AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21239, 20 July 1932, Page 18

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

At a meeting of the Timaru St. Andrew's branch of the Farmers' Union it was decided to urge farmers that concerted action was necessary to rid, South Canterbury of the small bird pest, and to recommend that all poisoning operations be carried out not later than July 15.

Farm shelter belts is the subject of Bulletin No. 36 of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, prepared by Lincoln College. It makes interesting reading and sums up several points why shelter belts on farms are almost invaluable. Theygive shelter to stock; they save grain from the threshing-action of wirid; they encourage growth Dy grass by conserving soil moisture; they save the maintenance of shelter hedges, and they entail no expenditure except the first cost.

A request by the Timaru branch of the Farmers' Union for the separate treatment of skins was replied to by the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, which stated this was the usual procedure at Pareora works. When the value of halfbred was so close to fine crossbred and crossbred, the extra weight given in the crossbred grades compensated for any higher value on halfbred, so that, in effect, crossbred skins to-day were quite as valuable as a line of skins with a fair percentage of' halfbred wool..

The killing of sheep for food by thieves, which occurred on Mr. K. J. McLean's property at Mount Grey, is by no means an isolated instance "of this sort of thing, from all reports. Another farmer states he had heard of cases where a single sheep had been shot by a passing motorist and carted away in, the back of a car. The wanton destruction that topk place at Mount Grey was very rare, however. Sheep • stealing on a big scale,-, has. not been nearly so prevalent this yesft- in Canterbury, as it has been in other years, largely, no doubt, because the value of the sheep is not worth the risk entailed. Morever, an amendment to the Stock Act has made it illegal for anyone to remove sheep in a lorry after dark.

Complaints from Auckland that the quality of potatoes shipped from Canterbury has been very poor, are referred to by a Christchurch merchant, who said he believed that most of the complaints referred to potatoes from Timaru and Bluff, where there had been heavy rejections. Following a dry spell, there had been' heavy rain, with the result that the potatoes in some parts had become waterlogged. In one case a grower had taken only ten tons from a crop that should have yielded £0 tons. Owing to waterlogging, the tubers rotted. Timaru potatoes had also been heavily coated with dirt, which accounted for some pi the heavy rejections. The quality of potatoes in North Canterbury had been exceedingly poor this season, as a result of the dry spell and the frosts. Men with good tubers were holding on to them. Graders at ports of shipment followed the practice of opening four or five bags in each truck. The seams of the sacks were slit and some of the potatoes were cut open to see "if they were waterlogged or diseased.

Cleanliness is absolutely essential in, the successful raising of calves. This is equally true of the feed, pen, bedding and pails or utensils. All milk and other feeds should be fresh and clean. Keep the calf pens clean and well bedded with dry material. Thoroughly wash and scald or sterilise milk pails after each feeding. Remove discarded feed from the feed boxes each day. Attention to these details is the best disease preventive. At the beginning of the third week the calf should be provided with small amounts of both hay and grain. Feed the most palatable hay on hand. ,Clean, bright clover, lucerne or mixed nay is best. Do not feed a very young calf lucerne hay that is too leafy as this is apt to cause scours. Feed hay sparingly at first, and increase the amount gradually as the calf gets accustomed to it. Place a rack where the calf can reach the hay, but cannot soil it. Put only as much hay in it as the calf will clean up in one day. The grain mixture should be palatable, have a good effect on the digestivo system, and supply the food materials which the calf requires. Homegrown oats and purchased feeds, such as wheat bran and linseed meal, are good calf feeds.