FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2116, 26 June 1907, Page 1

FARMERS’ COLUMN.

A few years ago Mr. A. S. Eothoriughain secured a -fine- lot- Of Enriish Leicester sheep in Now Zealand, and having purchased the Hillyfiolds Estato, at Dasliwood’s Gully, he established an English Leicester, stud farm there, “Subsequently, Mr. Roy Fothoringham visited New Zealand, and made further-purchases, and the imported animals, with thoso bred at Hillyfiolds, constitute a.fine stud of English Leicesters. Tho English Leicester makes, an excellent-cross for tho production of an early maturing lamb, and is steadily coming into favor. Mr. Fotheringliam has just concluded a sale to Mri AA'. J. T.

Clarko', of Mount Schunk, Mount Gambier, of 46 English Leicester rams,,.-1906 drop, at 4J guineas each. Land in Cheshire, England, lias recently - boon fetching remarkable prices. It has been nothing unusual for an auctioneer to get bids of £IOO and £125 per acre for small holdings in the Tarporley or Kolsall districts; but Messrs-Manley, auctioneers, have just, sold a cottage and one acre two roods of land at Smallwood, rented at £l4 per annum, for £420, which works out at ovep. £250 per acre, and is exactly 30 years’ purchase on" the present rental;

Mineral butter colors aro giving pluco to colors made from vegetables in, the United States. The chance is owing to the national law regulating the use of coloring matter iii butter, and specifying that it must ho harmless.

The question of a good fodder grass to- cover barren, sandy country appears to be solved, according to the following statement in the Wairoa Guardian: —“Mr. Vaughan, of Tulmenui, has an area of what was formerly bare sand country covered with a fine growth of paspalum dilitatum, the now fodder grass. It has bound tli; sand, and seems to bo the grass settlers along the coast have been looking for.” In addition to the ordinary rootcrop experiments, the Masterton A. and P. Association is conducting a plot experiment scheme in accordance with the instructions issued by the Department of Agriculture in 1906. The experiments are with soft turnips and swedes, and the results will be made public shortly. It is noticeable (says the N.Z. Times) that none of the farmers in the South Wairarapa are taking part in the competition, which is somewhat on a large scale. Seven plots are each troated with a different kind of manure, except in one case, which is not treated with any fertiliser, but simply farmed in its rough state. It mav be mentioned that the returns for unfertilised plots are of the poorest description, and are well calculated to impress upon the farmer the necessity of a scientific knowledge of earth treatment. The manures which are being used are superphosphates, basic slag, bonedust, potash-sulphate, and No. 6 mixture, and portions are supplied free by tho of ..Agriculture. The manures are used in portions as directed, and also in other ways by Mr B. C. Aston, Government Agricultural Chemist, and by Mr. W. Perry, and in both these last-mentioned cases the results are reported to be most satisfactory. PRICES FOR PIGS. The statements of Mr. J. D. Anderson’, that farmers were not receiving fair payment for their pigs from North Island companies, as compared with Canterbury prices, is exciting much comment in the Wairarapa, Mauawatu, and Bush districts. It appears, writes the Wairarapa representative of the New Zealand Times, that Mr. Anderson’s remarks on the question would possibly have applied with some effect to the position of -things nine years ago, when it should be remembered there was no North Island bacon company, and neither was there any bacon company in the Wairarapa. In those days pigs were at a discount in the Bush and Wairarapa districts, and. farmers could hardly’ dispose of them, even at beggarly prices. A 1401 b pig in the Wairarapa would bring about 235, which works out at 1 l-9d per lb. In Canterbury during the same period pigs were practically as dear as they are now, and there was a big margin between the two prices, so much so that a buyer sent through the Wairarapa and Bush districts from Canterbury swept the farms clean of pigs during a short season, and made several thousands of pounds profit. The buyer himself netted about £BO in commission in a few weeks. The reason why there was then no profitable sale for pigs in this district was that there was practically only one firm interested, and the farmers had to take whatever prices they were offered. With the advent of two bacon factories in the two districts, the wholo position was changed, and in this way fchei farmers have reaped the benefit. Prices have gone up and up until nowy instead of receiving 1 l-9d per lb, the farmers receive 4j|d and sd. Tho fact that business has not beep satisfactory in the Wairarapa and Woodville factories is another matter, but enough has been shown to prove that by keeping the two factories going, farmers are in a much better position regarding the industry than they were nine years ago.

REGISTERING MILKING QUALITIES. Tho Canadians are nothing if not practical, and additional evidence of their supreme belief in utility is forthcoming in the shape of a scheme for the registration of cows on the basis of their milking qualities. This proposal emanates from the breeders of Ayrshires in the Dominion, and at present its scope is to be confined to the: animals of that breed. In' tho case of bulls the minimum standard \ of admission is that four daughters, each from a different cow, shall bo qualified for registration on the record of performance, so that the sires are to be judged by the utility merits of their offspring. For cows, tho standard varies according to age. The two-year-old heifer must have a record of at least 55001 b milk, • with < 1981 b butter-fat; a three-year-old heifer, 65001 b milk, with 23411) butterfat-: a four-year-old, 75001 b milk, with 2701 b butter-fat; and all animals over this age 85001 b milk, with 3061 b but-ter-fat. Tho results. must bo based on 365 days’ continuous milk yield from the date of calving. The scheme seems to have much to commend it, and should be worth consideration by dairy-farmers of this State. Tho one fundamental defect in it appears to bo that it takes no cognisance of the merit of the animals as judged by their conformity to breed -type. t * THE QUESTION OF SIRE-Dairy-farmers should remomber that the truth that the sire is half tho herd is only a half truth. He is as much more than half the herd as his prepotency exceeds that of each female parent in the herd. But how may it be known that a sire is prepotent before his prepotency has been actually proved as evidenced in the offspring? The question is of absorbing interest to the breeder, because • sires are usually chosen beforo they have begotten progeny. Other things being equal, a sire is prepotent in proportion to the duration of the. time that he has been puro-brod. This is on account of the continuous increase in tho dominant blood elements, which increase in duration of breeding without the . introduction of alien blood. Whether there is a time limit to this increase is as yet an unsettled question. Iri other words, it is hot certain- whether an animal from an ancestry bred pure for 1000 years will be appreciably more prepotent than one bred from an ancestry 'kept pure for 500-years. A sire is usually prepotent in proportion to whether he has been bred within the limits of one family for at least several generations or not. The closer tho relationship it , tho outset of such breeding, and the longer its duration, the more prepotent tho sire is likely to be. I OXEN AND HORSES. Mr. Wenman Coke, of Longford, in Derbyshire, about 1770, did all his ploughing and liome-carting with ox--1 en, which he harnessed in the same ’ manner as horses, save that their col--3 lars .were mado to buckle, as they ’ could not bo passed over the horns. 7 Tlio trace chains were fastened much I above the chest, almost in a line with II the animals’ backs. Mr. Coke adopted this plan because he found that in f such - harness oxen could draw much il better than they could in yokes, moved n 'faster, and were more handy. Mr. d Arthur Young,., who saw a team of oxen thus harnessed to a heavy load a of bricks, observed that not one horse e team in ten- epuld. have outwalked v them. Mr. Coke maintained that he could plough with four or five horses.