THE FARM.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 7567, 10 May 1919, Page 8

THE FARM.

The prospects of getting meat away an-d so rul'-asing .space 111 the freezing works pre improving, an:l although there will be little more fattening this season, it will enable anything .Vtill rit to freeze to bo got away, lhe next problem wili bePtlie supply of fat stock lor local consumption towards the end of winter and in the spring. It :s likely to be scarcer and dearer than during the last two years, and may result in meat in the cold stores having to foe drawn upon.

The Minister of Agriculture told the. Board of Agriculture that the cattle tick question had been investigated by the veterinary section of the Agricultural Department, and the Department bad decided that it would be necessary to have some drastic regulations to control movements irom amis where the tick was found.

Ever/ farmer could, with but little additional labour, provide three oi v four acres of turnips, mangels, maize, or lucerne and where possible ensilage should he ?nnde. For all practical purposes they constituted a balanced ration, and would prove in every way satisfactory. It was well known that almost every animal would benefit by a chango of feed, such as bay and roots, and no cheaper ration coidd be provided.

A Masterton slieei>-breeder and stockdealer expressed the opinion the other day that the price of i.nt stock next spring would bo higher than ever be. fore recorded in the Wairarapa. He gave as his> reason for this statement the faoS that meat works would continue operations well into May or June, and slaughter a,s much stock as possible. There would be plenty of shipping in the next month or two to clear away old stock, making available sufficient room foi* new stock, of which farmers would avail themselves to the full. There would consequently be very high prices ruling at the beginning of tha new season for fat stock, which would be hard to get, and for which the farmer could demand almost his own price.

. The "Waikoto Times" reports that Mr. J. A Young, M.P., and the gentlemen associated with him are meeting with considerable- success in their efforts to arouss the farmers of the "Waikato district to the graAity of the menace of the rabbit. "The Act of last session," the "Times" says, "provides tho machinery by which an active campaign of extermination may bo undertaken, and the sooner the boards are established and relentless war declared upon the rodents, the easier will he their extermination." The rabbits have increased enormously in the district during the last two or three years, and favoure;l by one of the beat climnt-es and one o<: the most fruitful soils in tb.9 Dominion, they soon would have possession of large tracts of the country werp nr-t some cheek placed upon their multiplication.

Approximately £216,000 has been viistribuced by the Government from t»ie equalisation tund esfcab'.ished in conneotion with the 1917-18 butter output. A sum of £307,000 has been received from thw Imperial Government, this representing 50 per cent, of the profits on the sale of butter in England, lljo distribution now made is at the rate o 1 l-Bd. per lb. of butter exported and ll). oi butter tor the local market; and about 1)0 per cent, of the foetones concerned have received their 'lividends. There will be a balance remaining when the whole ot the interim dividend ha>: been paid, and a further adjustment will require to be made far its distribution. Last year three factories stood out of the equalisation scheme, but it is hoped that this year uli will come Jn.

Western Australia originally built t\vo huge rabbit-proof fences from the Southern to the Indian Oceans to prevent their invasion of the country (says the 'Pastoral Review"). Time lias passed since then, floods have wrecked the fences in patches from time to time, the usual percentage of gates has been left open, and in not a few cases there uro suspicions that the rodents were deliberately thrown over both fences To-day the rabbits have definitely penetrated both fences in all directions, and they are now establishing themselves ;n the best of the farming country. They have become fairly thick .n the easterly \vh"?al-gro\viug areas beyond the first fence during tho last few years, but fortunately, the very dry summer has been fnvourab'e to keeping them down by the aid of poison, a pood bit of which -i;is been laid this year. It is autiVipati'-l that if they-reach the coastal sandhill ■Ahidi arp well watered ami covered wiih lireen ser;:b, they will take complete possession of that strip of country. An explanation of the way in wh::h the Ar^ontnif breeders yyi up their youn:>; bulls into an overfed condition for show* purposes is thus explained in the "Keview of the Hivei Platy" ; "Ti.-> custom of allowing promising; bu'l rarves to si'ckie milch cows is generally followed on all larjre properties, thoi'prh I have frequently seer n more perfected system of providing dams for thp best yo.nu* bulls. From a cathering-up corral two parallel, narrow frnngwavs run, which accomnuxli'to six cows in (iach with their con'es'oondinu; closing !>ars ontl with a sonar:; oo'-Miins; w!ii''h permits th • Ihill calves easily to suckle fhe cows. Thes? fr«in,2;ways are raisyJ poKsihly two feet over L rronnd level, au-t !>''< i inrmed oi strong sr|:i;if" <toss spars, which p'.'rniit th<? passa;/:; of any liovi'ls or manure. The cows accustomed \^ '■ntcr the^e |;assao;ps daily, readily waHc into their places. th» cross-bars avp nrosaed home and the 'pcones' then hi-in^ out fh'.' nroraisiiirr venr's bull crop, which «nr>k time different dams in a 'lav. T'ipvl cuws, in n?;>tiy fstimcms. have- :il! bpen tested ;nifl proved fre' 1 from t'''ier^ulfi-i>.-, which is an nssurin-J <"n,'t-nv f.-.|. le fivturo safety of the snekiuv bull."

Lh<« Advisory Corm»iittr*> submitted {ln< following prcmos-ils on t-lis n'-itlorm of tho FsiriTir-rs' Union to tb,-> \\*Mik:il:> Knb-provi"cnl KrcerTPvo : (1) T!i:-l \c. 2 of tin* Union's p'nil'orni, Ti!itif<nal •r< (■'o'.vniei! 4-. hf fifiltorecT t'»: (2) + in"1 roun+i»s' Valuiii't Aft slif-uld if r">Tr>f?nflprl so tlmt tli" Vkd] lK)flips o.rn i<--rillf>et rpt"s by rpp'istorin.^ n.'-rni'ist <■"" jblorl- itrtra-1 of th,. 1 HJc if: th" Aol; nr>- «t'»nfl«: ':3) t))«t. «'iit;)l'lo York* tf T'lirnnroved lfir>'l< b-p npoiiirorl ff)v soldier labour, im] \f *-bo IfjHs art> nn«f=p<! as suitable for settlement they will he

subdivided, and the soldiers who have been working on the blocks shall have iirst option of taking ail the sections; (4) that direct taxation shall be on as broad a basis as possible, and all class taxation shalll be avoided; (5) now that the war is over prices shall not be controlled and supply and demand should be unhaippered ; (6) that the same regulations regarding reading, which now apply to the cutting up of private estates, should be obligatory on the Government when subdividing properties for settlement; (7) nationalisation of main arterial roads; (8) preferential voting; (9) State-owned commercial fleet; (10) that tho proposed farmers' party link up and work with "any party with clean oolitic 3." These proposals are to go to the various branches for them to consider.