THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22256, 8 May 1934, Page 3

THE RURAL WORLD.

By Rusticus.

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

OTAGO PROVINCIAL SHEEP DOG " ASSOCIATION THIS YEAR’S TRIALS. ~- The association has fixed the following locations and dates for the collie dog trials for 1934: ■ Palmerston.— May. 9, -10. and 11. . Waihemo.T-May 16, 17, and 18, . Miller’s Flat.—May. 22. 23, and 24. Ciutha. —May 25, 26, and 28. Warepa.—May 29, 30, and 31; June 1 (Otago Provincial Championship). Tuapeka.—June 15, 16, and 18. South- Island Sheep Dog Association Championship (to be held at Strath - Taieri) .—June 19, 20, 21, and 22. j Flock Houie • Twenty , old boys of Flock House, it is ' reported, '■ have purchased an , estate of 2316 acres near Te Awamutu,. which they propose to - subdivide and farm ' individually.- That is an excellent testimony- to the practical benefits of the : Flock House Under it special emphasis was laid upon the virtues of thrift. The boys were habituated to the saving habit, for it was impressed upon them that without capital they could never be able to farm on their own account. The trustees saw to it that the boys were well placed ‘ sifter completing ; their, training.-To;day a particular group . of. 20, pooling their accumulated, savings ■i after several years’ employment in New i Zealand, have been able, with the assistance of the trustees, to purchase a substantial acreage for themselves. This is | real enterprise, and an example to the youth of New Zealand. . Light Horse Breeding Lord Digby recently made the announcement that a - grant of £SOOO has been j sanctioned by the British War .Office for ■ light horse breeding in 1934. Of this sum i £4500. is to be-allotted to thoroughbred 1 stallions .competing for the King’s Premiums and £SOO to premiums for . native pony breeds. Lord Digby said: “Although the grant is only one-sixth, of the sum that, was annually up to 1931, we are most grateful for ~this amount, • It .will, I trust, be, the means of producing many young, horses suitable for Army requirements.” Shorthorn Popularity . . Striking -evidence of the popularity of the Shorthorn, due to its capacity to go anywhere , and do anything (writes the secretary of, the Shorthorn Society), is afforded by "the ,1931 Census of purebred cattle oh farms in Canada. The total figure * was 449,402 head, *of which the three leading British breeds supplied respectively: Shorthorn 93,779, Hereford 28,117, Aberdee.n-Angus 14,448. Thus, the Shorthorn comprised nearly 21 per cent, of the total pure-bred cattle population, and considerably more than double the . combined. totals of its would-be competitors. The reason is obvious—the Shorthorn is unrivalled as a general purpose breed. '

Southland Pig Railing It is Very encouraging to note that there is some prospect of the pork export trade being taken up locally (States the Southland Daily News). Pig farming has never iso far taken its rightful place in Southland, though there "is no' other part of the Empire : better adapted to it. The few who made efforts at establishing herds have been handicapped for want of an outlet, and yet Britain has been spending many millions per annum bn pig products. In pigs, even more than in sheep, is where, intensive feeding to secure early maturity would pay. If a pig- from four to five months old;, bred and fed entirely on produce grown bn the farm can be made to realise 35s to 40s, it makes a Bow the best rentpayer bn" the ■ farm, as an average sow would bring in from £3O to £4O a year, so that a herd of half a dozen would be 'a valuable side line.

Grain for Pig# Grain for. pigs should always be gristed fine. Molasses is not used by many breeders. Those who do use it should not feed mqre than 10 per cent. Do not feed milk that has been allowed to putrefy. Sour milk is no better than sweet. Do not feed sour, milk one day and sweet the next. Remember that, as a pig gets older, he'requires a broader ration; One should feed 31b ,of grain to one gallon of skim milk'to a pig ,at eight weeks old; 3.Jib grain at 10 weeks; 41b at 12 weeks; 411 b at 14 weeks; and 51b to the gallon of skimifriilk. at 16 weeks; and. fatten off on the latter amount. . A good grain mixture for bacon pigs would be 251 b peas and 7,51 b barley. Always give pigs good, clean drinking water. ' Green pasture not only cuts down feeding costs, but also keeps pigs' in good health.

British Pork ; r ■ Smithfield meat.salesmen handling pork are not very enthusiastic ' about the Pig Marketing . Scheme, and they_ have some reason to be lukewarm about it. comments ah English paper. In the firstplace, it has caused a shortage of small, well-finished porkers -which the tondpn trade wants, because so many; old-time suppliers have made contracts with; the bacont factories and 1 are now running on their pigs for bacon. But their main grouse is due to the fact that markets have been glutted with pigs, round about bacon weight, which had been sent to the factories, but being either surplus to requirements or unsuitable for best quality bacon, have been passed bn to the pork market. At first the pork market was glad it was not included' in the scheme. but now opinion is gaining ground that it should be brought into it. , NEW OUTLETS FOR WOOL POSSIBILITIES IN THE EAST CONTINENTIAL PURCHASES It may not be generally appreciated that 51.7 per. cent, of the wool sold in Sydney last season went to the Continent, and of the w;hble of the wool shipped from Australia and New'Zealand 45 per cent, went to the Continent, states “Warp,” in the, Sydney Mail. . Taking the Continental countries ns a whole, therefore, they are our best wool customers. The United Kingdom purchases in Australia and New Zealand amounted to 27 per cent., and the shipments to the. East 18 per cent; In other words, the shipments to the Continent were equal to the combined purchases of England and the East. The figures are not quoted with any idea of belittling the great support given by the United Kingdom or Japan, but merely to show that the Continental consumption of Australian wool is a very vital factor in the suuccess of Australian woolgrowing. The Continental support goes even further, because, of the 640,500 bales of “colonial” wool sold'in London during last year, 305.000 bales (47 per cent.) went to the Continent. The demand is more in evidence in Sydney and Brisbane than in other centres, by reason of the fact that a larger proportion of suitable wools is offered in these two centres.

In, the pre-war years France was frequently the largest individual wool-buying country operating in the Sydney market, and Germany second largest. After the war the Continenetal purchases were set hack; hut their buying has. expanded gradually and now assumes major proportions. Although conditions on the Continent have been far from normal during the last few seasons, there has been a very gratifying increase in buying activity in this market during the present and previous seasons. Despite the magnitude of Continental support, it is clear that the major developments of the future in regard to wool will lie in the East. The Continental countries may strive to eke out foreign wool supplies with locally produced artificial fibres' and shoddy so as to balance imnorts and ftxporte, but the awakening East provides big opportunities

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

for . further expansion. Great as is the progress made in Japan, the maximum point is still a long way off, and new users of woollen clothing are being introduced each year to its merits. The developments in China during the next decade may be equally surprising as have been those in Japan during the last 10 years. WOOL INDUSTRIES RESEARCH RECENT DISCOVERIES ELIMINATING THE “ TICKLE ” The annual report of the Wool Industries Research Association at Torridou, Leeds, describes the work that has been in progress during the past year. A far-reaching discovery is in regard to unshrinkability. In addition to adding this desirable quality to the wool fibre, diligent research has succeeded in removing the prickly feeling in wool. The treatment now discovered adds lustre to the wool. The method is to be kept secret for the members of the Research Association. “ Its success,” states the report, “is the outcome of advances in technique in an entirely different industry.

FORTY YEARS’ SERVICE. Mr W. Wills, who has just retired from the position of principal inspector of the live stock division of the Department of Agriculture in Dunedin. When the department was reorganised in 1918 he was appointed principal inspector at Dunedin, his district being the .whole of Otago and Southland, and during the last 13 months of his service he had Canterbury and Westland added to his already large district. He was one of the first four officers in New Zealand to hold the position from which he has just retired.

From the weaver’s point of view, actual experience of all types of people who have worn such garments has already afforded ample confirmation of the desirable qualities of the clothing made therefrom.” Chief chemists of London stores and members, of tile hosiery trade are commenting very highly on this discovery. Adequate methods of assessment and sampling fleeces to indicate their subsequent manufacturing performance have been devised for use under farm conditions. In co-operation with Dominion workers, identification of the different speries of burrs in wool has been accomplished, and steps taken to counter their occurrence as far as economically possible. It is stated that the blending of wool in relation to the spinning power of the top is in progress with samples of -wool from seven different districts of Australia and from South Africa. An important discovery relates to the setting of crepe yarn. To prevent the curl and snarl specially made tops have been designed, and this means . that British firms are. able to compete better with low-priced foreign cloths because quicker delivery can be made ot 4 goods woven from these crepe yarns, it being unnecessary to wait for the yarn to mature. wool packs: Mention is also made of the- fluid for sheep branding which is completely removable in .subsequent processing. This has been tested under Dominion range conditions and complete success has been obtained. These fluids are now available in bulk in all wool-growing countries. At the .present time bulk trials are being prosecuted under Dominion conditions with a new type of jute and latex wool pack. Sample packs, which have been sent to Australia, New Zealand, and Africa, are treated specially to prevent the shedding of jute hairs into the wool.

In regard to nutrition for sheep, lack of soundness and variation in character due to drought, etc., have been studied under farm conditions, and the association has found it possible, to give sheep a simple supplementary food ration during times of fodder scarcity, sufficient to maintain the bodily functions, leaving the natural fodder available for wool production. The control of humidity in the mills is one of great interest and importance, and the association has developed a system of humidity control which is capable of function in any size of room or factory. An interesting fact in this connection is that the association’s advice has been sought even by the confectionery and tobacco industries. 1