BREEDING POINTS.

Southland Times, Issue 19546, 9 May 1925, Page 19

BREEDING POINTS.

TARANAKI FEDERATION’S REQUEST. IMPROVING THE QUALITY'. As was reported at the time the Federation of Taranaki Co-operative Dairy Companies recently waited on the Minister of Agriculture at Wellington in connection with the establishment of a dairy laboratory at Hawera, asking for a subsidy in 'the form of £lOOO a year for three years towards the salary of a scientist. This request received a favourable reply. In support of its request the Federation’s deputation stated: “There are no doubt many advantages in a central position such as you propose as a site fcr a dairy research laboratory. However, it is suggested that there are many disadvantages, and the greatest of thesb is the lack of close contact with the factories that must obtain with such a site as that agreed on at Wallaceville. It would be impossible to carry out in Wellington scientific control or routine work in connection with factory practice. In other words, the immediate need’ of Taranaki cannot be catered for in Wellington. “The Federation proposes the setting up cf a district control laboratory, which will carry out work of a routine and investigational nature, in the course of which scientists will work in personal contact with the factory managers. “We believe this contact with the factory managers is vital to the success of both the propcsed district control laboratory and the Wallaceville National Research Laboratory One of the first essentials of the National Research Laboratory will be the obtaining of accurate scientific data concerning existing conditions. While we know these conditions thoroughly in New’ Zealand from a practical point of view, no results have yet been achieved that would be available to a national research laboratory concerning the scientific side. “This point can be illustrated by some examples: — One of the first things that would need to be done in connection with a routine or control laboratory in Taranaki would be to determine by a series of analysis throughout the season the ratio of fat to casein in our supply as delivered at the factory. This would be an essential part of any work in connection with yields or rati®. Y'east and mould spores in butter are known to be an indication of bad keeping quality. Many butter-exporting countries have standards set as to the number of these spores’which are going to give trouble under their own conditions. We in New Zealand have no such standards. Information obtained in district control laboratories is going to be important assistance to the National Research Laboratory in any work it required to do in connection with troubles brought on in butter by yeast and mould. Quality in cheese is largely dependent on the bacterial flora in the milk supply on delivery to the factor}’. A district control laboratory must necessary collect information concerning this bacterial flora in the supply of its district whereby standards may be set up. This information and these standards are again going to be important to the National Research Laboratory in connection with its investigations into milk and cheese qualities. The District Control Laboratory would, in fact, by its close contact with the industry, act as a feeder to the National Research Laboratory, bringing to its notice different problems in the industry and supplying it with data from which it could determine the relative importance of these problems and which could be used as a working basis. In our District - Control Laboratory we would not attempt work that is mainly of a national character. The final arrangement of the relative activities of the two laboratories could, however, best be made by the chemists in charge of the laboratories. As far as a request for a subsidy is concerned, we feel that our district represents such a large and important section of the industry in New Zealand that few comparable requests for subsidy could be made.”

LIME. ITS ACTION ON THE SOIL. It is now known, of course, that lime only supplies one of the many elements necessary for the existence of the ordinary plant, and as this element of calcium is found in nearly all soils in sufficient quantities, the main advantage to be obtained from applying lime is that it acts as a corrective of the soil. Lime causes the finer particles in heavy loams to gather together and form into larger grains, thus giving a coarser texture to stiff soils. This allows water to percolate better, gives more air, and results in a warmer and more workable soil. Lime opens or sweetens the soil and causes decaying vegetable matter to be more readily available for the building up of a new crop. Lime is also an antidote to disease. It prevents finger-and-toe in turnips, and it keeps soil pests, such as wire- worms, in check. Lime is generally applied in this country in the form of ground limestone, ground caustic or fresh lime, freshly slaked lime, chalk or marl. Lime that has been left exposed for any considerable time after slaking is mild and non-caustic in its action, and, while best suited for light soils, lacks the opening effects of lime that is freshly slaked. One of the chief dangers in the application of lime is giving an excessive dressing to a particular soil. This may cause serious injury to the soil, which it wou|d take years to rectify. The chemical analysis of a soil may afford some indication of the probable effect of lime, but the safest plan is to test the cropping effects on a few selected patches and act according to the results obtained. The finer the condition of the lime at the time of its application, and thfe more even its distribution, the better and more effective will be its action. Lime should not come in direct contact with sulphate of amonia, in fact with any organic nitrogenous manure.