FARMING TOPICS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21090, 16 July 1938, Page 15

FARMING TOPICS

NEWS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES Severe Hailstorm A hailstorm, said to be the worst ever experienced in those parts within living memory, which fell in the Kei Road area (South Africa), killed 177 sheep belonging to Mr B. C. Ranger, on whose farm the taunt of the storm was felt. Food Defence Plans The possibilities of increasing the British potato crop and of building a chain of factories to produce potato meal and other potato products are being examined by the British Ministry of Agriculture and the Food (Defence Plans) Department. Prolific Crop of Melons A heavy crop of jam melons was recently harvested on the farm of Mr Theo. F. Kelling, in the Nelson district. One selected group of twelve melons averaged 661 b weight per melon. Threequarters of an acre of land produced 235 sacks of melons. Ruakura Farm School Over 50 young farmers attended the first winter farm school at the Ruakura Farm of Instruction. Dairying problems were considered, and lectures given by instructors and research officers of the Department of Agriculture. While most instruction was given at the farm, visits were made to the properties of leading Waikato farmers. Vauable Heifer for New Zealand The two-year-old Aberdeen Angus heifer Mavis of Byweil has been sold by the well-known stock breeder Lorn Allendale to Mr Joseph Webb, of Taihape, says a London report. This heifer, which is of the Matilda family now very scarce, but one of the best families at Bywell and well represented there, was first in her class at the Show of the Highland and Agricultural Soci-

ety at Alloa last year. Mutton Supplies The opinion that in a few weeks’ time mutton is likely to be in short supply in the Wairarapa, following on the serious sheep losses in the Waikato, is expressed by a Masterton butcher. He stated that Hawke’s Bay and Waikato buyers were already operating in the Wairarapa, and their activities would cause a local shortage. He pointed out that city supplies were drawn from the country as a whole, and not from any particular district. Ruakura Trials Much discussion has taken place recently regarding the methods of measuring by eye the responses to the various fertilisers. In the observational top-dressing trials at present carried out at Ruakura responses are marked by points awarded for such factors as an increase in clover or grass, or an I increase in vigour, density, etc., on any plot compared with the “no manure” plot. White clover, report the Ruakura officers, appears to be the first plant to respond to top-dressing and often an increase in white clover is the only response seen. It was thought that if a trial were sown with pure white clover the response could be measured more easily by eye, and the pointing of manurial responses might thus be considerably simplified. The plots will be mown at intervals to check up on the visual observations. All trials at Ruakura were top-dressed during the autumn and representative turfs were an exhibit at the Waikato Winter Show.

Y’ear of Progress A wide use of the company’s products and another year of progress were reported to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Co-operative Rennet Company in New Plymouth. The company’s New Zealand cheese rennet and cheese colour had been used by over 90 per cent of the co-operative cheesemaking companies of New Zealand and by a considerable number of companies in Australia, stated the report. Sales of Renco had again increased in New Zealand and the product was now being sold in Australia. The laboratory building under construction at the time of the annual meeting last year was opened in October and was probably the best equipped commercial laboratory in the Dominion. There was a surplus of £1630 ’ 17/ 8 in the profit and loss account, after crediting £2130'15/- shareholders’ rebate, and the directors recommended that the balance available after payment of the necessary charges be earned forward as a credit balance. Six co-operative companies had become members during the year, includding three Taranaki companies. Cape Eginont, Opunake and Pembroke.