was in control of the New Zealand veterinary service. Mr. Reid, who went with the New Zealanders to the war, was a colonel on the Western Front, where he gave valuable service that was appreciated by the British authorities as well Js by the general commanding the New Zealand Division. In Mr. Reid’s absence his place has been filled by Mr. C. S. M. Hopkirk, who was formerly assistant at the laboratory. Mr. Hopkirk undertook special studies at the Melbourne Veterinary School, where he obtained his degree in veterinary surgery. Mr. Hopkirk will in the meantime continue as- acting officer in charge of Hie laboratory. As in the case of young heifers there is a tendency to neglect the animal as soon as the milk-feeding period is passed, so is there a tendency to neglect the bull calf. Adequate care for the young bull is even more important than for the heifer, however, not only because a dairy bull is expected to attain at maturity a weight about 50 per cent, greater than that of a cow of the same breed, but also because the herd sire, into which it is hoped the young bull will develop, has a fa influence on the future of the herd than has one female. When will the world’s record in milk production be really reached? Vivandiere, the Jersey cow owned by Mr. Alex. Christie, of Tanekaha, HikuTangi, has just completed the test by which she has established a new one. Her yield is as follows: —17,282.1ib milk, 1036.091 b butter-fat. Vivandiere was milked throughout the whole period of her test twice daily, thus putting up a world’s record over all breeds. Vivandiere is a wonderfully healthy cow, and throughout the whole 365 days of her great work has never once failed a day. Now she looks in better heart than when she started. ‘She completed her test on August 5, and is due to calve again on September 19, so will easily gain a first-class certificate. Vivandiere's sire is Beachlands King Pin, a winner of many championships, in the show* ring, including Auckland, 1917. His - sire was Brighton Twylish, a noted champion, and his dam Golden Swan’s Maid, with a semi-official record of 543.311 b as a three-year-old, put up when semi-official testing was practically in its infancy. Vivandiere’s dam is Loo, a beautiful cow, winner of show honours in Taranaki before Mr. Christie purchased her to bring north as his foundation cow. She also has a splendid show career in the north. Loo has a semi-official record of 527.91 lb fat in 338 days. At a meeting of the Otago Education Board a letter was received from the Otago A. and P. Society proposing that- the head masters of the various city and country schools be asked to select not more than 10 boys who Were taking subjects pertaining to agriculture to visit its summer show at Tahuna Park in November. These boys on arrival at the ground would be placed under the charge of a. member of the committee who would show them round the stock and explain the different sections. The boys would be asked to write an essay, not exceeding 700 words, during) school hours, on the following points: Comment on what they saw at the shows the importance to this dominion of promoting its primary products and improving its stock; and any other matters that might appeal to them It was agreed to refer the letter to the head masters, with a favourable recommendation from the board. A reprinted paragraph from the Otago Daily Tunes of August 23 1864, states: “We have received a letter complaining in very strong terms of an arrangement or. as the writer terms it, a conspiracy by which a block of very valuable land was atey purchased at a Government Jand sale at the upset price of one pound an acre. The persons in the room who sent in the applications that qualified them to become bidders entered into . an agreement amongst was n Tn Ve n aS t 0 ? he SGVftral lots each was to buy, and consequntly there was no competition—a block of the best land m the province passed away at the upset price of a pound, probably less than half its value The correspondent writes very indignantly and asks that the Government "should prosecute lie parties to this arrangement for conspiracy, as be states in a stance was once done in New South Wales. At first sight his pro! posal appears very natural, and one feels inclined to accede •. o it But ■ looking,at it a little more close]r its Vfallaey becomes apparent. We -to not morality of , &n of the S ee ta 7 in it but tnis ' paletf a "he fc C , the oont™ p , atc? 4, th ,‘ f a s rr “ f er “ Otago Land Regulations.” the n MTni3-or qiie f ti< V ,S - i ", the House « t e subiect if ° f A £ r >eu , ture stated me subject ot making the eradinfr nf cream compulsory hart pot ’teen *mi of f Ne„- o VeaH:'7 Wl by tbe <M™nen lnr.tr • ejdan d over a sufficiently Mh, P , ' 10 Cnabl ° them to be vet SN SET 1 Wtb P">P°s rue grading of cream was already ex tending very considerably ~,' j If ™4robable tE inr, "inter the question of makbfT fT 3111 !- " rac * m K compulsory would panic'," y by A daily com. would be takiim T,; tme " ta > ,Y taKIn S an possible steps during the coming season to assist in m,!li/ Urt ? er rai ?"- g the standard of q T *°» f °rJ r dalr > T Products. that the Government is fully aware that negotiations have been in progress between the Federal Govern ment of Australia and the Govlr™' ment of Great Britain regarding loan proposals for £34,000,000 for land ’ SiV fh° nt ] ( an i d dovc!o Pment schemes, a}* ml detail : s ar ° not yet available. At the present time it is not the in tent ion of the New Zealand CWe '- ment to enter into a similar - agreement under the Empire Settlement A motor run undertaken by a Prprs representative through North Canter, 4. hr'Wl fa i' as warrants the • belief that the area under crop this season is less than normal, particu-

larly north of the Ashley liver. A good deal of land is. being worked and possibly the improved outlook for wheat may result in a considerable area of this being spring sown with that cereal. It is only in the Waipara Valley that any extensive area is in crop. In this district, however, it is doubtful if a- normal sowing has taken place. This last season was so exceptional, of course, that it cannot be taken as a basis. The Kow T ai county adjoining, for instance, last year produced only 64,752 bushels of wheat as against 204,428 bushels in 1923, and Eyre county 211,862 bushels compared with 326,409. The probabilities are- that if a crop failure does not come about, that the yield this year will be much nearer the 1923 standard than the 1924. The crops are showing well through the ground, but the subsoil is very dry and a downpour of rain is urgently needed. The helpful rains which fell a fortnight ago along the coast further south entirely evaded the central parts of North Canterbury. An observant farmer, concerned with the general dryness of matters, told the ‘pressman that almost invariably there is a good burst of heavy wreather between Septembr 12th and 25th, and he is looking hopefully forward to it this year. In the districts traversed lambing on the flats has fairly, started, a few farms having youngsters frisking about up to a month or six weeks old. However, this is the exception, the bulk of larger flocks being in the middle of the work. Lambing will not be general on the higher country for some weeks yet. In spite of the general complaint about the dryness of the season, there is a tingle of greenness about the pasture, and breeding flocks are looking well:

THE NEW SEASON. Farmers are now getting right into dairying again for the new season under. considerably different conditions to those prevailing last year (says the Dannevirke News). Cows generally are .calving much earlier, and the disease which kept some herds last year from coming into (profit until quite late in the season this year fortunately appears to be absent, except that in some instances, about two months ago, a number of cows dropped dead calves rather prematurely. As a consequence, the factories are already getting a good supply of milk, which will doubtless increase when the cows recover the condition lost through lack of sufficient food in the winter, and have something over to provide for the milk bucket. Now is the time for farmers to prepare for next winter’s food supply and if they do not make those preparations they will have only themselves to blame if the cows come in in poor condition. It is well to remember that the only way to get more milk is to give the cow more food. The bodv must- be sustained and the carried calf nourished before milk can be produced. The cow that is best fed, provided, of course, she comes from a milking and not a beef strain, will put all the exti a. feed in the milk bucket, so that the farmer who provides good food and plenty of it is simply working for his own benfit and will get an immediate return in bigger milk cheques. \vith the land at 'high prices and rates and taxes in proportion, the farmer needs to get every ounce of profit possible, and to do- this on bush country where it is not at present suitable for ploughing, and putting in crop, top-dressing will be found a thoroughly profitable investment It is good practice, too. to have a few sheep on a dairy farm; they help to keep the land from getting cow sick and will pay for their keep. Another thing to remember is not to succumb to the temptation, because cows aro cheap, to overstock. It is better to properlv feed 20 good coAvs than to have 25 ill-nourished beasts to milk night and morning. In view of last year’s experience, it would be well to get crops in early and secure at least a good start in case of drought later on. Recent cable advice declares the outlook on the Home market to be particularly cheerful for the next three or four months at least, and it is the opinion of English authorities that prices for butter will average in the neighbourhood of 200 s. This is borne out by the offers which are being made by buyers for the AugustSqptember output, and m some circles the direct consignment is favoured. Cheese is also maintaining ,a fairly high figure, but . the irregularity in shipping is having a detrimental effect on prices.

IMPROVING THE HERDS. TEjSTTNG DISCLOSES LOSSES. ■MANAWJATU FIIGURESf. Further interesting figures have been obtained from the results of the herd-testing; conducted bv the Cheltenham Herd Testing Association, through an officer of the Daii;y Division of the Department of Agriculture for the past season, and it is made abundantly clear that the efforts of the Dairy Division of the department to improve the dairy herds throughout New Zealand are meeting wifh success. The (actual testing discloses the robber cotv and clearly establishes to the dairy farmer what a. bar such cows are to efficient farming. Tt further establishes the fact that no dairy farming proposition can be efficiently carried out unless attention is paid to breeding, and it is in this connection that the Department of Agriculture is using every endeavour to impress on dairy farmers the advantages of using purebred bulls of a special purpose dairy breed. Many farmers have realised ibis important point and special efforts are made to impress on the others the desirability of following suit Tt is speciaHy desirable that bulls from G.O.R'. dams should be procured and the records of .both sire and dam closely studied before a purchase is made. The Cheltenham Herd-testing Association commenced operations "at the commncement of the 1920 season, and the following figures show the progiess made up to the close of the last •season : Sc aso n 1920-21 : Number of cows tested, 222, representing 15 herds: average fat per cow per day, 0.91111 b Season 1921-22: Number of coi tested 60S, representing 36 herds • average fat per cow per day 0.97571 b! reason 1922-23: Number of cows tested 112/, representing 67 herds: average fat per cow per day, 1.10831 b! Season 1923-24 ; Number of cows tested, 2olb, representing 142 herds; average fat per cow per day, 0".93961b5! ihe reduction in the average fat for

the past season is due to the large increase in the number of new cows tested. The figures given above and those which follow are the results of tests carried out over 100 days—i.e.. eows in milk for that period or over. The season’s figures are as follows: 142 herds represnting 2616 cows tested. Average Association cow in for 236 days, total butter-fat 221.431b5. Five cows highest herd, in for 267 days. total butter-fat 379.291b5. Seventeen cows lowest herd, in for ill days, total butter-fat 63.151b5. Highest cow, ia for 262 days, total butterfat 532.691b5. Lowest cow, in for 108 days, total butter-fat 45.781b5. The following figures are compiled from the official records and show the performances of the highest cows from different herds for the season : —The highest cow came from a herd of 15, and wa,s in milk for 262 days and produced 532.691bs butter-fat. The next was from a herd of 35, and was in milk ,295 days, yielding 515.141bs butter-fat. The next was from a herd of 11, and was in milk for 310 days, and gave 512.831.b5. The next highest came from a herd of 31. and produced 482.401b5, for 269 days. For 292 days, a cow from a herd of 12 produced 479.041b5. and from a herd of 19 a cow returned 472.431bs for 296 days. The average production for these six cows was 497.421bs of butter-fat in 287 days. For the purpose of comparison the lowest records are given hereunder - . The lowest cow came from a herd of 49, and was in milk for 108 days and returned only 45.781bs butter-fat. The next highest came from a herd of 5 cows, and for 105 days, only produced 46.7731b5. From a herd of seven one cow for 107 days gave 50,891b5, and the next highest was 54.041tife; produced from a. cow in milk for 124 days from a herd of 30 eows. For 117 days, a cow from a herd of six produced 56.531b5, and a cow from a herd of 78 in milk for 106 days, yielded 57.611b5. The average production for these six cows was 51.93 lbs in 111 days. .It will be seen from the foregoing figures that the lowest average cows are a heavy drain on the efficiency of dairy farming, and it is the result of these disclosures to the farmer that herds are being improved. Even doubling the period and the butterfat production of any of the lowest cows does not improve the position, when compared with the highest cows of the herds. The cost of testing to the dairy (farmer is. practically nil, but acting on the information obtained thereby dairy farmers can improve their position very considerably. The benefits of using a sire of wellknown producing blood and'butter-fat following on the testing, are illustrated by the following: One farmer who tested and used such a- sire obtained from his herd during the month of February354.41b s butter-fat, wliidst bis neighbour who had a herd of equal number of any breed and did not test, only obtained 2247.91bs butter-fat. Needless to add, this farmer is now testing and improving hia herd on the proper lines.

» POINTS OF CROSS BREEDING

From an Exchange.) . strictly commercial purposes there is not a word to be said against an extension of the system of crossbreeding, whether it be in cattle sheep or pigs; but we must be very careful to see to it that cross-breed-mg is conducted on sound principles, or else there may soon be a tendency to mongrel-breeding, for that is the end of cross-breeding if ifc i s not carried out on a .proper and recognised system If cross-breeding is to continue to play an important part in the production of high-class .stock for commercial purposes, the value of purebred parents on both sides must be fully realised. The produce of a pedigiee sire of one breed and a pedigree dam of another breed is .essentially f Pfdigreed animal itself, and will piobably inherit the good qualities of its ancestors on both sides, and ir,cidentally some 0 f the bad ones as Bat somehow or other in crossbreeding, provided the parent stock is good „„ both sides , go r, Some If the 1 * ° l i lt 5 a r d this because •some of the good qualities have been perhaps lying dormant in one side or the other, and the strong outcross has Hfe n 4'L me “" S them^to It must be borne in mind tha+*+h a 4 $ should we g „ beyom r a

ROYAL SHOW. Ihe following classes hnvo i lotted to the sWiorrtJ?p”b^3',.* t months. " 18 ““"«•» «»<£/« clMs'is^o’read" 0 m>rim flasses lllis Ram over 1.8 months PeTnf 1 ? m ° nths an d under. Ren of two rams 18 months or under Lwe 18 months or under. Cpm o piorrerf„ I !bredas°ses Under press!,- s ,ven. The breeds scheduled arfejgsfa-S: <a». beeEdopted: B to * »*«» how Boar over 14 months m Bom- over 8 months „„ d „ nder 14 Boar 8 months and under mottL. o™' 0 ™' 8 m ° ntbs ’•■Kle, 14 8 months and under o)d° n " lth httG1 ‘ not over 8 weeks PicL WltJl 11 o ter over - 8 weeks old classes »r r r •n° nths in the above The Y e!l S lb le for championship to end o°f V thffn V€ , heen

lucerne for pigs. n i a ' c f rne , rank ? first among all forsomo + PS m l ' P ‘ KS ‘ 11 Pays to -° to some trouble to establish this crop, as there is nothing better than a good IT 1 '"? " tai \ d looked after and not & ia/.etl too heavily, imcerne hav has proved a valuable food. It can be fed ii> open racks, chaffed, or ground, and tlie pigs accept it readily. Rape ranks next; it is a splendid crop for nigs and moreover, can he grown in almost any local 1 tv. Two .feedings can be got off each sowing, and for pigs it enn he sown much earlier than the usual planting for other stock It should be remembered that pigs mustnot remain long on the raoe crop at the start, as it is very laxative and.lia-

bio to cause scouring. This means that until the pigs have become accustomed to it they should be allowed on it only a few hours daily. It should not be fed till it i$ from 12 in. to 14 in. high. Peas are a fery valuable nop, and can be fed down either in the green or ripened stages. When green, with the pods just forming, the pigs will clean up every bit. Wheat, barley, maize, oats, rye-corn and millets are all good when in green and succulent stage, and are improved when peas or vetches are sown with them. Pumpkins are a good cron for winter use, and do well when sown in conjunction ;with maize or grain. All tlie roots are valuable, but owing to turnips and swedes being often affected with diseases, such as club-root and dry-rot, there is some risk in depending on them for winter use. Other roots, such as carrots, mangolds, and parsnips, entail considerable labour, but are excellent foods, especially mangolds. This latter crop should bo stored for at least three months in order to allow the sugars to form, in which stage it gives the highest feed-ing-value.

FARMS ACROSS THE TASMAN. NO PROVISION FOR HARD WINTER,. From a general observation made on a recent trip, Mr. H. R. Green, the well-known Friesian breeder, of Kairanga, returns to the Dominion with the opinion that the Victorian and New South Wales dairyman is not of the same class as the New Zealand primary producer. * In conversing with a reporter, Mr. Green stated that he travelled in a car for about 500 miles, and saw only one haystack. No turnips, mangolds, or other root crops were to be seen at all. “It appears to me,” he said, “that the cows are milked for the season and then let go for a hungrv winter. Of course, they do not experience such cold as we do in New Zealand, but the majoritv of the cows I saw appeared to be ill cared for. The people have been brought up to these methods, and have lodged in a groove. “In one district, near Wagga, on the banks of the Murrumbidgee, the surroundings are almost identical with those of Palmerston North, and the land is very siutable for lucerne growing. Although some very fine crops are produced much irrigation has to be done, and this must be very costly. In addition to having to pump the water over the land, the property itself has to be divided into sections of about two acres and each surrounded by a raised edge. Then, when the crop ‘has matured, each section has to be harvested separately. “As far as I could observe, it is only during the last year or two that any effective steps have been taken to provide for the droughts. There is no fodder in reserve, and as soon as dry weather comes they are short of water. At the present time many dams are being put in, but most of these are so small as to be almost useless to cope with the situation.”

On being questioned as to how the New Zealander would fare were he to take up a farm in New South Wales or Victoria, Mr. said that if he began cautiously and discreetly, prepared to »adapt himself to the’ Australian methods, he would do well. “But,” he concluded, “it would be of no use a man going over there and trying to make an immediate success by New Zealand methods.” '

THE ROYAL SHOW. THE KING’S SUCCESS. (Times Agricultural Correspondent.) The 83rd annual show of the Royal Agricultural Society was opened at Leicester last month in pleasant weather. There was a good attendance and the judging was completed under the most agreeable circumstances. The King was a successful exhibitor of Shorthorn and Hereford cattle from Windsor, and of Lincolnshire Red Shorthorn and Red Poll cattle, and Shire horses and Southdown sheep from Sandringham. He won in all nine first prizes, including four and two reserve championships for Southdowns. The Prince of Wales .sent a couple of Shorthorn bulls from Cornwall, and with one took a first prize and reserve championship. He also**showed a second prize Aberdeen-Angus bull from his Dartmoor farms. The horse classes were unaffected by the conditions that hampered the movements of exhibits in other departments, and as a rule the different breeds were strongly represented. Breeders of shires took advantage of the accessible showyard.to parade the breed in force, and quality of a high order was witnessed in the principal classes. Clydesdales, Suffolks, and Percherons also made a good impression. The display of cattle was curtailed to an unfortunate extent, but the collection was still impressive in numbers, variety, and merit. The breeds that are specialised for meat and milk production were forward in pleasing strength, but the outstanding feature, perhaps, was the large collection of dual purpose cattle—dairy Shorthorns, British Friesians, and Red Polls. It is high testimony to the cattle stock of the country that the enforced absence of about 540 of tbe animals catalogued was so little missed in the judging rings.

STATE FARMS. AN IMPROVER POSITION. . Reporting on the State farms the Director-General of Agriculture mentions that the financial returns show a marked improvement. The expenditure at Ruakura was £10,282 and the receipts £B7IB. At Woraroa the expenditure was £5754 and the receipts £7980. At Moumahaki the expenditure was £2520 and the receipts £4225. So far as the Ruakura figures were concerned, it must be borne 111 mind that a. considerable volume of educational work was carried on there, and in addition the permanent farm school was in operation for some seven months of the financial year. Apart from the fees paid bv the students at this school, which did not coyer more than about half the cost of their maintenance, this educational work naturally did not give a direct monetary return. In addition to the above-mentioned establishments, the Te ' Kauwhata iaini, "u hi eh was do votod chioiiy to me oultuie and whig making, showed an from the vote of r receipts amountincr to £o/29. “ Apart from the educational work at Ruakura and some instructional workcarried out at Weraroa, these places together with Moumahaki, had continued to be operated on more or less commercial lines, and the question of settling upon a definite policy for Veraroa and Te Kauwhata needed to be considered So far as Moumahaki nas concerned arrangements were in hand tor subdividing it and plaeiim settiers upon the subdivided areas the intention being that the revenue derived from it should be expended upon educational and instructional work in

the area- extending from Wanganui to New Plymouth. Tiie herds of -.stud cattle at Ruakura and Weraroa had been maintained at a high standard of quality, and the farms generally kept in good order throughout.

In connection with the figures given above, it /should be mentioned that the expenditure shown was the expenditure from the farm votes on the Estimates, which did not include the salaries of the permanent officers on the farms.

THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY

(Otago Daily Times.)

The importance of the dairying industry to' the Dominion is illustrated in the circumstance that the exports of dairy produce reached last year the impressive total of £18,567,000. ' But it is satisfactory to observe that those connected with the industry are alive to the fact that the position attained by New Zealand as the world’s largest exporter of dairy produce is not one that can be maintained without effort on their part> The meeting in Dunedin on Thursday last, under ' the auspices of the South Island Dairy Association, .showed an appreciation of the force of the arguments in favour of raising the grading points in the case of both butter and cheese. The address delivered by Air. W. M. Singleton, director of the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture, conveyed useful information on aspects of the subject that are of particular interest to the dairy farmer. His observations have led him to the conclusion, that the- dairy fanners throughout the Dominion accept the view that .it would be in their interests to raise the minimum points for first-grade butter. The motive behind the proposal is frankly to do something that, will have the effect of bringing more money into the Dominion for the suppliers of butter and clieese. It is fairly urged that if the dairy farmers expect a larger return for their produce- they should' be prepared to earn it. The competition cl tt ™ ey are meeting nowadays in the Home market is a most powerful and persuasive argument as to the desirability °f keeping the quality of the New Zealand product up to- the highest possible standard. From the latest report of the Department of Agriculture the information may be gathered that during the past season most of the butter factories of the Dominion failed to maintain fully the quality of their output, and that‘there na,s a falling off in the quality of the cheese- that came from most of the districts concerned. Climatic conditions of an unfavourable kind will have contnbuted to these results. But Mr. Singleton i s very definite in his expression of a conviction that there n„ lfloll ’ for improvement in the outer ° f Z ?. a,a ' lld cheese. The meeti. v?/" 11 ! 1 " Save itrs unanimous appimal to the proposal to raise the and a similar feelinothioughout the country generally mav apparently be expected It is Tnquestumably worth a little effort on the part- of the dairy farmers to overcome such difficulties as may he associated on the practical side- with the attainment of a higher standard in the case oi both butter and cheese.

FROZEN MEAT FOR ITALY. A SMALL BEGINNING. NEW ZEALAND’S BIG HANDICAP. that Italian interests had secured the New Zealand steamers Whakatane, and Port Stephens, and that these were to be employed in carrying Argentine beef to Italian ports. Italy, France and Belgium were made familiar with frozen meat during the war, and with their herds depleted they have supplemented home supplies with imports mainly from South America. Unfortunately the demand on the Continent is tor beef, the consumption of mutton and lamb being comparatively small In the Argentine beef -cattle are graded as “chillers,” “freezers,” and “continental.’ The very highest grade of baby beef is chilled, the next- qualitv is frozen for thei British market, and the tliird grade, which is lean t>eet, is frozen for the Continent. AVe cannot hope to compete- with the Argeutme in the beef trade, still it seems possible to do a little business direct with the Continent, and evidence of tins was furnished recently. The local companies managed to make; a, sale of second quality beef to Italian buyers and the meat is to be shipped to Genoa. The meat sold would not lie accepted by butchers for local consump,l°nrr r ls sa A\ it is of inferior quality from our estimate of quality but it is the. class of beef that appeals to the Italians, more especially as it is cheap. Whether this sale will’lead to others remains to be seen, and no doubt every effort will be made to exploit +W n +i r 1 \ n italy ' U may he stated that this sale now reported was made V' ltho ; vt aa y liel P from the I ls doubtful whether the Meat Board knew of the deal urn was t in e ade PP 10atl ° n tor shippin S space

SAfUTS AS FARAIER

A AIODEL ESTATE.

Fourteen years have elapsed since General Smuts entered into possession ot ins estate at Doornkloof, in the irausvaal, says the Cape Argus. Ten miles from Pretoria, it is situated a ? U ii k mi the sources ot the Aapies River, with the garden hamlet of Irene just opposite. When nt Pretoria General Smuts is in resiuence at the farm, rejoicing in the rambles that bring him close to nature, the bungalow residence, which is reached by an avenue of fine plane trees, is comfortable, but has no pretensions to architectural beauty. The uoGcien stoep (verandah) opens on a hall giving access on one side to the sitting-room and on the other to a larger dining-room simply furnished, i?- a fitting-room are several pictures, chiefly of South African scenery, painted by Hugo Is nude. Numerous signed portraits of famous men and women including their Majesties the Kino and Queen, indicate the wide range and eminence of the General’s career In the lands are the signs of General Smuts s enterprise as a farmer. Though there are many wealthier and more prosperous landowners in the TransAvitii wider fields and larger herds lew farm more intelligently. Evidence of his -up-to-dateness” is found in the roaring of machinery, the song of the Ohio blower eating no green rnealie stover at the rate of five tons an hour. General Smuts sets a good example hy dipping his cattle once a ueek. At first, alter the dipping tank was built, the animals were dipped once a fortnight, but the treatment proving highly beneficial, both in rouiect of the health of the cattle and in keening away flies, the order was given for weekly dipping. The trees more than anything else on his farm arre emblematic of General •Smuts’s character. “Almost,” he re-

marked on one occasion, “I would sacrifice one of my beautiful trees rather than that this should happen.” apropos of what loss the remark was made does not matter; that it was uttered reveals the General's sentiment, and the truth that to him, "No tree in all the grove -but has its charms.” That sentiment is expressed in a- plantation of 500,000 gums and in many ornamental trees about the homestead, willows and planes and oaks. Drives and paths stretch for miles between the stems of gums that have grown tall since the first plantings began 12 years ago. The plantation is kept clear of laterals, and the trees tower straight and well-proportioned. General Smuts is. not very free with advice to farmers; perhaps he thinks they get a superabundance of advice; but always he helps them when it is humanly and departnientally possible. At Doornkloof lie shows how even on a modest scale the demands of five national needs may be satisfied; water storage, afforestation, destruction of ticks by dipping, the growing of fodder crops, and the making of ensilage. The possession of Doornkloof is not Genera! Snnits’s only claim to be a farmer, lor he- owns a .small ranch (Barberspan) in the Western Transvaal. General Smuts himseif can, of course, exercise only a- general supervision over his farms, and then at long intervals. These agricultural aflairs are entrusted to a competent manager.

AYSHIRE BREED. RAISING THE STANDARD. BREEDERS DISCUSS SCHEME. At the meeting of. the council of the New Zealand Avshire. Breeders’ Association at- Palmerston North a scheme for placing the Ayrshire breed + ? 1 ’j rightly belongs,” as it was stated by the originator, was submitted by Air R,. M. Somerville, a member .ot the council. j.iu\ yrf i^ re men could feel confident that the breed which they were proud of was making progress in the Dominlon, stated the report, but,, taking the Ayrshire s capabilities into consideration and in comparison with other breeds, they had to stop and inquire the reason why Ayrshi.res in New Zealand were so weak, numerically. Originally, the imnortations to New Ze-a-and were mostly to Otago and Southland of the old Scottish utility Ayrshire and, from time to time, 'importations had been made from Scotland during the regime of the show tvne of animal The result had been disastrous from the dairyman’s point- of view. Unfortunately some breeders developed two strains, one- for utility, che other tor show-yard performances, the result being that the would-h e Avr--shire breeder who wished to start on what he hoped to be the correct type \\e_nt to the show and bought the prize winners for his foundation stock, it he was .fortunate enough to get util]A’ annuals he was still; breeding Ayrshires, hue for quite a. number of years he was likely to be landed with the show ring animal with the fleshy udder and button teats, and it was hot long before lie was looking for fresh fields and pastures green with another breed and he did not forget to tell other d airy rue n of his experiences. . ” ® haye had to live down a stigma placed upon our breed,’ continued Air Somerville m his report, “that 75 per cent of our cattle never deserved. It seems to me that, with the exception of a very few, Ayrshire men did not tost their cows either officially or at a factory, with the .result vhat our breed was neglected by the average dairyman who was looking for buttertat, and rightly so.” AVith regard to registration in the past, the report went on to state that there was. a- time when owners of pedigree .animals did not register their stock until they had to give a- translei- to a purchaser with results. This must have, left a great doubt n the minds or the purchasers. The report went on to draw comparisons between the prominent dairy breeds »i New Zealand “To place the Ayshire where she rightly belongs, we, as ?.he executive ot the association, must he in a position to assure dairymen that, when they want to buy pedigree A ive have culled the culls and hall-mark-etl the goods as typified ; n the real utility Ayslnre.” An advanced registry for conformation, and aiij advanced registry fur contormation and production were advocated, the objects of which, are/ to raise the standards of the breed in New- Zealand and to-eliminate the culls and place, a hall-mark on animals werf-hv ot the name of pedigree, and also to encourage testing officially, or lhrough a recognised herd-testing association ihe rules governing the two systems ot registry were set out in <b‘:Ml in the report.

UNIFORMITY NEEDED. Mr Somerville, in submitting the scheme, said it seemed to aim that they must place the breed o;i a straight cut issue or else '-'avc- tl e whole, thing alone. AYhat had kept- the breed m the position it held -as the dairyman’s want of confidence in buying the Ayshire on account of its shyness. Uniformity was needed and it could lie reached by appointing three fudges m the North and the South Islands -respectively. One of the judges ironioach island could proceed to the North or South Island, as the case might he, and confer with the other judges m selecting the animals. If they dould put up the standards they could assure a purchaser that the cow lie was buying had been passed as a S °vr PJS, odacer by competent judges. ■ , r ~ Garter said herds were goiim back all over the country, and people were putting too much into the factory- without giving proper attention to the young stock. There was too much reliance on the idea that the Affaire could live on wind. Air Somerville said that the principal advantage of the scheme was that there was nothing compulsory about It.

Mr E. Alills said he could not approve ol the scheme in its entirety It seemed to him that it would not’ lie nglit tor the association to condemn animals that had been accented for registration. If animals for registration chd not come up to their requirements the owners could have the option of holding them over for a period speemed by the association, at the end °l " -Vi the (imvs could be re-inspect-ed with a view to registration. The association must first get into a strong at the present time it could not afford to refuse, quite a number ol animals.

Mr Somerville, in replying to the de?h ’ tl lr t if i th ey fail ? d to adopt the plan outlined then the time was hU iand ’ m 1 opinio, b when their heids would suffer. There was nothing compulsory about- the scheme and if «» <•*<»»

grading of produce. In view of the discussion going on and the opinions of dairy factory directors, it will be interesting to’read what Air Singleton, head of the Dairy Divismn, said to the South Island dairy tanners recently at Dunedin

The Otago Daily Times’ report of his speech is as follows: Mr Singleton said he was pleased to appear before the meeting to discuss the question of raising the minimum ooints of first grade butter and cheese. This question was not altogether new so far as the dairy division was concerned. Their only motive was to do something which they believed would be instrumental in bringing mere money into the Dominion for the. suppiers of butter and cheese. In the earlier days the* minimum points for first grade was 8(3. Subsequently a proposal was discussed in Dunedin to raise the minimum from 86 to 90. Eventually a compromise was arrived at, and the minimum was raised from S 6 to 88. That minimum had obtained for 25 years. During that period improvements had been made in the manufacture of both butter and cheese. In many butter factories they had introduced pasteurisation of the milk, and pasteurisation had also extended very considerably in the cheese factories. During the past season- they estimated that about 25 per cent, of the cheese of the Dominion had been made from pasteurised milk. The instruction in dairy work had extended in both islands, hut particularly in the North Island, and a considerable improvement had been made in the quality of the milk and cream supplied to the factories. The matter of raising the minimum points in butter grading had already been discussed fairly widely, and at a meeting of the National Dairy Association a. resolution had been passed that the minimum points should be raised. It was recognised, however, at that time that the question of a Dairy Export Control Board was in the air, and it was considered’ advisable to delay matters until the board took actual shape. Other associations had also passed resolutions approving of the proposal. So far as cheese was concerned, however, it had been so much before the people interested. So far as he could gauge the feeling of the butter people, they were in favour of the minimum for first- grade being raised from 88 to 90. He'thought that they had only two protests so far against the proposal —one from a small co-operative factory and one from a proprietary concern. The fact that only two protests had been received led him to- believe that the general opinion was that the proposal to. raise the minimum points for huttpr was in the, interests of the New Zealand dairy .industry. With respect to cheese, it had not been so fully discussed, and if lie were a cheese supplier he would feel like going into the matter further, just like many of the cheese people had doiie. Last season they had about 3.75, of their cheese second grade. The season before that the percentage was three and a fraction. New Zealand was in competition very largely with Canada on the English market, and Canada had started a grading system modelled on our own. Last season Canada’s grading for under firsts was 22 per cent., as compared with New Zealand’s 3.75.

This showed the severity of Canada’s •grading to enable them to secure a high standard of first grade. New Zealand’s percentage seemed ridiculously low, and they must do something to produce a better quality of cheese. They had to- real is* t-hat, there was room for improvement in New Zealand cheese. Some of those who had been in the market for some years considered that there had been a trend in the direction of lowering the quality, so: fa r as manufacturing was concerned. The question of hours of work had been stressed and limitations had been arranged which' were not in many instances in the interests of good quality. In the early days there was no limitations in the hours of work, and the employees were mainly interested in manufacturing a good quality. It ■ was not a question of hurrying and getting the cheese into the hoops as fast as possible and getting it out of the iaccory. There was too much of that sort of thing to-day in the dairying industry, and it was being detrimentally affected. So long as there was a requisite staff <in the factory for the quantity of milk being handled fo,r cheese-making he did not personally see the necessity of hours being stipulated. Dealing with the necessity of pasteurisation, Mr Singleton said this method had come into operation to a considerable extent as regards cheese! Sixty-five per cent, of the cheese made last year had been manufactured from pasteurised milk, and the other 25 per cent, from factories not using a pasteuriser. He would not say that factories could not make good cheese from non-pa sturised milk. He had known of factories which had secured 91 points from non-pasteu,r-lsed milk used for cheese-making. Twenty-five per cent, of the factories used non-pasteurised milk. The speaker quoted from a letter received from Mr • Wright, the representative of the Dairy Division in England, in which it was stated that, it appeared to him (Mr \Y .right) that a considerable number of lactones in the South Island had not installed pasteurisers, and that the cheese made at these factories which had gone Home had developed off flavours, and that the late arrivals showed this effect in a marked degree. the makes of the factories in i . hngtoii and Taranaki also showed this defect. There was a. difference of opinion regarding the quality of butter made from pasteujrised and non-pas-teunsed milk. His department was right in touch with the trade in London and the United Kingdom, and he took it tnat Mr Wright’s opinion was more or less the trade’s opinion. He vas quite satisfied, however, that if a factory did not care to put in a pasteuriser, but if the emoloyees would pay attention to cleanliness and care in manufacture of the cheese there as no reason why that factory’s produce for the season should not average 90 points. These factories had no reason to fear if the grading was increased to 90 points.

grading of cream, improvement in dairy PRODUCE DESIRED. Twenty-four daily factories in the South Island have agreed as from September 1 to accept cream from suppliers only upon the condition that all factories shall, grade the cream as reeerved at the factory into two grades, as follows: First Grade.—All sweet or sour cream of clean flavour upon arrival at the factory. Second Grade.—All cream which, upon arrival at the factory, is not suitable for the manufacture of first-grade butter if churned separately. Any cream upon arrival at the factory which, m the opinion of the factory manager, is unlit for human consumption will be rejected as unsuitable for manufacture of butter and destroyed and not paid for. J The Co-operative Dairy Company of Otago has issued the following circular in connection with the matter: A study of the butter production liguies of the world show a bio 1 increase from all producing countries, ihis must mean lower prices and keener competition in the world’s markets. So far as frozen butters are concerned, the New Zealand article holds

an enviable reputation on the London market; but if we are to hold our own against the ever-increasing competition from other countries we must lose no opportunity not only <Ao maintain our quality, hut to improve it. There are defects di\ to the .factories receiving too big\a proportion of low-grade cream containing a high percentage of acidity. The class of cream compels factories to use larger quantities of neutraliser than is desirable, and to pasteurise at high temperatures in the endeavour to overcome had flavours. To remedy the cause we must get back to the'source of production, which is on the farms where the cream is produced. The improvement in the quality of cream supplied to the factories ‘ has been engaging the attention of the Dairy Division and the factory managers for some years. In the opinion of those qualified to judge, no progress whatever can be made in this direction until the factories offer some inducement to the dairy farmer to supply the best article possible. After full discussion, the conference.

unanimously decided that the only practical method of accomplishing this ohjec-t was to adopt the principle of cream grading and payment to suppliers according to test and grade of cream received.

Cream grading has been in operation in parts of the North Island for some time, and according to grading figures supplied by the Dairy Division, a very pronounced improvement in the grade of butter manufactured by the factories carrying out cream grading has resulted.

Grading of cream has been discussed in various districts in the South Island, on many occasions, but its adoption would not have had such beneficial results to the industry unless it was made universal by all factories throughout the island, and those who were responsible'for calling the special meeting of the South Island dairy factories in Dunedin in June are to he congratulated by everyone concerned in the industry, as cream grading will he an accomplished fact throughout the South Island this .season.

The conference, representing the whole of the South Island, unanimously decided to adopt regulations governing the grading of cream and payment to suppliers according to test and grade of cream supplied, and to put them into operation this coming season.

The Dairy Department has promised o make available a competent officer ;o advise factories, and to assist dairy armers in the establishment of a uni-

form grade by visiting the factories and seeing that the work of grading is nroperly and fairly done. New Zealand has been aptly termed “The Empire Dairy Farm” on account of possessing the climate and country so ideally suited for dairying, and with the proper grading of our raw material as well as the grading nf onr manufactured article, we should he able to produce the best butter in the world.'