LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

Southland Times, Issue 18834, 29 May 1920, Page 7

LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

The sub-committee appointed by the Canterbury Sheepowners' Union to enquire into the question of the surplus profits on , inow Zealand wool under the commandeer agreement, has, after exhaustive enquiries and careful consideration, come to the following conclusions:—Thr-t the terms of the Imperial Commissioner's offer were misinterpreted by the Minister in charge at the time (the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonaldt, the Imperial offer being an increase of 55 per cent, on the gioss proceeds of the sale of the whole of the 1913-14 clip, less freightand shipping charges, estimated at ltd per lb. The Imperial Government’s cable specifically stated that values were to be I assessed on sales of the whole of the clip for that period, whereas the New Zealand Government based their calculations on the local sales only, thereby eliminating the more valuable half of this clip which was sold on the London market, and realised an S average advance of 5d per lb over New Zealand auction prices. A perusal of London account sales for the 1913-14 clip by any shipper will convince him that the basic price of 9.60 d was erronously arrived at, as the New Zealand sales, consisting of only about half the annual clip, averaged this price, and this was taken

as me oasis on which tno tunie ot values I was made. This basic price was manifestly I unfair, as the remainder of the clip, which included a much greater proportion of the | more valuable grades, found its way to London for sale, on account of growers, etc., where it realised from 13d to 14d per lb. It therefore netted from 4d to 5d per lb more than the New Zealand basic price, and this with the 55 per cent, added, accounts for the great shortage. A rough comparison is shown in this connection by stating that a fleece which realised 9s under London sales conditions only realised Gs locally. This difference with the 55 per cent, added, amounts to Old per lb, which, under the agreement made, shows a loss to New Zealand woolgrowers of about soven million pounds sterling per annum, or from 28 millions to 30 millions sterling on the four clips commandeered. As proof that the Imperial Commissioner based his offer on London, and not New Zealand average prices, and intended to pay out accordingly, we have first that he accepted the average London price of slipe wool for 1914 as a basic price for the various descriptions of that class of wool. Second, the Imperial Commissioner in reporting to h;s Government in June, 1918, remarked “that the New Zealand wool had been obtained at much under its value,” and the cable? show that the authorities here quoted fimimc n f tLmr nwn mokintr 98 POf’DDt.nHlo

to them for the various descriptions of wool which he accepted. This surely shows that he obtained the wool at less than he intended to pay for it. The period used by the New Zealand Government to determine the average prices for the 1913-14 clip, viz., August Ist. 1913, to July 31st, 1914, was not equitable, as the flock shearing in New Zealand docs not start until about October, and the bulk of the clip would not be on the markets before the latter end of 1014, so that the period October Ist ' to September 30th, 1913-14, would more correctly express the clip year. It is I suggested that as the Imperial Government | was evidently prepared to give us more { than was inadvertently asked, owing to : the misconception ns regards Home and j colonial basic prices, and as the Imperial j Government appear to be experiencing great j difficulty in determining what are the half 1 profits due. this should pave the way for I a compromise on flic following lines: — | That the bheopowners’ Union repre- | ♦ rnnfprmpp sue.. |

gest to Mr Massey that the Imperial Government be asked to purchase outright, at 55 per cent, over average London auc- | tion prices for 1913-14, viz., 14d per lb., j the whole of the four clips which have been I taken, over and paid for on the basis of | 9.05 d per lb, wool-growers to forgo any claim to half profits made. A prompt settlement could then be effected, based on broker.-.’ appraisements for the period mentioned. The committee also suggest that the Government be asked at the Conference shortly to he held, whether the woollen companies of the Dominion have been allowed to take their wool since war conditions censed on the same terms as previously, and also to furnish woolgrowers with the amount of manufactured, or semimanufactured, wool exported from New Zealand by these companies during the commandeer period, ,as it is understood that the arrangements by wh:ch the com-

panies here got their wool were made with the object of keeping prices of clothing, etc., within reasonable bounds in the interests of New Zealand consumers but. presumably, owing to unrestricted profiteering on the part of the companies mention ed, prices have been allowed to soar to i. point out of all proportion to the cost of manufacture, thereby nullifying the concessions made to the mills by woolgrowers. The local mills during the commandeer have been permitted to select their requirements from any classes of wool at 5-8 d per lb above commandeer price, and it is only during the last season that they have been restricted to what should be their average turnover. We, therefore, suggest that should it transpire that large quantities of manufactured wool have been exported, it woidd only be equitable for our Government to collect on behalf of growers the difference between the pricers paid by the woollen mills and those realised for the same qualities of wool in the open

market, as consumers have received no benefit from concessions made to woollen companies here. and woolgrowers have merely marie a present to shareholders in these companies, and cannot get a yard of the manufactured cloth at less than 400 to 500 per cent, above its manufactured cost to the mills. Mr Alvin H. Sanders, in his "History of Shorthorn Cattle,” says: “No breed of cattle has ever been evolved which has given perfect satisfaction to the diversified agriculturists who inhabit the earth, but in

the two-fold capacity of beef and milk production Shorthorns come nearer than any other breed to meeting this varied demand.'’ Localise the Shorthorn fills double purpose it has been termed the farmer’s cow, says the Farmers’ Advocate (Canadal. There are strains of the Shorthorn breed, however, which do not give a large flow of milk. The feed consumed is put on the back, in the form of flesh, rather than converted into milk. Then there is the type which produces a large flow of milk but is not inclined to carry as much flesh. Early in the history of the Shorthorn breed, men with different ideals bred and selected in order to develop u strain which best suited their conditions. Thus we have what is termed the Scotch-bred Shorthorn, which are deep, thick-bodied., low set, and heavily-fleshad individuals, says the “Live Stock Journal,” This was the ideal which Cruickshank had

in mind. Bides, on the other hand, bred to rie'rtdop the milk propensities without eliminating fhe beefing qualities. lie met. with n large degree of success, and the Shorthorn to-day is the leading dairy cow in England. They are big-framed and give a fair flow of milk, and fatten up readily when dry. Steers from this strain possess smooth, level frames, and are in demand for feeding purposes. The two strains above mentioned had similar origin, which goes t.o show that a man can. take a breed and develop it to meet his ideals. There are more heavymilkers in the Shorthorn breed than there are in anyof the other breeds, for the simple reason that they have been developed along milking lines to a greater extent. It is possible that heavy milkers could be developed in the Hereford and Angus breeds, but it is seldom that either of these breeds are

WOOL PROFITS.

Dual Purpose Cattle. BY “HARVESTER."

spoken of as dual-purpose. They have been developed largely for beef, although the females give sufficient miik to raise their calves well. There is a place for each of onr dairy and beef breeds, but we believe that there is also a place for a dual-purpose animal,, and the Shorthorn, owing to ita origin and early development, is best suited to fill this place. Already wo have the strain highly developed in England, and it is being revised in America. Even among what is ' rmed the Scotch Shorthorns, which are looked upon as a strai/it brrf strain, there .re to be found some admirable milkers, lome of the Shorthorn bulls of merit, both n Canada and the United States, carry the 1 flood of both the Bates and Gmickshank trains. There are breeders who contend hat- the dual-purpose animal is in impos.ibility, in spite of all the evidence to the outrary which is available in England and vmerica. 'that we have not more of what s termed the dual-purpose Shorthorn is me largely to the fact that the great major.ty of the breeders on this side of the Atomic were more concerned about beef formation than they were about milk production; consequently in the perfecting of the former the latter quality deteriorated. On many farms throughout Canada are to be found Short hors that give a profitable flow’ of milk, although such herns are not as numerous as they were a half-century ago. One ciiffic«ity has been to secure sires that would transmit the milking qualities. Bulls of the straight beef strain have been used, which has tended to lower the milk yield. Now there is a desire on the part of many to get in little more milk out of the Shorthorn cow and yet not sacrifice the beefing qualities. To do this one must be careful

, m the selection of females, and in the sires to mate.with them. It must not be expected j that the recognised beef conformation will I bo maintained in ihc animal developed to give 12,000 ibs, lo.OOOlbs, or 20,0001bs of | milk. There may be instances of such, but to have them on a wholesale scale is an utter impossibility. Sanders writes: It is not reasonable to presume that any Short- ■ horn advocate would allow Ids enthusiasm to be made by a Canadian cow in one year. Ilford \\iitcrloo Baroness, a cow of great depth and substance, in live years, including her period of lactation, produced over 55,0001bs of milk. Records up to IS.OOOIbs have been made in Shorthorn herds in the United States. Thus it will be seen that the Shorthorn is capable of competing with some of the dairy breeds. However, breeders of dual-purpose Shorthorns should be careful to emphasise the dual; it is a mistake to try and make a dairy breed of a Shorthorn, or any of the other beef breeds. We already have found excellent breeds of j dairy cattle. It is quire possible to intensify { milk production at the expense of beef for- | ination; in fact, there are instances where breeders are on a fair way to accomplish this. Some of the entries in the Milking I Shorthorn classes at the Chicago Interna- | tional appeared to have lost their fleshing I qualities. Their conformation was that of ! a dairy cow. Breeders should be careful |on this point. The Bates or English strain : of Shorthorns are generally looked upon as : coming nearest to the dual-purpose ideal, i However, fiom the Scotch and Scotch-top-j ped Shorthorns have been developed some I heavy milkers. In England the Bates cattle j are looked upon ns the best milkers, but | good milkers are found in both strains and iin all families of Shorthorns. In order to | improve the milking qualities of the herd, jit is essential that the sire used be from j a cow that is a liberal milker. In many I herds daily records arc kept, so that it is j known what, a cow does from month to j month during the lactation. Care should I be t-akc-n that the hull has the desired Shortj horn conformation and type as well as the j backing >br milk. It is much harder to : breed lor both beef and mi;k than it is to | j breed for either one or the other alone. 1 I Some have set out to develop a herd aver- j ; aging over IO.OOOIhs of milk a year. This i would be creditable for a dairy breed. If j it can be done with Shorthorns without de- 1 tracting from the excellent beef form—all j well ami good. j Tnc chiet causes of variation in the butter ; fat percentage of cream supplied to different ! factories are given in the weekly notes of : the New South Wales Department of Agriculture, as follow:—1. Variation in the speed at which the separator is being operated and failure to operate it at me correct speed. 2. Variations in the percentages of fat in the milk of various milk- i ings will also cause a variation in the cream i lest. Low-testing milk will skim a thinner cream than a rich milk. The addition of fresh cows may change the test of the miik in the herd, A dry season wiil sometimes decrease the milk and increase the test, and so with other causes that will operate to change the test of tlie milk from an entire herd. There is also a seasonal variation in the test ol mdk that is liaoie to be reflected in the cream test. 3. Venation may occur in the temperature of the miik when it is being skimmed. Lowering the temperature causes a thinner cream, and milk should not bo separated that is under 75 deg, Fahr. 4. The rate at which miik is fed into the separator is nl.-o important, as the underfeeding of milk will cause an increase in tne te.-d oi the cream. 5. The amount of skan milk or warm water used in Lushing the bowl of the separator may be sufficient to aliecv the test. 0. Improper sampling of cream and tailure to no accurate work in testing are not excusable, but they will cause variations in the test, The man who docs the sampling and testing should be capable as well as honest.

The Live Stock Journal gays that it is usually reckoned that a heiicr with her first calf should give half the quantity derived from a good cow. Thus, in a herd in which the average runs front 700 to SOO gallons a yield ot front SoO to 400 gallons should be expected from heifers in the first year. Those which give only front 200 to 200 gallons will probably never rank its first-rate dairy rows. Whilst we otten see heifers with their second calves at foot by the time they arc three and a hidf years old, it is not a practice to he commended, as the strain of heavy milking and the nourishment of the foetus in so young an animal is very great, and puts (lie constitution to a pretty severe test. Six months’ rest is advisable- even waeit betters calve down at two and a half years, and that time should be exceeded if they are bred from still younger. The meat position at Home did not earn the criticism of New Zealand interests alone. The Live Stock Journal of a recent date contained the following:— "The results of the glut in the supplies of meat, and the continuance of high prices are reaching a crisis stage in the populous provincial centres. If the Government do not relieve the situation soon there will be a great outcry front butchers, consumers, and all concerned. Not half the imported meat which arrives is consumed, yet, as the Government are heavily committed financially, this meat is being forced upon an unwilling public who, for 5d or 6d a pound more, cun get the best homefed meat, which they prefer. The available supplies of overseas meat are far above pre-war imports, yet people are buying at least one-third less. It is urged that if the Government would part with its big and costly staff of Control officials, it could afford to let foreign meat fight its own way in the market. Were that done the mutton would soon bo cleared out at substantially less prices than the control figures.” The New York Sun says:—“ Only those ignorant of the over-shadowing importance of the livestock industry in Argentina and Brazil can doubt the desirability of special efforts to bring the great cattle interests of our own country into closer relations

with those of the Southern Continent, as our share of sales of pure-bred cattle stock to South America has been almost negligible. Argentina is the greatest live--dock country in the world. The industry is conducted on a scale unknown ’even in such a natural cattle country as the United States. Brazil is following much the same line. The development of her herds is already outnumbering those of neghbouring republics. Even it is just beginning to bqconie interested in fine stock breeding, and its potentialities and resources make it very certain that some day Brazil will rival Argentina.”

The members of the Manawatu SubProvincial Farmers' Union, whose resolution to hold a mass meeting of fanners at Palmerston North during the approaching National Dairy Show has been mentioned, arc genuinely alarmed by the troubles they see ahead for the man on the land. Mr F. W‘. Hubbard, in supporting (he motion, emphasised the absolute necessity of organising the union throughout the Dominion. They would not be the power they should be in the country without one big organisation, and, as a stepping-stone to this, sub-provincial schemes should be established in all parts of the country with a Dominion-wide organisation at the head. Mr J. Gloyn referred to what the fanners in England had accomplished by effective organisation. At one time, he said, they were practically the slaves of everybody, and it was not until they actually felt the pinch that there was any attempt to organise. Now, however, by means of farmers’ unions, they were a power in the land, and practically commanded their own prices for their products, and had free markets for everything. Mr C. P. Lynch, continuing the discussion, declared the farmets to-day were in a more serious position than ever before. The land and income tax had increased, and the Prime Minister had given indications of a further increase in post and telegraph charges as well as in railway fares and freights. This was going toaffect farmers detrimentally, while they would be harder hit by the inevitable drop in market rates which would follow the glut in the frozen meat stores to-day when the produce was placed on the Home marJ kets. It was quite certain that ere long farmers would have to take less for their produce all round. That, with the rising taxation, would mean that the Government would have to tighten up the screw on the farmers, who must feel that this was not far off. The only man who had to pay was the man who was working the land and endeavouring to make a living out of it. That would make him think harder than he had ever done*before during the past two years. Other speakers deplored the fact that there were more farmers out of the Union than in it, and insisted that to make it a power in the land it should he converted into a strong political body. The representatives of the wholesale cooperative societies of England and Scotland, who were mentioned last week as coming to New Zealand with a view to purchasing supplies of butter and cheese, are now in the Dominion. The party consists of Messrs 11. Ellison, Coley, Dudley, Gough, and Dudley Thomas. Mr Ellison is the representative of the National Dairy Association of New Zealand, and has been absent from file Dominion for some nine years. Messrs Coley and Dudley are representatives of (lie Co-operative Wholesale Society of England, an institution of J colossal magnitude. Messrs Gough and Owen. Thomas are officials of the same society. The services of Mr Gough were enlisted in the Food Ministry during the war, when he did good service in connection with the cheese purchases of the Imperial Government. Mr Thomas is the butter buyer for the siciety, which has about 1,400 shops, serving about 20,000,000 people. The society manufactures tobacco, scap, candles, biscuits, boots and shoes, and leather, and carries on many other industries.

Up to the present (says the Agricultural Gazette! agricultural experts have not been particularly enthusiastic upon the electric treatment of seeds, because samples tested at colleges and experimental stations have, in the main, proved no better than untreated seed. Similar results have been obtained by certain farmers who have taken the trouble to weigh up their produce. On the other hand, other farmers claim to I have obtained satisfactory results. The | Technical Committee of the Food Prorfuc- | tion Department decided to make such tests j as were possible in a limited time, to as- ! certain what measure of success a farmer ■ might hope for if he had his seeds treated i before sowing, and the results of these arc given in a report by Dr. E. J. Russell, the director of the Rorhamsted Experimental Station, which is printed in the Journal of the Ministry of Agriculture. The report may be regarded as, on the whole, negative. There are cases in which the electrically--I.eated seed showed a very decided gain; there are cases in which it showed an equally decided loss; and there are again other cases in which the treatment appeared to make no difference. Dr. Russell observes that, broadly speaking, the results of the recent. tcMs made at the colleges and experimental stations go to show that the electrolytic treatment of the seed is, at any rate, not always successful. 'ihe.-e is nothing in indicate with any certainty that it brings about any increase in the crop, but, on the other hand, the evidence is not suliicicnt to show that ihe process is one that fails altogether to give crop increeses. “The failure,” lie writes, “however. of electrified seed to give any increase in yield under the carefully controlled con-dit-ons of an experimental station trial shows that the process lucks certainty. It cannot be compared in effectiveness with manuring, which succeeds nearly every" time if properly done.” Dr. Russell “is not prepared on present evidence to say that the process never succeeds, hut the risk of failure seems so great- that the farmer should look upon it as an adventure which may or may not prove profitable. It may be that the successes are purely accidental; on the other hand, they may be real. A possible cause of the successes may be attributed to the drying process It is an established fact that kiln dried barley, especially after steeping, will germinate more evenly and satisfactorily than will ordinary barley. This is particularly the case if the barley contains any amount over 14 or 15 per cent, of moisture, and it is also tine in seasons when the moisture content is below the average.”