ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 9

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

By

AGRICOLA.

“>{ew Chum Farmer,” Outram asks; (1) The best thing to do with a heavy horse which through an accident came down on his knees. I have got them healed, and would like to know what is the best thing to do to make the hair grow and to strengthen the knees. (2) Also, would you give me a good grass seed mixture for a field which I wish to sow out and don't intend to take up again for some time. The land is not rich nor yet is it very poor. I wish to give it a liberal sowing, and if you would let me know how many pounds of the different seeds to the acre and about the cost per acre for seed I would be very much obliged. As you say the wounds have healed up, and I a:n afraid nothing can be done to make the hair grow where the roots have been destroyed. There arc so-called ‘‘hair restorers,” but you might just as well try to grow' hair on a boulder as on a horse’s knee where there are no hair roots. (21 Suggest that you make up a mixture something like the following: Cocksfoot 101 b, ryegrass 91b; Italian 41b, Timothy 41b, crested dogstail I,lb, red clover 21b. co\vgias3 21b. alsike 141 b, white 11,1 b, wiid white clover jib, equal to 351 b per acre. As to the cost, in pre-war days such a mixture of best seeds (and it is no use sowing any other) would cost, say, a pound an acre, and to-day nearly twice as much. “Dehorn.” Paretai. wishes to know (1) the best time of the year to dehorn dairy cows, now or w'ait till spring after calving; (2) the best instrument to use, the saw or the dehorning machine? The cattle should be dehorned in cold weather, or at least when flies are not about; the cows when about dry and yet not too advanced in pregnancy. (2) For adult animals I would use a well-sharpened good bone saw. AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS. The second of the Dunedin wool sales for this season has been postponed till March 1. The sale w'as to have commenced at 9 o’clock last Monday morning, in the Art Gallery Hall, ana a full bench of buyers - assembled. The Woolbrokers’ Association held a meeting to consider the position, a clause in the wool sale conditions permitting buyers to cancel purchases in the event of a strike continuing, and a postponement was made till the evening. At a quarter to 8 there was a big attendance at the hall, and the association again held a meeting, and were associated in their deliberations with the wool buyers, the corferenee continuing for nearly an hour. At the end of that time an announcement was made that it was considered impossible to hold the sale lastweek, but an attein jt would be made to go on with it on March 1. Mr John Fraser, a well-known Southland farmer, who has just returned from a trip to Great Britain and the United States, referred, in the course of an interview with our Invercargill correspondent, on the high j prices that stock is bringing in the Old Country. Mr Fraser states that British | farmers arc on an exceptionally good j wicket, those with freehold tenures find- j ing that their rents have not been raised to an extent in any way commensurate I with the inflated prices at which they sell i their produce. Although a number of farmers were buying in their properties under the rent purchase system, this ' was not looked on generally with favour, owing to ! the heavy tax on freeholds. Land, he says, ! is much cheaper in England than in New 1 Zealand. Fat cattle were bringing £6O and j £7O per liead, while ordinary two-tooth wethers change hands at £6 and £7. Our Christchurch correspondent wires that Mr D. Jones, M.P., directed attention at last week’s meeting of the executive of (ho Farmers’ Union to the fact that the moratorium would lapse on June 30. He said the fairners should consider whaler the Government should be asked to continue it

I in view of the present position of the money ] market. The subject was of great import- ! ance to farmers and moneylenders. The | question was urgent, as if anything had to j be done it must be attended to during the | coming short Parliamentary session. He I moved that a sub committee of the execuI tive be asked to consider the matter, and ! be given power to act if it considered it 1 advisable to make any recommendations to the Government. The motion was agreed I to ’ | The outlook for graziers at present is J none too bright, owing to the fact that | the freezing companies are about to restrict SSlling operations (wires our Wanganui correspondent). Investigations made to-day go to show that owing to the uncertainty of the meat market at the present time in the Old Country it has been deemed advisable by the freezing companies generally to restrict buying operations, and something in the nature of a hand-to-mouth policy is ' to be adopted until such times as conditions at the other end brighten. It is understood that a fair amount of forward buying has taken place, and preference ’S now being given to lifting this stock. It has also been rumoured that the present restrictions are due to an insufficiency of : butchers to man the killing boards, but this is denied by the representatives of the local works. A representative of a local live stock firm, when interviewed on the matter, stated that the Home market was very uncertain at present, and that buyers had been | praotically operating a good deal of late on an element of chance, and hence the decision to steady up until the atmosphere cleared. Asked what the position would be locally if the clouds did not roll by, he stated that with winter approaching farmers would find themselves with a large quantity of fat stock on hand, which they would probably be obliged to carry over, the same as last season. At the present time there was any quantity of fat sheep and cattle in the district, and owners would be delighted to have them in the freezing chambers. Our Christchurch correspondent wires that the wheat yields throughout North Canterbury are said to be beyond earlier anticipation. At yesterday’s meeting of the executive of the Farmers’ Union, Mr Mulholland (Darfield) said that in his district the yield w'as quite 10 per cent, better than anticipated. Mr Sheat (Dunsandel) said the wheat in his district was thrashing beyond expectations, and he estimated an average of 29 bushels per acre. Little damage had been done to crops in view of the amount of rain experienced. Some yields had been up to 43 and 50, and on the other hand -some had been as low as 10 bushels. Another speaker said it was well to mention the low yields, as they often read of a record yield per acre, but little of the low returns. That caused misunderstandings. Judging by the comments of some present at the meeting, farmers are expecting lower prices for wheat. The harvest which is now proceeding, judging from experiences so far, bids fair to be productive of many pleasant surprises, and to prove better in its general results than lias been anticipated. From the Ngapara district the Oamaru Mail has heard of the following yields per acre having been obtained from the areas mentioned : Wheat, 18 acres of velvet. 50 bushels an acre; 14 acres of velvet, 33 bushels; 14 acres of Victor, 47 bushels; 40 acres of Ghandal King, 41 bushels. Oats; 37 acres Gartons, 82 bushels. 23 acres of Ruakura, 56 bushels! An unusual variety of pea was grown at the Central Development Farm” this season by Mr J. Severely, plant breeder at the institution (states the Wanganui Chronicle). Instead of producing only a single branch, it grew five from ground level, and between 60 and 70 pods were picked from them, whilst a number were allowed to remain to ripen for seed purpose.-!. A variety of this prolific quality would be a welcome addition to the family garden, ns well as those that cater for the public market. The “Scottish Farmer Album,” with which is in corpora ted the “Farming World and Household Year Book.” has come to hand. The 1921 issue is well up to the mark in reading matter, while the illustrations well serve to focus the trend of to-day’s breeding in stock, etc. At 2s 6d, post free, it is more than value for the money. Several of the Rochester farmers (Victoria) are storing their oats in corrugated iron tanks having a capacity of from 4000 to 6000 gallons. These tanks will hold from 200 to 250 bags of oats. A trap door in the side of the tank will facilitate the emptying. 'I he tanks are proof against rats and mice, and they are aho watertight, and can be used to hold water when not required for oats or other grain. Four representatives of the Go-operative Dairy Distributing Societies of Denmark recently visited the United States to find a market for the excess butter of that country, totalling 290.000,0001 b annually. In

exchange they wish to take back American coal, the result being to lower butter prices in America and raise coal prices. This butter has previously been marketed in England, but the English attidute towards the use of Danish ports by the Russians and restriction of coal exports from England to Denmark they say makes a new market desirable. The enterprise if undertaken will be pushed by the very successful co-operative enterprises of Denmark and will include the establishment of their own stores in the L T nited States. At a large representative meeting of farmers held at Cambridge a*i the 25th the following resolution was carried unanimously:—“That, seeing the serious loss entailed by dairy farmers, particularly in the Waikato, owing to the order of the Ilorti cultural Department to cut all hawthorn hedges, the Minister of Agriculture be requested to visit this portion of Auckland province to meet the farmers at an early date and see for himself the serious natui’e and thrash the matter out; and that meantime he is requested to stay the hands of the inspectors.” The meeting displayed a very strong feeling on the question. It was stated that to cut the hedges would mean heavy cost and would cause enormous loss. Mr Young, M.P., and the Government orchardist and biologist attended the meeting.