DOMINION DAIRY SHOW

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7848, 10 July 1911, Page 2

DOMINION DAIRY SHOW

CONCLUDED ON SATURDAY. This important fixture concluded its four days' session at Hawera on Saterdav evening. The weather conditions during the whole period were perfect, and left nothing to ho desired. The attendance was good throughout, many visitors having taken that opportunity to have a look round the rich district of which Hawcra is the centre. The gentlemen who have been instrumental in inaugurating this winter carnival have justly earned the gratitude of the people of Taranaki; especially those in the southern parts of the province. The show has been the means of advertising the district and its staple products in a most convincing way. Residents in and around Hawcra have materially assisted in ensuring the financial success of the undertaking by the liberal way that they patronised the function. The final receipts will not bo available for a day or two. but it maybe safely assumed that the most sanguine hopes of tbo committee will bo realised. In tbo various speeches that were made at tbo opening ceremony by bis Excellency the Governor and tbo Hon. Thomas Mackenzie, Minister of Agriculture, and tbo favourable opinions that have been expressed by visitors, it has been forcibly pointed out that a live institution such as the Dominion Dairy Show serves a useful purpose and materially assists in promoting the welfare of tho district or which it Is the centre. So long as the progressive measures adopted by the committee continue to be supported by the practical help of the community, there is eve 17 reason to believe that it will not be many years before the snow nt Hawera will have doubled its size and influence, rapid as its growth has been in tho past. A FEW COMMENTS.

Without wishing to detract in any way from the merit of the present show, tlmro appear to the visitor to be a few weaknesses that might be remedied ui the future. In. previous notices 01 the show the outstanding value of the dairy exhibits has .been mentioned, and a brief survey of the exhibition as a whole has received passing notice only* Tho weak spots arc probably more noticeable to the visitor from a distance than to those who know the district and its capabilities by .experience. . . 1 Outsiders have always been given to Understand that Hawera is situated in the midst of one of the richest and most fertile districts in the Dominion- . Ims fact is undoubted, as any misgivings would soon bo set at rest by following tho progress of the dairying industry. It is well known that where land is suitable for dairying, it follows that fertility of the soil is a first necessity. Farmers in and around Hawcra have failed to jnake this .apparent by displaying to any great extent the products of .their holdings. There is very little competition an tho classes for root crops, with the exception of those included in tho district competition. This is where a great opportunity has been neglected in giv-' ling tho country a good and convincing' {advertisement. That field roots can uel 'grown to perfection is in evidence by the. displays that are made by seed merchants who have stands at the show.i JSomo of the best swedes and .mangolds! that aro to be found this season in the; ■North Island have been grown in South. Taranaki, and those interested in tho Wale of seeds and manures have not beenf elow to avail themselves of samples fori exhibition purposes. It is the individual) effort, not the collective, that spells suc-l cess in a show of this Icind. By thisl (moans the area of interest is extended, Iwhich means larger entries and attend- 1 )a»ice. The children attending tho schoo.sl iin tho neighbourhood made one of tho| best features iu tho rural side of the! show, and they should receive still lur-* fther encouragement in this direction. *Tho splendid display made by the DeWimfcnt of Agriculture preserved the above defects from being too noticeable, land at tho same time ■ gave a lead that (might be followed with profit by farriers, backed up by. tho show committee. •One looks in vain for evidence of the existence of orchards in tho district. A email basket would.suffice to carry away* all tho fruit from private gardens, yet itj is well known that there are many -well-, established orchards in tho locality. One outstanding feature, however, is the splendid display of honey and. ensilage, the merits of which will be dealt with later on. There are hardly any potatoes, yet wo read in tho papers ot the large crons that are grown in Taranaki. These general comments are not made, for the nurposc of priticism only, but to point out what are # considered to bo weaknesses with a view to assisting if possible in furthering the future prosperity of a useful institution. ble-kglping in taranaki.

That residents .around Hawera. are paying ‘more than ordinary attention to tilts profitable industry, either as a special branch of farm life or in conjunction with dairying, is fully borne out by the splendid display from apiaries in tho neighbourhood. A beekeepers' association is in existence to conserve tho best interests of the business, and the opportunity has been braced by it to utilise the show as a means of advertising tho various produce from apiaries for exhibition, only. A obmiprchensilve -exhibit a prominent place in the main building includes honey shown in jars and in tins ready for marketing. Other samples arc put up in paper hags, and in sections in cardboard boxes, the whole forming an attractive exhibit. There is a fine showing off beeswax put up in largo and small quantities ready for marketing. In tho competition classes the prizes were awarded as follow t

Sample comb honey in sections, three or F. Rainie 1, C. March 2, Jnou M. Charlton 3Sample chunk honey, in full or half depth frames, three or more.—F. Fowler, junr., L Extracted honey, liquid, in glass jar, 21b or more. —C. F- Xiainio 1, F. -C. Biiines 2, Mrs Taylor 3, Geo, Taylor v.h.c., Harold V. Squire h.c., C. F. Bainio c. Extracted homey, granulated, in pflass jar, 2lb or more.—H. it. Penny 1, F. C. Baines 2, G. F. Rainio 3, F. Fowler junx. vJi.c., Geo. Taylor h.c. Beeswax, 3lb or more.—F. C. Baines 1, O. F. Rainie 3, 0. Murch 3, H. V, Squire v.h-c.. Geo. Taylor h.c. , Attractive display of apiary products. —Geo. Taylor 1, C. Murch 2, C. E. Rainie 3. THE STATE- EXHIBIT.

As in other directions connected with outdoor industries, the department is showing a good lead by the encouragement that is beilng given to' the profitable business connected with bee-farm-ing in all its branches. In order to give those interested full advantage of expert knowledge a collection of honey from all parts of tho world is included in tho peripatetic show that is being exhibited at the principal centres of population. These samples are accompanied by an expert, who is fortified with the latest infomtition rcgaitiiug this particular branch of industry, and his knowledege is available to all who arc in search of information. At Hawera, Mr F. A. Jacobsen, apiary instructor fofr the Wellington province, is in charge, and his exhibit is receiving a largo amount of attention. Tho collection includes honey gathered from every kind of plant in New Zealand. The product is to be seen in its various stages of granulation, and a ready explanation is forthcoming concerning matters affecting colour and flavour. In

addition there aro specimen,*? from America., Fiji, Australia, and Canada, each showing characteristics peculiar to the fowl supply of tho various countries. From inquiries made from authoritative sources it was ascertained that Now Zealand honey is equal to any in the world in point *of flavour and colour, and would command top prices in the open markets of tho world. Comparatively little honey is Ixdng exported now, lint if the quality of our product were better known and a ready supply available, there is a big future before it as a revenue-producing product. Speaking of Taranaki honoy in particular the quality is of tho highest order- There is an abundant supply of clover and Hustles available for food supplies, end the honey from these plants is considered tho finest on tho market. There i? no doubt that the farming of bees will continue to flourish in Taranaki, and in days to come a reputation for quantity and quality of honey will bo as high as that at present enjoyed by the products of the dairy. ENSILAGE. In. his remarks during the opening ceremony on AVeduesday, Air Gillies mentioned tho good work accomplished by the Department of Agriculture iu the direction of encouraging farmers to provide this form of winter feeding for their herds. At the request of the fanners an experi was sent to 'Taranaki to instruct the farmers in this connection. The work devolved upon Mr AV. Dibble, : who was for some years in charge of Ruakura experimental farm, and now act-ing-fields instructor stationed at Foilding. Mr Dibble has made ensilage a subject of study for many years, and the numerous experiments he has carried out have made him a recognised authority. . Bv way of digression, seeing that this gentleman is now stationed at Foilding, which is the centre of another lar?m dairying district, dairymen there will bo well advised to seek information from him on the matter now that tho opportunity is offering. ... As a result of Mr Dibble s instruction in Taranaki a great many dairymen adopted the making of ensilage in preference to hay only. It was pleasing to soo thfut there were no fewer* than thirtyfive entries on exhibition. Tho competition was the outcome of, a suggestion by the Hon. Thos, Mackenzie. Minister of Agriculture, and it must have been pleasing to him to 600 how well it had supported. With regard to quality, there seems to have been a general failing on the ipart of most farmers to maintain the proper temperature of the stack during building operations. consequently some of the samples were almost black or otherwise discoloured beyond the limit of prudence. It might be mentioned that all tho entries were from stack silage. The samples that gamed the two first awards were from grans pastures, and were made by Mr C. •Washer, of Inaha. They were a contrast to most of the others, inasmuch as they had an attractive, sweet aroma, and were of a fresh, healthy bloom, showing that the temperature had been carefully controlled. Tho exhibit that took third place was made from maize, grown by Mr ,T. Hunt, Mokoia. This was of a splendid colour and well made, but tlio fodder had been cut about three weeks too curly, that is. before the ulant had reached the age at which tho cobs are well formed. This rather spoiled its chancre of success, and lessened its feeding value as well. 'The judging was done by Mr Dibble, who expressed himself as pleased to see such a large competition. .The awards were made on the same principle as that followed by the judges of dairy produce, the points being awarded on the relatiev value of condition 35. quality 30. aroma 35. colour 10, making a possible total of 109 points. POINTS AWARDED FOE FIRST SIX ENTRIES. 1

JUDGE’S REMARKS. Some of the samples would he hard to beat, although a few of them required a touch-up to bring them to tho standard of perfection. To attain first-class ensilage the proper temperature of > the stack during building operations is an essential that requires careful watching. Many of the samples on exhibition bore evidence of mistakes in this respect. To gdt the best results the temperature, should be kept at 130 to 140 degrees Fabr. for sweet green ensilage. At 160 degrees it will come out sweet but of a brown colour. At 120 degrees it would be soar, but Stock will eat it even then. Fox feeding purposes sweet green silage is preferable to brown and sour. POINTERS FOR BEGINNERS.

The secret of stack building is to get together sufficient material to raise the stack to six or eight feet, then leave it for a day if tho crop be very succulent, or until the temperature has reached 140 degrees Fabr.; then add three feet daily nntil the stack is completed. The temperature may be easily ascertained by inserting a pipe into tho stack, and by lowering a thermometer down tho centre by means of a piece of String. The stack •should bo laid out nearly square, and arranged so that the material could _bo dropped where it is required, car© being taken to keep the outsides firm to prevent waste. Tho stack may be run up to twenty or thirty feet high, according to tho quantity of tho material, then level off and cover with rough boards and bind a frame about twenty inches wide all round, braced with wire. About twenty-four inches of earth evenly distributed will provide the necessary weighting material. The cost of making will bo on a.n average 3s per ton. By making ensilage the carrying capacity of the farm will bo increased by onefourth, which is a serious consideration at the present high land values. PREPARING THE SO lE.

To ensure the best results, Mr Dibble recommends that ploughing should bo commenced immediately where it is intended to uso maize, sorghum or millet for ensilage. The area will depend upon tho size of the herd, one aero to ten or eleven cows being about tho right proportion. The land should be left to sweeten and cross-ploughed again in Dotober, then thoroughly cultivated so as to get a good seed bed and good tilth. These crops can bo utilised for summer feeding if required, and any surplus made into ensilage. Regarding cutting, the maizo should not be cut until the cobs commence to form and are well glazed, otherwise they do not possess much feeding value, either as green food or ensilage. ENSILAGE FROM GRASS AND CLOVER.

When pastures are used it is advisable to apply a liberal top dressing of basic Uug before closing. In the Taranaki district about September 20th would bo a good time to close the fields, os tho spring is rather 'backward in some parts. The grass should be cut as early as possible: tho weather does not make any difference. This will enable the paddock to be cleaned up and allow a good growth of grass to come away again before New Year to assist the milk supply. SILAGE AND MILK FEVER.

Ensilage is also a splendid fodder to give cows prior to calving, as a preventive againet milk fever. A gentleman in Manaia who can bear this statement cut. made over 500 tons this last season of first-class ensilage, and he had no difficulty with his cows iu the flush of tho season. As a fodder for young calves and voung stock it is invaluable, and keeps

them growing and healthy when other food is scarce. LUCERNE. To encourage tho growing of lucerne the department added to Us exhibit a large notice setting forth the value oi this plant for fodder purposes. In addition, samples of roots and plants in their various stages of growth were on view for inspection. Mr McPherson, fields instructor, who had charge ot the department’s collection, was enthusiastic about the future benefits that New /.calami would derive from lucerne, and made a strong appeal to farmers to give it an exhaustive trial. The notice-board previously mentioned displayed, the lollowing information:—“Lucerne is the best friend of the dairy i armor and the grazier. The annual value iu the United States is twenty million pounds sterling. It is tho wealth-maker of Argentina. It is occupying the attention of all who arc foremost iu agricultural development. Requirements: Soil, fairly friable, well supplied with lime; cultivation, deop and thorough; laud t/ioau and drainage good. Limo is essential, and inoculation with soil from an established lucerne field is a still further assurance of success. To encourage the growing of lucerne the department will assist by supplying soil from an established lucerne field. This soil should bo broadcasted at the rate of 3001 Lto the acre. Tho conditions required are that tho land is in thorough cultivation, clean and reasonably suitable. Not more than 1501 b. of inoculated soil w-ill be supplied to any ono applicant.” Then followed the information that tho soil could be procured on application to the department at Wellington or to tho fields instructors at Christchurch and Palmerston. A specimen plan of experiments was also attached. PATHOLOGICAL SPECIMENS., In addition to teaching farmers how to produce crops, a staff of highly quailiied scientific men are engaged in discovering tho diseases of and instructing farmers how to supply remedies to affected stock of all, kinds. To illustrate this specimens of diseases and nmlformations wore preserved and shown. Inis section was under the supervision of Mr Aston, assistant at tho department s laboratory. This is a subject that is surrounded with technical terms, and to tho ordinary person the most unpronounceable words aro associated with it. Mr Aston reduced these terms to plain English, and explained tho nature of each specimen in a way that all could understand. A wide rauso was covered by the whole collection, particular attention being directed towards those forms of disease that affect human life and dairy and farm stock. The various forms of tuberculosis in tho vitals and bones of domestic animals received special attention. The department has set out to stomp this scourge out of the Dominion, and the co-operation of all should lie forthcoming in seconding its efforts. As an illustration, the experiments by means of pasteurisation of skim milk at Glen Oroua during the present season might be mentioned. Tho heavy losses sustained by dairymen in tho past by their cows aborting has been aljnost if not entirely remedied. Contagious mastitis, another bad trouble, is being dealt with, and hopes are entertained that some effective cure or preventive will bo discovered. It is not necessary to further enlarge on the work of tbis department. It is pleasing to record that farmers visiting the show availed themselves of tho chance to get first-hand information from the officer in charge. This is the purpose for which tho various object-lessons axe being taken around, and no opportunity should bn neglected by those who are directly concerned to avail themselves of the lessons that aro being taught by this means.

n( "d a 3 o 3 D a <1 <S £ C. "Washer, Inaha ... 33 28 23 9 93 33 Vi 22 9 92 J. Hunt, Mokoia ... 32 W 21 10 91 Williamson Bros., 21* 10 90 Kakararoea 31J 27 Wiria-Tnson Bros., Kakaratuoa 32i 26J, 21 10 89 W. T. Wells, Manaia 31 26 205 10 C75