FARMING NEWS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 204, 29 July 1937, Page 5

FARMING NEWS.

RURAL RAKIXGS. Nearly £60.000 has been paid out in extra payments to the suppliers of eleven North Taranaki dairy companies this season, and il appears that a further equal amount will he distributed before all companies have completed their payments for the season. For twin heifer calves to be horn within ten days of one another was an unusual event which occurred recently on a farm at Pokeno. The calves were Hilly develop ed, and both are thriving. A few days previously another cow on the farm gave birth to twins. During the year the supervision of the grading of all classes of meat at the various freezing works has received the usual close attention by the board’s supervising graders and the loading and discharge of vessels has also received careful inspection by the board’s officeis. The attention which has been given to the garding by the hoard is evidenced by the fact that quality aims are to-day rarely heard of. ’I he efficiency of our grading system must, inspire confidence in buyers.—Extract from the annual report of the New Zealand Meat 1 Producer’ Under the British Government's scheme to assist agriculture, the campaign for the eradication of diseases is estimated to cost about £600,000 a year for the first four years. The importance of the campaign may be judged from the official estimate that the cost of the diseases in Britain is £14.000,000 a year. This includes poultry losses which are calculated at £4,000,000 a year. The Gowland-Honkins Report estimated that 58 per cent, of the replacement of cows in the dairy herds was due to disease. At present the average milkbearing life of a coiv is only about 4j years or less, whereas it ought to be eight.