On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 13 June 1912, Page 51

On the Land

GENERAL.

A company has been formed at Rongotea for the purpose of organising a bacon-curing factory, with a capital of £6ouo, made up of 3000 shares at £2 each, 5s on application, 5s on allotment, and calls of 5s each in not less than three months.

Mr. Ernest Short, of Parorangi, has received a letter from the Argentine, stating that there is a splendid opening for New Zealand stock in that Republic. The exorbitant shipping freights, however, stand in the way of opening up a trade.

The freezing works at Islington are very busy at present. Alter a rather slow start this season, they appear to be making up for lost time. Over 6400 sheep were slaughtered in one day recently, and in consequence the other departments of the works are very busy, overtime being the order of the day.

At the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, last week a charge against a man for ill-treating a horse by burning its mouth for lampas. was dismissed. His Worship found that there was no evidence that the horse had been so treated for lampas. He added that, what the defendant had done was not a wanton or a cruel act, but a treatment with the object of doing the horse good. Sufficient evidence had, however, been called to show that burning for lampas was cruel, and wrong, and he suggested that the S.P.C.A. might take some steps to notify farriers regarding the law on the subject.

At Burnside last week the fat sheep penned totalled 2787, the majority of which were only of medium quality. The bulk of the yarding was comprised of secondary and inferior ewes. The few sheep forward that were fit for freezing, either wethers or ewes, were eagerly competed for. Wethers made up to 25s 6d and ewes to 24s 9d, equal to an advance over previous week's rates of Is per head for wethers and from Is 6d to 2s for ewes. The lambs totalled 1300. Exporters were keen for any lines suitable for their requirements, and values were about equal to previous week's rates. There were 135 head of cattle yarded, bullocks realising up to £ls 2s 6d and cows up to £ll 2s 6d. Values for good ox beef were even, while for secondary quality lots and for cow beef prices showed a weakening tendency. Only 28 bacon pigs and porkers and 20 store pigs were offered for sale, prices being on a par with late rates.

At Addington last week the entry of fat sheep was large. All descriptions were represented, and export buyers operated freely for all lines suitable for their requirements. Wethers: Four and six-tooth forward, 15s 6d to 16s 3d ; two and four-tooth, 14s to 16s. Ewes: Two-tooth, to 17s 6d; four, six, and eight-tooth, 16s to 16s 9d; two, four, and six tooth (very good), 18s 3d. The entry of fat lambs totalled 5414. The range of prices was as follows: Tegs, 17s to 19s lOd; a few extra, to 295; average freezing weights, 14s 3d to 16s 6d. The fat cattle forward totalled 190. Values were substantially the same as at previous sale. Beef realised 23s 6d to 265; extra, to 29s per 1001 b, the latter price being realised for some nice steers. Steers made £7 15s to £l2 ss; heifers, £5 15s to. £9 12s 6d; and cows, £5 10s to £8 15s. The yarding of fat pigs was smaller than the previous week, and prices were about the same. Choppers made 60s to 955; heavy baconers, 65s to 72s 6d; and lighter sorts, 50s to 60s (equal to 5d to s£d per lb). An exceptionally good line, of 21 averaged £4 2s. Heavy porkers realised 40s to 465; and lighter, 33s to 37s 6d.

THE EXPORT OF DAIRY PRODUCE.

v The total export of cheese from New Zealand for the year ended March 31 amounted to 514,093 cwt, valued at £1,760,724, an increase over the previous year of 69,031 cwt in quantity and of £481,172 in value. The total amount of butter and cheese exported was 856,801 cwt, valued at £3,816,972, as compared

with 795,234 cwt, valued at £3,152,972 for the previous year, an increase of 61,567 cwt in quantity • and of £664,000 in- value. ■ .-.,', , ..'. ' -/;, .- •*.• '

THE HANDLING OF MILK.

Speaking at the meeting of the South Island Dairy Association at the Winter Show in Dunedin last week, the Prime Minister said that there is vet an immense field for instruction work in the handling of milk. Although a good deal has already been accomplished, no one can estimate the loss that is still going on through the careless treatment of milk on some of the farms in every district. The only remedy available seems to lie, in patiently and candidly pointing out the need for better methods. We are considering the question of appointing more instructors to work among the farmers and advise and assist them in adopting right methods in collecting and handling milk, and, above all, in taking the necessary steps to ensure that milking machines are kept in a proper state of cleanliness, arid that all other necessary steps are taken to ensure that the milk is kept free from contamination from other sources. .',-.

COW-TESTING IN NEW ZEALAND

The extension of the work of cow-testing during the past season (says the Hon. T. Mackenzie at the meeting of the South Island Dairy Association last week) has borne evidence to the fact that the initiation of such work by this division occurred at an opportune time. m Since the commencement of the Cow-test-ing Association movement in New Zealand in August, 1909, with one association and some 800 cows, the department has extended the work, and has this season controlled five such associations with 5400 cows under test. Added to the work under the direct control of the Dairy Division there are at the time of writing at least six other co-operative associations testing an aggregate of over 8000 cows. Besides the work being done by the associations, a number of cows are being subjected to test in a less comprehensive way by their owners. Dairymen are studying the individual cow and her production with an increased interest in our special dairy districts. It is probable that yield testing will be increasingly availed of as the business method of improving and purging dairy herds.

HINTS ON HORSESHOEING.

To shoe the horse correctly one must take great care m fitting the shoe to the foot and always make the shoe as wide at the heel as it will permit, and that is where the horse is spoiled from a colt up (says the Noturned Stockman). If a shoe is fitted too closely if, is bound to cause contraction and lame the horse. On some horses that require it one has to fit close, but I have seen shoes fitted one-eighth of an inch from the wall of the foot or outer edge. That in time will start corns; Now, as to the frog. It must touch the ground if you want a good healthy frog. For this reason one must not shoe too high at the heel, but always shoe higher at the heel than at the toe, and leave the heels high in trimming the foot for the shoe. As to flat feet, most cases of flat feet come from carelessness of the owner in leaving the shoes on too long. A shoe for a flat foot should be wide in the web and concaved well so as not to touch the sole of the foot, and a good piece of sole leather under it with some good hoof ointment on the foot will bring the foot all right in time but the owner must do his part, as that has as much' to do with the shape of the foot as the shoeing, for a flat, footed horse should be shod every three weeks There are horses that should wear bar shoes that do not for it is the only shoe for a flat foot provided it fits pro-