THE FARMERS’ COLUMN

Patea Mail, Volume XLVI, 5 September 1923, Page 3

THE FARMERS’ COLUMN

FARMING NOTES A South Wairarapa farmer states that his ducks are suffering from footrot, owing to the constant rains. Seven factories within a radius of five miles of Carterton paid out ovcj £107,000 for butterfat last year. The famous scientist, Dr Roux, contends that, contrary to the hitherto prevailing belief, foot and mouth disease is not. contagious until four slays after ulceration sets in. Latest returns available show that British India possesses the greatest number of cattle in the world, t/italling 117,423,305. New Zealand is twentieth on the list, with 3,101,945. The statement of accounts in connection with the Auckland Winter Show show a profit of approximately £3OOO, of which the Industrial Association will take one-,third. The Canadian Minister of Furnace has promised to insert a clause in the Bank Act to facilitate the advance cl money to farmers on their unmarketed grain. Stud cattle-breeding for those at the top of the tree .is evidently still a profitable industry in Great Britain. The late Mr - William Duthio, the Collynic master, left an estate valued at £260,568.

A dairy farmer in the Oamaru district who has had abortion in his dairy herd has traced the trouble definitely to the sire. •

There is a very strong feeling among dairy farmers in North Otago in favour of thc ; culling of herds, and already definite action was' being taken in this direction. Several high-class hulls have been purchased for the district.

A branch of 75 financial members of the Dairy Farmers’ Union is being formed in : Mastcrton, 90 per cent ot the dairy farmers in the vicinity of Mastcrton having signed up in the past two Avecks. The membership of the Parkvale, Daleficld, and Belvedere branccs has also been doubled.

The following factories in the Manawatu district have announced their payments for butterfat for the month of July:—Shannon 1/7, Awahuri 1/6, ’New Zealand Daily Union 1/0, Whakaronga 1/6, | Newbury 1/6, Ravcnswood 1/6, Kairanga 1/5, Rongotea 1/5, Man awatu-Rcl lance 1/3, and Tiakitaliuna 1/3. A Levin dairyman expresses the opinion that the present season is the worst for feed that has been experienced in the district for some years. This, he attributes to the complete saturation of the ground “during the autumn and spring, leaving it so cold that the usual growth is lacking. In Belgium and Sweden there are schools in which girls arc instructed in every duty that falls to the lot of the farmer’s wife. There arc, besides, 74 institutes in Belgium for the general instruction and recreation of farmers’ wives.

With the prospect of fine weather, farming operations in the Eangitikci district proceeds apace. TJlio- lambing promises to be good, for the reason that the ewes went out in good condition in the autumn. A good deal of ploughing has been going on. An American dairy export who was travelling through Now Zealand told a Wairarapa farmer that he had never seen,butterfat produced so economically as at South Foathcrslon.

The “New Zealand Herald” states that if it had not been for the shipment of chaff from Australia it would have reached a record price, mainly on account of the wet weather in the north and the floods in the south.

The problem of how to dispose of .cull cows has been solved by the settlers of Herbert (North Otago). At least 50 of these cows have been sold to poultry-raisers, who take the hides off, boil down the carcases, and feed the flesh to their fowls with wheat.

“The dairy farmer is selling -butterfat below cost of production. How docs he do it?” said a speaker at a meeting. “He docs it by working long hours, seven days a week,- and by his wife and children-, working for nothing.” It is stated that the owners of • a wclltknown and valuable property not far from Featherston recently ascertained by a survey that 50 acres of their best laud has been outside their boundary fences for 05 years and they have not had the use of it, although they have paid rates and taxes for that period. The Winton A. and P. Association is recognised as the most ■ liberal of all associations in the matter of prizes awarded at the show (reports the “Southland News”). At a recent gathering, Dr Gow stated that the prizes distributed last year amounted to almost £SOO in value, a wonderful achievement by a country association. Illustrating the difference between the true scientific dairy farmer and the cow-spanker, a farmer said the cowspanker says; “I’m in this business for ail I can get out of it, not what I can put into it.” One man had told him that he had been on 21 farms in 21 years. That man rvas of no use either to himself or to the community. A • gentleman who lived in South Africa for some time consider..; that the farmers should agitate for better consideration by shipping companies. The Union CJastlc Line had for years carried stud stock from England to South Africa free of charge, knowing that by doing so they were making a good investment, as the better the stock tin; more produce exported. The New Zealand shipping concerns, on tho other hand, take all and give nothing. TALLOW MARKET Messrs Dalgcty and Co., Ltd., report having reccicd the fvollowing cablegram from their London oiSce, under date of the 29th inst.;— “Tallow —1250 casks of tallow offered, SSO casks sold. Since our last wire, prices average 3d per cwt higher-