FARMING NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, 25 March 1924, Page 7

FARMING NOTES.

The heaviest entry of both sheep and cattle to be offered at the weekly Masterton sale is advertised for tomorrow, and the Associated Auctioneers advise, that to enable buyers to return home by the afternoon train, the sale will commence punctually at 11 a.m.

If they wish to eliminate the price margin (says the Christchurch 4 4 Star’ 7 ) New Zealand shippers must copy some of the Danish methods, and at the same time embark upon a propaganda campaign that will make New Zealand butter as much a household word in England as Canterbury lamb. But the quality, in the opinion of all experts, must be first-class, and so far as possible the butter should be constantly available.

Good sale s of grass seed are still being report ed A for autumn sowing, (says the Wanganui “Chronicle”) and new season’s seeds are commanding very high prices. The Akaroa cocksfoot crop is reported a more than usually short one and were it not for the fact that Danish cocksfoot could be landed in New Zealand at a comparatively reasonable price, the growers in Akaroa would be able to command about 1/6 per lb for their seed. All the new seeds to hand are of excellent quality and germinations should prove higher than has been the case for some years past.

An endeavour is being made at Home to eliminate the great defect of Welch wool caused by the presence of 1 ‘ kemp’’ and 4 4 red. kemp.” The real obstacle is that the breeder considers that ‘ ‘kemp” is a desirable thing, that it is some way associated with hardness, and that in particular, unless kempy sheep arc bred, the lambs at birth will be badly covered, and unsuitable for mountain conditions. The thorough testing of thi s belief is the first step towards wool improvement, and until this is done there can be no progress'. The possible correlation between kempiness and mutton characters is being carefully sought.

Asked recently if salt would kill penny royal, Mr AV. J. McCulloch, of the Department of Agriculture, answered that as far as was known at present there was no satisfactory way of dealing with the pest. The experience of Mr Janies Dick, of Ngaturi, is just the reverse. Mr Dick informed a “Herald” representative that in a period of over four years he had been most successful in exterminating pennyroyal by the application of waste salt, prodired from fellmongers at a cheap rate. If the weed is carefully salted with a liberal dressing, there is no need to repeat the dose. Care has to be taken, to extend the pressing well over the edge s of |he patches. Mr Dick has treated hundreds of patches of pennyroyal, and only in ' a fejv instances has he over had to repeat the experiment. The salt kills all grass and vegetation for about six months, after which the grass takes the place of the pennyroyal. The treatment is best applied without cutting the /eed. Similar treatment in regard to ragwort also has successful results.

The first batch of immigrants for this district under the Farmers’ Union scheme arrived in Dannevirke. There were four secondary school lads and four domestics, and all have been placed in good homes. They are a particularly fine lot of young people and should make good. The party was met at Auckland by Mr H. D. Thompson, Under-Secretary for Immigration, who explained to the boys the Government’s intentions with regard to their future. He mentioned that they would be placed on farm s under capable and successful farmers to gain experience i.u mixed farming, and it was hoped they would later take up land and become permanent settlors of the Dominion. The newcomers expressed their pleasure at the prospect before them, and while the majority stated a preference for sheep farming ns their ultimate goal, others were equally keen on embarking as daiiff farmers when their term <»f instruction ends. Altogether the Government has received 24® applications from English public school boys desirous of coming to the Dominion. A <etond batch will leave Loidoxi by the Arawa for Wellington.