SOUTH OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20451, 4 July 1928, Page 4

SOUTH OTAGO.

BALCLUTHA DISTRICT NEWS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) BALCLUTHA. July 3. FARMERS' UNION. In addressing a meeting at Paretai Dairy Factory, Mr D. H. Harris, Dominion organiser for the Farmers’ Union, stated that a strong effort was being made to put the union on sound business lines, and a great organising effort was in process all over the Dominion at present. Colonel Pow, the Dominion secretary, was largely responsible for this renewed activity on the part of the central organisation. The union was doing good work, he said, by advocating progress in the farmers’ interests and attempting to block anything likely to be prejudicial to those interests. The farmers present decided to join up with the Clutha branch of the union in preference to forming a branch at Paretai. Mr Harris also gave a very interesting address on “top-dressing,” pointing out that to obtain the best results the tripod harrow should be used, especially on stiff clay soils. Manures required to be kept as near the surface as possible in order to give the best grass-growing results, as grass roots were such shallow feeders. Top-dressing, properly carried out, gave an increased quantity and also improved the quality and palatability of the grass, which was very desirable in the case of dairy herds. A favourite mixture for topdressing that was being advocated in the North Island was a small quantity of Nauru phosphate mixed with super. If the land were top-dressed in the autumn in place of waiting till the early spring, it naturally gave the grass a much earlier start, and autumn, was consequently the favourite season nowadays. He showed the great increases .in production that had taken place in the Waikato by top-dress-ing, and urged the farmers of the south to go and do likewise. The lecturer was accorded a hearty vote of thanks on the motion of the chairman (Mr P. Dippie). HERD TESTING. The figures for the Stirling group, which is affiliated to the Southland Herd Testing Association, for the season 192728, show that 30 herds were under test, the number of cows being 1169. _ The average Vield of butter-fat per cow, in an average season of 227 days, was 236.961 b. Seven groups were under test in Southland and South Otago, and the highest herd in the association was one with 34 cows, having an average production of 358.821 b fat for 232 days. The lowest herd only averaged 130.501 b fat per cow in 198 days, and the very lowest cow in the" association showed the poor product of 91.371 b fat for 250 days. The three highest cows produced respectively 571.111 b butter-fat in 310 days, 563.011 b in 243 days, and 5G1.961b in 262 days. The lastmentioned cow belonged to the Stirling group. In the Stirling group 20 herds returned an average for the season higher than the association’s average, which was 224.981 b. The two highest Stirling herds were as follow:—Cows 62, butter-fat 297.751 b for 250 days; cows 49, butter-fat 296.041 bin 230 days. It is interesting to record that the Stirling group was only beaten by one of the Southland groups for premier position. Stirling-Inch Clutha dairymen are so satisfied with the results of their connection with the Southland Association that the coming season a very much larger number of coirs will be put under test.