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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16705, 24 July 1928, Page 9

A mysterious disease amongst pigs has appeared in the Levin and other districts. Experts of the Agricultural Department are at present giving the subject close investigation, and early reports therefrom are anxiously waited by the farming community.

Herd testing, which has achieved such marked results in improving the productiveness of dairy herds in the Dominion, has in the past been neglected in Hawke's Bay. In the past week, however, a group calling itself the ilere'taunga Herd Testing Association has been successfully formed. It embraces 27 owners with 1200 to 1300 cows. Testing will commence next month. It is likely that other local groups will be formed.

In spite of one or two drawbacks (remarks the Lyttelton Times) the season has been one of the most satisfactory ever experienced in the history of the province, and it should have the effect of assisting to put on their feet many farmers, who of recent years have been struggling against heavy odds. This alone will assist towards the return of the more prosperous times that are confidently expected. A flourishing farming community means better times for the city.

The first mob of "bobby" calves, otherwise known as boneless veal, dealt with in Hawke's Bay, were killed for export at Nelson's, Ltd., freezing works at Tomoana last week, thus marking the opening of a new avenue of export to the dairy farmer. These very young calves, from five to 10 days old, are really the surplus calves on a' dairy farm, the usual practice hitherto being to dispose of them on the spot, burying the carcases and le'aving the farmer only what lie could get on the sale of the skins, say, from 3s to 4s. ft can, therefore, be seen that this new activity in the freezing industry of treating these "bobby" calves for export must result in a Considerable increase in the dairy farmer's returns from this source, because each calf will bring him back from 8s to 10s, as compared with the previous wasteful method of killing the animals on the farm. The dairy farmers arc recognising the benefit conferred on them by this new system, and + .hc prospects for the next two months are most promising.— Hastings Tribune.

It is thought that although little has been doing in the maize market recently so far as Gisborne is concerned, there are better prospects this season than there were last. It was mentioned by a Gisborne broker that the remarkably fine quality of the Poverty Bay maize this season made it far superior to this season's Bay of Plenty product, and he had little doubt that there would be a better enquiry before long.

The support accorded to the proposal for the export of calves is rather disappointing. A little over a week ago the Kia Ora Co-operative Dairy Co. invited its suppliers to inform the office of the company to what extent they would support the scheme initiated by the National Dairy Association. When, enquiries were made late yesterday afternoon the secretary, Mr. J. H. Sunderland, had to report that under 500 calves had been promised out of an estimated possible 7000. Apparently, said Mr. Sunderland, the suppliers were waiting till they saw what support was forthcoming. It would be impossible, howover, to commence with the sdheme in Poverty Bay until there was some definite assurance of a workable quantity being obtained. It was thought it would be possible to operate the scheme successfully if 2000 calves wero promised.