FARM AND GARDEN

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14764, 1 October 1921, Page 13 (Supplement)

FARM AND GARDEN

AGRICULTURAL EVENTS FOR WEEK ENDIN3 OCTOBER 8. MONDAY. Stock Sale at Pirongia. Stock Sale at Cambridge. Horse Fair at Morrinsviile. Clearing Sale at Te Rapa. TUESDAY. Stock Sale at Hikutara. Stock Sale at Rsngiriri. Pedigree Stock Sale, Showgrounds. Horse Fair at Morrinsviile. Sale of Pedigree Jersey Bulls, New lymouth. WEDNESDAY. Stock Sale at Malamata. Stock Sale at Kauroa. Sale of Pedigree Jersey Bulls, New Plymouth. Horse Sale at Hamilton. Dairy Sale at Hamilton. Clearing Sale at Otorohanga THURSDAY. Stock Sale at Hamilton. FRIDAY. Bull Sale at Cambridge. - Clearing Sale at Ohaupo. WHAT WE HAVE GROWN. Some interesting figures are available from the Government return showing the area under grasses and clovers, green and root crops, in each county'for the season 1920-21. The figures for Waikato County arc: 4 acres cocksfoot, 10 acres other grasses and clover, 6279 acres cut for hay or ensilage including lucerne, 1038 acres green fodder, 115 acres potatoes, 6363 acres turnips, 212 acres mangolds. In all the return shows a total of 14,031 acres down in grasses and clover's, green and root crops . Raglan County: 16 acres ryegrass, 35 acres cocksfoot, 1184 acres cut for hay or ensilage, 1295 acres green fodder, 102 acres potatoes, 4716 acres turnips, 94 acres mangolds, 49 acres other green and root crops, making a total of 74D1 acres in all. Waipa County returns show: 11 acres ryegrass, 4 acres cocksfoot, 12 acres other grasses and clovers, 6050 arres cut for hay and ensilage, 982 acres green fodder, 92 acres potatoes, 3752 acres turnips, 341 acres mangolds, 67 acres other green and root crops, bringing the total grasses and clovers, green arid root crops to 11,311 acres. The total acreage:—Kawhia CountyIs given at iu99, Awakino 973, Waltomo 13,501. The returns show, in addition, that the total area in grain and pulse crops In W T aikato County for 1920-21 is 2471, Raglan 1843, Waipa 1621', Kawhia 449, Awakino 110, and Waitomo •1184. PRICES AND FARM PRODUCTS. , The last Issue the Agricultural -Gazette of Canada says editorally:— 1 "The first six months of 1921 witnessed severe declines in the prices of ,farm products consequent on the curitailment of exports. During the war jand for some time subsequent thereto all classes of food supplies wero teagerly gathered up at competitive .prices in order to satisfy the insistent (demand that then existed. The situation is now reversed. A world shortiage may still exist, as is claimed, in wheat, meat, and dairy produce, but jbecause of the decreased purchasing (powers of European currencies, with .-the consequent inability of countries toverseas to pay for the products of fthis continent, the demand has fallen Off, and with its relaxation increasing [quantities of food products have been /released for home consumption, f "The Government of the United PStates, in an attempt to afford relief fcfor the'American farmer, will seek to [exclude by means of a tariff barrier hhe surplus products of Canadian ifarms. Canada is, therefore, brought ?ace to face with the necessity of immediately readjusting itself to a new Situation. This it has had to do before, when the channels of trade on which it had been accustomed to depend were blocked. The backing-up process and the local overflow which may ensure is adding to the feeling of depression and uncertainty prevailing In the farming industry. This may, and douhtless will, be a temporary condition. When prices of food commodities have been the first to seriously decline, ft is probable that they will likewise be among the first to recover. The deflation in prices will not end with food, but must extend to all commodities and service; and machinery, clothing and other necessities, which are still hovering near maximum prices, must in the end adjust themselves to the situation." CROP GROWING BY ELECTRICITY. Crop growing by using electrically treated seed Is now in the experimental stage in Canterbury, a Christchurch firm of millers, one of whose principles, being impressed by experiments he saw in Scotland several years ago, determining to give the idea a trial (says the Weekly Press). Insufficient time has elapsed to permit of a statement as to results, but the electrically stimulated seed is being tested widely enough to make the results, when they ' do come to hand, of reliable use. Up to recently the resoilts at Home had not been impressive, but a better report has now been produced in regard ,> to treating actual crops. Electrical stimulation of plant growth is being tried on a large scale at the Rothamstead Experimental Station. Results already obtained were described recently, when, on the invitation of Lord Blcdisoe, chairman of the Lawes Agricultural Trust Committee, many members of the county agricultural committees visited the station. Experiments have been proceeding for some time, and the visitors saw some of these in operation. Currents of 15,000 volts were passed through growing barley over a network of wires 10 feet from the ground. Trials are being made of alternating and continuous discharges, and of negative and positive discharges. No actual decision has yet been come to, but the average increase of growth caused by electrical discharges over field crops is about 21 per cent. That, however, is just below what is necessary to make it an economical proposition. In other words, the increase of the crop barely pays for the eost of the electricity. But the experiments are still fceing continued. THE WORLD'S WHEAT. Apropos of the above a writer in a Melbourne paper provides some comments on the matter of "pools." Figures giving the world's wheat yield In 1917, and showing that Australia's average contribution of 130,000,000 bushels is only a. small factor in fixing the world's parity, should help to convince primary producers that de-eon-trol of wheat does not mean ruin for them, but reasonable prices and prompt payment for their yields. A compulsory yield, it is pointed out, might arti- . flcally maintain priee-s in the home ** market, but it would have little nr no ' effect, upon the price of export wheat. In 1917 the world's wheat, yield was as follows:-— Europe, 1',250,000,000 lushels; North America. 878,000,000 bushels; Asia. 652,000,000 bushels: America. 259,000,000 bushels;

\ustralia 129,000,000 bushels; and Africa 70,000,000 bushels. In the light of these figures it can be seen that the Australian farmer is likely to be misled by suggestions based upon the idea that because a socialistic Australian wheat pool would be "one large seller" in the word's market, he would we able to obtain a higher price than would ten or twelve private firms operating in his favour. It can be seen that a country which produces only wheat crop, cannot expect to influence flic world's price, whether operating through a socialistic pool or by a series of keenly competitive private enterprises, i ■ ■ '" " ' ' JOTTINGS. Concrete floors in the milking shed are essential to perfect sanitation. There are now 7,000,000 fewer sheep in Great Britain than in 1914. The scrub bull is expensive—too expensive for the average farmer. No class of stock, mucli less calves and young pigs, can thrive in a dirty Poor live stock, or good live stock poorlv handled, were never known to show" a balance on the proper side of tho leger. The influence of the sire is so great that in a few generations he can mould the character of the flock or herd, and thus determine its production, whether for better or worse. The motto of every progressive dairyman shouid be —Increase the profit by decreasing all needless expense. The price he is to get for his butter the farmer cannot control, but he can control to a great degree the cost of producing it. In every industry the producer is rewarded for his efforts much more adequately if skill and knowledge are used to make the quality of his goods known. Although more of it would be added wealth, the splendid rains and the warm weather experienced in the Waikato has meant thousands of pounds to the agricultural community. Prior to the fall the district was unusually dry for the time of the year, but the rains have brought growth on again very rapidly, and saved what threatened to be a disastrous situation for farmers. A Canterburv farmer who is on a visit to Waikato slates that the recent rains were doing an immense amount of good to the young farm crops, some of which have been at a standstill for lack of moisture. 'There was now a reasonable prospect of the harvesting being a success, and this should absorb a great deal of casual labour during the busy season. Questioned regarding the prospective wages in the harvest field, the farmer said he could not state definitely, but judging by the opinions freely expressed among farmers, he considered they would be prepared to pay the high rate., that existed during the past few years, except, of course, in cases of extreme urgency. The figures concerning the dairying industry in Queensland show that butter production reached 32,219,0911 b in 1920, or an increase of over 13* millions on the figures for 1919, .which was a dry period. The cheese output reached nearly 11,500,000 lb. There were over 100 cheese factories in Queensland, and the handicap of a hot climate docs'not prevent any rapid expansion. The Tasmanians arc making an effort to promote a fat lamb trade with the Old Country. Shipping space is naturally plentiful, and promises arc. held out of ships calling iegularly to lift cargoes. It is feared, however, that the high freights will be a drawback, but if the export trade throughout Australia is not developed, it will not be long before there is a big surplus of stock again in Australia, which will mean a big reduction in the income to primary producers. This should cause the cost of living to come down, and there might bo a return to the time of low wages and cheap living. The settlement of soldiers in Canada seems to have been on economical lines. A paper to hand states that despite the fact that the bottom has fallen out of the farm products market within the past year, and that agricultural land was bought at top prices immediately after the war, few actual failures are reported among soldier settlers. About a hundred arc farming around Port Hope, and of this r.umber only six have given up, and these were exceptional eases. The farms purchased, as a rule, were too small and poor to support an average family. In other parts of the province a few failures are reported of men who paid too much for the land. The Government, realising the peculiar situation faced by the soldier farmer, is giving consideration to those now in financial difficulties, but who have paid off their mortgages regularly in the past. A Royal Commission on the importation of store cattle has reported that the administration of Canadian stores is advisable, as it would tend to cheapen, in some measure, the meat supply of the country, and tend to promote the restoration of, and indeed, increasing the live stock herds after the losses during and since the war. The Commission finds that a feeling is general amongst farmers against admission. So far as this is created by apprehension that disease may be introduced, the Commission considers that it is unfounded, but the admission might make it difficult for the crofters (small farmers in the Highlands) to carry on their operations successfully, and would, to some extent, deprive the Irish farmers of the market l&oy'at present enjoy in Great Britain. Mr 11. M. Campbell, who returned from an extended visit to the Old Country a little while ago, in an interview with a representative on one of the Napier newspapers, made a passing allusion to the drought in England. "It was a very serious matter indeed." he said, "and hit many of the farmers very hard. They had cultivated the land, and sown the seed, doing their work right well; but the drought came, and they got little or no crops. It was very sad indeed to sec. My sons tell me that you have had a very dry winter here; but I hope, we are roing to have nothing like the drought they experienced at Home this year." Fate will have played a sorry ir.rick upon New Zealand dairy farmers if it, first raises the selling price of their products by a drought in the Northern Hemisphere, and then prevents them taking full advantage of the favourable market by a drought here. An unfamiliar species of hliffht has attacked the gum trees in the Horowhentin County, and is doing considerable damage to several shelter plantations. The disease first attacks the small brandies, and then proceeds !<> the larger ones, eventually destroying the tree itself. At the last rneetin'-r of The Horowhenua County Council, Hie eierk reporlfd that he had sent one of the diseased branches hi the Government biologist, who had reported thai the blight was due to ;i small insect little, larger than a pin's head, and was becoming very destructive to gum tree? in different of the Dominion Th disease, however, w?s In no way

connected with the gum-tree scale common in Canterbury. The Manawatu correspondent of the Dominion reported early in the week that the Inability of the freezing companies to fix prices of mutton was placing holders of sheep, more especially heavy-weight wethers and ewes, In a quandary. It seems that the demand in the Home markets in the immediate future will be for sheep under 601 b, and for lambs under 431 b. The British consumer appears to have lost his taste for fat mutton, and as most of the sheep grown in the North Island are of the coarser and heavier breeds, the growers here will naturally suffer more"than South Island breeders, where lighter classes of sheep predominate. There is an increasing disposition here to go in for lighter crossing, for mutton purposes, and there is no doubt that there will be an improved demand for black-faced rams during the coming season. The better demand for butler and cheese than for wool and meat is leading to a further extension of close seltleiiTent. In the Tarannki district a number of big farms which hitherto have been used for grazing arc being cut up and turned to dairying. The same process is going on in the Manawatu district, where several large holdings are being divided into 40 and 50-acre blocks, with a view to milk production. Mr Duncan Fraser's large farm in the Rangitikei district, where very tine crops of wheat have been produced in the past, is pas'slng through the same transformation, and Mr Gordon Johnson's Highden Estate at Awapunl, a famous grazing property of great capabilities, is being prepared for sale in 50-acre blocks. It looks as if the course of the markets were going to be as effective as legislation in forwarding the "bursting up" policy. It is reported that speculators in Australia are buying up all the coarse wool they can get hold of. They anticipate a big rise in this commodity during (he next year or so. If this should be the case there is some scope for their operations in New Zealand. Research workers at the Wisconsin and Montana experiment stations in America have been investigating the cause of certain weaknesses in newborn animals. In all cases of young pigs born without hair it was found that the thyroid gland of the sow and of the affected pigs was enlarged. This enlargement deprives the system of an adequate supply of iodide of potash, and hairlcssness results. A small quantity of iodide of potash, given to the sow in her feed, while pregnant, was found to prevent hairlcssness. A further discovery was made that goitre of newborn animals is prevented b* administering iodide of potash to the pregnant dam. This has been tested and proved with sows, cows, and ewes. A bulletin, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, states that the disease is caused by the lack of iodine in the thyroid gland. This appears to be due to the lack of iodine in the vegetation and water in certain districts. Preventative treatment is recommended, and that is to give iodine of potassium daily for three months before parturition. A Aoz of potassium iodine, mixed with *oz of milk sugar, and dissolved in the drinking water daily, will suffice for 100 ewes. The Judging of Clydesdales at the Royal Show in England met with adverse criticism. The Scottish Farmer says:—"Mr David Allison, Duddingston, South Queensferry, was sole judge, and he judged the geldings well. We wish it were possible to report that opinion was unanimous as to the work of judging in the other classes. In fact, it isa pity and a sorrow to say mucli about some of the placings. To our notion, the outstanding Clydesdale exhibit in the yard was J. Ernest Kerr's first prize three-year-old filly, Harviestoun Felicia. She was placed reserved for the female championship. The best stallion, to our thinking, was Mr Jas. Gray's two-year-old, Vim, by Botha out of Mcta, by Apukwa. He was shown in perfect bloom, well grown, and going close at both ends. He was placed second in his class, and reserve for the championship. We do not understand it." Coloured varieties of potatoes are not so much favoured as they were previously. Mr H. E. M'Gowan, of South Canterbury, writing in the Journal of Agriculture, remarks that "this has been caused through some growers producing a certain red potato which is objectionable for the table, and after being boiled it turns an unsightly black colour. The only reason why these growers produce this potato is because it is a very heavy cropper (tfiey always grow another variety for their own use). It is most unfortunate that this one red variety has spoiled the whole New Zealand market,for coloured potatoes. To the consumer one red variety is the same as another, but some of our redskinned varieties arc the best quality table potatoes grown." '