ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19892, 10 March 1928, Page 17

ON THE LAND.

W okth op show cattle. VALUE AS PRODUCERS. Ip's-V '• ■ ' RECORDS of PRIZE-WINNERS. Interesting comments on the explanation recently given concerning the abandonment of the Matamata Show are made \- . Mr J. P. Kalaugher, secretary to the /ew Zealand Friesian Association. He '• W ™My attention has been drawn to the following statement in a report dealing with the abandoning of the Matamata Show. "Th® two main causos °* tl,e pre " sent situation were thought to be the nassing of people's interest from horses to motor-cars and the fact that dairy farmers are now breeding solely for production and not for show purposes, the two types being dissimilar.' Such a sweeping statement that show dairy cattle are not 'producers' must not be allowed to pass unchallenged. "There is no doubt whatever that the high productive powers of dairy cows are largely due to their conformity to true breed type and a study of the show-ring results "throughout the Dominion will prove that in th<» majority of cases the be3t show cows are also high producers. The record-holder for the production of butter-fat in New Zealand is the Friesian cow, Alcartra Clothilde Pietje, 31,312.5 ]b. milk and 1145.241b. fat, and she won the North Island championship at Stratford in 1922, while all the Friesian Royal champion cows have been high producers. The 1924 Royal Show champion, Willowvale Galatea Segis, has a semi-official record of 653.271b. fat and two of her daughters have records of 705.111b. fat and 554.351b. fat. The 1925 champion, Hengerveld Belle Segis, has a record of 561.w1b. fat and she has two tested daughters, while the 1926 champion, Princess Gin, was the winner of the batterfat competitions against all breeds at the Waikato and the Auckland Shows. "The champion bulls at the Royal Show have all been descended from highproducing cows. Dominion Paul Colantha, 1924 champion, was a son of Dominion Pauline, 659.191b. fat, and his granddam was Longbeach Patchwork, 601.051b. fat. The 1925 champion, Rosevale Inka Holland Posch, was a son of Holland Queen lE., 413.181b. fat as a junior two-year-old, and his granddam was Burkeyje Sylvia Posch, 983.21b. fat. The champion for 1926 was Champion Pietje Lad, whose dam, Regina Sadie De Kol, has a record of 688.241b. fat as a senior tnree-vear-old, while his granddam, Model Sadie De Kol, has a record (failed to qualify) of 838.131b. fat. The 1927 champion was Mutual Pearl Piebe and his dam, Mutual Pearl of Rock, has a record of 903.441b. fat. "Striking local instances of the fact that type and production go hand-in-hand are: —Na Riwi Mercena, champion Auckland and Thames Valley Shows, 1927, and Derby winner for highest production for 1926 with 685.51b. fat at 2 years 84 days; Zczo EI., of Ashlynn, 905.891b, fat and her daughter. Lady Zozo Alcartra Van Racelands, 832.591b. fat, have won championships at many shows, while Jessie Monona. Johanna Oakview, 727.58 ]b. fat at 2 years 57 dayß won the North Island championship at tha Manawatu Show. "Two of the most experienced dairy judges in America visited Holland toward the end of 1925. An extract from their report reads:—The uniformity prevailing in Holland herds is remarkable and provides a full demonstration that high production and correct conformation go hand-in-hand. Incidentally, it disposes of the often-expressed idea that the showyard winners are not producers." CIGARETTE TOBACCO. KILN-CURING IN RHODESIA. OUTLINE OF THE METHODS. Hints concerning the method of kilncuring cigarette tobacco in Rhodesia are given by Mr. Cyril M. Gudgeon, of Devonport, in a letter endorsing the remarks of Mr. C. Lowe, Government instructor. "Should it be found possible to produce a bright leaf for cigarette-making at a sufficient profit to the grower to make it worth his while, it would- open up unlimited possibilities for New Zealand, anc! also loi' the small holder of 10 or 20 acres," Mr. Gudgeon says. "There is no reason I can think of why a light cigarette leaf cannot be produced, judging by the pipe tobacco at present being grown, providuig a suitable leaf is used, such as Goldfinder, Yellow Prior, or the heavier Hester. "Whereas air-curing is simplicity itself, kiln-curing, or barn-curing, as it is callßd in Rhodesia, is quite another matter. To begin with, after the drying barn has been constructed, furnaces and piping laid down and drying racks fitted, the next undertaking is to secure a sufficient number of waggon-loads of timber to last out the curing season, the timber to be not less than 6in. in diameter and of a slow-burning variety. Coal could be used if cheaper. "Bes'des this, some hundreds of string-ing-sticks are necessary, 4ft. long and eaca ready strung for tne fastening on of the tobacco. In addition, there must bo a boiler outside with steam-pipes leading into the barn for softening the dried leaf before removing, a steam-box in which to piace the leaf before putting in the press and a large press in which to squeeze the 2001b. bales before sewing up in hessian. • The bales are stored until the curing season is over, when they are brought out and graded. "All this is very simple, the art being in the picking of the leaf in a uniform ripeness to allow it to colour evenly, and then the curing in the barn or kiln, which necessitates clay and night attendance. This is the most vital part of the .whole undertaking. The temperature is gradually worked up by adding fuel to the furnaces, and should it be allowed to drop even 12 degrees during a certain period, the whole of the barn of tobacco .would turn black and bo ruined. There is no hard and fast rule as to the working up of the temperature, the grower knowing only from experience just bow much or how little to move it, "When the picking and curing season is ovct the tobacco is taken from the store and rough-graded on tables into about 15 grades, and it is then either tied up into 'hands' or baled loose and regraded by the manufacturers. Grades begin from dark green to green-back, dark brown to light brown, light green and dark yellow to bright. Brights being topgrade, realise 3s to 3s 2d per lb. in Rhodesia, the growers there averaging their crop value at Is 6d per lb. right through. "There are many ways of reducing cost of construction of kiln and furnaces considerably, by utilising substitutes invariably found lying around on » farm, such as cement-drums. These, with both ends knocked out and joined together, make good flues to convey the heat from the furnaces through the kiln. "Undoubtedly, there is room for several instructors in New Zealand at the moment, as I, personally, have met at least a dozen farmers who stated they would be only too pleased to go in for tobacco-growing could they be sure of having an instructor who would periodically call on and advise them as thjir crops progressed. They do not feel inclined to grow from book instructions, as this is far from satisfactory.'-