FARM and DAIRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 11 July 1925, Page 16

FARM and DAIRY

NOTES BY THE WAY. Mi-. >i . v. \vrigm;, formerly of Matsi-pu. has removed his small stud of milking Shorthorns to Normanb.y. He still retains a very keen interest in the doing® of the breed. “Our nutter is undoubtedly the best article placed on the table in the Old Country,” remarked the Hon. Sir Thomas Mackenzie in the Legislative Council. “The manner in which our dairies are worked, the healthiness of the herds, and the good work done by the Department of Agriculture are expressed in the quality of the articie when it goes on the table in .England. This is not only my opinion, but also the opinion of the large butter merchants at. Home. . . . Our butter stands the test., no matter in what form it is presented.”

The Hawera County Council many months sine© took up the question panting trees in unprofitable pieces of land. At last meeting of the Taranaki County Council, application was made by the Mangorei Settlers’ Association for permission to plant suitable trees or cuttings below the banks of dangerous places on the Baker Road. In the event of further work being done on the Baker Road the association felt sure that a fair amount of free labour would lie available if required.

The addition of salt to the haystack will ensure that the hay will open out sweet and clean. About 41b. or 51b. of ordinary salt should be sprinkled on the hay every 4ft. or sft. as the stack grew. Salt lia s the effect of making the hay more palatable and is essential to the health of cows.

Three fine Shorthorn bulls have been shipped to the- Argentine from London. The most attractive of the three (states the Agricultural Gazette) is the Butterfly hull, Haselor Butterscotch, born in January, 1924. and bred by Mr. George Swift. This bull was awarded the championship at Banbury, and sold for 1,900 guineas. The other two bulls are No bo Id Conqueror, of Mr. Tetley Nickels s breeding, which won first prize and reserve championship at Banbury, and cost 1,000 guineas; and Basildon First Choice, an animal of Major Morrison s breeding, by Collynie Orient, and descended from the Eliza family.

A case of longevity in cows is quoted by Mrs. W. H. Irvine. of Wngga (N.S.W), in connection with an illustration in The Australian of June 6, of a roan cow, which reached the age of 20 years. A Shorthorn cow, which was calved on September 7, 1900, near St. Mary’s' (N.S.W.), was taken when between two and three years old to Gosford (N.S.W.) a lid lived in that district until 1920. Shortly after giving birth to a fine heifer calf in 1920, she went blind. She was kept for some time afterwards in a yard, but winter coming on she was reluctantly shot. A post-mortem examination showed that «he was absolutely healthy. Slie kept in good condition right to the end, never looked an old cow. 'ancl yielded six to 10 quarts of milk.

At the annua] conference of the Cooperative Dairy Factory Managers and Secretaries’ Association of Now South Wales, the general manager of tbs Coastal Farmers’ Society (Dir. C. E. Meares) said that, although the Australian Dairy Council had not performed the miracle of uniting in friendly helpfulnes s the Federal and State grading officials, nor was it abi e to agree to the particular kind of constitution it needed, it had achieved two things —the enforcement over Australia o: universal pasteurisation and the establishment of the national “kangaroo” brand. Mr. Meares summarised essential work necessary to meet the great changes as follows —(1) Orderly and systematic marketing; (2) the spreading of consignments over the season, and the financing thereof ; (3) the reduction or the present speculative control; (4) the protection of the national ligand, and the diminution of blending; (5) collective action in regard to insurance, Freights, etc. “In all these reforms,” said Mr. Meares. “there is no room for hesitancy and finesse, but there is a call for courage to go forward with expedition."

The champion cow at the annual show of the Ayrshire Agricultural Association was Dewdroo IV., which won first prize in the Derby tor throe-year-olds. She -is by Lord Bute (22.110), dam Snowdrop’ 111., and is a handsome young cow, deep through, and good in her vessel. The reserve championship went to the first prize in the aged cow class, Nancy Lee 11. The male championship went to Air. J. Howie’s Hobsland Duplicate, by H. Lucky Boy, an aged -bull of style and substance.

The West Australian Afinistr.v advanced £333.000 for clearing under the Agricultural Bank and .soldier settlement scheme during the last 12 months.

“Maleness and Female ness in Sheep, by .Lapland and Gamier, of France, is the title of a summary of the -number of males and females born in the flock at Yaulx-de-Cernay for a period of 17 years. Though larger numbers of males or females occurred in certain years, the sexes were approximately equal in number, and a total of twin male*, and twin females was approximately equal to the combined numbers born as male and female twins. Ovine nature generally evens up things pretty well.

English papers report the despatch of a choice lot of Clydesdale geldings by Air. J. Kilpatrick, Ctaigie Alains, Kilmarnock, to Canada. These included Jim Scott, the champion gelding a Dumfries; Uniy, champion at Seotstoun ; and Aladdin and Harry (by Craigie Litigant), which won numerous prizes in Aberdeenshire.

The Ayrshire cow Car.stun Cinderella 2nd, which was first at the Cambridge Royal Show in 1922 on inspection, first middle-weight over all breeds in the milking trials at the same show, died at New Cumnock (Scotland) in Alay. She won in the 10.0001 b. class at Ayr. when cows of this calibre were not as common as they are now. Her daughter. Dalgig Princess .Mary, won the Ayr Derby in 1922.

Guernsey cuttle are highly esteemed in England, and bring good prices at sales. At tile fifth annual sale of tlie society on May 6 a heifer, Wintergreen of Goodne,stone lltli, which was champion, realised 200 guineas, the same buyer paying MO guineas for Rosey Fi tzwa'ltcr. The top price for bulls—loo guineas—was obtained for Hindihead Governor 12nd, a prize-win-ner. Thirtv-one females averaged £63 7s lOd, and 13 bulla £63 4s lOd.

Mangolds should be stored for tw-o months before fed to cows, otherwise they are liable to produce scour. -The usual method is to pile the root s in a long heap, tapering from a peak to about 6ft. at the base: cover the roots with straw, and a few days afterwards add a light layer of -soil. While stored the mangolds ripen and can then be fed to milk cows without affecting their health, and provide winter food that i s almost’unsurpassed for dairy stock.

Recent sales of cattle in Southern Hawke’s Bay showed an increase in the price, more especially for younger sorts. During the last week or two buyers from other districts have been operating freely. One Wairarapa firm is forwarding 209 weancr steers to Wanganui by road, a 12-days’ drive. Reports from other districts show that the killing of beef cattle in the veal stage during the last year or two is making for a shortage of good steers, and it is expected, says a AVairarapa paper, that good weancr steers will bring from £4 10s to £5 during the spring.

A FINE PERFORMANCE. It will be of interest to milking Shorthorn breeders to learn that “Joyce 111 of Cornwall Park,” bred by Mr. J. C. Wright and sold at his dispersal sale to AIT. R. S. Allan, of Hawke’s Bay, has put up a fine record under semi-official test. * She gave 1 ”, SS6 lbs. milk and 709.13 lbs. fat in 365 days. “Joyce II of Hill View,” her dam, was imported from' Illawarra by Air. Wright and put up as a two-year-old. the first year here 365 lbs. fat and 9560 lbs. mijk. The sire of Joyce IH was a New Zealand bred bull, also bred by Air. Wright, sired by “Baron Cornwall. ”

NAURU

AND ITS DEPOSITS. Writing on what ho terms “the world’ s greatest isle,” in the Fiji Times," Air. A. A. Hintz. one time of Hawera, says inter alia of the isle, from which New -Zealand draws a lot of her top-dressing material: — I "No description of the island would be complete without reference to its self dependence in engineering. A breakdown of the plant would mean a serious disorganisation and a great los R of time had repairs to be executed oversea ; but there has occurred no such breakdown that could not be remedied locally. In unobstrusive sheds between the white and the yellow settlements is an engineering plant that would delight the heart of any mechanic. Here are carried out the hundred and one repairs required for the diverse machinery employed; here are constructed dynamos, motors, and field equipment; and here, too, are made even the Diesel engines, which propei the useful little mosquito fleets that tow the barges, while engineers are in charge in each department, and do most of the work, but there is quite a body of Chinese mechanics, who have proved themselves very capable at ju the, forge, and machine tool worn The po-wer-house, too, would cater for the wants of many a country town Within it. five big internal combustion engines generate the current, that is used for so many purposes, right from the fields to the pier head. Adjacent are the ice-making plant and the refrigerated store that in recent times have obviated the early dependence of tinned foods. Condenser®, occasionally working continuously, have banished the terrors of drought for the large population on this little speck of the Pacific, and there is even a soda water plant that supplies the inhabitants; with aerated waters at the remarkable price of five-pence per dozer Nature Mr. Thorn, the present manager of Nauru,- and formerly the chief engineer there, is very proud of the complete equipment, so much of which he has watched develop during hi a many years of service

THE LIFE OF THE DEPOSITS. The inquirer’s mind naturally a sits how tong this remarkable mineral deposit will last, eitheT at the present or at an increased rate of production. Estimates of the quantity of phosphate available for working have been made from time to time but the more recent ones, -based oil areas already worked, indicate that original call-na-tions were much too conservative, and it- would be difficult to state, in millions of tons, the amount yet to he worked. One thing, however is certain. Even at a muon increased output over the present rate, the deposits will last lor many generations, and it will be well over a century ere industry shu;. have exhausted the resources, and the little isle shall be left once more to its original inhabitants, a race who should be much bettered by their contact with the whites under present conditions. Even now they are forsaking their earlier conviction that the white man’s country must be a very poor one. since he has to.come with his ship.® and take away the soil of Nauru to make his homestead fertile. The extent of time during which Nauru will prove a boon to the Antipodean farmer may best he -judged when it is considered that the island lia s already been worked for nineteen years, and during that time only a hundred- and fifty acres of the field have been wholly or partly exploited Th© available phosphate-bearing area is roughly 4200 acres and, as the present production averages no Joss than thirty-two thousand tons of phosphate from an acre of land, some idea of the vast amount to be won from tJii s deposit, and .from the alipost as great a one existing at Ocean Island, may easily be calculated. It is almost incomprehensible to the lay mind, however. that these two isolated and almost unknown islets should bo such vast storehouses of wealth.

WHAT NAURU MEANS TO US. The city dweller, also, little realises the indirect importance of Nauru, to him. Its comparative proximity to New Zealand and Australia and the richness of its product, enable the farmer to secure a supply of fertiliser qt a price that would not be possible were he dependent on the world’s greatest fields —those of North Africa and .Florida. Then, too, the use of artificial fertilisers in our country, is hut yet in its infancy. Increasing quantities will he required as the time goes on. to replace the phosphoric acid removed from our soil and shipped abroad in the meat, the butter, the wheat and the wool we produce. Fertilisers are playing a great part in bringing to profitable working our poorer lands and thus enhancing our national wealth. The Nauru and Ocean Island can play their part in j this is due to the statesmanship which j secured for us an interest in them

aiul the foresight that nationalised their resources and placed them nnder the control of three families of the Empire. At present Nauru has _ it s greatest community of interest with Australia as Australia js at jiresent administering the mandate. The majority of the employees of the Phosphate Commission are Australians, though there are a goodly proportion of men from the Old Country and several New Zealanders working on the island. Australia also secures most of the not inconsiderable trade, but New Zealand’s interest s in this direction are developing, and are likely to become more important in the future. Exclusive: of the money they derive from phosphate royalties, the mere handful of Nauruans have a revenue of about £12,000 per annum from their copra crop, and for natives their spending power, eheifly on imported articles is considerable. The great requirements of the Phosphate Commission as well make the trade off this mere twelve square miles of mandated territory worth til© consideration of commercial interests.

The political future of Nauru is at present undecided. Before Australia’s period of mandate control terminates next year arrangements for the subsequent '.supervision of this self-sup-porting little island will have been made by the three vitally interested countries. Whatever administrative fate may he in store for it, however, it will always remain in the mind of the writer as “Pleasant Island,’’ for it was with genuine regret that he watched it fade on the northern horizon, and turned to join an excited group of fellow passengers eagerly counting the hours ere they would reach home —and furlough.

EXPERIMENTAL FARMS.— - IN CANADA. NUMBER AND SCOPE OF WORK. A booklet is to hand entitled ‘‘The Dominion (Canada) Experimental Farms,” a system of experimental stations operated by tlie Federal Government which investigates agricultural problems and is capable of giving continuous service to Canadian farmers. Tlie system is said to be the most comprehensive of its kind to he found in the world. In 1884 as the result of the deliberations of select committee set up to inquire into the best means of encouraging and developing Canadian agriculture. Dr. Saunders, of Ontario, was sent to visit experimental stations in the States and in Europe with a view to formulating a policy for Canada. An Act was passed; for the establishment of a farm of that nature in Ontario and Quebec jointly, one each for tlie Maritime Provinces, Manitoba, North-West Territory and Brifisii Columbia. The investigation to be done at the farms was to include stock, breeding, dairying, testing of cereals and other crops, grasses and forage plants, fruits vegetables, trees and plants; study of seeds and fertilisers; suralVe tillage to preserve moisture and provide underdrainage, plant diseases and insect pests, and any other researches as might benefit agriculture. — (This will serve to show the wide scope of the work). “The comparatively advanced state of Canadian agriculture and agricultural investigations as we have them to-dav, is largely due,” says the booklet, “to the patient work upon simple basic problems, a s carried on by the pioneer agricultural investigators of experimental farms.” The number of farms was increased steadily as 1 the years went by because of tne ettfoment in Western Canada and greater attention being paid to agricultural investigation, and effort on the part o? variou s institutions throughout Canada and other countries. In 1911 the ini inker had increased from nine to twenty and new divisions of the work were established at the Central Farm. In 192<) one more farm was added and a tobacco station in Ontario while the

director and staff devote themselves to broadening the lines of experiment and the equipping of the newer branch farms for carying on full lines of investigation. At- the present time over 3000 main experimental projects are being studied on the farms, while the experimental farms "system comprises the central farm at Ottawa, twentytwo branch farms and stations, one tobacco experimental station, one horse, breeding station and eight experimental sub-stations.

A s a connecting link between the farms and the farmer* of Canada, a system of illustration stations has been established, numbering 125, where outstanding result,, of experimental work are demonstrated on farms owned and operated bv individual farmers. One special feature is the Animal Husbandry Division, iii which experimental and demonstration work is don e to show the grading up of ordinary fann stock by the use of high class, purebred sires. Always is kept uppermost in view the practical, the commercial the economical, the financial espeets.of the industry. These few extracts will serve to show how the institutions combine research work with the intensely practical part of farm work. A fine photograph shows a world's champion cow. Holstein-Frics-ia.ii, born and raised on an experimental farm, 365 days’ record, 30.886 lbs. milk. 1681 lbs. butter.

CATLE IN FIJI. DAIRYING DEVELOPMENT. Proprietors of coconut plantations in Fiji as a rule stock aniong the palms when the trees have gained sufficient height to 1 iffc the crown of leaves above .tlie destructive reach of the cattle. The animals play an important part in keeping down the undergrowth on the plantations. This was the beginning of the cattle raising in the Islands. Later, however, it began to develop and the grazing farm and the dairy farm began to be instituted. By 1922 the number of cattle in Fiji was estimated at 60,000, mostly Shorthorn and Hereford beef strains and with comparatively few dairy stock. Conditions were very favourable for fell from devastating cattle diseases, the fly and the tick, Fiji has been classed as one of the cleanest cattle countries in the world. At the ports a strict veterinary inspection takes place of all imported stock. For forty years and more, excellent butter has been produced, in small quantities, but only recently has dairying on a commercial basis been attempted. Several creameries are now in existj ence, and, ns a result of the war and the necessary settlement of soldiers, the Tai Levu dairy scheme was established. to provide homes foy thorn, a factory being erected in the vicinity of the settlement. A comprehensive report on tlie question of dairying was made by a dairy instructor from New Zealand whose opinion it was that from his observations he Vas convinced there were large areas of good land on which dairying could be successfully carried on, that the butter already made is equal in quality to butter made under similar conditions, in New Zealand, and that in some parts conditions are ideal for dairy farming. Illustrations in a little booklet issued for the British Empire Exhibition show soldier settlers with imported Jerseys and a herd of Jersey cattle at Navua. Writing of grasses. Major W. A. Chappie, M.P., in his book, “Fiji—its Problems and Resources,” says: —“It is not infrequent to find fields in ‘para’ grass and sensitive plant, or in paspalum and sensitive, carrying all the year round one cattle beast to the acre. ‘Para’ is a Mauritius gras s which, grows with groat luxuriance on river flats, in swamps and in salt water of the estuaries.” Mr. Valentine, of New Zealand in his report says:—“The statement that ‘para’ is all water and will fatten but will not produce butter-fat is not borne out by experience. Analysis shows that the procentage of water does not exceed that in some of the best English grasses and clovers, and herds of cattle grazed exclusively on it. show 1 an average butter-fat content in their milk.”