THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20379, 10 April 1928, Page 4

THE RURAL WORLD.

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

Black’s Veterinary Dictionary. Black’s Veterinary Dictionary (A. and C. Black, Ltd., London, 21a net) has been released by the publishers. This book has been modelled to fill a position for all who own, or have under their charge, domesticated animals. It is intended to serve as a work of reference for those who, having no access to technical books upon veterinary subjects, find insufficient information in those numerous popular works intended merely for the domestic treatment of the commoner animal ailments. Information’ is given in simple language -which avoids the mass of colloquialisms associated with animal diseases, as well as the confusion of compound scientific terms. Notes upon anatomy and physiology precede descriptions of the diseases of the Various organs of the body, and such information,. is given as should lead to a ready of symptoms and the initiation of first-aid treatment. In the case of surgical conditions, the principles upon which measures for relief are based have been briefly mentioned, but operative technique is quite foreign to the scope of the book. The practical value of the dictionary is greatly enhanced by the quality and generous quantity of the illustrations. Handy in format, comprehensive, and easily consulted, it will be welcomed by the farmer and stock owner, by the student of veterinary science or agriculture, and the busy practitioner himself. North Island Markets. There has been great all-round activity in stock markets in the North Island during the past week, the only weak section being weaner heifers. In sheep lines there is still an unsatisfied demand for breeding ewes, and prices are hardening. Ewe and wether lambs have also been in good demand, and ewe lambs have been selling up to 255. Good wether lambs have been selling up to £1 Is. The output of fruit in the Havelock district is really something out of the ordinary, and, at the present time, it is impossible to judge adequately the dimensions of the output of fruit from the Havelock North orchards; in fact, nearly all the commercial orchards of Hawke’s Bay have had a phenomenal output. The growers of Havelock North are really amazed themselves at the quantity that is coming forward to the case. The quality, as well ns the quantity, is causing great jubilation, and growers are fully appreciative of the timely rains that resulted in well-filled and well-grown fruit rich in colour. Pears and apples particularly are both prime in order. Dominion Settlement. " I say without the slightest hesitation that the land in New Zealand has been kept better occupied than anywhere else in the Empire,” said Mr M’Leod, Minister of Lands, in his address at Waiuku. “ New Zealand -is a great little country," he added. From the 14,000,000 or 15,000,000 acres of the Dominion’s best lands exports to the value of no less than £45,000,000 or £50,000,000 were already being produced, and the value would be increased as settlement extended and methods of fanning were improved. Referring to the development of the Hauraki Swamp, the Minister said it did not follow that because values bad to be written down the venture was a failure. What was a few years ago a wilderness now carried 2500 people, and this year the value of the dairy produce from this area would approach £1,000,000. Tokomairiro Harvest, The Milton district is the latest in either Otago or Southland again this year, and a very large area of wheat is still in stock and some yet to cut. A few paddocks of oats are also still in stock. Stocks of wheat in one or two of the paddocks are inclined to be a little dark, but there do not appear to be any signs of sprouting. Effects of Dry Weather. The serious effect which continued dry weather had upon the milk yield in the Auckland district is shown in the returns for February of the New Zealand Cooperative Herd Testing Association. The average production per cow for the 63,887 cows tested by the association in that month was 4571 b milk, 4.4 test, and 20.391 b butter-fat. The average production for 56.895 cows tested in February, 1927, was 0571 b milk, 4.3 test and 28.481 b butter-fat. Draught Horses in Waimate. It is stated that young draught horses are difficult to obtain in the Waimate district at present. There are plenty of horses about eight years old offering, but it is the younger animals that are wanted. The reduction in draught horse breeding of late years, it can now be seen, was carried too far. Of course, it could not be seen that there was going to be a revival of wheat growing, nor that the wool and fat lamb markets were going to be so' good, which means the breaking up of ground for feed crops as well as grain. Dominion Cheese Exports. Although Dominion exports of butter for the seven months of the season from August 1, 1927, aggregated 2,111,977 boxes, an increase of 523,378 boxes compared with the corresponding period of last season, and cheese shipments totalled 615,594 crates, an increase of 67,182 crates, more recent space allotments indicate the extent to which an abnormally restricted rainfall has dwarfed production at the tail end of the season. The total exports for the current month will be 172.082 boxes of butter, a decrease of 22,234 boxes compared with March, 1927. Shipments of cheese, aggregating 116,272 crates, admittedly show an increase of 2280 crates, but it is a far smaller percentage than that of the substantial drop in butter nhiufactnrc. These figures will make the exports of butter and chefese for the current season to the end of March as follows, those for the corresponding period of last season being given in parentheses; Butter, 2,284.059 boxes (1.837.722 boxes); cheese, 731,866 crates (662,404 crates). The increase in butter is 446,337 boxes, and in cheese 69,462 crates. Better than Nothing.

In the course of his address at Masterton Mr W. J. Poison, Dominion president of the Farmers Union, said that for many years lie had been lighting for an agricultural bank for farmers. Outside his own organisation he had received little assistance from any class or section, but he was glad to say that they now had a scheme of rural finance on the Statute Book. It was not all that he could wish for, but it was a groat deal better than nothing, and could be made of the very greatest value to the farmers of the country if sympathetically administered and properly understood. Ho went on to contend that the scheme was marred to a serious extent by the refusal of the Government to back the rural credit securities with a State guarantee. The State, he maintained, was fully responsible for these securities, and if it had given its guarantee could have issued the bonds at perhaps 98J instead of 94A. It would then have been possible to let farmers have advances A per cent, cheaper. IMr Poison repeated in some detail hia recent protest against the provision for mnkinc intes'mediate credit advances to individuals. PRIME CANTERBURY. SUPREMACY ON HOME MARKET. MUST. BE MAINTAINED. PJGHT CLASS OF EWE. Discussion took place at the annual meeting of the Canterbury A. and P. Association last week fsaya the Press) on the evergreen question of the maintenance of the supremacy in the English jaiCrket of “ Prime Canterbury ” lamb.

By Ritsticus

Items of interest to those engaged in agricultural and pastoral with a view to their publication in these columns, will bo welcomed. They should be addressed to “Ensticus,” Otago Daily Times, Dunedin.

The retiring president (Mr E. Hay) mentioned in his annual ronor- the influence the slaughter of ewe iambs was having on the quality of breeding il.cks. Later m the meeting Mr Janies Deans, an expresident, speaking with a knowledge gained during a recent visit to England, stressed the need for paying increased attention to quality if “Prime Canterbury” is to retain its present position. Mr Hay, in the course of his address, pointed out that no doubt it was tempting to a farmer to put all his ewe lambs that -were fat into the works, but the question was whether it would not pay to keep more ewe lambs, when the farmer had to pay 30s to 40s for good two-tooth ewes. It was admitted that it did not suit in many cases to keep hoggets over the winter, but whenever it could bo conveniently done it was worth while for farmers to give it consideration. The Southdown ram put to big, roomy English Leicesters and Romney cross ewes produces an ideal lamb for fattening, and this method of breeding lambs suitable for freezing is fast coming into favour. It is, therefore, important for us to keep up a high standard in our ewe flocks and have the right class of ewe. The English Leicester has in the past been a wonderful sheep for Canterbury, and, although it has a tendency to become weedy and small in the bone, this can be overcome by careful culling. The Romney, on the other hand, is a big-boned and heavilybodied sheep, and bone weighs. Lambs from ewes of this type sired by Southdown rams will give the lamb that will help to keep up the name of “ Prime Canterbury.” These arguments go to show that it is not the final cross that is the crux of the breeding of lambs for the frozen meat trade, but the breeding of the right kind of ewe that is of first importance. There are, of course, other breeds and crosses besides English Leicesters and Romneys that have to be taken into consideration in Canterbury, and these are mainly the finer-woolled breeds .and crosses, concerning which there is less unanimity of opinion when the question of the best freezing lamb is discussed. The fact is there are now so many wether lambs of a halfbred type that have to be disposed of, and allowance must be made for the effect these have upon the general quality of Canterbury lamb. They are bred of necessity, and, while there may be differences of opinion regarding them, there is no getting. away from the fact that they must continue to be a considerable part of Canterbury’s output of lamb. STUD SHEEP BREEDERS. THE DOMINION ASSOCIATION. POSITION' NOT SATISFACTORY. VALUE OF TATTOO MARK. At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Sheepbreedere’ Association held last week a complaint was made that the association was slipping back. This was stated to be due to the fact that the societies formed to represent particular breeds were working separately, and if a few more breed societies were formed there would be practically nothing left to maintain the Sheepbreeders’ Association. It was admitted that it was only right that each breed society should control its own brood, but there should lie only one fioek book, an arrangement that would be much cheaper. It was decided at the meeting that the council he recommended to see what could be done to have all the societies concentrated as far as possible in one book. This is a matter, however desirable, that is likely to be difficult to bring about. The breeds that are now represented by separate societies are Romney Marsh. Lincolns, Corriedales, Kyelands, and Sonthdowns, so Unit they represent the bulk of the stud sheep breeds in the Dominion, although not all the flocks of the above particular breeds arc entered • in the separate flock books, some still being registered in the New Zealand Sheepbreeders’ Association’s Flock Book. The position is not a satisfactory one, and there is, therefore, no complete organisation of the. stud sheepbreeders in the Dominion. For various reasons it is necessary there should be, so that united action can he taken when required. In regard to the issue of certificates for stud sheep that are being exported there is not uniformity. Some of the breed societies see that their sheep are tattoo branded to ensure identification, whilst other sheep are exported without this precaution, hence the complaints made in Australia of the export of inferior sheep from New Zealand, and the demand there tor an import duty of 2gns per head on all unregistered stud sheep. Of the sheep whose inferior quality was condemned it was pointed out that there was nothing to verify them with the certificates under which they were offered for sale. The tattoo mark for which the New Zealand Sheepbreeders’ Association is now to ask the Government to give legal recognition will get over the difficulty, but it would be well first of all to discuss the matter with those breed societies which have adopted a tattoo mark of their own for stud sheep that are being exported, ns the Government is not likely to agree to a proposal about which there is not something like unanimity among the breeders. PUREBRED SIRES. A GOVERNMENT SCHEME. INTRODUCTION IN VICTORIA. AN AUSPICIOUS START. Nothing could bo more gratifying to those who desire that the standard of the i dairy herds should improve than the success with which the Victorian Government scheme for the purchase of purebred bulls is being carried out. Although it has been in operation fo r only a few months, the scheme has already been the means of inducing to dairy herds in all parts of the I State hundreds of highly-bred, young stocic I which will be the means of appreciably I raising the standard of buttor-fat producj tiqn, and. what is perhaps more important, i will ultimately lead to the elimination of I tho “scrub’' bull. Each animals purI chased under the scheme in time takes tho | place in tho herd of the nondescript bull which has done more to retard the development of dairying than perhaps any other factor. The benefits may not be apparent, in practical form for two or three genera-’ i tions, but it will then bo found that the | good which has been achieved by means ! of the scheme has been tremendous, j The Government scheme for the purchase of purebred bulls was brought into operation by the Ministry of Agriculture in November, 1927, and it has been described by visitors from other countries as tho most liberal subsidised bull purchase plan in operation in any part of tho world. Under the scheme tho Government may purchase up to. 75 per cent, of the purebred bull calves from cows which qualify for certificates under the present standard herd test rules. The price paid is computed at the rate of is a II) of the net estimated butter-fat production of the i dams, provided that tho animals arc taken ■ over from the breeder within three months of birth, hut where a bull may he of outstanding quality as regards breeding and type, a sum up to 25 per cent, of the purchase price mav he paid. If the calf is from a heifer on her first lactation period the price is computed on tho hutterfat production of his dam’s dam and sire s dam, provided that tho heifer is subject to (he standard herd test rules. If it is tnipracI t tea tile to purchase a calf until it is aged ; more than three months, and an allowance of £2 is paid for cacti period of fhree months, up to 12 months, in which the animal is retained by tho breeder. PARTICULARS OF SCHEME. Bulls purchased by the Government under tins scheme arc sold only to approved dairy

' farmers, excluding' those who are breeders of puie-bred cattle, at half the purchase price, transport and other incidental charges be,ng' paid by the dairy farmer. The terms of purchase are thus most liberal, and make it possible for any genuine dairyman to acquire a young bud of the highest breeding qualities. Only two principal conditions are to be observed by the purchaser, but they are sued that their fulfilment works entirely to the buyers further benefit. The purchasing dairy farmer must undertake to have destroyed at abattoirs any “ scrub cr mongrel-bred bull bo may have m ills possession when a bull purchased under the scheme reaches an active age. ihe price obtained for the slaughtered nondescript is retained by the farmer —a further indication of the generosity of the scheme. The other condition is that the farmer must retain the bull for at least three yeats, and is required to keep records of production of his herd from the date of acquiring the bull. , , , . , The bulls are selected by live sloeit axports of the Department of Agncultmo, and in choosing them close attention is paid to type, pedigree, and the riu m of the dams. Every safeguard is made tor the purchaser, and a bull before being taken under the scheme must rigidly conform to all the conditions. Particular era phasis is laid on _ the production of the dam, and the claims of the calf to the characteristics of the breed. An indication of the success w.i -hicfi the scheme is meeting and the extent to which dairy farmers have recognised Ms possibilities was furnished by the number of applications for calves received during the tour of the Pel ior-l< arming Tram through Victoria from March 6 to Maich 10. During the two weeks of the tour the train visited 10 centres, in which the scheme was explained to those interested by the live stock officer. Before the tour wa s completed he had received orders for more than 70 young bulls under no scheme. In one day 15 applications were received. The extremely beneficial effect that the introduction of 70 highly breu and carefully chosen sires will have on die standar dof dairying in the district of Victoria concerned can ho readily appreciated.,