NEWS and VIEWS

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 65, 18 March 1936, Page 12

NEWS and VIEWS

Compliment to N.Z. A pretty compliment is paid to the New Zealand Aberdeen Angus Society and ita secretary, Mr J. A. Frasor, of Hastings, in the latest issue of the Abordeen Angus Review, with reference to the New Zealand Stud Book. “It is a pleasant experience to open our New Zealand parcel and find its contents to consist of such a bulky volume of the Herd Book as volume 27 i- 5 , and to glanco through its pages so carefully prepared by Mr Fraser, the secretary of the New Zealand AberdcenAngus Society," states tho Review. “The volume opens with a list of members, and at 93 the century should soon be reached in the present healthy demand for Abcrdeon-AngU3 cattle. The entries in the volume comprise those of 325 bulls and 753 females." Canterbury's Wheat Loss. Although it was at first feared that the recent floods in Canterbury would mean a heavy loss to the wheat-growers of that province, fortune smiled, and what might have at first appeared to be a calamity now turns out to be considerably less serious. Following on the floods, a strong drying wind swept across the plains, and whereas farmers had previously feared a loss of up to 70 per cent., the loss may bo only 10. One Canterbury farmer, according to a southern correspondent, said ' that he nevor knew such a lightning change. Potato crops, however, did not tare so well, as many of the tubers wero in various stages of rotting before the waters dried up. The tonnage is expected to be much reduced. British Agriculture. British agricultural policy was discussed rccontly by Mr Walter Elliot, the Minister of Agriculture for England. Mr Elliot said that the great world surpluses were being more and more directed towards the British market, and they must devise some method of absorbing the’m’which Would go hand in hand with the possibility of expanding the home industry. With stability it was possible for agriculture to plan ahead and develop its own internal techniques of production. If they wore to absorb world surpluses in these is lands, they must devise some technique so that it did not clash with the efforts of their own people. Tt was not enough to trust to the tides that flowed in the world market for a reasonable ptice to tho producer. Everyone was agreed that some regulation of imports was absolutely inescapable. The question was whether it should be done by quota, tariffs, ear-marked tariffs, or subsidies. Those were questions of method. Dominion Chilled Beef. A successful move to arouse interest in Britain in the quality of chilled beef from the Dominion has been made by the Wanganui Agricultural and Pastoral Association. As a' sequel to judgment of suitable cattle on the hoof in New Zealand an inspection of carcasses was mado at a special exhibit at tho London Smithflold Market. The breeds represented were Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn, Hereford, and Red Poll, as well as crossbreds, Tho judges, who wore unaware of the plncings in New Zealand, gave their verdict in favour of crossbred. Representatives of respective British breed societies were present, and the general consensus of opinion was that the sides shown were likelv to provide the type most wanted , to-day. Wired Death.

An unusual case of wire causing Sth in dairy cattle is reported by. an tralian correspondent. The case d serves to show the’ danger of leaving wire and such-like material lying around in paddocks. A farmer at

Wyrallah lost, three milking cows, all showing the same symptoms. An ofiicial said that death was duo to the punc turing of the heart by a foreign body. The owner was sceptical, but when a fourth animal died a post-mortem disclosed a piece of wire in the heart. In a nearby grazing paddock was an old piece of wiro rope about 100 yards long, and examination showed that large numbers of small pieces of this wire had Tusted off and been picked up by tho cows when grazing.

Assisting Stock Breeders. Tho Federal Cabinet of Australia has approved in principle the reintroduction of a plan to assist importation of pedigree stock. The proposal was on the basis that at first such assistance should be limited to importations from the United Kingdom. The total Government expenditure will be limited to £IO,OOO a year, of which £SOOO will be contributed by the Commonwealth and £SOOO by the States,.' ~When, it may be asked, will New Zealand tako a similar step? (says the Aberdeen Angus Review). The maintenance of the embargo by that country is a very shortsighted and indeed harmful policy in these days of the exploitation of Australasian chilled beef.

STAR GRID SOWER For the past few yoars the grid pattern lime sower has been gro.ving in favour, notwithstanding n number of recognised weaknesses in its design and construction. P. & D. Duncan Ltd. have recently patented and put on tho market the Star Grid Sower which has all the good points of both the Star and the Grid pattern machines and no weaknesses. It is tho only distributor that can sow two classes of manuro at the same time and in varying quantities. The latost and most wonderful lime distributor on the market. P. & D. Duncan Ltd., Queen St. W* Hastings, next H.B.F. garage,

equivalent of £400,000 has been allocated by the German Government towards financing loans to sheep breeders. A German farmer who is prepared to keep at least 30 sheep is to be given a loan of 40/- a head of sheep towards the purchase price of breeders. Interest is to be charged at the low rate of 2.7 per cent, per annum. Although it is doubtful whether this and other efforts which are being made will go far in making Germany self-contained in wool, each step in this direction will lessen her need for foreign wool, and cannot bo ignored entirely. Tt should be remany who have been encouraged to biocii s.ioep will IVM.-.1 aiiy attempts in the future to displace their wool with the foreign product should Germany be in a position later to import more freely.

j; Mouths Suffer. ■ Although the majority of the breeding ewes offered at the ewe fairs this season have been in much better condition than has been the case for some time, the mouths on many of the older sheep have definitely not been up to standard. This is tho result of the hard seasons in 19,T0 and 193 J, when feed was dry and hard, and the teeth of the young sheep were given a harder task than usual. The result to-day is that sheep that under normal conditions . would have been quite well mouthed at five and six-years old, are showing failing mouths. This season's lambs should line up with good teeth in 1940 and 1941 however, as feed conditions have been uiore favourable. Lincolns Favoured. The propotion of Lincoln-skinned sheep on offer, particularly at the TVaipukurau and Dannevlrke ewe fairs thi3 season has been most marked. Evidently the breeders of these sheep were out to strengthen the w-00l some four and live years ago. Cocksfoot Favoured. Tbe Fields Superintendent, Christ-* church, advises that in many parts of Canterbury cocksfoot is coming into much greater favour than has been tbe ease of recent years. Many farmers on the plains, who have been endeavouring to grow only ryegrass pastures, find that under the normal summer climatic conditions of Canterbury the ryegrass docs not produce any feed worth-while after about tbe middle of December and, in the case of the poor types of rye-grass, the greater part ; dies out during the periods of drought. | The certified rye in most cases holds I on, but is quite dried up. The cocksj foot pastures produce a certain amount i of summer feed and very good early | autumn feed, and for this reason cocksfoot is finding favour with many farmers who previously sowed nothing but rye-grass. Pleading for a wider teaching in schools of the cultivation of health recently, an English doctor stated,that the average child to-day knows moro about the work of a wdrcless set or a motor-car than he does of his own body,