ON THE LAND.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 44, Issue 134037, 3 January 1918, Page 6

ON THE LAND.

(By "Agricola.")

Buying a Horse. The two weakest points of tho draught horse aro tho feet and the liock joints, which aro tho most important points , in connection with endurance and eflicieney. It is imperative, therefore, that intending buyers should study these points. Upon the hock joint falls the strain of load starting and pulling. A horse balances on his forelegs. When about to start a. load ho crouches, crooks his- hocks, gets a grip with his toos,-aud then applies all of the immense power of his muscles to the straigtitening up of tho hocks and consequent propulsion of the load. If the hooks :>>•(> weak they -will not stand ; this stress. Soon they will become u'nsouiul, from bone or. : . bog spavin, from thoroughpin or curb, and a horse made unsound in that way never ho- ! comes periVi 1 ly efficient i'or hard work, no matter how expert may be the treatment-given. Look for a horse that has big, coarse, clean bony hock joints. Tlu'v cannot bo too targe and coarso (developed), provided the size and ruggedness is v/holly mado up of big, smooth bones', clean ligaments and tendons, and good quality skin. A. big hock often is ''meaty" or puffed. Such a hock will not stand hard usage. '■* Cleanness" is freedom from moati-nrs-S piifilness ar.il unsoundness. Then, too. the hocUx , should bo of proper "set." r>eware the ''sickle hock. Knrli a crooked hock is subject to curb and bog spavin. It also is weak, for draught, for the leg below such a hock has performed part of its journey before starting out. The hind fee-t the thrust, forward and the points of the hock too far back, si> that loss of strength and ability for straightening result, (liven sound', ample feet, and large, sound, clean hocks of good form, combined with activity and motion to spirit and muscularity, and the horse can scarcely fail to prove ellicient as a worker". Other points of importance, after these major ones' have been considered, are soundness of teeth, for perfect mastication o\ food, soundness of wind and heart for endurance, 'rotundity of chest and bane) for lung capacity ar.d ability '<> stow and care for la'iue quantities of food, short coupling ami wide, strong-muscled back, loins, and croun for power, and soundness of eyes for intelligence and perfect carryin;: out of the will :.i.d commands of the driver. ♦ » * Town and Country. In the course of ai: a'-tide in tin- I'iuiterbury Auriciiltura! College Magazine, Mr A. W. i:utherfor I. Mendip Hills, writ es:- - !n the pre-war day.-, the man on the land llouri>hod. His produce, wool, •meat and dairy prodin-ts soared well above paying prices. The only fly in the ointment was wheat, and this was due to unsatisfactory labour i ouditions". But that liy could "be avedod by not attempting lo -row it. The alternatives, wool meat, butter and cheese, wero less worrying and more profitable. Indeed, previous to the war wheat growing i, ;i .l .-..mc to Midi a pass that Mr Massey m.ide large purchase:, in Canada, but that source is now cut otf. It it had not Ik-mi for the Jumper luu'veb'ts in Australia in I'Mfi-fj-r ivt' .-liou'ld linvo been perilously near the rationing state with, wheal en' bread. The Hon. Mr ■\facdonald !:i'er on wen! to Australia i,, M uest of wheat. He mad- larue purchases •n;.i -aved the si , nation. In the iiitiKv. unless iin.iei- compulsion, it may be veiled compulsion, but compulsion it will be. whoit will no» be urown in sufficient .piiiaLities , to provide for our want . On another whefst -hunting mission, Mr MadoiiMid :irrived in Canterbury to supplicato the farmers to urow more wh' ; uL After much haggling about a 'Government pin-lnse price a number of patriotic farmers, many somewhat unwillingly, womlsod certain acreages. The agm-egnte was dinned Mitlicient. \lthoir--h tl.ese farmers could have put their land t.- -nor.' profitable use to theiii-'ives, th.-y ■•■eve denounced by city folk-' as ._''■<•<■.!>-, rapa.-ious cormorants th.'v attempted to obtain the best prico t'r-'oi.-i the Government. Cnlfss under pr—lire suflici.>i.t wheat will not :>'' grown i'or our need.-. The small fi'.riK-.-r aiav grow 1 wheat when his family provides cheap labour but the laL-go" fa]■'!!'■'■. wlio would have to employ outside labour, could not make wheat sucessfniiy <-oin;:e!e against the products of si-eep and cattle . Our marvellous prosperity is l-a.sed upon our primary products, wool, meat, and dairy 5..-oduee. In 1 , .H0 we exported to t-i" \aluc of *::;I,O<IO,I.H)(">. More than three-i'ourths of this vast sum came from sheo!) and cattle. On the s.-.-ur-ifv of our sports' we have borrowed •CiOii.OoO.O'iO —that is outside the war loans. War loans are borrowed from ourselves on the security of our assets, and we tax ourselves to pay our interest. This is the pos'itiou of thosewiio possess land and an income derived from other sources than war bonds. Those whose entire capital is invested in war bonds escape taxation other than tho Customs —tins' is not written with the idea of deterring propertied people from investing in the loans. T myself have purchased largely because it is under the circumstances the right thing to do. The land owner is most heavily hit. Land is an objective, that cannot be missed —money is illus'Ory. The farmer is sniped from all quarters, "His produce is taken from him at a Government valuation. The wool goes through the fa re o of a valuation — part is re-sold to the local mills at cost price, plus costs, tin-a My to the profit of the mill-own-ers, who are simply coining money. The balance is -.hipped to the imperial Government and sold by auction in. London at. cnhan-ed prices beyond what th" submarine menace justifies. So far as 1 can remember there, have only been one or two wool vessels subinfir- '■ ined . The par' not sold in London is passed on to our Allies. .1. may hero interpolate that the brokers here are forbidden to disclose the prices of wool sold liy them to others than the respective owners —vvhv this mystery.' In Australia, the brokers publish the prices; no doubt the object is to prevent brokers competing one with the other. T am not wrHtnjr this iv a carping spirit, but in simple .language to toll what we on the land are doing to win the war. 'Wo aro bearing the burden of taxation, nmler trying circumstances, owing to the depletion of farm labour. It may be sail J that the towns furnish their ipiota of conscripts, ■which is true iv a sense. 'But the unfairness* lies in the fact tliah relatively there are more single incn in the country than in towns. In comparison, -with the single men the married men are too costly. In the case of (iie latter :i sanitary cottage must be provided, fuel, as a rule, is a costly item, and double rations—also education and medical attendance. My nearest school is distant eleven miles, and the doctor twenty miles. Employees cannot afford to pay for such distajicas, am) the boss is morally bound to do so. f was once billed for £lfi lfis, and compromised on £10 10s. Then, again, married women are not partial

to rural liffo. They prefer civilisation and its recent adjunct, the pictures. Towns arc of a parasitical nature. They prey upon the country, giving no adoquato return for tho plunder. They live ou tho "pass on , ' principle. Tho increased cost of purchase, and distribution aro passed on to the purchaser. Labour prevents, and ever will provent, the exportation of tho products from secondary industries. Therefore secondary industries* contribute nothing towards the payment of interest on the C 100,000,000 of foreign loans. Shallow-patod political economists write, and talk glibly of homo markets —tho spirit of Labour is dead against them. The value of the home market, is concretely illustrated by the position in the pro-frozen, meat era.