AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18356, 23 March 1923, Page 16

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

The only reliable test of the capacity of the cow for producing butter-fat is one continued for an entire lactation peiiod.

Ulster has 162.128 holdings of an area between one and 50 acres, the greater number being between five and 30 acrcs. Only 19,722 holdings exceed 50 acres in this province.

There has been a reduction of horses in the United Kingdom during the lust three years of over 100,000; and tie number exported m 1911 was 65,700, valued at £1,580,000.

Potatoes for cows should be steamed, says an English journal, and only sound ones should be used. At present prices dairymen in Victoria will nil use the tulers for their cows.

In Honolulu cows are valued by a new method the basis of calculation being 10 dollars per quart. If a cow gives 10 quarts of milk she is worth 100 dollars, and most of them bring this price.

In 1896 the Lincoln red dairy herd of Mr. J. Evens, of Burton, England, consisting of 43 cows, gave an average of 889 gallons during their milking period. This year 49 cows yielded an average of 825 gallons.

The greatest profit is often secured in enterprises which few people follow. The e competition is scarce. An important part of the business ,of agricultural colleges should bo to exploit the unusual and highly profitable features of farming.

In some experiments in Wales over a series of years the best crops of mangels in four different counties were grown by the use of 20 tons farmyard manure, 2561b. nitrate of soda, 6981b. superphosphate, 1641b. muriate of potash.

Eiohl-rabi as a crop has not been taken up in England as it deserves to be. It is adapted to stiff clays which are not suitable for ordinary turnips, and is very resistant to drought. In fact, in hot, dry seasons, with a good braird, the plant does well.

In crop rotation, plants whose roots strike deeply into the ground should be followed by those the roots of which go but a little way below the surface. For instance, potatoes, beet, or onions might be followed by Loans ob peas, and cabbages by potatoes.

Mr. E. St. C. Hayden, a prominent Argentine pastoralist, who has been spending some time in his old home town ii New Zealand, is taking back to the South American republic a carefully selected col • lection of stud sheep. His purchases include Lincolns, Ronineys and Corriedales.

The raised drill system of growing turnips is suitable to light and friable lands. For strong adhesive clays the flat system is most favoured. There is considerable dissipation of moisture when the drill i are raised on the ridge, and in a humid climate the system is most favoured.

Clover is excellent pasture for pigs, and lucerne, though not used so much, is equally good. It is estimated that clover, lucerne, rape, or a rape, clover, and oai mixture, properly grown and fed, will effect a saving of nearly 30 per cent, in the grain ration for growing pigs..