144 Journal of Agriculture. [9 March, 1908. 



DESCRIPTION OF APPLE. 



James Lang, Harcourt. 



Stone Pippin. 



Fruit above medium size, three to four inches wide at the base, and 

 three inches high tapering towards the apex ; fruit regular and even in 

 its outline. Eye small and closed, set in a wide deep plaited basin ; 

 stalk short, inserted in a wide deep cavity, the base being strewed with 

 patches of russet. Skin greenish yellow on the shaded side and some- 

 times flushed with red on the side next the sun ; flesh white with a green 

 tinge, and very hard and firm. Keeps in condition a long time — -in 

 season from April till November. The tree is a very strong upright 

 grower and crops well ; leaves light green above and crinkled showing 

 the underside of the leaf which is very downy — the foliage is quite distinct 

 from all other apples. 



This variety is probably an Australian Seedling, no mention of it 

 being made of it in "Hogg" or "Downing." 



BREEDING FOR THE DAIRY. 



J . S. McFadzean, Dairy Supervisor. 



Apart from the hygienic control of the conditions under which dairying is 

 carried on, perhaps the principal object of the Milk and Dairy Supervision 

 Act is to assist towards an increase of the output of dairy-produce in the 

 State, by giving all farmers who require it information and personal 

 instruction regarding the feeding and breeding of their stcck. In cariying 

 out the supervision work a very common question for a supervisor to be 

 asked is — "What is the best breed of cattle for the dairyman "? This 

 inquiry often comes from the owner of a mongrel herd, who, seeing his 

 cattle as they are "being seen," is possessed of a sudden desire to im- 

 prove : but there are also many beginners each year who are seeking 

 information on this subject to the end that, by starting on right lines, they 

 may the sooner have their business established on a paying basis. The 

 answer usually given in print to this question is that there is no "best 

 breed," meaning that there is no breed of cattle which will prove the 

 most profitable under all variations of local, seasonal or climatic condi- 

 tions. This, while correct, is still an incomplete answer ; and requires 

 for its further elucidation that the principal qualifications possessed by 

 the various breeds should be considered. 



Taking the pure-bred stock of this State in their relative bearing to 

 the dairying industry only three breeds are numerically strong enough to 

 be commented on; viz., the Jersey, the Ayrshire, and the Milking Short- 

 horn. Each of these is spoken of by stockmen as possessing what are 

 known as " breed characteristics " that are supposed to render it especially 

 adapted for some particular branch of dairying ; but it is not at all 

 uncommon to altogether overlook the very decided influence that environ- 

 ment has on all animals. The claims made by the admirers of the 

 Milking Shorthorn are based on its being a " general -purpose " cow; 

 because, in addition to being a producer of a large quantity of milk of 



