THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21018, 6 May 1930, Page 4

THE RURAL WORLD.

By Rtjsticus

Brown Top Harvest. A large number of farmers who. are harvesting brown top have taken advantage of the opportunity offered by the Department of Agriculture to have their nelds certified in order that they may market their seed under the special tag of certification issued'by the department. Unfortunately, however, the chief market for New Zealand-grown brown top is how practically closed owing to the heavy embargo placed against' the seed in the United States. w T here the great bulk of the seed has been marketed during the last few years. The import duty of approximately Is 8d per _lb makes the price within the States prohibitive, and in . the meantime the local value of the seed has dropped to about half or less its usual price!

Canterbury Yield. There is a very prolific crop of brown top in Canterbury this year, but unfortunately the price of it has fallen considerably, and to-day it is practically unsaleable in New Zealand. During the last few years the seed of this grass has been keenly sought after by American buyers fot golf links, bowling greens, and fine lawns. The _ demand from America has consistently increased, and, last season many tons of the seed found its way into that country from New Zealand. One of the main difficulties about this trade was that American buyers objected to the percentage of coarser grass named red. top which was found in the brown top seed. To eliminate j this admixture the Department of Agriculture this year undertook the certification of brown top, guaranteeing the crops certified as free from red top. Up, to the present 17,000 acres of brown top in Otago and Southland have been so certified.

Harvesting. ~ The bulk of the harvesting work has now.been completed for the season. Most farmers have now threshed their grainy and in nearly every instance the yield has been above expectations. The quality of the grain this season is very good, many of the samples being fit for milling, and a large • percentage will undoubtedly pass A grade. . The areas sown, however, have been small. . It is very pleasing that; there 1 should be' not only a good yield, .but also a very satisfactory price. Herd-testing. •'

The returns of the New Zealand Cooperative Herd Testing .Association show that 84,184 cows were tested in March, and that the average yield was 5781 b milk and 27.581 b fat. The test was 4.7, For the corresponding month last year 68,011 cows were tested, and they gave an average yield of, 4101 b milk and 20.19 fat. The test was’ 4.9. The increase in- the yield this year is due to the more favourable autumn and the continued growth of pastures. These factors have accounted for a record production of dairy produce. Tha Pig Conference. Too much importance can hardly be attached to the workmanlike decisions of representatives of the pig industry who met in coriference at Palmerston North What the industry could mean’ to Ne\y Zealand was the subject of an able statement in the report of the Special Committee on Unemployment. It was plain from this that the export trade in pork and bacon might be raised in value to the' Dominion from its present small sum to perhaps £20,000,000 annually. One of the great obstacles to realising this objective is the high price of the essential grain ration. Recognising this, the conference is seeking the removal of duties on animal fodder, a step that should cause very little hardship compared with the freat benefits conferred on the industry, t is conceivable, even, that the greater domestic’ demand for cereals might stimulate instead of depressing oat and maize growing. The second essential to building up an export trade is quality. A grain ration would again be a large factor, and compulsory grading as suggested by the conference would secure the maintenance of proper standards. It may be hoped that the Government will give the decisions of the conference the practical and immediate consideration their national importance warrants.

Farm Property. There is not a great deal of, movement in the farm property market ’at present, but a good many small farms have been changing hands recently where the ingoing is easy. The biggest factor against farm selling at the present time is the difficulty ox making suitable financial arrangements, many potential buyers being very limited in capital. Farming, like any other business, requires a good deal of capital to conduct, and to take up a farm with finance too limited is only to invite failure. - The Potato Crop, - The digging of the* main potato crop is now well under way, and some very good crops have been reported. In some of the crops there has been a very high percentage of disease, which will detrimentally anect the sale of the tubers or at least reduce the quantity that it-will be possible to market. There is only a very poor demand at present, and reports to hand from Canterbury confirm this. It is said to. be likely that prices to larmers for good quality lines will not exceed £4, but this figure should show a. fairly good margin of profit where the yield is gjod and the percentage of disease comparatively small. Lord Etedisloe’s Farm Stock. • accompanying information appears in The-Times (London) of March 24: r j consequence of the dairy farm on Lord Bledisloes estate at- Lydney, Gloucestershire, having been let, Messrs Bruton, Knowles and Co. conducted a sale of live and dead farm stock for the owner on Friday. Purebred Red Poll heifers made to £l9 10s for Lydney Stain a yearling which was bought by Mr 11. Hinds; the best price for a horse was rT. guineas, given by Mr J. Broekley for Dick, a Suffolk gelding. The trade on the crossbred stock was very good indeed, crossbred heifers realising up to £26 5s three-year-old barren heifers to £2O 15s’ and rising two-year-old heifers to £3B a P air - , T he top price for crossbred Shortfe n J ICi erS £39 13s a Pair, and to £llt Ve e ach d CXCCPtIOIIaI,y well “P Farmers’ Tour of Europe.

The Potato Crop, - The digging of the* main potato crop is now well under way, and some very good crops have been reported. In some of the crops there has been a very high percentage of disease, which will detrimentally affect the sale of the tubers or at least reduce the quantity that it-will be possible to market. There is only a very poor demand at present, and reports to hand from Canterbury confirm this. It is said to. be likely that prices to farmers for good quality lines will not exceed £4, but this figure should show a _ fairly good margin of profit where the yield is gjod and the percentage of disease comparatively small. | Lord Etedisloe’s Farm Stock.

To see how others are doing the same thing is always educative. Either our own practice is confirmed or we gather of J> etter wa y s - From that point of view the tour abroad of 100 New Zealand farmers should be valuable, both to themselves and. to the wider circle through which their new experience will be diffused on their. return. Their observations will embrace agriculture in all the j leading countries of the world, including Denmark the Dominion’s keen but _ friendly rival. No doubt wherever the tourists go, they will find that primary producers are facing problems just as dillicult, as any that exist in New Zealand tocmy. That in- itself will be instructive. “ England, Scotland, and Wales they W 1 n g agriculture is against the wan, hghting for existence against a press of subsidised competitors. Nor will it come amiss if the tourists return home convinced that, thorny as are their problems, they are not so prickly a bunch as their colleagues overseas have to handle. Sheep Markets.

Most of the movement in store sheep and breeding ewes has now ceased, all the ewes offering, having been absorbed. Prices for fat ewes and wethers have fallen considerably and this will probably result in those farmers • who have the necessary feed holding over their wethers until the spring in the hope that a bettor price will be ruling then. There has been a remarkably thorough’clearing out of old ewes this season and farmers are to be commended on their policy of fattening the old ewes and buying in younger stock which will mean that the death rate in ewes will he considerably lessened and the number of lambs reared during the coming season will be correspondingly increased."

Southland Freezing Industry. Reporting on the freezing industry. Mr A. Derbie, manager of the Southland Frozen Meat and Produce Export Com-

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

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

pany, states:—"Our Mataura and Makarewa works are very busy and must continue so for some time to cope with the large drafts yet to be handled. From the point of view of numbers, this season promises to be one- of the biggest, if not the biggest, in the history of tne company. To date 303,000 sheep and lambs have been slaughtered, and this represents an increase of approximately 79,000 compared with the corresponding period of last year. Present indications are that killing operations will extend well into July, but in the meantime many farmers are somewhat concerned • about the feed question and are naturally anxious to get away as many as possible. The lonic has just completed a shipment of 15,700 carcasses of mutton and lamb and 1100 cases of rabbits. The next vessel to load will be the Tairo, due about Tuesday, next, to be followed by the Coptic and Huntingdon, both these vessels being due about 1 April 19.”

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. GOOD EXPORT SEASON. SHIPMENTS FROM BLUFF. During the last few weeks there has been a rapid decline in the intakes at the various dairy factories, and many people connected with the industry consider that the falling off has been more rapid than usual. Production for the season, however. continues to be well ahead of the previous record season, although compared with last, season, the quantity of cheese received into the Bluff Cool Stores during April was in the vicinity of- 1500 crates fewer than the quantity sent forward during April, 1928. Present indications are that last year’s production will be maintained with perhaps a slight margin in favour of the, current season. An extraordinary situation has arisen in regard to the amount of' butter and cheese held at the Bluff Cool Stores, and for a short period at the end of the month just closed the stores were full and no further stocks could be taken in. Owing to greatly decreased imports into New Zealand, the number of vessels visiting the Dominion has been fewer, with the result that the Dairy Control Board has had considerable difficulty in securing space to convey the products to the London market. On' Wednesday, the last day of April, there 'were 42,618 crates of cheese and 8717 boxes of butter in 'the Bluff Cool Stores. This represents approximately one-third of the production of the season to date. To meet the situation, the board has been compelled to have three steamers sent to New Zealand in ballast to carry the dairy produce back to Great Britain. The position at Bluff is now relieved on account of the fact that two' steamers loaded dairy produce this week. These are the lonic, which has taken 8000 crates of cheese and 1000 boxes of butter, and the Kia Ora, which has 5000. crates of cheese. This will enable fresh stocks to be taken into store. ‘ The dairy produce market- at Home appears to be improving, but values are not rising very considerably at the present time. Perhaps, further improvement will taken place by the time the latter part of the Southland •consignment reaches the market. , .

The figures, supplied by the secretary, of the quantity of cheese received into store are as follows, comparative figures for the last two seasons being also given:

Totals .. 126,408 137,553 143,722 CALF-RAISING TO ABSORB DAIRY BY-PRODUCTS. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BULLETIN PREDICTS LARGE RETURNS. In an exhaustive study of the usee of surplus dairy by-products the latest Canterbury Chamber of Commerce agricultural bulletin says that ho attempt has hithetro |been made in New Zealand A°rx exp the possibilities of calf-raising. After elaborating two methods of doing so, recently tried at Lincoln College, the bulletin expresses the opinion that if all calves were reared to vealers by such methods the cash returns from calves alone could be made to exceed by £500,000 the present cash returns obtained from all dairy by-products; Piß s > says the bulletin, are usually consiaered to be the most economical converters of feed into meat; but as far back as--1870 it was recorded that a good calf would produce one pound of meat tor eyery two gallons of milk, as against the pigs one pound for every four gallons and a-nalt .of milk. Recent investigations by Lincoln College tend to confirm this, and to show that meat meal is the most effective of all supplementary calf feeds. It is therefore suggested that, even at. the expense of postponing the pig-feeding period for three months, by rearing all surplus dairy calves, and by feeding them in the manner outlined for 12 weeks., the total cash return obtained from dairy by-products would be considerably increased.

it u CO n C^? g the latest statistics,- says the bulletin, the dairy cows in New Zealand produce annually about 1,250,000 calves, 'and since' about 20 per cent, are required for the replacement of dairy cows, there are approximately 1,000,000 calves which could be used to convert skim milk and whey into valuable meat and by-products. At the present time about 300.000 are killed as "bobby" calves, and a certain number killed as vealers; but the majority are killed on the farm at birth. The few calves that are reared do not consume all the skim milk and whey; pigs are also fed; and about 500,000 pigs are fattened annually. Hence, disregarding the unknown return from vealers, the total cash returns obtained from surplus dairy by-products are about 500,000 pigs at £2 10s, 300,000 "bobby” calves at Bs, and the cash value of the skins of farm-slaughtered - calves, making in all a total of about £1,500,000. Work at Lincoln College during the last two years has shown that, provided meat meal is used, excellent calves can be reared in 12 weeks on skim milk or whey. Each calf requires for a start not more than eight gallons of whole milk, where skim milk is available, and not more than 11 gallons of whole milk where whey is available. Where skim milk is used the calves will consume 200 gallons, of skim milk and 25 pounds of meat meal, added at the rate of two ounces a gallon. Where whey ie used, the calves will consume 200 . gallons of whey and double the quantity of meat meal. With meat meal at £l2 a ton the moat meal will cost about 3s a calf where skim milk is fed, and Gs a calf where whey is fed. At the end of 12 weeks average calves weigh about 2GO pounds where skim milk is used, and about 220 pounds where whey, is need; and should yield dressed carcasses of 130 pounds and 110 pounds respectively. When veal is worth 4d a pound dressed weight to the farmer, each carcass would return about £2, and if all the surplus dairy calves in New Zealand were reared to three mouths, the returns from these as veal would be about £2,000,000. It is, therefore, suggested that, by rearing all calves to vealers, and feeding by the methods outlined, the cash returns from calves alone could be made to exceed by one-third, or £500,000. the present cash returns obtained from all dairy byproducts. This plan of rearing calves does not eliminate the rearing of pigs, but merely postpones the pig feeding season for three months. Hence, by a suitable adjustment of pig management, the total cash returns obtained from surplus calves could still be increased as at present by

a large cash return from pigs. Since calves are produced, whether reared or not reared, and since pig numbers can'be rapidly increased, the production of each can be regulated according to relative prices. 'For example, with pork at above Bd. and veal at below 4d a pound, calf rearing would be less profitable than pig raising. In two detailed tables the bulletin sets out the. methods used in feeding the calves, showing the exact proportions of the various ingredients.

September CHEESE ' ' 1927-28.-1928-29. 1929-30. . J00 October .. .. 6,354 7,513 8,293 November .. 19,160 18,880 20,369 December .. 24,047 24,482 24,502 January .. .. 24,345 27,205 28,719 February .. 21,123 , 21.559 25,319 March v. 18,276 19,847 20,789 April .. 13,103 17,967 15,741