FARM AND STATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16952, 6 February 1926, Page 10

FARM AND STATION.

WORK FOR THE COMING WEEK,

( By ‘ 1 A\ io. ”) Lungwonn ilu'"' no I appeart o bo so prevalent 1 his season as is often tile ease, the dry weather having kept tin.' lambs free from ■ this trouble. In certain parts ol the Poverty Bay disl riel, however, I In' disease is in evidence, and fanners may alleviate the trouble* b* dosing - their lambs. It must not be forgotten that feed is Iho best cure of all. Lambs "liieh are kept in good feed will be less prone to Ringworm. The weleomo rains of the past: week have freshened up the growing crops anil the pastures. Maize i:, now coming; on well, and farmers can do much good by carrying out i liter-cultivation work, ■which will assist in conserving the moisture should any further dry period'be experienced. WAIROA SHOW WELL CONDUCTED FUNCTION. POINTS FOR POVERTY BAY. Tite Wairoa Show, held last week, is a steadily growing function which bids fair to become one of the best, of the country shows of the North Island. Supported by all the leading nfembers of the farming community, and attracting competition from all the farmers of the 'Wairoa district, it is in the fortunate position of becoming bVltor and more favorably known each year. In many respects it is bet ter than the Poverty Lay show held at Gisborne, and members of |he local Association who word presen I at. Wairoa could see with what enthusiasm the commit toe were supported. Agricultural- and pastoral shows originally were commenced with the object of being of educative value, lmt in many eases this aspect has been forgotten and they have gradually developed into horse shows in which the competitions are the main feature. It is obvious that shows of this nature can be of littffi use to the younger members of the farming community, and regrettable as it is, the fact remains that the Poverty Lav show cannot in any sense of the word be held to be a good display of the stoek of the district. Any visitor who judged the stock produced in Loverly Bay solely through the classes at,’ the show, would go away with a poor impression of its quality, this being due |o the tact that farmers in tiris district will not bqthci 1 o prepare their stock for exhibition. STUD SHEEP. The stud sheep classes at the "Wuiroil, show brought 6u| a considerable amount of competition and one could obtain a good idea of the class of sheep bred in that district. Gould the same be said of the Poverty Bay shun V Year by year the committee of the local show finds, the stock entries gradually diminishing, while the horse classes grow steadily. llio quality of the slock shown at Wairoa was high, this being especially the case when the present season is taken into consideration. CATTLE. The ilerefords to lie seen at Wairoa were an exceptionally line lot. and were, in the opinion of the judge, sufficiently good to take their place al any show in the Dominion. The dairy- cattle were much more in evidence there than at the Poverty Bay show, and the class of cattle was better I haw that which is seen hero each year. Instead of there being only a few animals in each of the sections, there were big entries in almost all llie stock classes, which meant that the .winners were gaining awards in competition with the best of the district’s stock. SU G G ESTE D INN OVATJ ON 8. There are a, number of ideas which might well be copied by the committee of the show here. Despite the criticism which was levelled, by .some people ignorant of the conduct of a show, the efficiency of the stewards was exceptionally high, and the type of book issued 1o the judges is one that might well be copied by the committee of the Poverty Bay show, ft provides what is easily llie most efficient record of the shew and is how used at practically every A. and P. show of importance in tiie Dominion. Another competition which mighl be suggested for Gisborne, is a woolclassing, feature which should alIract good entries from some ot the younger farmers who have taken lessons .in- the subject. The committee of the Wairoa show is a live body, and lias the loyal support of the great majority of members. . It appears as if something is lacking with lho local,'committee, and it might be better if new blood could be introduced. and the show improved by the addition of fresh classes. ft -is noticeable I lmt; the Poverty Bay show secures few entries from the members of Us committee, whereas the eoniijnft.ee of the Wairoa s.liow provides dozens of entries. If the committee of the show in Gisborne- is thoroughly alive lo Hs work there is no reason why the annual function should not be rejuvenated, and the slock classes made to give some idea ol the excellent quality sheep and cattle which are to be found in the district. romney’deterioration. FLOCK .RAMB AT FAULT, POOR QUALITY AT MATAWHERO. During tire past twelve mouths a great deal has been heard about the deterioration of -the wool ol the New Zealand Romneys. This alleged deterioration, and the. presence ol hair fibres in the wool was first brought to light by Mr. Akroyd, president of the Bradford Wool Federation. Tkc v publication of liis statements was followed by stringent criticism and many farmers disagreed altogether with his view, alleging that New Zealand wool had never boon better than it is at present. More recently, however, experts in New Zealand have boon discussing the matter, and have admitted that hair fibres are to bo found in the wool and that lit ere lifts been a certain aiiiounl of deterioration. The question which is now giving thinking fanners some concern is how the deterioration (■an be combatted, and on several occasions (lie Minister of Agriculture Ims been urged lo carry on! investig:\fioufil work in 'connedion with the problem. FARM ERG TO BLAME.

la a lot tor to tlir Gisborne- branch of tlio Farmers’ T'nion, received at the In.vfJtnonl iiijx, the Minister stated

dial while tin? Department was doing all it could, lie considered that the blame re.ited on the individual farmer, who bought poor quality rams and used them fur breeding purposes.

One had only to attend the Matawhero ram fair last, week to realise that, such was indeed the case, for there were farmers who bought fur two guineas a head rams that could: nut fail to do harm to their flocks, and whose progeny would exhibit some j of the defects about which complaints ; had been made. The quality of the Romneys was not nearly as good as last year, even taking into consideration the fact that the season was.far from good. While there were some Mims of good quality present at [lie sale, these were in the minority, so much so that they were eagerly sought j after by buyers. Until farmers generally realise the necessity for purchasing rams of good quality, it cannot be. expected that there will be any great improvement in the quality of the hook and the action of some farmers who look only for the cheapest, irrespoedivf! of quality, is one Unit, in the interest's of slieepfarmco's as a whole cannot but be deplored. If farmers would consistently refuse to purchase poor quality rams, breeders would not send them to the fairs. Until that time arrives it must bo expected that breeders, recognising that a market exists for the poor quality slock, will send forward rams That cannot improve, bul will only deteriorate the flocks in this district. ERADICATION OF BLACKBERRY. A WORLD-WIDE PROBLEM. .BONUS INSUFF.ICI ENT. The,question of blackberry eradication does riot assume as much importance in Poverty Bay as it does in the Wairoa county, for it is there that tin' ravages of this noxious weed have deteriorated the pastures and reduced the carrying capacity of the farms. There is, however, a considerable amount of the weed in this district, and although it is only in patches, farmers are alive to the necessity for preventing its spread. It lias often been contended that the bonus offered by llie Government, namely £IO,OOO, for the discovery of a means of eradication, is insufficient, and that the restrictions imposed in connection with the matter are such as would prevent any eradicator being offered to the Government. Mr. J. S. -Tessep, a member of the Meat Board and a prominent farmer in the Wairoa district, is in agreement with this view, and speaking recently said lie considered that the amount should bo greatly increased. In the Wairoa district .alone there were many .thousands of acres of blackberry-infested .country, and the amount of the, bonus would In- more than saved in tlial portion of the country alone. ASSISTANCE OF SCIENTISTS. The view taken by Mr. Jessep is that scientists all over the world should be asked to assist in the discovery of some pest that would eradij cate the blackberry. By increasing | the bonus considerably amt making it worth while, it might be possible to secure the assistance of sonic of the great scientific institutes of America, in which ease there would be mneli greater possibilities of discovering a solution. He considered that complete eradication was life only tiring that could be of any use to the farmers, us control was such an expensive operation in large areas. Few farmers willingly let the blackberry get away from them, but despite the greatest efforts it continued to spread. The hill country, of course, presented the greatest problems, and where farmers were inclined to be haphazard in their methods the weed rapidly increased. CONDITION'S OF BONUS. An inspection of the conditions attached to the granting of the bonus by the Government- shows that these are stringent, and tlial there may be some truth in the contention that a mail who discovered a specific would be unwilling to let the Government have it for testing with the. risk of the formula becoming widely known. Lt is laid down that the method must be effective in exterminating blackberry at a cost of not more than double that of cutting the plants down to ground level. The method must not impair the normal fertility of the soil or its capacity for producing pasture plants, ami must not affect the health ol animals which tire later placed on the pastures. The portion of the conditions to which exception might be taken by applicant's is that which stales that full purlieu hits of the treatment must be. submitted. It is true that applicants •ire entitled to receive an amount in addition to the bonus for the New Zealand rights, but the weakness appears to he in the condition which demands all particulars of the treatment/ It is possible, of course, tlial anyone who lin'd sufficient confidence lit his discovery to attract- the interest of the Government, could have this clause altered, or come to some special arrangement. On the other hand, the suggestion made by Mr. Jessep appears to be a remarkably sound one and is certainly worthy of the consideration of the authorities.

FAT LAMB PRICES. THE GRADING SYSTEM. 1 AIiMERS’ PROTEST. Ashburton I'mmers consider that the present' system of grading fat lambs h unfair, and voiced their opinions al a largely all ended meeting held recent Iv. During a general discussion il was staled tlial according to the present schedule, first quality laud? had the narrow margin of -'loll >- -■ lhe ne:d f•'s7--4E), although siili classed in the quotations as "prime.'’ nevertheless brought Id lb less: on the next quality, I- and over (still ‘‘prime”) there was a- deep ol: jd a il?: therefore on the whole, there was a drop of Ijd on prime quality lamb. The hardship fell heavily on the sea-board lambs, uhere llie season had been an exceptionally early one. so that lambs had come forward well, and before the producers had realised it, many were over the weight of first grade qualify, according to the present: schedule. The failure of the freezing works to open before Christmas accentuated the difficully, with the result that I he majority of lambs killed after the New Year were over weight.

The impossibility of preparing lambs exactly ofllb in weight was urged by one farmer, who said that, while it was a simple matter to fill sacks with a specified number of bushels of grain, it was a different matter to feed lambs until they reached the exact, weight- of 361 b, and yet the first lb. over that weight meant a loss of three shillings on the lamb to the grower. To attempt to keep within the required margin would mean endless drafting and driving of little lots to the works. The only alternative the farmers now had, in order to realise the same price as the light weight lamb, was to make all their lambs very heavy weights, and this could not be done without artificial feeding, thus adding much to the cost of production. The following resolution was carried unanimously:—‘‘That this meeting of farmers considers the existing prices offered by the Aleut Exporting Association for the grades of lambs, nre unwarranted, and the restrictions imposed by them unfair, in that the range'of prime lambs up to 361 b. is too narrow, and should bo increased by at least -lib; and that it considers a difference of Hid drop for first quality Jamb, is not only a serious loss to the producer, hut ‘to the Dominion ns a whole. ’ ’ NEW ZEALAND HONEY. BRIGHT PROSPECTS AHEAD. Alx INCREASING DEMAND. Amongst the exports from New Zealand which arc steadily growing is that of honev, which last year showed an increase of 200 tons over the precodhie vear. or from 500 to 700 tons, valued at between £IO,OOO and £50,000. Speaking io Air. E. A. Earp, of tho Apiary Division of tho Department of Horticulture, a New Zealand Times reporter was informed that whilst the greater bulk of this export went to Loudon, an increasing inquiry was being received lroni the Continent, notably from Norway and _ Sweden. The honev exported from New Zealand is graded into special, prime and good grades, these being further divided according to color. The inquiry from England is mostly for awhite honey, the Continent prcfciring a darker grade, such us is largely produced in the Auckland district, whore the flowers of the muuuka affect the color.

With the improved inquiry for honev, consequent on the growth of the export trade, Air. Earp explained, serious attention was being directed to bee-culture in New Zealand. The return is high; two farmers lust year who worked 600 “colonics” or builtup hives, each receiving £ISOO from their lionet' crop. Once Hie farm lias been established, there is practically no further outlay. Even food does not have to be provided, as the bees obtain their requirements from the surrounding farm lands, and the only space'required is that on which the hives stand. Throughout the Waikato n bee-farm can be successfully established every three. miles, this area providing sufficient food for the bees. On the West Coast of the' South Island one apiary per mile is not too much, the native hush, more particularly ike rata; providin'* excellent. feed and honey of a high order. HERE AND THERE. 1-1 THY n pars FOR FARMERS. At the annual conference ol the. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty i q Animals, mention was made of tho dehorning of cattle. 11 was decided to seek legislation which would compel farmers to dehorn all cattle, with 'i he exception of stud stock, before they reach the ago of 12 months. It was remarked that the practice of dehorning matured cattle was little short of. brutal, though it was considered impossible to dehorn. during llie calf stage, .1 should think that the application of the caustic stick to the springing horns of a young call, would be the most humane method of dealing with the dehorning question. This can be carried out with a minimum of trouble to the farmer and pain to the beast. Wet the skin above the horn and rub lightly with the caustic ffibk till Jhe curface is broken. The caustic' will do the rest, and do it quickly and thoroughly. #

It is reported from the Waikato distract that there are large numbers of Canadian farm hands arriving in New Zealand in search of employment. It is stated that 190 arrived on the Nuimtra from Vancouver last trip. Too majority of them are not, Canadianborn, but have migrated from Great Britain. The rigors of the Canadian climate have evidently proved too much for t hem. Most of them are anxious to learn machine-milking, as they say it is not a success in Cauada, where imffihiue-millring is the exception vatiier than the rule. All are experienced harvesters and shepherds, but farmers iiro loth to employ men m the flush of the dairy season, unless they havo some experience ot machine»lilkinß- . * , *

Li Denmark where the co-operative system has been brought to a high •tide of perfection, it is customary to have each cow’s pedigree and milk and butter-fat record hung in the byre. Recently an Australian visitor was hiring shown bv'er a dairy farm, ami the farmer, pointing to u cow s record, said she would have to be got rid of as she was not gjvingly sufficient lv good results. The. Australian -al,!- “I suppose you’ll sell it to the other fellow?” “ Would you do that

iii Australia.’” asked the Dane. I il.ii-csav we would.” "as the reply. “Then',” said the fanner. "I’m alT’aill yen can 't be very civilised "Ui there. Hen.' no one would think ol selling an unsatisfactory cow, except to tin: butcher, and its record is a.IIVMVS SO)i.l Wit]) it.* ’ The effect on cattle from eating freer.- of ragwort is a condition known as "Wiiilon 'disease.” J liis results in cirrhosis of ih l ' liver, and is fatal in cattle and horses—no known treatment being of any avail. The condition has been produced in aim'll a month by feeding quantities ol ragwort experiincut'ally. L lien entile arc feeding in ragwort-infested .paddocks liic average period to develop is about three months. 1 1 paddocks are badly infested, removal of the eat tic from lheni is the most advisable course, la some districts where the disease has appeared sheep have been used lo graze oil! the ragwort. Although I hey are not entirely illinium: to its effects, they can eat: a considerable quantity without showing _ any symptoms. 'ln this way much, ol the plant innv lie got rid ot. No medicinal remedy has so far proved efficacious for cows developing llie trouble.

A point that is often overlooked in the feeding of the dairy herd is the necessity for change. Too often are the cows turned on tho same paddocks dav after day the year round. Some farmers do not fully realise how beneficial it would 1m to stock 1 hoi J paddocks in rotation, thus providing a. new bile a I intervals and whetting the appetite of the animals. There is no stronger argument iu favor of small paddocks. Not only do the pastures receive better treatment, but, what is of prime importance, the cows get better feed. Clean, fresh, luscious pasture —nothing compares with this for milk production. 1 * # * For the citrus family the soil cannot lie too well prepared, while free drainabc must in every case be provided for. The best method of planting after the ground is prepared is to spread out the roots on the level of the surface, so that when the roots are covered the plants stand upon a. slight mound. This not only gives added warmth to the roots, but prevents an excess of moisture around them. •it * * Amongst the many lessons taught farmers by the bad winter and spring is tlie value of shelter. More treeplanting for shelter will be done this year by dairy fanners than for some time past. Shelter pays. If the cow has not to use good food to maintain her own animal heat, to replace that Hacked out by cold blasts, sho can 1 urn'that food into butter-fat. Lilt she cannot do both with the same food. * * # * The use of artificial fertilisers in New Zealand is little move than a, mere detail, compared with the way they arc used in England.