NOTES AND COMMENTS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 22 May 1915, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS

. %■ — ." \ ( "He who sows h:s land wiih wheat is a public benefactor," said an old philosopher. Doubly so this year.

Old implements in good repair often do as good work as rtew. Make repairs while there is time.

A run into the country just now (says the Timaru Herald) reveals ploughed fields everywhere, and it is evident that much more than the customary area will be sown in cereals this year. Indications are not wanting of the good done by the recent rain.

A Wyndham farmer, who gave an estimate of his crop «t 25 bushels per acre, actually thrashed 86 bushels per acre. Such a disparity (remarks the Herald) requires a good deal of explanation. . ' .■•*■■.. - : \.•■•. :.;.:•.-.•'.:.;•"■.''-; , ' ■;;- ■'••.

' The cultivated surface of Germany, including hay and pasture lands, is about 83,000,000 acres, and the consumption of fertilisers in normal years is iiist on .•: 3,000,000 .tons. ;■ German farmers use, half a million

Notwithstanding the drought, and the restricted output of cheese in consequenoe, the value of this article already manufactured this season in the Wairarapa district is estimated at £310,187. Last season the total outputv;as valued, at £273,763.

The Timaru Herald repqrtp thit a field of about 10 acres of potatoes, land formery part of the Levels Estate, has yielded 10 tons to the acre, which, considering the dry. season, must be accbuhted very good /Only one yariety, X rp-to-datesi was sown, and (the. pota-, toes have come^ out qitite" sound and free from blight* "Some of the tubers we'ghed up to 21b'each."

"The laborer is not worthy of his hire," say some farmers; that's the trouble in assessing land values.

Suggestion a are being made in. Great Britain that when, the war is over many of the ex-soldiers should be placed on the land as farmers. At any rate, they will know how to "drill/ but will not have much time to "stand at ease."

To build up a successful herd of cows that will yield the maximum annual profit, says Hoard's Dairyman, a man must look on each animal as a highly sensitize mechanism, constructed for the purpose of milk production. He must recognise the close connection between the accepted dairy type and milk yield, and the importance of good breeding, and unfailing laws of heredity.

Mr A. McG. Robei'tson who is farming a very nice piece of country just beyond the Tawhiti stream, on the outskirts of Hawera, is about to try an experiment Which will be of interest to dairy farmers in Taranaki. He is just now laying the foundations and concrete floor of a cow-byre, 80ft by 30ft, which will be built; to a Government design and will accommodate 40 cows. The idea is that if during the cold weather the cows are kept in their stalls all night and properly fed that they will continue in milk for a longer period, and will be in a better condition at the end of the winter months. At all events Mr Robertson is going to prove or disprove the theory so far as his stock are concenedj and he is sparing no expense to give it a fair trial under proper condrfciefls. „>. „ .." , .'•,

A very liberal system of herd-test-ing is being initiated in Queensland, where the operations are carried out by the officers of the Department of Agriculture free of charge. The Government dairy expert has recently reported that the field of operations is extending in every direction, arid even in new districts a large percentage of the cows are under test. Many surprising results have been recorded from the tests. The net value derived from one herd was £750, whereas that from a similar number of cows in another herd was only £250. It was mentioned by Mr Graham (dairy expert) that in New South Wales the cost to members of herd-testing associations was £1 membership fee and 2s 6d per cow per annum for each cow tested.

Some interesting details of dairying operations in ]914 are furnished by the returns from the Sparrowville Dairy Farm, Victoria. There are 190 in the milking herd, including 56 heifers on their first calf. The average number milked daily was 152; the total production of rcilk during the year, 104,642 gallons; and the average return of milk n«n- cow, 550 gallons. Of the total herd 116 gave over 500 gallons per head. Three out of the 116 gave 900 gallons and over; 15 gave between 800 and 900 gallons; 28 gave between 700 and 800 gallons; 33 gave between 600 and 700 gallons, and 37 between 500 and 600 gallons. ■ The gross cash return per head was £20 9s 9d, which, in a drought year especially, speaks volumes for tne value of the reclaimed land for growing lucerne under irrigation.