THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21529, 29 December 1931, Page 2

THE RURAL WORLD.

By Rusticus

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

1931-32 SHOW SEASON FORTHCOMING EVENTS 1932. January 9.—VVaitati. January 15.—Waikouaiti. January 22.—Palmerston and Waihemo March 16.—Lake County, at Arrowtown. March 24.—Otago Ram Fair. March 28.—Mackenzie County, at Fairlie March 28.—Strath Taieri, at Middlemareh March 31. —Temuka and Geraldine. NEW ZEALAND WOOL SALES 1931-32 ROSTER The roster of the New Zealand wool selling dates for the 1931-32 season have been arranged as under: January 6—Wellington. January 11 —Napier. January 15— Wanganui. January 19—Auckland. January 25—Christchurch. January 29—Invercargill. February 2 —Dunedin. February s—Tiraaru. February 11. —Wellington. February 16—Napier. February 19—Wanganui. February 25—Christchurch. March I—Dunedin.1 —Dunedin. March 4—lnvercargill. March 11—Wellington. March 16—Napier. March 21—Auckland. March 31—Christchurch. April 4—Dunedin. April 7 —Timaru. April 11—Wellington. April 14—Napier. April 16—Wanganui. New Zealand Cheese The new Lord Mayor (Sir Maurice Jenks) expressed his appreciation and enjoyment of the quaint ceremony on November 18 in connection with the arrival of the 40,000 crates of New Zealand cheese I by the s.s. Somerset. This consignment I is the first of the full-cream cheeses sent from the Dominion this season. This is the second time this interesting ceremony has been staged by the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board, and for purposes of publicity it is one of the most valuable efforts of the year. It must be remembered that the Lord Mayor is, ex officio, the admiral of the Port of London. Every newspaper must accept the invitation to a ceremony performed by the Lord Mayor, and the unusual character of the ceremony draws a small army of press and kinema photographers. No doubt tomorrow we shall see New Zealand cheese featured in most of the London journals, and many of those of the provinces. Sir Thomas Wilford (High Commissioner), accompanied by four dairymaids, wearing printed sashes denoting New Zealand, and uniformed sailors from s.s. Somerset,, boarded the tug which had towed the four barges carrying the cheese. Tug and barges, which lay in the small dock, were gaily decorated with coloured ribbons. Presently the Lord Mayor, in his carriage drawn by four horses, and sheriffs following, arrived at the entrance of Hay's wharf. They were met by representatives of the proprietors of the wharf and greeted by a fanfare of trumpets, sounded by trumpeters of the Royal Horse Guards. A guard of honour formed by the boys of the training ship Arethusa was first inspected, and then Lord .Mayor and sheriffs passed down the gangway between boatswains and sailors, the Lord Mayor, according to ancient custom, being piped over the side. Summer Tillage , Some of the more important benefits from summer cultivation are not readily apparent. Because of this they are frequently overlooked, and so at this season 'it may fittingly be pointed out that surI face tillage in the summer, in addition lo [ having the useful effect of destroying weeds, is of marked value as a means of preventing loss of soil-moisture by evaporation from the , surface. Because a loose layer of soil checks'the escape of moisture from the deeper soil, tillage is of particular value under dry conditions, and so it is well justified at times, even when destruction of weeds is not needed.. The full'significance of the influence of cultivation on soil-moisture supplies can be realised only when it is known that in many districts, especially in the drier ones, the most common cause of limited crop yields is inadequate moisture in the soil. Further, cultivation begets soil-aeration, which leads to changes that improve soil fertility. Attention to summer cultivation usually proves particularly profitable on the part of the farmer who grows such crops'aa mangels, potatoes, carrots, and swedes in rows wide enough apart to allow of intertillagc. The Butter Position Writing on November 21, a correspondent in The Times says:—The arrival of 18,740 barrels of Russian butter in London this week has directed attention to the butter position. Owing to the low prices ruling' for butter the consumption has increased considerably this year, and although large quantities of colonial descriptions are coming forward, it is expected that these will be cleared without difficulty. Denmark remains the largest shipper of butter to this country, and there are indications of increasing supplies from Canada. Very little French butter has been available this year, and it is understood that France has prohibited imports of butter into that country during November and December. Ryegrass Strain Investigation During October, 1929, a block of five acres was sown down with various lines of ryegrass obtained from different sources -of origin throughout the Dominion (says the annual report of Winton experimental farm). The whole object of the experiment was to ascertain whether, under Southland conditions, the genuine perennial types of ryegrass would assert their superiority over the pseudo-peren-nial types which are largely produced locally. Each plot was one-fiftieth of an acre in extent, and 50 lines of seed were sown, each plot being repeated in quadruplicate. Considerable interest has been taken in these plots by the farming community, and, as was anticipated, wide differences in types were noticed. Invariably those lines of seed originating from the Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay, and Sandon districts proved to be very greatly superior in growth and swarding capacity to lines originating in the South Island, thus conclusively proving that what is generally termed Hawke's Bay seed, .which is equivalent to Government certified perennial ryegrass, was ideally adapted to southern conditions,- and should be the only type of seed used with the establishment of permanent pasture. Most of the plots sown with southern seed are at present weak, open, and largely worthless, whereas those plots from northern seed in the main are pro-

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

ducing well, swarding thickly, and _in every respect showing their superiority. There could be no greater vindication of the claims made for certified ryegrass seed than the results obtained on the experimental plots at Winton. Wastage in Dairy Herds The Times, in it agricultural section, tells of the excellent reputation_ possessed by New Zealand as a dairying country, where much attention has been devoted to the milk-producers' problems. The writer then mentions the interesting note in the annual report of the Department of Agriculture on the incidence of disease among dairy bows and the other causes of wastage in the Dominion's herds. A record was compiled from 2500 dairy herds, comprising 128,000 cows, showing that the wastage in these herds from all causes during the 1929-30 season was 10.7 per cent., of which 3.7 per cent, was on account of sickness or disease, including breeding troubles, and 5.3 per cent, on account of low production. It is claimed that these New Zealand figures compare favourably with those of other countries. In Denmark, for instance, the annual wastage is stated to be 16.7 per cent., on which 10 per cent, represents breeding difficulties. In every country farmers feel the need for more active veterinary research. Disease troubles often defeat them, but it is evident from the New Zealand figures that dairy farmers in the Dominion nave little hesitation in culling low-yielding cows. "NEW ZEALAND GRASSLAND FARMING " A HIGHLY PRACTICAL OUTLINE USEFUL BOOK FOR FARMERS New Zealand, like a number of the Empire's primary producing countries, is almost entirely dependent on exports of the land for her very existence, and in common with these countries she is depending on her grassland for the bulk of her exports. The Empire Marketing Board, which has rendered yeoman service in agricultural research in the Empire, has been largely responsible for the growing realisation of the importance of pastures, and grassland management, in the economic life of the Empire. Remembering the almost complete dependence of New Zealand on her pastures, it is extraordinary to rthink that, up till the present, no one volume had been published, giving the practical side of grassland management work in the Dominion. This defect has now been made good by the publication of "Grassland Farming in New Zealand," written by C. Burnard, associate editor of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Exporter. Mr Burnard's work is widely known to farmers in New Zealand, for prior to his joining the Dairy Exporter he was writing extensively for newspapers and farming journals in New Zealand and Australia. " Grassland Farming in New Zealand" is essentially a book for the practical farmer, and while it deals briefly with the theories underlying our present system of grassland management, its main purpose lias been apparently to provide farmers with an outline of what has been accomplished so far in New Zealand, and some suggestions as to the methods that are likely to prove profitable in practice. This purpose has been admirably achieved, the text has been kept down to a minimum, and has been written in a readable style that should appeal to the man on the land. ••> '• The book carries a foreword by Mr A. H. Cockayne,' assistant difectpr>ge ; lieral of agriculture, which alone is sufficient endorsement of the soundness of, the views expressed. It is a well recognised fact, that in the small band ot grassland-re-search workers ip the British Empire, Mr Cockayne ranks very high indeed,'. and overseas authorities have several times suggested that the work being done in New Zealand is equal to anything being accomplished in any country. Mr Cockayne draws particular attention to. the possibilities of strain in grasses and clovers, from the viewpoint of further increasing our production, and draws attention in a striking way to future possibilities when he says:— The production of grass and its elaboration into butter fat, meat, and wool, is the man business of New Zealaud.' Its significance lies in the fact that the application of past experience, linked with modern scientific conceptions, is capable of rapidly extending this business on a profitable basis, even with a permanence of low prices. During the past few years butter fat pro-* duction, fjor instance, has doubled on the same total area of land, and there is no reason why a redoubling or mora of production should not take place equally rapidly by the general adoption of those practices involved in what can be conveniently termed modern grassland management. In probably no other country in the world are the essential factors concerned with increasing production from grassland being given greater consideration than in New Zealand. However, we, have still a long way to travel before that consideration becomes a complete practical actuality, when it is borne in mind that in the case of butter fat our average production is well under 1001 b per acre, while farms that are carrying out modern practice on an intensive scale are regularly reaching a figure of 2501 b per acre, or better. The development of high-yielding leafy strains of grasses and clovers, cayable of withstanding close grazing, topdressing, surface cultivation, grazing of herbage at its highest nutritive point, the conservation of all surplus growth, herd testing and rational methods of disease control, are the paramount factors leading to increased per acre production.. None of the factors have as yet generally been exploited beyond what one may term their initial stage, and it is the duty of New Zealand s grassland farming to incorporate them all to the fullest extent in our future practice. On their skilful manipulation and development largely depends the future of New Zealand, and such being the case, publications such as this one which has been prepared by the Dairy Exporter, dealing from the practical' and "experience" viewpoint of the position as it has developed up to the present time are of significant value. IMPERIAL AGRICULTURAL BUREAUX SECOND ANNUAL REPORT A story of smooth and successful working of an Imperially-controlled and] financed organisation is told in the second annual report of the Imperial Agricultural Bureaux. The eight bureaux are controlled by an Executive Council on wuicli all the dominions are represented—the new chairman, Mr F. L. M'Dougall, C.M.G., represents Australia—and the funds are provided jointly by the dominions, the colonies, and the Home Country The object of the bureaux is to act as j clearing houses of information in the held I of agricultural science, and to keep Empire research workers in touch with each . other and with the latest scientific advances in other countries. i By the end of March, 1931, the mailing lists of the bureaux contained over iOOU I names to whom the bureaux' publications • were being sent, for the most part free I or in exchange for scientific literature. Both the council and the officers of the bureaux (says the report) desire to supply information to research workers id the Empire as cheaply and easily as possible. On financial grounds, however, the council has decided that limits must be j placed on free distribution. The limits

vary with the different sciences and journals, and on the whole will leave a wide free distribution. None the less, it Is reasonable to expect that taking the journals as a whole the greater part of the costs of printing and circulation may be recouped by sales, especially in the case of the larger and more expensive journals, for which a fairly wide circulation may be anticipated. Instructions have, therefore, been given to print a price on publications issued by the bureaux. This general policy of the council was discussed with and endorsed by the scientific advisers attending the Imperial Conference in October, 1930. FINANCE. Annual contributions now amount to £19,845, as compared with £19,795 in the previous year. Total contributions received in the year amounted to £22,282 10s, made up of the £19,845 annual contributions and £2437 10s outstanding from 1929-30. The miscellaneous receipts ot £144 6s 4d consist entirely of interest received within the year. The council is gratified to note that in view of the nature of the work undertaken by the council and the character of its funds, the Inland Revenue Department of the United Kingdom has decided to refund income tax deducted from dividends on the council's investments. As a result, £4l 5s deducted from the dividends received in 1930-31 will be recovered in the year 1931-32, and will appear in the accounts of that year. Expenditure in the year has increased by £6,466 9s Bd, reflecting the result of the first complete year in which all the bureaux have been at work. Though further additions to staff will be few, expenditure will continue to grow with the increase in the work of the bureaux, and especially in connection with the systematic distribution of information. As the result of the year's working, £5,071 17s 3d was added to the balance at the credit of the council, bringing up the credit balance at the end of the year to £11,547 2s 3d, of which £10,768 0s 8d was invested in United Kingdom securities as a reserve, bringing in an annual return at the rate of 4.27 per cent. The care exercised by directors over expenditure has largely aided the formation of this reserve, which will be of great use in the future. . '•' Three special conferences were organised by the bureaux during the year, dealing with soil science, animal health, and fruit production. These were an outstanding success. Several officers attached to the bureaux have toured one or more of the dominions to establish _ personal contact with research workers. ' Three of the bureaux—those dealing with animal genetics at Edinburgh, plant genetics at Aberystwyth, and animal health at Weybridge—now issue regular journals containing abstracts of new and important research papers and bibliographies of publications, in foreign as well as in Empire countries. These bureaux provide a working model of practical Empire co-operation. A resolution was adopted by the Imperial Conference emphasising that they provided a " notable precedent for action on a true commonwealth basis." For the ensuing two years the council has elected Mr F. L. M'Dougall, C.M.G.. as chairman and Sir Charles Howell Thomas, K.C.8., as vice-chairman. The New Zealand representative on the Executive 'Council is Mr Nevill L. Wright. SEASON'S LAMBING DOMINION ESTIMATES Following are the estimates of the 1931 season's lambing for the several sheep districts. „ Est. Est. Breeding avge..p.c. No. District ewes, lambing, lambs. Auckland .. 1,904,883 86.75 1,652,537 N Sorne . 3,639,235 82.19 3,016,030 W We n stCoast 3,672,887 90.65 3,329,680 NelsonWestland . 796,009 76.58 609,591 Kalkoura* . 3,657,769 87.47 3,199,650 Otago Southlanl) 3,907,946 88.96 3,476,673 Dominion . 17,608,729 86.79 15,284,161 The -figures for /the past five years and estimates for this season are as follow: — NORTH ISLAND.

Est. Est. Breeding avge.p.c. No. Year. ewes. Iambi Tig.,, lambs. 1931 — 9,247,005 86.49 7,998,247 1930 ,-r- ■ 9,312,461 83.19 ■ 7,747,274 1929 . 8,820,536 87.56 7,723,523 1928 8,211,878 84.61 6,948,380 1927 ' .7.905,432 87.28 6,899,861 1926 — 7,503,200 84.35 6,329,338 SOUTH ISLAND. 1931 8,361,721 87.13 7,285,914 1930 8,251,714 84.43 • 6.967,041 1929 7,787,619 89.87 6,998,691 1928 — 7,322,173 87.74 6,424,887 1927 6.926,298 86.17 5,968,979 1926 — 6,445,052 84.79 5,465,361 DOMINION. 1931 17,608,729 86.79 15,284,161 1930 1 17,564,175 83.77 14,714,315 1929 — 16,608,155 88.65 14,722,214 1928 15,534,051 86.09 13,373,267 1927 * 14,831,730 80.76 12,868,840 1926 — 13,948,252 84.57 11,794,699