AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3672, 29 July 1924, Page 17

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Some very interesting experiments on the freezing of beef are being carried out at the cool stores under the supervision of the Institute of Science and Industry, and the departments of 1 hysiology and bio-Chemis-fry, at the University. It has been noticed (says the Australasian) that while the Australian mutton which arrives in England is good condition, the beef is damp and 'does not look at all attractive. The tests are being carried out in the hope that some remedy for this will be obtained, thereby enabling Australian beef to compete with the Argentine beef. Mr J. R. Vicarv, who is a graduate in science at the University, is supervising tne tests. The retiring president of the New "Zealand Friesian Association, Mr W. D. Hunt, was re-elected at the recent annual meeting. It was announced that the Hon. D. F. Wilbur, formerly U.S. consul to New Zealand, had donated a challenge cup, valued at £350, to be competed for at the Manawatu Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s show for the class for best Friesian aged bull and cow and one each two and three-year-old heifers. Mr Wilbur was elected a life member of the Association. During the past year 5358 head of cattle and five pigs w r ere condemned in New Zealand as being unfit for human consumption, and were destroyed. The Government paid £12,919 by way of compensation for the condemned beasts and the amount received for the carcases w'as £1256. A dairy instructor, reporting on the Waikato district, says that a striking feature

of this season is that while the fly has played havoc with the turnip crops and the excessive moisture has caused these and other root crops to rot to a certain extent, Nature has provided such a bountiful supply of pasture that the loss of crops has not been seriously felt, and the factory returns have shown the supply of milk given during the last few months to be a record for the time of year.