BY THE WAYSIDE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 186, 25 July 1935, Page 13

BY THE WAYSIDE

Of Interest to Farmers

BOBBY-CALF SEASON Monday saw the opening of the bobby calf season iu the Hawke’s Bay district, both the Tomoana and Whakatu works taking supplies. A number of motorists ou Tuesday noticed calves waiting at the gates of a number of farms to bo picked up by the collectors for transport to the works. Generally more activity is expected in this branch of the meat trade this year, and there appears to be a good demand overseas for this class of stock. It is to be hoped, however, that farmers will respect the regulations that are laid down in connection with this trade, and not permit calves under the age of five days, aud insufficiently led, to be sent to the works for slaughter. In past seasons this has represented a father black blot on the reputation of some farmers, and has caused considerable indignation.

Bearing trouble is now causing a certain amount ot trouble on some properties in the province, but most of these cases are usually expected at this time of the year. Where farmers keep a watchful eye on their breeding sheep this can be reduced to a minimum by seeing that the ewes are kept moving early in the morning, instead of being allowed to lie down. Exercise, which assists the ewes to urinate, is the most necessary thing under these circumstances.

In the Poverty Bay district some of the livers of sheep which have been affected with facial eczema have shown signs of regeneration, according to Gisborne reports. When this matter was referred to Mr E. E. Elphick, Government Veterinarian for Hawke's Bay, he stated that in Hawke’s Bay most of oui losses from facial eczema had been among hoggets and younger sheep, but in the older ones, those sheep which had been slightly affected might still show signs of liver trouble, but they were recovering more or less. "With feeding conditions improved, the liver will start to function and will gradually recover,” he stated. ‘‘lt will, owever, take time.”

The Live Stock Division has had the co-operation of a number of leading farmers in the district in reviewing the after-effects of the disease. Affected sheep have been marked and their winter history reported upon. Also, livers of sheep killed for the punpose have been sent to Dr. C. S. M. Hopkirk, who is in charge of the veterinary laboratory at Wallaceville, and the most recent report received from the laboratory is that regeneration has been noticed in some of the livers of facial eczema sheep.

Several new milking sheds are being erected in the Gisborne district in readiness for the coming season, and others are contemplated. Much interest has been displayed in the Unemployment Board’s subsidy, and some of the contemplated work will be under the board’s scheme 82. Several applications have been made for subsidies, which will be limited to work put in hand by December 21, 1935, and confined to articles of New Zealand manufacture and New Zealand materials wherever practicable.

Five pats of butter made 18 months ago in a Cambridge dairy factory and packed in a special experimental tinfoil wrapping, were on exhibition in Palmerston North to delegatee attending the National Dairy Association conference. This butter had been shipped to England, then back to New Zealand and held in a Taranaki grading store for 12 months. The chairman of the association said an examina. tion of the butter’s condition would show the efficacy of the wrapping.

‘‘Birds are greater friends to the agriculturist than many people realise,” said Mr H. J. Farrant in a talk to Rotarians in Invercargill. “For instance, the much-despised house sparrows feed their young entirely on insects. One pair of sparrows may rear four broods in a season, with six br eight young birds in each brood, but should they rear only three broods of six each pair of sparrows will have accounted for 72,900 insects in a single season. Surely they are entitled to a handful of oats at harvest time in the way of wages for doing such beneficial work.”

„ * * * Future butter industry research in New Zealand would be directed towards finding the most suitable temperature for butter storage; at present New Zealand butter was sent overseas at 16 degrees F., not because this was most suitable for butter, but because that was the temperature for meat, said Mr C. R. Barnicoat, Massey College, speak, ing to a gathering at Palmerston North. It had been found that many foodstuffs were best preserved at minus 5 degrees F., or 37 degrees of frost, and possibly this would in future be adopted for butter. It had yet to be proved, however, that a lower storage temperature would automatically eliminate the slight storage taints known in New Zealand butter to-day.