MORRINSVILLE

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17168, 2 August 1927, Page 4

MORRINSVILLE

JOTTINGS.

A. and P. Association.

i-:The annual meeting of the Morrinsyille Agricultural and Pastoral Association, so far as the attendance of members was concerned, must have been very disappointing to the president,' the office hearers and the few enthusiastic members who were,present,- because they had a most satisfactory report on the past season's Sp'eration to present. The finances prtjre in a satisfactory condition, and the outlook for the future was most promising. It was certainly discouragthat out of some 300 members Only. 15 took sufficient interest in the Association to attend the meeting.

£-Fe\v people realise the amount of work that has to be done in connection with running an Agricultural and Pas- '• ftiral Show. Last year the president arid" many of the committee, spent day after day preparing the ground- and making the ■ necessary- arrangements tav the show, and it is'hot a fair thing siat these* same men' should have to ■•'dor-all this work'year after year. As the president remarked at the meeting, we ;will soon tiave one of the best show' grounds in'.the Dominion, a splendid farming district around us, and all we want is - for the farmers to take live interest in the Association. Personal. i'The many friends of Mr J. B. ' Thomas were pleased to see that he • Had sufficiently recovered from his long illness, to able to attend, the football match on "Saturday. £ : : Dairy Cows. : The reputed shortage of money, and » thie'bad times that dairy farmers have had during the; last season are not having the depressing effect one would expect on the dairy cow market. For all good • sorts there were- plenty of buyers at sales held during the week,

and the earlier the,, cows were coming

in the better the competition was for 1 them. Inferior sorts and late carvers were'not wanted.' Hard times and herd have .evidently had the effect " of showing farmers, that it is only the Igoodcdws which pay, and that second and third raiers. are a dead loss. A very large number of empty cows have heen sold for the pot this.past year .•and-a great many have been brought V into the district from Taranaki and % other good dairying districts to take * their place's, and no doubt if we are rg favoured with a- good season the Mor- \ rinsville district will beat all previous I records--for production. 1: Farmers 'in the; district are also

/ more.alive to. the importance of the b pig-business than they have been. The "'■ number of pigs put through the sale * yards during the . past season must ,3 have-been-more than double that of '"% any "previous year." Although the ae--"•commodation, at «lhe yards has been doubled there is none too much room for the large entries coming in at every Csale.- A good, deal more attention also -.'.'is-.given to breeding. Farmers are flnd'■'■''ing as much'as in cow farming the '"better the animals are bred the better .they-pay. --.--■■ • -

Useful Grasses.

: aw'fcbat farm,ers, Inmost cases, are fully- stocked, for, a-good., season, such

as we had last year, they must not forget that sooner or later we shall again gefc dry seasons; most field grasses soon after Christmas begin to dry up and give very little milk-producing food.

The subject vtais being discussed by some experienced farmers, at the saleyards during the week and their opinion is well worth recording. . Whilst hoping for the best, they were agreed that sooner or later we should get a dry. season —not a regular drought such as they often experience in different parts of Australia, but such a shortage of rain that our pastures would dry up and produce very little suitable food for dairy cows.

Lucerne was suggested, but not one of them had had any experience in growing it. One wiio had come from the North Auckland district was very enthusiastic in his advocacy of paspalum as the best possible stand-by in dry, hot, seasons, 110 maintained that every dairyfarmer should have at least one paddock -'of paspalum for summer feed and another of prairie grass for the winter and if he handled them properly he would never be short of the best of cow feed in winter or in a dry summer. Cows were fond of both grasses -and ■milked well on-them. He mentioned that at Kailaia paspalum was the prevailing grass on nearly all the. dairy farms and the hotter and drier the summers the better the cows milked. To show that it was the best grass for butter fat he mentioned that the factory at Kaitaia had twice won the highest honours for butter in the Dominion and had always been near the top.

Prairie grass, as' a winter grass to cut and feed with hay, could not be beaten for cows milked during the winter months, its growth during the wet, cold winter months being greater than that if any other grass. Corn, tares, oats and chou mollier were all mentioned, but as they all involved so much labour they were not favoured. MOTUMAOHO. Personal. Mr and Mrs Fagan are now in residence at Motumaoho. Mr and Mrs. Murray have arrived at Motumaoho. Mr and Mrs Chambers have left the district and are residing in Henderson.