On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 20 April 1911, Page 742

On the Land

The method of killing trees with arsenic has frequently been employed 'in the Sydney Botanical Gardens, and the results have usually been very satisfactory. The system is to make white arsenic into a thin paste «or strong solution with caustic soda in the proportion of two parts of soda to one of arsenic. Bore downwards into the trunk of the tree three or four holes with an inch auger about three to four feet from the ground. Fill these holes to two-thirds of their depth with the liquid and hammer in a wooden plug. In a comparatively short time you will find that the tree will die and give forth no suckers. There was a fairly representative yarding of all descriptions of stock at Addington last week. The yarding of store sheep was a large one, consisting mainly of equal proportion of lambs and ewes. Fair two-tooth ewes made 12s to 13s 3d, inferior 9s to 10s 9d. In store lambs an exceptionally good line made 10s 7d, the next highest price being 8s 9d. The yarding of fat lambs was the best that has been penned this season. Exporters took the bulk of the yarding at prices ranging from 9s 5d to 16s 3d, the majority being bought at 13s 6d to 14s. The range of prices for fat sheep were: —Prime wethers 15s 6d to 18s 2d, others lis 9d to 15s; prime ewes 12s 6d to 17s 9d. Fat Cattle: Best steers £7 12s 6d to £l3 ss, best heifers, £5 to £lO ss. There was a good yarding of fat pigs, which sold at from 45s to 55s for baconers and choppers, being equal to 4d per lb. The Cambridge School of Agriculture has issued a statement of some alleged improvements made in the production of strong wheat, using the word from a baker's point of view. Canadian and Russian wheats are generally stronger in this sense, and the flour from them produces a better shaped loaf than English wheat of the common sorts. Consequently they make a better price in the market. Unfortunately, the yielding ability of these foreign wheats when tried is far from satisfactory. The Home-grown "Wheat Committee intimate that the crossing of Red Fife wheat with Essex Rough Chaff has produced a hybrid named ~Burgoynes Fife, which is an improvement on any known home sort, and is satisfactory in yield. There is some dubiety as to what makes one wheat strong and another weak, but the generally accepted idea is that it depends on the amount of mineral constituents, especially phosphates in the flour. Some wheats have these almost all in the bran, and they are lost in modern milling. The Ayrshire has been a distinct breed for over 150 years (says the Dairy Farmer). While at the present time they may not be as popular as some breeds, they are fast coming to the front, both in the dairy and show ring. As to their conformation, they can hardly be improved upon, their evenness of form being particularly noticeable. The chief characteristics of the Ayrshire in appearance is tine face, with clean cut features, brightness of eye, upturned horn, thin nock, fine shoulder, good heart and lung capacity, straight back, strong loin, large abdomen showing food capacity (or a silo of their own), long, broad hips, large finely balanced udder, large well-placed teats, well developed mammary gland and soft, loose skin of medium thickness, covered with a thick coating of fine hair, equal red and white, brown and white, or verging to nearly all white. In temperament it is docile, but alert. The Ayrshire is a very hardy and vigorous animal. This natural vigor combined with their activity and other superior qualities particularly fits them for all climates and conditions. Perhaps the Ayrshire has been called the ' farmer's cow ' owing to the fact that her milk is well suite for dairy, cheese or city market. As the Ayrshire breed becomes better known so it will become more appreciated. Of all the countries of Europe Denmark has made the greatest progress in pastoral and agricultural matters in recent years. This is attributed mainly to the spread of technical education and to co-operation. The Danish farmer is an expert. He is also a student. He has studied the breed of horses until he knows what can be raised to the best advantage, and what the German most wants. The same is true of cattle, pigs, and chickens. He knows to a nicety just how a cow should be fed to produce the best butter. _ He knows how to breed the best pigs. He makes his butter and produces his eggs of a uniform quality. He packs them so that they will please. And he is aided in countless ways by the State. The State is always at his service. The other great factor is co-operation. The Danish farmer gets all that he produces—absolutely all. The State owns the railways ani protects the farmer from exploitation. And he himself performs all of the processes of production, distribution, and exchange. The co-operative movement began with dairying. Up to about 1880 each farmer made his own butter. It was very costly, and there was no uniformity in the product. About this time a new device was invented for butter-making. A number of farmers got together and purchased one of the machines. Its success was immediate. Other villages followed. To-day there are 1087 co-operative dairies, with a membership of 150,000 farmers. There are also 200 other private dairies. Nearly 95 per cent, of the farmers are members of the co-operative dairies, which ship nearly £200,000 worth of butter a week to England,