THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3996, 14 October 1930, Page 16

THE NORTH ISLAND.

GENERAL.

Two further Wairarapa dairy factories have decided not to manufacture standardised cheese this season and to revert to the manufacture of full cream. They are the Mangahao (Rauwhata) and Ballance Valley factories.

a knock to the Jersey men, isn’t it? ” asked a member amid laughter at a committee meeting of the Waikato A. and P. Association the other day when a letter was read from a farmer seeking information concerning pedigree goats with the object of forming a milking herd. From Eltham and district 948 bobby calves were sent forward to the freezing works on a recent week. The flush of the season is.jiow over, the lorries collecting only twice a week, and it is anticipated that in three or four weeks there will be few offering.

The numbers of goats being brought into Hawke’s Bay to combat the blackberry menace continues to show an increase month by month (says the Napier Daily Telegraph). Another large consignment recently came into the Wairoa district from a northern source.

Generally the lambing percentages throughout the Wairarapa are poorer this year than for several years past (states the Wairarapa Times). In view of this fact, it is pleasing to record the experience of one sheep farmer in the district. His showing, from mainly Romney sheep, is 101 J per cent, on the ewes yarded. Two-tooths showed 70 per cent. Maori dairymen at Raukokore are recognising the importance of pedigree bulls for herd sires. The importance of such bulls having good butter-fat backing is also not lost sight of, and this is being given as much attention as the fact of the animals having registered pedigrees. Recently several purebred bulls of good butter-fat strain were brought into the district to the order of the more progressive of the Maori dairymen. One of the best markets in the Dominion just now for store cattle is in the Waikato and the King Country, and buyers- have been operating in Hawke’s Bay for trucking to these districts. Store cattle of all classes are in keen demand there. Grown steers are making £9 10s to £ll 2s, three to tliree-ai)d-a-n<ilf-vear steers £8 to £lO 15s, two to two-and-a-half-year steers £6 10s to £7 15s, yearling to 18-month steers £4 10s to £7 12s 6d. Farmers throughout the Auckland province are interesting themselves in an endeavour which is being made to arrange a conference in New Zealand between the co-operative distributing organisations in Great Britain and the co-operative producers in New Zealand. The president of the Auckland Farmers’ Union (Mr Ross) stated on Saturday that the idea was to get organisations such as co-operative dairy companies into direct touch with the co-operative wholesale people in Great Britain. Some scheme might then be evolved that would eliminate the middleman engaged in the dairy business. Although there are plenty of unemployed men in Auckland who are willing to work in the country, many of them will only accept farm work if the wages are higher than most farmers can afford to pay (remarks the New Zealand Herald). This view was expressed by a Waikato farmer who advertised for a married man and a single man to do ploughing work When he arrived to interview applicants about 50 men were waiting for him. He explained that there were comfortable living quarters for a single man and a cottage for a married man, and offered them £2 5s a week and £2 10s a week respectively. However, most of the single men demanded £2 15s and most of the married men £3.

f, ar r. as tbe da i r s’ing industry in Hawke s Bay has progressed this season it has been noted that the quality of the product is better than in previous years but that quantity is considerably less. Both of these factors are due to the adverse season that has been experienced, feed being scarce. This, of course, lessens the amount of product, but through the necessity of adopting feeding methods other than ordinary grazing, the butter which has come into the hands of the dairy grader is free from adverse taints which are met with when the stock consunie weeds And other undesirable growth wrth the grass. „ Now that the feed is available it is expected that the amount of produce will increase, and that it willbear favourable comparison with that received in other years.

“In times of crisis banks and bankers come in for some severe criticism,” said

Mr J. S. Jessep, at the recent annual meeting of the Wairoa Farmers’ Co-opera-tive Meat Company. “At the present time, however, New Zealand has reason to be thankful that our banks and financial institutions have so conservatively conducted their affairs that they can stand up to the shock of euch a tre- ’ mendous drop in the value of our exports. He added that it appeared to him that with the fall in the value of New Zealand’s exports not sufficient money would be available to meet the country’s obligations and maintain the present standard of living, if such standard of living was to be calculated only upon a money basis.

MARKETING OF LEMONS. Gisborne lemon growers are adopting methods to market fruit at times when the market is not so well suppleid. The use of fertilisers has brought lemons on • n iT 110 * or dls Patch to southern markets in May or just before the surplus of the Australian crops is dumped into the country. In addition, another method is suggested, whereby the original freshness of the lemons might be preserved for some months, and until the glutted market has vorked off its supplies. This method is to rub the lemons lightly with vaseline, a plan distinct from the ordinary curing process. A Patutahi orchardist tried this a few months ago, and 12 weeks after the process the lemons treated were just as fresh in appearance as if they had been before rOTU tree only a few days

FEILDING STOCK MARKET. Levin and Company, Ltd., report on the FoQn dln ? held on October 3, IJ3O. In a total yarding of 3000 head, yearlings predominated. The older cattle were chiefly three and four-year-old, very A^i?n year P ens bein K yarded. No doubt the rough weather experienced in , past ,J ew Y eeks had a detrimental Pastures, and this reflected on the bidding, many buyers not being ready d^n!>i tbe °’- d r C A ttlc on ‘ Grow » cattle declined considerably on quite recent quotations and sold at about £2 per head with r 19 aa a M ast year ’ s fair - Compared 1 12 mont hs ago, run yearlings declined even more so. in most cases being r^ S i 50 s ’ although showing only a p as d ?.°P °n recent quotations. Much of th e yarding of two-year steers and older cattle was passed at auction, though quite a good clearance was made of the ,„ Flv e-year Polled Angus bullocks, £ll 4 S ; three-year Polled . an r Hereford bullocks, £7 7s, in i’ four-five-year mixed coloured bullocks, £9 2s 6d; four-five-year. Shorthorn bullocks, £9 ss, £lO Is; two-vear steers, £5 16s; empty cows, £4 Is, £7 7s, £7 8s; two-year Polled Angus heifers, £6 £s : 6^ e £s io K f} 011 ed i* 4ng St Bteers ’ <3 ss, £4 r d; yo ar , l]l nß Shorthorn steers’ o ,s’. y ear3 jng 1 oiled Angus heifers, £3 foil 4 ’ >ea,dln s Jersey heiArs, £6 17s 6d; fat ewes, 14s, 18s; ewes and lambs, 17s.

TE KAHA FACTORY. T« A K’°'u cows will be supplying Hst the tnf»i er fact u° r - y th - is reason than of WOO t A t ’ nOW ?2 einf ; ln the vicinity sunriv°is i re , sult T a } ar gely increased supply is expected. Last season finished ’to P ns Wl Tlmf Pr ? dUCtioU ° f a Httl “ over I? tons. The factory re-opened, in the middle of August, but the supply for that month m common with most of the neighbouring districts, was a little less than for the corresponding period last year. Since then, however, the eows have been coming b? o rSbS n ®. b '“ i “- f «‘ »»“«• of the possibility of the road being open as far as their township by the beginning of next year. About one-third of the cows kore ying Te aba f actor y are at RaukoThe payments for August butter-fat have been fixed at lOd for finest and 8d tor fiist grade, the advances for August last year being Is and Is Id respectively. ' PEDIGREE EWE FLOCKS. A question that has frequently been debated amongst sheepmen arises out of the fact that the introduction of new blood into stud flocks is now being made per medium of ewe hoggets rather than bv ?i f ne 7 raras ’ 111 Pointing this out the other day a stock man said that once a stud nock has been raised to an eminent position, the flockmaster finds the utmost difficulty m maintaining his high position. Too much in-breeding by the continual use of rams of the one flock brought about a decline in quality, and it was a risky business buying highly-bred rams.

Some cases were quoted of flock owners purchasing rams at prices running into three figures, and receiving no progeny from them. The loss is not only in the price paid for such rams, but the lack of lambs from valuable ewes, which, more often than not, are not detected to be empty until too late. The use of one’s own tried rams with carefully-selected ewe hoggets, therefore, is considered to be a method more certain of success in the case of flocks where there is a danger of too much in-breeding. rhe introduction of these ewes into the ii° j *p ves their progeny sufficient new blood for a selection to be made of rams suitable to carry on mating with the remainder of the ewes without fear of deterioration.