FARM AND DAIRY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 25 April 1914, Page 10

FARM AND DAIRY.

Complaints are very frequent in the Waiau district just now that the Dia-mond-backed moth is making severs depredations on the turnip crops. In some eases whole fields may be seen with the leaves completely " stripped only the stalks being laft."

The recent Birkenhend (Eno-br-d) cvtbroßk of foot-and-mouth disease was .^r«-n X? snsiVo ons to the country. Over -40U0 head of stock of various kinds v/ere slaughtered. Mr T. W. Russell, -for the Irish Agricultural Department stated in the House of Commons that in. spite of the utmost vigilance they had been unable to discover any trace of the disease in Ireland. The mystery then is where it all comes from."

The New South Wales Minister for Agriculture has received a communication from the Commercial Agent in trie East, stating that he has heard there is every prospect of the large Government cold storage works at Manila being offered for sale. It is likely that the works will be sold about March or April this year. The plant was erected by the United States Government at the time of the American occupation of the Philippines, and cost a large sum of money.

A campaign against sheep-killing o:u\s hss b^n initiate"' in the TJnited States by the Shronshire Association, ■whose ' secretary, liliss J. M. Wade, lias banded the various sheet>-breedei's' «ssociatioris into a body with the sole purpose of securing legislation against mongrel dogs In the Eastern States "this evil has driven sheep-farming out of big stretches of country, arid the troubls still continues. In Michigan it is reported that two dogs, just recently, killed 102 sheep in one night.

At the Shire Horse Show sale, London, the top price for two-year-old stallions was made for Lincoln Hercules 11., who was fifth in his class, and brought 580 guineas. The topprie&d yearling was Ivy Menestrel, Ilighly commended in his class, who jnads 50 ■ A three-year-old stallion, Norbury Coronation, by Norbury Menestrel, made 850-guineas. Sir "VValpole Greenwell gave 420 guineas for a four-year-old mare, Lane's Forest Queen. The average price for 164 head sold was £134 bs sd.

Shorthorns are realising good prices all over Great Britain. At the Perth (Scotland) sale, 312 bulls averaged £84 13s sd—a record. Mr D. Maclennan purchased bulls to the value of £7727 for ths Argentine, 170 guineas being the highest pries. Tha majority of the best animals were bought for South America. The heifer sales were also very successful, the general average of the whole sale being £72 9s 2d or about £9 per head better than in 1913.

Ths first export of Cheviot sheep to South Africa was made in February. Sir Lionel Phillips, the well-known financial magnate, has purchased two young rams and fifteen young ewes from Messrs W. and p. Mundell, of .Dalchork, Sutherlandshire. They are big upstanoing sheep, of good quality, and w.th splendid viod The rams are •by Seaston's Surprise, last year's champion, out of ewes descended from His Majjsty, a95 sheep. The young ewes JYli-.jesty, a £95 sheep, 'ihe young ewer-

The Secretary of Agriculture in ths united States has announced ihe names of the members of a very influential committee appointed to "'conduct a general enquiry into the various factors which have brought about the present unsatisfactory conditions wich respect to meat production in the tnited States, especially in reference to beef, with a view to suggesting possible methods for improvement " The enquiry will bo largely directed to the study of economic questions involved in the production, transportation, slaughter, and marketing of meat. The results of the centralising of slaughtering in large packing "houses, and "distributing meat therefrom, will be •one of the special branches of the investigation.

the Birmingham Shorthorn Show «™ • the hi Shest Price for bulls 8 realised by Mr L. de Rothschild's Ascott Magnett, first ia the special class. He is described W^l glT d rf?^oan^«-y stylish and 2w '• J * °°lly Ctoistmas from ©eta via 2nd, of the famous Augusta tnbo. He was bought by Mr D a well-known buyer for Soutn America, Cows and * heifers adf ,UP to 33 guineas. There was a .good demand for ordinary bulls

-YirliatMs the difference between a iiincoln Red and an ordinary breed of •toilerthorns is a question met with by many who are supposed to be well up in Shorthorn lore. The Lincoln Shortliorn Red is an offshoot of ihe old S ,and. + virtually of the' same Wood; but its breeders, for reasons not •c early defined^ seceded from the luuks and established a separate Her-J Ec,<k Ihe cattle are unifor-nly ro<i in color! and it is claimed for them that they are exceptional milkers. It is certain tnat some herds of the variety hold exceptional records. They are found widely scattered in the county from which they take their name as well a^ m the adjoining counties. Fat steers of the breed are often seen in the metropolitan markets, but critics have no difficulty in connecting them V\ ■ a ™lllking rathe*" than a beef strain, me question as to how the red oolor has become fixed in them is one not easily answered. Charles Collins pretty well fixed the roan color in the lme which produced the bull Favorite universally regarded as the common lather of the improved Shorthorn, and but tor the American craze for reds (now dissipated), red color in Shorthorns would have been, to a large exton, bred cut in the present day beef I 1 reed.