FARMING INTERESTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18637, 5 August 1930, Page 6

FARMING INTERESTS

Notes and News for the Man on the Land

(Conducted by “Agricole.”)

HAY AND ENSILAGE. FARMERS’ COMPETITIONS. INSTRUCTIVE FIELD DAY AT RATAPIKO. Judging of hay and ensilage in the farmers’ competitions in the Ratapiko district was carried out by Messrs J. M. Smith and C. Haynes, of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture. Few of the settlers in this district have made much ensilage, and with the object of giving them an opportunity of gleaning general information regarding it it was decided to combine a field day with the judging and, despite bitterly cold weather—there were several slight falls of snow during the way—the judges were occompanied by a large party of settlers. There was a ready response to the suggestion that questions should be asked with regard to the making of silage, and as a result a great deal of valuable information was gleamed from Mr Smith. Generally speaking pastures had been cut too late, and consequently the silage was overcooked. The farmers themselves fully realised this fact, but they pointed out that they were fully occupied in putting in their swede crops when the grass was perhaps at the best stage for cutting for ensilage. That it is possible to make reasonably good ensilage when it-is more or less impossible to make hay was strikingly demonstrated on one property. Here the settler had cut his grass with the intention of making hay. There was then a change in the weather and the grass lay out ;in the paddock for four days. ; Feeling that it had been spoiled for hay he decided to throw it into a stack on i the “off chance that it would make en- • silage but just afraid that it would be j a heap of manure when he came to | open it.” It was not fenced, and hogi gets had made a playground of it. with the result that the covering had been broken away all round. Although dark in colour—quite naturally, of course, under the circumstances—the stack contains a very fair ensilage, and the stock are very fond of it. A certain quantity of salt was put into it during building, and this, too, no doubt had a bearing on the quality. Mr H. Telfer, who makes his ensil- ! age in an earth pit, was more fortunj ate than his neighbours, inasmuch as ! he was able to save at an early stage of growth. His raw material was of ; excellent quality, too, and there was i very little waste. He scored a total of 93 i points, which places him at the ! head of the list of earth pit ensilage | judged to date. Mr Telfer was heart- ■ ily congratulated on his success, which incidentally gave Mr Smith an excellent opportunity of demonstrating not only the advantages of early cutting, but also just what constitutes a really first quality ensilage. Details are as follows: Ensilage—S tacks.

WOOL RESEARCH. INVESTIGATOR TO GO HOME. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and Lincoln College have shown considerable foresight in the steps they have taken regarding wool research. Woollen interests in ; England have expressed dissatisfac- j lion with the quality of wool produced, and a Wool Research Committee, set up to inquire into the matter, has de- ; cided to send Mr D. J. Sidey, of the Lincoln College staff, to Torridon (Leeds u for a study of wools. It is particularly appropriate that Mr Sidey be selected for this purpose, ; remarks the Christchurch ‘ Press,” because of the work of his grandfather (Mr Little) and immediate relatives in establishing the Corriedale, a breed , that has done so much to make sheep farming profitable on certain types ot country. During the last three years Mr Sidey has been engaged on expci imental work with sheep feeding and breeding at Lincoln College, and the results of his work have been published from time to time in the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Bulletins, and in other farming journals. He has collected a number cf Romney and Corriedale fleeces from typical flocks, and it is on these that he proposes to work while in England. He is particularly fitted for this type of work, and the experience and training he receives in England should be of i benefit to the New Zealand wool , grower when he returns. ' The wool industry is faced with | much uncertainty, and the wool growI ers have taken the best course that a business man could take when faced with such a situation. Too often it is the manufacturer only who is in a position to do research, and such re- i search is seldom of much use to the producer. Research in organised industry is easy, because most operations j are definitely recorded—every progressive business man is, in fact ,a research worker—but, in the case of the primary producer, where cause is widely separated from effect by time and where few records are kept, research is very difficult and is not easily under- 1 taken by the farmer himself. The wool growers are to be congratulated on the i fact that they have created sufficient public opinion to get this research started, and that they are sending a New Zealander Home in furtherance of the object. |

FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE. SAFEGUARDING NEW ZEALAND. PRECAUTIONS MUST NOT BE RELAXED. In view of the continual representations that are at preesnt being made for the opening of New Zealand ports to the importation of livestock from Great Britain, the figures of the incidence of foot-and-mouth disease in Great Britain at May 3 are full of significance. At the date mentioned 287 cases were reported in England, 264 cases in Wales, and 32 cases in Scotland. Although the Dominion is sorely in need of new blood in its stud flocks and herds, it would nevertheless be suicidal to relax in the smallest degree the regulation which at the present time safeguard New Zealand from the ravages of this disease. Messrs Hornby and Cridlan, among others of the British farmers’ party who visited Otago early this year, made particular pleas for the resumption of the livestock trade between the two countries. Both were breeders of note, and might be regarded as not entirely disinterested. The risk of introducing the scourge into New Zealand is great even with existing regulations, as infection may be spread per medium of ordinary imports from Britain, notably those that arrive in this country packed in straw. Vehicles used on infected farms, packing cases, sacks, or straw might easily carry the germs of the disease. It is to be hoped that the Government will not allow itself to be persuaded to relax its restrictions in any way. The persistence of the trouble in Great Britain is indicative of the difficulty that would be experienced in stamping out the disease in this country once it makes its appearance.

The loss that would result from its ravages would be incalculable, and it is to be feared that once it reached the Dominion it would sweep from end to end of the country. The damage that is to be feared would be out of all proportion to the advantage that would be derived from the infusion of new strains by means of importations from Great Britain.

Were the position fully realised by stock owners there would be a very determined outcry against any lifting of the present embargo. It is surpris- ; ing that the representations that have I been made lately have not attracted i more attention. It would be difficult to estimate the blow to the pastoral in- i dustries of New Zealand that would follow the appearance of the disease. No stock, pedigree or otherwise, would be ! immune, and farmers would be well j advised to bear that fact in mind. The farming community has too many difficulties and handicaps to contend with at the present time, most of them being altogether beyond local control, for it to countenance any measure that might be expected to have the result of exposing New Zealand to a disease which has shown itself to be one of the most destructive maladies affecting live stock. It was reported only recently that Great Britain had a clean bill of health in respect to foot-and-mouth disease, yet the very next mail from Home brings the disconcerting tidings that hundreds of cases have since been reported. Even with the vigorous precau- ! tions at the British quarantine station through which all live stock for ‘ export must pass, the risk is too great notwithstanding the benefit that may be expected to follow the introduction of new blood. It will be generally agreed that the game is not yet worth the candle Rural electorates should not fail to impress that fact upon their representatives in Parliament. SOIL SCIENCE. VALUE OF RESEARCH WORK. A soil reconnnaissance division has been formed in connection with the geological survey branch of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. In announcing this new departure, the Minister in charge of the department (the Hon. G. W. Forbes) said the division was being established in order to promote further investigations of New Zealand soils, which had a direct bearing on the pastures that grew on them. Arrangements had been made for Mr T. Rigg, of the Cawthron Institute, who had already carried out considerable soil survey work in the Nelson district, to supervise the survey which would be undertaken in the volcanic areas of the North Island by several officers of the Geological Survey Branch. These officers already had gained experience of the nature of the problem by a series of investigations conducted during the past year and previously in the King Country, Rotorua and Taupo areas. Guide to Settlement. “Work already undertaken,” said Mr Forbes, “has shown that there is a distinct relation between the soil material, both on the surface and in the lower strata, and the incidence of 1 stock and unthriftiness. The estab- I lishment of the Soil Reconnaissance ! Division will enable work in this area ; to be pushed forward more rapidly, ; and in consequence it will serve as a I useful guide to the land settlement at present taking place on this class of j country. The arrangements will allow of soil samples collected in the field ! being mechanically and chemically examined in the laboratories of the Cawthron Institute, and of ultimate analyses of these being carried out in the Dominion laboratory. “The proposed survey will give the skeleton or general picture on which may be superimposed by the Department of Agriculture or chemists attached to fertiliser companies detail soil analyses of smaller localities where factors such as resorting of material can be taken into account. However, the reconnaissance may be expected to indicate generalisations in gard to manurial treatment over wide areas. Work to Date. “The work to date has already indicated the soil characteristics of the Mairoa and the parts of Ngaroma on which bush sickness is Hot likely to be met with. Local showers on andesitic ash should offer an explanation as to why the soils of Horopito are healthy, and similarly the neighbourhood of the Houto prison farm, where there is also a slight admixture of water-bourne greywacke. The new method of approach to the various malnutrition problems has arisen out of the plotting of the limits cf the various showers by Mr L. I. Grange and the analyses of mineral content of pastures by the officers working in conjunction with Mr Aston.”

“BLOOM” IN MEAT. j METHOD OF CONTROL. For the past two years an intensive study has been made of “bloom” in meat, and during the year 1929 thirtyone carcases of mutton, which had been stored in the frozen state for 18 weeks at the Low Temperature Research Station, at Cambridge, England, were shown in Smithfield Market in order to demonstrate how far control of the conditions of storage can preserve the freshly-killed appearance. The carcasses aroused great interest in the trade, and their condition was favoruably commented upon. The experiment proved that “bloom” is controlled by the temperature and humidity during storage, and the opinion of the trade so exactly confirmed the expectations formed on theoretical grounds that the ideal conditions of storage can now be safely stated on the basis of laboratory experiments alone. Transport of Fruit. For the past three years a survey has been made of the wastage in fruit passing through Covent Garden Market. The main types of wastage have now been determined, and the object of the survey thus attained. It is hoped to continue the work, though perhaps not on so complete a scale, with a view to detecting any new types of wastage which may appear, and any changes in the prevalence of the types already known. The investigations on the transport of fruit by means of “split” consignments, which have been carried out in co-operation with the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and certain shipping companies, have produced results of great practical utility, and afford a basis for comparison between different systems of cooling and air-circula-tion employed in ships’ holds. In the course of the fundamental investigation into the physiology of fruits which is being carried out at the Low Temperature Research Station, the volatile substance, acetaldehyde, was studied as an intermediary substance in normal metabolism. It was found that traces of this substance in the air inhibited the growth of fungal spores and even killed them, but had no harmful effect on the fruit. This discovery may clearly be of general scientific and economic interest, and is j being followed up. Beet Sugar and Canning. A small canning laboratory has been established at the Low Temperature Research Station, the main purpose of which is to assist in the investigation of the corrosion of tin-plate by foodstuffs. During the investigation of substances which accelerate or retard acid corrosion, a discovery of economic interest was made. It was found that, though certain sugars definitely increased the rate of corrosion, a sample of refined English beet-sugar definitely retarded it. Samples of refined beet-sugar from most of the English factories also exhibited this j property, though in varying degrees, j The property seems to belong, not to | beet sugar itself, but to some unidentified substance present in the mother j liquor. The economic interest of the discovery lies in the fact that there | has been a tendency on the part of the canning industry to avoid beet-sugar. WHEAT DUTIES. NORTH ISLAND SUPPORT. The “Manawatu Evening Standard” of Friday, July 18, in a long article of wheat production, warned its readers that “to allow the wheat-grower to go out of business rather than keep him in at the present cost to the consumer” i might be falling out of the frying-pan ; into the fire. There is the fact, to be- I gin with, that Australia is not always; blessed with a bounteous harvest, and the “Standard” asks what the position of the North Island poultrymen and pig-raisers would be if the Australian ■ crop failed. But even if New Zealand could get as much wheat from Australia as it wanted at a price it could pay, “that would, mean something over two millions sterling a year going out of New Zealand,” and the “Standard” wonders what products from New Zealand would be given in exchange. We i are practically shut out of their market! by their tariff barrier, especially our j potatoes and our butter, and “every importer knows to his sorrow” that when the balance of imports is badly against us our imports cost more. It therefore concludes that “New Zealanders would be well advised to adopt as a national policy the principle that the Dominion should be self-contained so far as practicable in the matter of its chief food supplies, of which wheat is the most important of all.” That is so sound and wise that it is not necessary to carry the argument any further; but if it were necessary to add anything it would be sufficient to remind the North that the price of bread is higher in Canada and America, which have dollar wheat, than it is in New Zealand. where wheat costs a dollar and a half. THE WHEAT INDUSTRY. STABILISATION OR SPECULATION. The occasional outcry against existing duties on wheat and flour emanates from a comparative few. This complaint, however, is taken up and amplified by many who are unable to ; separate the wheat from the chaff of the specious arguments employed to 1 attack an industry of vital importance > to New Zealand. ■ The violent fluctations that would • be experienced with an open market : for wheat and flour might possibly suit j the speculating importer, but the re- ' gular consumers of wheat and allied : products would be far worse off in the i long run than under the present stabilised arrangement whereby wheatgrowers are enabled to produce the Do- 5 minion’s wheat requirements without 1 loss to themselves. 1 Certainly at the present time the l world’s wheat values have slumped ] owing to over-production, but history : will assuredly repeat itself and over- 1 seas prices will again soar, as prices 1 realised in other countries are well 1 below the cost of production and less ■ wheat will be put down in seasons that : follow. In this relation it is interest- 1 mg to note that a cable from Washington, dated July 21st, states that '< Senator Thomas has asked President 1 Hoover to call an International Con- ’ ference of representatives of wheat- • growing countries to consider a plan 1 to bring about a world-wide curtail 1 ment of wheat production. I New Zealand already imports more ’ than it should for its economic good, • yet in certain quarters the argument is ] put forward that the New Zealand ] wheat industry should be closed down 1 and this country should become depen- 1 dent on overseas supplies of wheat, ’ flour, bran and pollard. It is impos- 1 sible to believe that those who put for- : ward this argument have the national welfare of this country at heart, es- ] pecially in view of the satisfactory ( manner in which the New Zealand ' Wheat Industry has been stabilised. '

RURAL NOTES. South Canterbury farmers in common with farmers in other parts of New Zealand, are perturbed over the Government taxation proposals. Mr P. R. Talbot referred to this matter at the meeting of the Timaru —St. Andrews branch of the Farmers’ Union last week. He said that there was a possibility of incomes of farmers owning land of an unimproved value in excess of £7500 being now taxable.

It is claimed by North Island farmers who have experienced the benefit of dealing direct with South Island farmers, in the matter of securing supplies of seeds and so forth indispensable for their operations, that they can save a good deal of money by this process. Correspondence which has passed between farmers in the two Islands shows that potatoes which were sold at £4 10s at the nearest port were landed in the north at a total cost of £6 17s 6d. whereas North Island farmers were being charged by their merchants as much aB £lO a ton. There are other illustrations of a sufficiently convincing character to show that in the matter of grain, the margin between the producers' price and that charged by the distributors in the north is very considerable. This possibly explains the cause of the j agitation that has been going on, parj ticularly in the Auckland Province, for [ the removal of the wheat and other j grain duties in force. If the educa- ! tional campaign among northern farmers, suggested some time ago. is put into effect by farmers in the south, it is not unlikely that when the full facts are made known, that either the present agitation will disappear, or that a greater measure of direct dealing between farmers in the two Islands will be experienced, with satisfactory results on each side. The last shipment of potatoes from Timaru for Auckland totalled 9618 sacks, and this vessel also carried 149 sacks for Wellington. On the figures it would seem that a large quantity went forward to the northern city, but when it is realised that the daily consumption of potatoes is in the region of 2000 sacks a day, it was not a big quota—about a week’s supply. The eighth annual report of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board states that a report recently issued by the Imperial Economic Committee contained the following clause: “British market for pig products offers great possibilities to the Empire producer in Britain or overseas. But if the Empire producer is to derive benefit from the exercise of voluntary preference by the consumer, his product must be standardised, suitable in quantity, regular in supply, competitive in price.” The value of the Dominions sheep and cattle industry, as measured by the export statistics. (f.o.b values) for the twelve months ended March 31, 1930 was: Frozen meat, £10,501,755; wool, £10.610.979; hides and skins. £2,386,540; other by-products, such as tallow, etc., £1.418.217, making a total value of this industry, £24,917.491. New Zealand is Britain’s largest supplier of mutton and lamb, and reviewing British export figures since the inception of refrigeration in connection with ocean transport, it will be found that New Zealand has shipped almost as many mutton and lamb carcases to Britain as the rest of the world. During a recent visit to New Zealand Lieut-Colonel T. Dunlop Young, 0.8. E., studied the methods of inspection and export of meat from this country. In the course of an interview

on his return to England. Colonel Young said that methods of inspection and export is a very important part of the meat industry. “It has been well done in New Zealand.” he remarks, “and a reliable grading should be maintained so that retail butchers know, by marks and grades, exactly the type of lamb or sheep carcasses they require. The grading of all “passed” carcasses is done by special graders, and in my opinion, is more systematically and carefull done than in any country I have visited.” Besides supervising the grading of meat at the various works, the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board supervisors inspect the loading of meat shipped at the various ports. The Board has also an officer in the United Kingdom, watching the discharge of each vessel. As a result of this inspection there has been a steady improvement in the handling of New Zealand meat, which has been reflected in its apearance when displayed at Smithfield.

LIME IN PASTURES.

NEEDED BY COWS. Dr J. B. Orr, of the Rowett Institute. dealing with the importance of minerals in the feeding of dairy cows, says:—A cow giving four gallons of milk per day secretes daily in the milk j l.Ooz calcium, 1.30 z phosphorus, 0.40 z ' sodium, and 0.640 z chlorine. These ' are taken from the living tissues of ! the animal, and unless she can absorb i from the intestine sufficient to replace this loss, the tissues become depleted. In most heavy milking cows there is, j during lactation, a progressive deplet- : tion of the skeleton. It has been estimated that a cow may lose as much as { 20 per cent, of the mineral matter of } the skeleton during a lactation period. J The writer has suggested elsewhere that this depletion of the tissues of heavy milking cows may be the cause not only of decreased milk yield in subsequent lactations, but of difficulties in breeding, and an increased susceptibility to disease. The element which presents the most difficult problem is calcium. The fodder fed. especially if it includes good hay, will contain more calcium than is I secreted in the milk. Even if an abundance of calcium be provided in the food, however, there is difficulty in i getting a sufficient amount absorbed | from the intestine. The calcium in green food is more easily assimilated than the calcium in concentrates. It ! is also better assimilated from well-got ! hay which has been little exposed to the elements after cutting than from hay which has been badly weathered. The statements made by this authority suggests that the addition of lime to the pasture and keeping up a sufficient supply of lime at all times in the soil would increase the supply of lime in the grass and particularly in the clovers and trefoils, and this would not only tend to increase the milk yield of the herd, but would be largely instrumental in preventing diseases and disorders in dairy cows and would play an important part in developing the frame of the calf. The presence of rock salt on pasture where the cows can lick it when so inclined is also valuable in maintaining the health of cows.

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