AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6864, 20 March 1929, Page 10

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS

From January i, 1927, to January 1, 1925, the number of dairy herd impiovcnicnfc associations in the United Ktates increased from 537 to 947, a gain of 13 per cent. The number of cows on test increased from 302.014 to 414.891, a gain of 14.6 per cent. According io a statement issued by the Bureau of Agricultural Economies, Department of Agriculture, United. States, tho .1928 wheat production in 43 countries is 3,590,822,000 bushels, as against 3,425,409,000 bushels in ihc same countries in 1027. These figures rio not include production in Russia and China. “At. present, British consumption does not exceed one home-produced and i.mc imported egg per week per head of the population, aud the possibilities of increasing consumption, by the supply of high-grade eggs are, as yet, hardly explored. The opportunities arc enormous.”—British Ministry report on Egg-marketing.

Advice is obtained in a publication received by tho Council for Scientific and Industrial Research that the British Research Association of the woollen nnd worsted industries has patented a machine which, it is claimed, will produce woollen yarn on a ring frame that will have the characteristics of a mulespun yarn, and have less variation than the ordinary yarns in use in the industry. The main changes from the old type of spinning frame involve the installation of heavier top rollers, while the delivery ami draft rollers have been covered with carborundum, a new type of fall twist tube has been designed, a tension regulator has been added, and a. brake roller supplied. It is claimed that the improvements to the frame will make it possible to complete two and a-half times as much work a spindle as by the present mule, and that one girl will be able to do as much in 100 spindles as a man and a boy with the present machinery. It is understood that tests have proved successful.

A description of an instrument which has been designed to assist in judging the qualtiy of wool is contained in a publication which has been received by tho Council for Scientific and Industrial Research from the British Research Association for the woollen and worsted industries. Although it is admitted that great proficiency lias been attained by the expert wool sorter the publication points out that the new instrument aims at eliminating the human element as far as possible. To use the instrument it is only necessary to placo a small bunch of fibres between two glass plates and insert these iu the holder provided. By switching on an electric lamp a magnified promotion of tho fibre appears on a screen, and is ready for measurement or comparison with images from a set of slides made from standard types. The operation of inserting tho sample and comparing it with the standard slide occupies less than, a minute. It is understood that the cost of the instrument is uproxinmtcly £2O. .It is already in use in Great Britain and is being sold in South Africa.