Current Topics

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17436, 7 April 1931, Page 9

Current Topics

Bul!ouk beef at StOrtford Lodge (II.B.) last week advanced to £1 2s Od per 1001 b. Fit sheep and stores also were dearer. A Check to Production, A check on the rising production of the farming industry of the Auckland Province is expected in the ncai future unless something is done to stimulate the use of fertilisers, states the WaikatO Times. .Merchants and others interested in the distribution of fertilisers in the Auckland Province estimate that the total volume of business this season has fallen by over o 0 per cent. Tour of Parmers.

V party of New Zealand farmers will leave about the middle of this month for (treat Britain and Europe, via Australia and S'aez. The itinerary will be similar to that arranged for the 91 winners from this Dominion who travelled abroad last year. On the Continent tho countries to 'be visited will iuclud< Denmark, Holland, France. Switxer land, Belgium and Germany. On Apri y{ a partv of New Zealand tourists will make a conducted lour of the Cniloo States ou the way to Engiaud. This will practically mark the close of the popular tourist- season. Harvesting Wages.

Mr. A. C. Cameron, Ofago provincial secretary of the New Zealand Farmers L'nion. stated in reply to a member ol tho Otago Times staff that in many districts the farmers simply were not in a position to pay tho award rates foi harvesting—ls lOAcl per hour—and were as far as possible manning the mills and doing the work among themselves on a, co-operative basis, in many districts tho men who were usually engaged on the threshing mill had indicated, that they were prepared to awopt wages varying from Is 6d to Is per hour and found, lather than lose the work altogether. As matters stood at present, farmers had no power to accept these offers and were liable to be sued by the union if they did so. Test Holes in Cheese

A report upon dairying research, issued by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, mentions the ill-effects arising from boring holes in cheese. Ilound these holes set in mould growths which not only give the cheese a bad flavor, but also produce distinct color changes around the bore hole. To ove.vome this difficulty, tin practice of filling all bore holes with white wax of a low melting point was adopted this season. This, lias successfully prevented mould growth: but no information has yet come to hand as to how vendors view the presence of waj in tin- cheese. A Hamilton resident has devised a "cheese gum" which tills lion holes with ground-up cheese, and this method of filling test holes is Stated to he giving satisfaction.

The Trimming of Sheep. Tho trimming of stud sheep for the show ring has hern brought up to a fine art by some breeders, but this is looked upon with strong disapproval in England. The London" correspondent of the Christchurch Press reports that at the annual dinner of Devon Closecool Sheepbrccders' Society, on February 5, at Barnstable, a * lengthy and animated discussion took place on the question of trimming sheep, on a motion, that all sheep should be- shorn bare after May 15, and that the judges should be empowered to disqualify any sheep not conforming with that rule, or that had been excessive!v trimmed. Hitherto, the rule had been that no trimmed sheep should be awarded prizes from the funds of the society, and a trimming committee had 'been appointed to enforce the rule. The Culling of Sheep.

Ihe importance of culling sheep showing- undesirable characteristics was stressed at the annual dinner of the Devon C.osewool Sheepbreeders Society. The London correspondent ot too Christchurch Press reports Mr. 11. Lerwill as saying that when the societv was started many said they would never keep the breed, ami that they would have to keep on going back to'the Exmoor Horn. He S!UC | that j, m>{ true, according to the rules of breeding. because wherever they started a new need of sheep, he maintained that it limy-had a type before them, and they reused w|, at they were breeding to! •'» 'be tune, they could maintain that 'iced. There was another thine ha applied to breeding, and that was hat they should keep weeding out those sheep that were not true to type. Members could hear him out when lie .said that that had been proved by members of that socictv ( Applause.) At one time they could H'o about to auctions and .see a few pens of very fine sheep, true to typo. They were outstanding, and very much superior to (he others. But today they would find that practically every pen was true to typo, which was something t 0 be proud'.of.

Additional Wool Sale Suggested. The gratifying rise that has taken place in (he price of wool in Zealand during the.past few weeks has induced Invercargill brokers to put forward to the Wool Buyers' Association a proposition that' a third wool sale should he held in Invercargill this season. Hue to the lateness of the season, a good deal of wool was not sent in to store in time for cataloguing for the second sale, and in view ol' low prices growers were not greatly concerned whether their wool was offered or not. The sharp rise that has taken place has altered the situation considerably, and many growers who were prepared to hold their wool for the season are now anxious to soil. The Invercargill 'brokers have now so much wool on hand that they can guarantee an offering of•b'OOO"bales if the buyers will pay another visit fo invercargill this season, and although the buyers have n.ot yet stated definitely that they arc prepared to attend a third sale, it is considered highly probable that there will he a third market towards the end of April. if prices continue to harden it is likely that a number of .growers with-n small (dip who have not chosen to oll'er their wool at cither of the previous sales will send it in for stile, nnd the prospects arc Mint a substantial catalogue will be offered. More Per Acre. Mr. John 0. McCttllu.m, in an address on "More Per Acre" at the Agricultural Bureau conference at; Gunnedah (N.8.W.), stated that one of the greatest problems facing the primary producers of Australia today, and a problem of vital national importance, was that ,of increased production. This did not necessarily mean increased area, but it did mean increased production per acre. High land values and high production costs, added to the fact that ho