FARMING NOTES.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 1976, 18 November 1921, Page 2

FARMING NOTES.

AGRICULTURAL SHOWS. LIST OF DATES. The following are the dates of the remaining Agricultural and Pastoral Shows in the Dominion this season:— Stratford. —November 23 and 24. Nelson. —November 23 and 24. Otago.—At Dunedin, November 30, December 1. Auckland. —December 2 and 3. Southland. —At Invercargill, December 13 and 14. 1922. Horowhenua. —At Levin, January IS and 19. Woodville. —January 24 and 25. Fellding.-—February 7 and 8. Dannevirke. —February 8 and 9. Masterton. —February 15 and 16. Marton. —March 1.

(By Agricola,) It is believed by many farmers in England, according to Mrs Evelyn, the well-known Englisji Jersey cattle breeder, who is at present visiting Palmerston North, that the foot-and-mouth disease so prevalent among English stock, was introduced into the country by the Germans.

The milk saipphed to the Kairanga Dairy Company for the month of October constitutes a record for this company, amounting to 2,500,000 lbs., and yielding 92,600 lbs of butter-fat. The average teat for the month was 3.72, which is considered very satisfactory for this part of the season. The Kairanga Dairy Company is. still making full use of its dual plant by making the morning’s milk into cheese, and the richer night's milk into butter. The result, in both instances, is a first class article, the company’s butter grade being 94 per cent.

The Directors of the Kairanga Dairy Company, at their last monthly meeting, decided to pay out 1/3 per lb of butter-fat for the month of October,

A farmer was before the Court at Auckland this week, as a judgment debtor. He explained that he bought some land in the Auckland district as a farm, paid £250, and another £SO for stamp duty. Now he was back in Auckland, having been unable to make a success of the venture, and he had lost all his money., Mr. J. E, Wilson, S.M., said no order could be .made in such a case.

The land girl who sprang into prominence in the Old Country as the result of the shortage of men caused by the war, has practically disappeared now that her raison d’etre no longer exists. Mrs Evelyn, a wellknown Jersey cattle breeder from the Old Country, told a “Manawatu Times” reporter that she . employed four of these girls on her farm in Surrey during the. war. Her head man, who was over-age, was the only one of her employees who did not go to the front. The farm girls have now been replaced with men, the necessity for their being having disappeared.

Evidence of the good lambing Season experienced in the Waikato is to be witnessed from the trains that pass through the fertile district. Early on Wednesday morning as the math trunk express sped along it left behind many fine fat lambs frollicklng with their mothers. The lambs were of a fine healthy typo with plenty of bulk and wool. A Cambridge she«p farmer who admired them very much stated that while good results had been achieved in the great majority of the. provincial districts. Cambridge had not been so fortunate, excessive moisture having affected lambing.

Mr Andrew Peters, the judge of the fat sheep and lamos at the Wanganui show was enthusiastic regarding the classes which came under his jurisdiction. ‘‘The lambs,” he said, ‘‘are the best I have dver Judged at a spring show. They were very hard to separate. The competition was good but the animals were, generally speaking, too good for market, being too heavy for freezing purposes,” Mr Peters went on to point out that a 561 b carcase was the best weight for the freezing market. Anything over 601bs was good only for boiling down, and in that respect, a wether was worth no more than and old ewe, which brought about a penny per lb. for boiling down.

Further slight reductions in prices for plain cattle and cow beef took place at the Westfield (Auckland), fat stock sales on Wednesday. Messrs Buckland and Sons reported that they penned beef to the number of 469 head, comprising 401 steers, 67 cows and heifers, and one bull. The demand was again quiet, and there was no Improvement in values. As a matter of fact, stated the report, plain cattle and cow beef were easier. Extra choice ox sold up to £l/8/ per 1001 b.. choice and prime from £l/2/ to £l/6/, ordinary and plain from 16/ to £l/1/, prime young cow and heifer beef from £1 to £l/7/, ordinary cow beef from 13/ to £l, and rough beef from 6/ to 12/. Extra heavy prime steers ranged in price from £l3 to £l4/7/6, and heavy prime from £lO to £l2, lighter prime from £7 to £9/10/, and light and unfinished from £4 to £6/15/. Heavy young cows and heifers made frqm £5 to £7/10/, lighter from £3/10/ to £4/15/, other cows from 10/ to £3.

The wholesale quotation for choicest butler in Sydney was reduced to 140/ per cwt. on November 7, the lowest price ruling since 1915. Within six -weeks the price has fallen to the extent of 9d per lb., owing to the weakness of the London market, and heavy supplies from tho dairying <jistricts. A report Issued by a wholesale firm in Sydney states that, according to cables from London it is estimated that 6500 tons will be shipped from Australia during November, with a similar quantity from New Zealand, which means that approximately 13,000 tons will arrive on the London market during late December and early January, when advices to hand intimate the probability of the London market being lower.

It is understood that the Feilding Farmers’ Co-operative Freezing Works will be in full operation early in December.

At a meeting of the Whakaronga branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association, a motion was carried, protesting strongly against the unreliable information given by posters, and by officers of the Land Department, in connection with sections for ballot. It was pointed out that many useless journeys were made, and mueh timo

wasted by men seeking Land, a glaring case of this kind being mentioned.