NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3500, 12 April 1921, Page 8

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Canadian’s Bid —Fresh or Frozen Beef.

Recent files to hand from England point

to a determined move on the part of British meat traders to prevail on the imperial Government to re-

move the long-standing embargo on the importation of Canadian- 6tore cattle. A local authority informed the Dominion that the matter is of interest to the New Zealand producers, in view of tlie assertion of those agitating for the removal of the restriction, that British consumers would relish a change from chilled and frozen beef to the fresh killed article. As one member of the Council of Lancashire Meat Traders put it: “The British consumer has a right to be considered and a right also to have more fresh meat when it could be got on such easy terms.” The same authority stated that he had information that there were large numbers of Canadian stores available for England if they were allowed to come in—stores of the right type. The annual meeting of the Union of London Retail Meat Traders discussed the question in February last, and carried a resolution—one of the several adopted in various parts of the country —demanding the removr.l of the embargo, which it was urged had long since outlived its purpose, there being conclusive proof that there had not been a single case of diseased cattle in Canada in the last 30 years. _ It may be regarded as of interest to New Zealand producers that the chairman of the Cattle Markets Committee informed the meeting that he had been advised by the Canadian authorities that they would 6end some 200,000 to 300,000 animals each year when trade became fully developed. In this connection a significant statement was made to a meeting of British meat traders by one of their number. He stated that a Canadian rancher had recently said to him that steers in Canada were so low in price that they were hardly saleable. People in England should not, he continued, be forced to eat frozen meat if they did not want to. What was required was good English beef, and that was what Britishers would get if Canadian store cattle were coming in, for Canadian stock was good British stock. At the present time Canadians did not know what to do with their cattle. Naturally the proposed lifting of the embargo is strenuously opposed by British, farmers and graziers, and meanwhile the ultimate issue is awaited with interest.

Forest Regeneration and Pig Farming.

That pig-farming- and forest regeneration

can be very usefully and profitably combined was shown by the late Sir David Hutchins, of the Im-

perial Forest Service in his able and informative report on New Zealand Forestry. The running of pigs, he states is a regular measure for natural regeneration in French forests. “I saw much of this during my forest framing in France. Pigs turn over the ground and favour ihe germination of the seed. They ‘wound’ the ground (thus preparing it for the seeds) at no cost to the forester; indeed, frequently in Europe he is paid for the right to run pigs. This useful action has been remarked by American foresters studying natural regeneration of the shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata). Says a recent Forest Service bulletin (1915) : ‘The hogs consume practically all of the oak and hickory seed, and at the same time prepare excellent seed beds for ehortleaf pine by uprooting soil and humus in the fall of the year.’ “The pig industry should thus be encouraged in all those parts of the kauri forests that are under regeneration, and probably in practice almost everywhere. Pig-raising in the Waipoua Forest is already a profitable business. With precautions the pigs do not get out of hand. It is a lucrative industry, and might be developed to rival the running of sheep on deforested ground. In Portugal, in Now Zealand latitudes and climates, the fattening of pigs running in the forest is of national importance. One-third of a million pigs are fattened yearly in little Portugal on acorns and forest products. The industry quite compares with sheep raising in open country; but, taken with the forest work, supports much more population. Portugal has about the same population as Australia on a smaller and much less fertile area than New Zealand. Pig-grazing can, of course, be carried to excess; it has to be watched by the foresters and stopped if this point is ever reached. “In New Zealand there are under onethird of a million pigs altogether (284,000 in 1917) ; and the increase has only been 5869 during the last 31 years. They are practically all sty-fed pigs on the English model, though I know a few farmers who run their pigs in their oak plantations. The industry badly wants the push which forestry in New Zealand would give it.”

The Life* of a Cow.

A contributor to the English Live Stock

Journal says: “The average actual life of a cow is eight years. The possible

productive life of a cow is 20 years. The writer’s best cow is the thirteenth calf of her dam. An Ayrshire cow once gave in the writer’s presence 13 quarts of milk in one day wdtli her fifteenth calf, and at the same time she was too old for age to be indicated by her horns. A Jersay cow dropped her best calf, now a cow, when she was 10 years old. Now what a loss there is in wearing out cows it 10 years old A cow properly cared for is then in her prime, and may compare with a man 40 years old. At such an age a. man has 20 years of vigorous, useful life at least before him, and by husbanding his powers 10 years more may be added. A cow may just as well add six years more to her eight, and will, beyond a doubt, if she is well used, and still yield a better profit to her owner than a four-year-old cow. Thus the productive life of a cow may be actually doubled by good care and usage. But how is this lengthened period, of usefulness to he gained? In the first place, longevity is a hereditary characteristic, and careful selection and breeding are required to secure it. Then constitution's vigour favours it. This is secured through breeding and early training. The sound, healthy calf must be, well cared for, well fed, and care must be continued, and the cow’s vital forces well .nourished and husbanded. Exposure and irregular feeding, not to mention actual semi-starvation during the bare season, which is far too common, tends greatly to shorten the useful and productive lifo of a cow. It pays better to preserve a good cow than to rear a second-class one; and if one lives 16 yearn and has 12 productive years she will have been. .For there will be 10 fully-pro-end than three cows eight years old would

have been. For there will be 10 _ fully-pro-ductive years in the old cow’s life against 10 partially-productiye years in that of the young ones.

Meat. Flour.

The making of meat flour promises to be

an industry forced to the front owing'to low prices for poor or discarded stock. It may help prices of cull

lb maj iicip [nituo i animals, and be worth considering. Meat flour is the lean meat of sheep and cattle reduced by a special process to a fine meal or flour. It is not an extract of meat; the flour is what remains after the moisture has been removed. Lean meat contains, say, 65 to 70 per cent, of water, and it can be readily understood if this is driven oif the remainder is mostly nutriment. Professor Worley, of Auckland University, has been investigating the product for over 18 months, and he finds that the meat flour has great feeding value, and that it keeps well. Orders have been received for the meat flour, and samples of the product have been sent to the Continent, America, and England. They were not sent in a freezing chamber, and they arrived in good condition and favourably commented on. Referring to the new project, a contemporary says: “If as claimed for the meat flour that there is a big demand and that its keeping qualities are proved, there is no doubt that it will be a promising secondary industry in New Zealand. It i 3 understood that tlie intention is to try out the Waimarino works, and if at the end of that time the demand should exceed the capacity of the factory and district, to erect works in other stock districts, probably in conjunction with other existing freezing works, provided satisfactory arrangements can be made. An existing freezing works would need to install a comparatively small apparatus for the manufacture of meat flour, and the two industries would not in any way clash, as only prime stock is accepted for frozen meat export, while store stock need onlv be used for the production of meat flour.” AGRICOLA. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS, liv Agricola. “Subscriber,” Southland, asks if greasy heeled horses can be cured, and if so, what is the exact mixture ter cure them? It is possible to effect a cure if treated in the earlier stages. Thoroughly clean and keep dry the foot and parts, and apply once daily a solution of zinc sulphate of a strength of &oz zinc sulphate to one quart of water. “Ajax,” Balclutha, writes, inter alia: “In re lucerne, I think there has been a misprint, as you say in the Witness of March 22, ‘lt is a simple matter, anyhow, to sow, say, 2001 b of seed.’ Do you not mean soil inoculation? Please answer the following questions:—(l) Where could I get the sod for inoculating purposes (it is not available from the Catlins plot), and how do you sow it?V(2) Is the ZOcwt of carbonate of lime already, on the ground sufficient, or should I put more when sowing the lucerne? (3) If sown in November next, when will it be ready for eating or cutting? (4) Is four acres too much to try for a start; I am not in a very big way.” Yes, “soil” was intended. (1) You could get it from any good stand of lucerne. Sold by the Department of Agriculture, but anyone would surely let you have the small amount required for the going for it. Sow on a dull day on, say, rolled surface, and harrowed in safe awav from sunlight. Sow the soil broadcast like lime or in drills. (2) Never grudge the lime; some more of the carbonate would do no harm. (3) You won’t get much use from it the first year, I am afraid. It will depend on the season! The growth in summer-autumn would not stand drastic treatment in the way of cutting the first season. (4) That depends a good deal on the state of the land and your own inclinations. An acre well done would be more satisfactory than four half done. “Subscriber,” Queenstown, writes to say that his good milk cow has been givingtraces of blood in her milk for about six weeks past, practically daily, some days more, some days less. (1) Could you give me any idea of what is the matter with lier and if any treatment would be of use? We find a bloody sediment left in the bowl hood of the separator after the milk has been separated, and occasionally small clots of blood are found in the strainer after straining the milk. The cow seems in a healthy condition and gives the usual amount of milk daily and her udder seems to be all right. She is about six months calved, and nothing was noticed wrong with the milk until about six weeks ago, when traces of blood began to appear. (2.) Could you tell me where Godward’s Eclipse Economiser is obtainable and at what price—that is for motor cycles and motor cars —and what amount of petrol its use will save, and any other information about it obtainable. The cow may have received a blow or got a chill, but you had better call in the local stock inspector. The blood continuing so long suggests tumour or tubercular trouble, and milking operations would ag-

! gra.vate the former. In these cases, unless the cause is easily discernible, there is nothing for it but .bacteriological examination jof the milk. (2) This is not yet on the j market, but it is highly spoken of and i saves about 30 per cent, petrol. Try Todd : Brothers, Dunedin. | “Southland,” Balfour, wishes to know how to prevent the horns of calves growing, having been unsuccessful in checking their growth when an inch long with caustic. i Once the horn has grown to the size stated, no caustic treatment would answer. Application of caustic stick must be done when the calves are, say, a week old, and : the horn can be felt upder the skin like a button. The procedure is as follows: —- Clip all hair off part to be treated, brush or wash and dry thoroughly so as to remove dirt. Damp end of stick of caustio potash and rub gently all over the button only. Repeat, if necessary, after removing the scurf in a few days. Avoid damp weather. The dehorning of adult cattle entails a bit more trouble and reference | will be made to it later on. “Nightcaps” wishes to grow a crop to supply Teed for cows in spring, etc. “Agricola” replies: “Suggest you sow two and a-half bushels dun oats to the acre, or one and a-half bushels rye corn to the acre. I would not sow vetches at this time of the year.