FORTHCOMING SHOWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20222, 7 October 1927, Page 4

FORTHCOMING SHOWS

1927. October 26, 27.—Tiiraru. November 2. —Kelso. November 2 and 3. —Manawatu. November 3. —Ashburton. November 9, 10, 11.—Royal, Christchurch. November 15.—Waimate. November 17, 18.—North Otago. November 19. —Taieri. November 23. —Wiaton. November 25, 24.—Otago. November 29. —Milton. November 30. —Wallace. December 1, 2—Clutha-Matau. December 9. —Wyndbam. December 6, 7. —Gore. December 13, 14.—Southland. 1928. February 14, 15, 16, 17—Masterton. March 17. Lake County. March 29.—Methven. April 9. —Mackenzie. High-priced Land. “Is that what you call purchasing land?"' asked Mr Justice MacGregor in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth, when counsel in an application for discharge in bankruptcy stated that the bankrupt had purchased a large block of 50,000 acres of land for £II,OOO (states an exchange). No cash passed, and the whole of the purchase money was allowed by the vendor to remain on mortgage at a very low rate of interest. It was subsequently stated that the land in question was valued by the Government Valuation Department at £22,000. That ■variation had since been reduced to £14,000, and the land could now bo bought for £7OOO. It was therefore suggested that the bankrupt had been led into this rash speculation by the high Government assessment. Whom Do They Represent? “ Agricultural and pastoral associations in 99 oases out of 100 are not representative of farmers,” said Mr J. Preston at the meeting of the Farmers’ Union yesterday. He mentioned the action of the Canterbury A. and P. Association in agreeing to support implement makers in their request for an increased tariff. Mr Preston said that most A. and P. societies were composed mainly of business men who used their connection with the farming industry to further their own ends. He thought this point should bo stressed. A. and P. societies did not necessarily represent the farming community. It was unfortunate that an impression was abroad that they did because the Minister of Agriculture might take notice of their requests and recommendations, believing them to be th© opinions of the farmers. More Attention to Breeding. “ If more attention was paid to breeding production could easily be increased by about 25 per cent, in six years, with no more animals being milked than at the present time. If farmers could be induced to lean c little more on their own resources, and to profit by the expenenco and advice of those who had studied the industiy, they would _ soon be in a muon better position financially, fpr the reason that increasing production without increasing cost would mean more money in the pockets of the spending public. Slump periods would then soon be things of the past. Surely an industry that returns about £18,000,000 annually is worth giving of our best to assist.” These views wore expressed by Mr J. Kyle, of Aokaulore, Palmerston North. Argentine Sheep Shrinkage. Writing on the subject of the sheep industry in Argentina in their May circular, Messrs Gibson Bros., a prominent firm of pastoral agents in Buenos Aires, refer to the reduction that is taking place in numbers. The shrinkage is described as appalling. It is generally attributed to the increase in the value of land, an axiom being laid down that with a rent abovcl j6s an acre sheep are not remunerative. The firm, however, does not hold with the latter argument, and points to New Zealand, where land rents are much higher, and yet sheep have proved so profitable that numbers are increasing. Daylight Saving. It will be interesting to sec how the daylight saving measure will affect the farmer, but most farmers I have spoken to maintain that it will not make much difference if the railway services alter to suit the new conditions. This, of course, has been promised. Farmers say that they now work from daylight to dark, and as long as Mr Sidey confines himself to that it will make no difference whatever. Some jokingly said that if he could take a little more off the beginning of the day and add it on to the tail-end it would not be amiss. A farmers’ day, however, is from daylight to dark, and no legislation can reduce or extend his hours of toil in that direction. Stocking Massey Farm. Mention was made at the meeting of tho Otago executive of the Farmers’ Union yesterday of tho fact that a herd of grade Jersey cows were to be secured for tho Massey Farm in connection with the National Agricultural College. It was considered to be a deplorable policy t*> put anything but the best breed of pedigree cattle on a State farm, and a resolution was passed protesting against tho use of grade Jerseys. An Anomaly. During the Prime Minister’s visit to the southern end of the Auckland province half a dozen settlers from the Moerangi block waited on him at Te Mata and asked him for a revaluation of their holdings to enable them to be brought down to the value of those sections held by the' ordinary civilian settlers. They pointed out that an anomaly at present existed in that the civilian sections in the same block had been reduced by the Deteriorated Lands Commission to a tar lower value than the Soldiers Board had reduced the soldiers’ land. The Prime Minister said that an anomaly aparently existed, and he would see what could be done. System of Pools. Farmers in Canada have realised that they cannot succeed in the modern world without large combinations, said Mr A. J. MThail, president of the Canadian Co-operative "Wheat Pools, the central selling agency for Canadian wheat, in an interview with a Financial Times representative recently. Mr MThail that the organisation of which he is the head was established in 1923 by the Western Canadian farmers themselves to enable them to merchandise their wheat at a'profit. Farmers in the pool bind themselves on a five-year contract to deliver all their wheat for sale through the organisation. The farmers, he said, had never secured a fair price for their wheat outside the war period until the last three vears. He would not say, however, that the co-operative pool system had been responsible for the improvement. Up to 1923 the farmers never received more than a dollar a bushel. In 1924, the first year of the operation ot the pool, they received 1 dollar 66 cents. The organisation controlled 55 per cent, of the total Canadian wheat crop. Asked if the pool system could be successfully applied to farming in other countries, Mr M 1 hail eaid that the system of co-operative marketing and scientific merchandising should be applicable to most farm produce. It had been applied in Denmaik, so why not elsewhere? Mr M Phail stated that in his tour ’of this country and Europe studying the wheat markets he had been impressed with the up-to-date-ness of the facilities for handling wheat in most of our big importing centres and on the Continent. Dehorning Cattle. Tho question of dehorning cattle is to receive the attention of Bavliament. The Minister of Agriculture (Mr O. J. Hawkcn) states that ho has drafted a Bill embodying the compulsory dehorning of all but pedigree cattle, but owing to tho large volume ot legislative business ho is unable to introduce the measure this session. The Otago Provincial Executive of tho New Zealand Farmer’ Union yesterday deeded to ask the. Minister for an undertaking that the Bill would be introduced sa&t session.

Encouraging Breeding. With the object of encouraging farmers to improve the breed of sheep, the Ontario (Canada) Government has decided to pay a cash bonus of £5 a head on imported rams that reach a certain specified standard and which will be retained in the province for a year. The bonus about equals the freight and commission expenses on importations of breeding rams from the British Isles. The “ Meat War.” The great “ meat war ” is still in progress. and the losses to the companies engaged are mounting up to an enormous sum. A conservative estimate places the total loss in the neighbourhood of £20,000,000, but w'hat the actual figure is will probably never be known to the public, although the shareholders in the companies may have unpleasant reminders. The “war” started about two years ago as the result of the failure of the companies—British and American —comprising the South American Conference (an organisation regulating the supply of South American chilled beef to this country) to agree on the quotas each should have following.the organisation of new companies outside the conference but operating with plant purchased from members of the conference. As a result of this dispute therfe was “ war to the knife between the companies, and chilled beer was brought into this country irrespective of demand and sold at a loss. The drain became so heavy that a few months a£o the companies were brought together and agreed on new percentages of the trade each should have. , . , But now another stumbling block has arisen. It has to deal with freight, and the percentages scheme agreed on cannot be put into operation because one company is claiming a share of the freightage to this country. The other companies will not agree, and so the war continues. “We are still talking," said the representative of one of the firms yesterday, “and I expect we shall go on do nip so; meanwhile the heavy loss continues. New Spraying Process. Mr Frank Sisson, the well-known fruit grower, of Papanui road, has introduced a new method of spraying, the first of its kind in the South Island. At present on.y his cherry orchard is subject to the new system, but the first trial was so successful that Mr Sisson is quite confident of its acivanUgM.fioie orchar( j i s laid dow with lin pipes about a chain apart and tapped at intervals of the radius ot six trees. The pipes are fed from a largo 200-gallon tank connected to an electric motor which pumps the spraying mixture through the pipes. By means of the new scheme Mr Sisson finds that ho can save at least half the time taken by the old method, and that ho also does away with the slow and cumbrous method of spray carriers and horse pumps. ' One man can now do the work for which formerly three were required At present the pipes in Mr Sisson s orchard are laid above the surface, but his son, Mr Frank Sisson, who owns one of the finest orchards in Styx, has his 10 acres hud out under the same system, except that the pipes are below the surface. Mr Sisson is very pleased with the results of the system, and considers that it is the best spraying method he has seen. Special Excursion Fares. The Royal (New Zealand) Agricultural Show will be held at Addington Show Grounds, Christchurch, on November 9, 10 and 11, during Carnival Week. Excursion tickets will be issued in both the north and tho South Islands from Novcmher 2 to 10, and will be available for return until November 26. General entries for the show doses on Saturday, October 15, and applications for space for side shows on Saturday, November 5. Schedules arc obtainable free on application to the secretary.