WHAT “SUNDOWNER” HEARS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIX, Issue 282, 13 November 1929, Page 11

WHAT “SUNDOWNER” HEARS

With an eye on the overseas market Nelson growers this season have been regraftmg unpopular varieties of apples with kinds more in favour on the outside market. The varieties being grafted are mainly Statesman, Cox’s Orange, and Granny Smith.

The owner of a small flock of sheep in the neighbourhood of Balclutha reports that his lamb increase this season was just one short of being 200 per cent. Every ewe in the flock except one had twins. * * *

Dr. Wendt of Helingsfors has grown an iodized apple to prevent goitre in Finland and Elsewhere. Now if someone would grow a potato unpalatable to the potato-bug many would be happy. » • •

The potato market has been fluctuating to a considerable extent for some time now. being as low as £7 15/- for some weeks ago and later up to £lO a ton. The price onoted now is £9 a ton f.0.b., southern ports. #

The Agriculture Department has now definitely arranged to supply to the farmers of the deteriorated lands of the Wairoa district 3000 tons of crushed lime which will be delivered to them over a period of three years.

Mr. L. J. Wild, principal of Feilding Agricultural College, in his recent lecture in Matamata, stated that he was a believer in the use of iodine in food for calves; also- that at Feilding they were putting super in tho whey fed to pigs with good results.

There are cases where Ayrshire cows in Scotland have produced over 2000 gallons of milk in a lactation, but the aim of the Ayrshire breedei is to have his whole herd, which may consist of anything from 25 to 150 cows, yielding an average of 900 to 1000 gallons of milk of about 4 per cent, butter-fat and producing a calf every year.

,» • • Speaking at a Jersey hreders’ sale at Southland, Mr Robert Gibb stated that the dairy factories in the North Island manufacturing standardised cheese were paying out Jil more for butterfat (han were the factories

manufacturing full cream cheese. It was claimed for the Jersey breed the other day that they would raise the butterfat standard at dairy factories to 4 per cent., when it would pay to manufacure standardised cheese.

Compensation to the amount of £16,138 (states the Journal of Agriculture) was paid out during the official year 1928-29 for 5713 animals condemned in the field for disease under the Stock Act, and £15,086 for carcasses or parts of carcasses condemned for disease on examination at time of slaughter at abattoirs, meat export slaughterhouses, etc., under the provisions of the Slaughtering and Inspection Act.

When the Friesian cow Burkeyje Sylvia Posch (imp), gave an average of over 7031 b. of butter-fat per year for six yearly tests, she made both a New Zealand and a world’s record for long-sustained production. Now comes word of the Canadian cow Springbank Snow Countess giving 11,714 gallons of milk and 50981 b. of butter-fat in five yearly tests. By this she has indisputably established a record for periods of three, four and five years, both for Friesians and all other breeds for successive lactations.

The timely rain has allayed the anxiety prevalent in the early part of the spring, writes a Te Kowhai, Waikato, correspondent. Grass is now plentiful, and the milk flow is fast increasing. A good payout for September has further tended te improve the farmers’ temper, and prospects are better generally than for several years. Considerable udder trouble hag been experienced among the herds, and the massaging and frequent treatment of the affected animals tends to hamper milking operations.

The Farnham House Laboratory for breeding beneficial parasites, established in England by the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, has in tho past year raised and shipped consignments of insects to many parts of the Empire, states the annual report of the Empire Marketing Board. The laboratory now represents tho largest scale application in the Empire of tin* principle of biological control o’ insect pests. Parasites have oeeii forwarded to Australia, New Zealand, Canada. South Africa, Kenya, tho Falkland Wands, and different parts of tfie British Isles.