NEW ZEALAND WOOL SALES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23002, 3 October 1936, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND WOOL SALES

PROGRAMME FOR 1936-37 The roster of sales arranged for the coming season by the New Zealand Woolbrokers’ Association and the New Zealand Woolbuyers’ Association is as follows: Auckland, November 28. Napier, December 4. Wellington, December 9. Christchurch, December 14. Timaru, December 17. / Dunedin, December 21. Wellington, January 11. Napier, January 16. Wanganui, January 21. Auckland, January 25. Christchurch, February 1. Invercargill, February 5. Dunedin, February 10. Wellington, February 19. Napier, February 24. Wanganui, March 1, Auckland, March 5. Christchurch, March 12. Timaru, March 16. Invercargill, March 19. > Dunedin, March 24. Wellington, April 3. Napier, April 8. Wanganui, April 12. Christchurch, April 10. Dunedin, April 20. Wellington, April 24. Mortality Among Lambs The continuous squally weather and a sudden fall of snow over the weekend were responsible for heavy mortality amongst the early spring lambs In the northern districts of Southland, according to a statement by Mr Wnght, of the Five Rivers settlement, to the Geraldine correspondent of the Otago Daily Times. Seed Certification Seed certification activities have proceeded along smooth and steady lines in the year under review (says the annual report of the Department of Agriculture). The kinds of seed coming under the certification scheme continue to Increase, and for 1935-36 certification was undertaken with respect to potatoes, wheat, white clover, perennial ryegrass, brown top, cocksfoot, Montgomery red clover, Italian ryegrass, Phalaris tuberosa, turnips, swedes, and rape. The value of certified seeds is widely recognised throughout the Dominion, but it yet remains fob overseas seed markets to be thoroughly explored. The one exception is in the case of Australia, where New Zealand certified seeds are receiving considerable publicity. International Dairy Congress In August next year a World’s Dairy Congress is to be held in Berlin. There will be an International Dairy Exhibition also. All countries are invited to be represented. Discussions will be held on milk production, including tropical dairying, milk processing and treatment: legislation affecting the dairying industry, marketing, propaganda, and education, dairy machinery, farm and factory questions, and transport. At the exhibition there will be competitions open to all countries for dairy products and machinery, and it is expected that this congress and exhibition will be the most important of its kind that has ever been held. The British Dairy Farmers’ Association Is co-operating with other similar associations in various countries of the world in the preparations for the congress and exhibition. Certificate-of-rccord Testing Statistics relating to C.O.R. testing for the calendar year 1935 indicate a marked falling-off in the number of first-class certificates issued, the figure for the year under review being 554. as compared with 639 in 1934, a decrease of 85; states the annual report of the director of the dairy division of the Department of Agriculture. Of the 554 certificates issued in 1935, 450 were in the yearly-test division and the remaining 104 in the 305-day division, as against 536 and 103 respectively for the preceding season. Twenty-nine second-class certificates were also issued in 1935, as compared with 41 for 1934. Third-class C.O.R. certificates issued during 1935 totalled 140, as against 212 for the preceding season, a decrease of 72. The third-class certificate is of fairly recent origin, having been in existence for the three last seasons. The average butterfat-produc-tion for the 450 first-class yearly certificates issued in 1935 was 516.301 b, as against 527,451 b for 1934, a decrease of 11.151 b butter-fat per cow. The 104 first-class 305-day division certificates Issued averaged 417.761 b butter-fat, compared with 426,231 b for 1934, a decrease of 8.471 b butter-fat per cow.

Emergency Food Supplies In England much controversy has been going on about emergency food supplies. In and outside Parliament this controversy aroused exceptional interest. Partisans are accusing opponents of painting alarming pictures of disaster or of suppressing facts that should be made known to the public. It would seem, however, _ that the majority of people engaged in the controversy fear that the food supplies available to Britain in time of war may be inadequate unless measures are taken to increase home-grown products. This is a subject of the greatest moment economically to the producers of the dominions. Every producer in Australia dependent upon the export trade to Britain should be interested. At the annual meeting of the Central Land-owners’ Association held in London about the end of July, the president (Lord Cranworth) read a report which pointed out that starvation might be brought about by air and sea attack on Britain's overseas supplies of food. The report stated: “The only proper and effective counter-measure to this danger is first to be found in a policy which will remove all restrictions on production in this country, and, secondly, in setting in hand the necessary measures to ensure that_ normal production of food in the U.K. is raised as soon as possible to a far higher level.” . Feed Flavour Investigation During the 1934-35 season the Agrostologist investigated feed flavour in butter (says the annual report of the Department, of Agriculture), and suggested that a detailed study of pastures might indicate the causes of flavour and suggest methods of control. During the 1935-36 season 40 farms in the Morrlnsville district were put under observation and an officer was stationed at Morrinsvilie in July, 1935 to carry out the experimental and observational work. Some experimental control work was carried out. On 10 farms about 20 acres were treated with nitrogenous fertilisers, but owing to feed shortage farmers grazed these fields so hard that the suggested management methods could not be carried out. Field observations of grazed pastures and examination of the cream supplied showed that (1) pastures with less than 15 per cent, of clovers caused no flavour or only a mild flavour; (2) grass-dominant pastures with clovers sub-dominant caused comparatively strong flavours, particularly in October; suckling and/or subterranean clover with white clover caused stronger flavours than white clover alone; (3) clover-dominant pastures caused stronger flavours than those which were grass-dominant; (4) suckling and subterranean clovers caused more intense flavours than white clover: (5) in the early spring, and to a much less extent in the autumn, 10 per cent, or more of sweet vernal caused a distinct “ Coumarin ” flavour; (6) feed flavours in the night’s cream were normally stronger than in morning’s cream; (7) the average “ feediness ” gradually increased in August and September, reached its peak in October and November, and then declined to end of March, when it was very mild. The experimental _ work (nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilisers, and the sowing of grass and pasture management) is being continued next season. Harrowing Crops Growing crops —such as wheat, oats, barley, and maize—derive considerable benefit through being harrowed during the early stages of their growth, but in all instances the operation should be carried out at right angles to the direction which the crop was sown, that is, across the drills. The harrow should not be allowed to collect rubbish, otherwise many of the young plants will be destroyed. Growers should not fail to realise that maize is one of the crops on which harrowing can be practised with very beneficial results, although of necessity it can be only carried out during the heat of the day, when the plants are tough 'and not so likely to suffer in)U& first harrowing may be given three or four days after sowing, and may be continued until the plants are 6in high, resulting in the conservation of moisture and the control of new weed growth, both between and in the rows, thereby reducing scuffling and chipping to a minimum, with a commensurate reduction in production costs. When the all-round benefits accruing from the use of the tine harrows comes to be realised, they will not continue to be the least used implements of a farmer’s outfit. They are seen all too frequently propped up carelessly somewhere or lost temporarily in some corner of the cultivation. They should be the most used and highly, valued implements in the farm equipment. Lung Worms in Sheep The most prominent symptom is an irritating paroxysmal cough, accompanied by a frothy discharge from the nostrils, this discharge often being bloodstained, due to haemorrhage from the lungs. Usually a number of animals in the flock are affected at the same time. If the sheep are badly infested they further fall away in condition, even though they continue to feed well, and become anaemic and unthrifty. Death may ultimately result from exhaustion due to the increasing poverty of condition, or the sheep may die suddenly from suffocation, due to accumulated masses of lung worms and mucus blocking up the air tubes of the lungs. Where the sheep are infested with the smaller variety of lung worms, which lodges more in the lung tissue, the smyptoms of bronchitis (Lethe coughing and frothy discharge) may be less pronounced, but the animals may develop symptoms of pneumonia. The only method of treatment that is to any extent successful in removing the worms out of the bronchi or larger air tubes is the intratracheal injection of certain drugs. However, these injections require skill and entail a good deal of trouble in their administration, and are not without danger to the sheep; consequently they should be attempted only by a veterinarian. This, of course, at once limits their application to small flocks, and where the worth of the animals affected warrants the expense of getting the necessary veterinary assistance. Lung worms are, however, seldom found alone in sheep, but are usually accompanied by stomach and intestinal worms, so that the flock should be subjected to the regular monthly treatment with either bluestone or carbon tetrachloride, as prescribed for these parasites. By removing them the sheep will have only the one enemy (viz. the lung worm) to contend with, and will usually do better and improve in condition, so that losses are minimised. Of the two treatments mentioned probably the carbon tetrachloride treatment will be found to be somewhat the more efficacious. The affected sheep should, of course, receive a plentiful supply of nutritious food, so that their bodily resistance to the ill-effects of the lung worm may be increased. Generally speaking the only efficacious method of combating the lung worm in flock lies in prevention, and the precautions that have been advised repeatedly, from time to time with respect to the combating of stomach worms apply with equal force in respect to the lung worm, which, like the other, is picked up by the sheep in their feed and drinking water. Overstocking of pastures should be avoided, pasture rotation should be practised to the greatest possible extent, and the sheep should be given a clean water supply, free from possibility of contamination with worm eggs and larvae. Special care should be taken with young sheep, as they are more likely

to suffer 111-effects than more mature animals if they become infested. Newly purchased sheep that are likely to be clean at time of purchase should not be allowed to depasture on paddocks recently occupied by lung worm infested sheep.