THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3942, 1 October 1929, Page 18

THE NORTH ISLAND.

GENERAL. Showing the demand for land, Gisborne agents report that eight farms were sold during the last two months, and that there is still considerable inquiry. The increased number of cows being milked in the Waikato this season is attributed more to the greater carrying capacity of the farms, due to top-dressing, than to larger areas being brought into cultivation. It is said that the Raglan County will become one of the best stock breeding districts in New Zealand. The best-boned sheep in the Waikato come from the n Ils overlooking the Tasman Sea. The brine of the ocean and the limey nature of the soil are factors which assist in building up the constitution of stock. At the recent Feilding sale fat sheep, of which there was a small yarding, showed a slight decline and found by no means a ready market. Fat cattle sold at 45s per 1001 b for choicest beef. Dairycattle entered found a quick market at rates equal to previous sales, taking quality into account, the best of the springing heifers making up to £l5, medium quality £9 to £lO ss, inferior £7 to £8 ss. Dairy farmers in South Taranaki are experiencing trouble with a cattle disease in the nature of spinal paralysis. Cows

develop the symptoms of milk fever, becoming starry in the eyes and staggering. This goes on for a couple of days and finally the beast goes down. With milk fever the beast goes down in a few hours. Where the disease is of a spinal nature, however. the animal does not respond to the usual treatment of milk fever —that of blowing up the udder. The remedy is said to be a specially prepared injection over the spine. One farmer near Hawera recently lost three cows by the disease and others have suffered similarly It is usually the best-conditioned animals that are stricken, the poor ones not being affected. FARMERS’ UNION. Mrs C. C. Jackson. Dominion president of the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union, recently addressed meetings at Dannevirke and Norsewood. The president explained the aims and activities of the Women’s Division, and suggested that a branch be formed. All present having signified their willingness to become members, it was resolved, on the motion of Mrs Jackson, that a branch be formed at Norsewood. Mrs Willis was unanimously elected president on the motion of Mrs Jackson, seconded by Mrs F. J. Smith, and Mrs Milne was similarly elected hou. secretary on the motion of Mrs Mexted. seconded byMrs Harold Olsen. A very successful meeting then terminated with a hearty vote of thanks to the Dominion president for her visit and inspiring address, after which a friendly cup of tea celebrated the inauguration of the new branch.

ENSILAGE MAKING. The matter of ensilage making was interestingly handled by Mr R. P. Connell, of the fields division, in a lecture delivered at Norsewood, Hawke’s Bay, recently. Summarising his remarks, one finds that the attractive features of ensilage are: — (1) It can be made when the material is ready, irrespective of the weather. (2) Any rough material which eould not be used suitably otherwise makes into edible ensilage. (3) It is a farmer’s best insurance policy against the occurrence of a bad season, in which pastures and other special forage crops may unexpectedly fail, for it will keep for years if necessary. and is not subject to damage from fire and vermin. (4) It has a wide range of use —it may be fed in the winter or early spring or again, if there is a shortage, it may be fee in the summer or autumn; it may lie fee practically as soon as made, if necessary and it is suitable for both sheep ant cattle. (5) Especially when modern labour saving equipment is used ensilage does no involve a hurried rush of heavy work, bu fits in well with the ordinary farm rou tine and in dairying: the time available between milkings enables a suitable amoun of labour to be put in at the ensilage. A number of those present at the lec ture had made ensilage successfully las year, and they were able to state froii experience that there was nothing intri cate or difficult about the work. They als stated that the sjock relished the cnsilag aud were benefiting from it.

N.Z, BACON INDUSTRY. The managing director of the Patea Farmers’ Co-operative Freezing Company, Mr C. W. Dickie, who has recently returned from Britain, had something interesting to say in regard to the tairtted flavours of bacon exported from New Zealand. In an interview recently Mr Dickie advanced the theory that whale oil used in pig meal may be responsible for the trouble. The complaints had been well founded, the bacon when cured being fishy and unpalatable. An exhaustive investigation had been made by English importers and searching tests undertaken ,by research scientists, but the actual

cause of the trouble had not been definitely ascertained. Mr Dickie had thought a possible source of origin might be in the meat meals, in which the use was made of offals, last season having been the first in which such had been employed extensively in New Zealand. Since his return to New Zealand this week, however, he had been informed that a considerable quantity of whale oil which had been disposed of in New Zealand last year had been used in the production of meal feed for pigs. “ If such has been the case,” continued Mr Dickie.” it is highly probable that the oil has been responsible for the tainted flavour. The matter is of vital importance to the industry in New Zealand. It should, and probably will, be taken up by the Department of Swine Husbandry, as unless the taints are removed indications are that the export trade from New Zealand will be killed.” FREAK CALVES AND EARTHQUAKES. Though the visible damage done by the June earthquake in South Taranaki was very slight, a number of farmers have recently had cause to lament the unusual occurrence. The calving season has revealed the fact that cows were affected far more seriously than anyone supposed at the time, and the result is a crop of freak calves and the loss here and there of a good cow. The experience of Mr E. R. Marshall, who has been engaged in veterinary work among cattle for nearly 20 years, has been altogether unprecedented. Prior to this season Mr Marshall had seen only three freak calves born from the hundreds of cows to which he had attended. During the present season, so far as it had gone, Mr Marshall has bandied 58 cows at calving, aud no fewer than 26 of these have produced freak calves. In two cases the cows succumbed, one being an instance of twin calves, which faced in opposite directions and had grown together at the chest. In these freaks the fore legs grew straight from the body without proper shoulders. A particularly interesting feature of Mr Marshall’s experience is that eight of the 26 freak calves have been identical. Each was broken across the back and the hind part and hind legs were turned over around the neck, with the tail hanging down in front and the internal organs exposed. In Mr Marshall’s opinion the freaks are entirely attributable to the influence of the earthquake upon cows.

BUTTER-FAT PRODUCTION. Mr Hume, federation supervisor of herd-testing, explained to a meeting of Opotiki dairymen that he was in the district principally to give instructions to the testing officers with regard to the initiation of the calf-marking scheme. Calf-marking had been the greatest factor in the development of the herd-testing work in the Waikato, where over 95.00*) cows were under test this year. “ There are,” he said. three essentials in connection with calf-marking. First, the dam of the calf must have produced 2501 b of butterfat as a two-year-old, 2751 b of butter-fat as a three-year-old. or 3001 b of fat or over as a mature animal. Second, the sire of the calf must be a registered pedigree. Third, the entry covering the parentage of the calf must be backed up by a statutory declaration.” Mr Hume gave examples of the increased price being paid for marked calves, and further mentioned that in the Wa:kato this season buyers were having the greatest difficulty in obtaining this class of stock. It was expected that an immediate start would be made by the Opot.ki Herd Testing Association in adopting this scheme.

A MAORI PROBLEM. The only cure for the drift of Maoris to the city is to give them an interest in the land. This view on an important division of modern Native social problem?*- -the attraction of the city for indigent Natives —was given to the Akarana Maoti Association by Dr E. P. Ellison, director of Maori hygiene. The lecturer in an address in Auckland on problems in tire activities for the health of the Native race maintained au optimistic view for the future of the Maori race. His reasons for this optimism were the closer attention to sanitation in Maori villages, the keener interest of Maoris in alii phases of civic life, and the effect of iust\iction in health. Dr Ellison’s remarks on the drift to the city of a section of the Natives interested the association particularly because of the efforts made recently to gain from the Government consent to withhold from settlement by Europeans and Maoris certain areas of land in the Auckland province originally set apart for occupation only by Natives. The landlessness of Maori families has been blamed largely for the drift to the city of Natives without means. Departmental regulations for the conduct of dental clinics among Native schools were placed before the association by Dr Ellison and their application discussed. The association has reason to believe that an officer will shortly be appointed for clinical work among Maori children. It also understands that two young Maori students have qualified for dental clinic work under the Department of Health.

CARRIAGE OF BOBBY CALVES. Decision was given against the Waikato and Thames Valley Calf By-Pro-ducts. Ltd., Hamilton, in a reserved juflgment delivered by Mr F. H. Levien, S.M., in the Waiuku Magistrate’s Court. The case was one in which Peter Parry, carrier, Waiuku, claimed £94 13s Id from the company as reimbursement for purchase and cartage of “ bobbj- ” calves aud skins for the company last season. Reviewing the evidence, the magistrate said that prior to last buying season commencing the managing director of the company, Samuel Lye, announced at a meeting at Waiuku that plaintiff would collect "the calves and calfskins and pay cash for them at the farm gates. Next morning Lye and the company s district agent (Barker) called upon Parry to complete arrangements. An agreement was produced bv Barker, who handed it to Lye. The latter said to Barker: “You fix this up. Y’ou fixed all the others up.”

Parry then signed the agreement upon the understanding that it contained the terms already discussed between the parties. The agreement was, in fact, an agreement between Barker as employer and Parry as carrier. Later a letter was sent by the company to Parry instructing him as to the prices he might pay for calves. The only question to be decided in the case, said the magistrate, was whether there was such a relationship between Parry and the company, whether directly or through Barker, as to make the company liable for the amount claimed. As to cartage, the company contended that the agreement between Barker and Parry precluded Parry from claiming from the company. Continuing, the magistrate quoted authorities, which, he pointed out, entitled the court to determine the true relationship between the parties. The evidence disclosed an effort in the nature of a subterfuge by the company to hide itself behind an intermediary, in the person of Barker, when it knew that it was not possible for this intermediary to carry out the terms of his agreement with the company. The cumulative effect of the evidence was to make the agreement between Barker and Parry* in effect an agreement between the company and Parry. The latter was therefore entitled to receive payment from the company for the cartage account. £3O 4s 4d. Similarly, the cumulative effect of the evidence showed that Parry was employed both by the company and by its agent to purchase and pay for calves and skins. Parry was therefore entitled to be reimbursed by the company for the £63 16s 9d of his own money paid out for calves. The company. having accepted the calves, must pay the price. An item of 12s for sacks and salt was also allowed, and judgment was given for Parry for the full amount claimed, and costs, £l3 2s 9d.