Farmers' Ordinary .sx By RALPH WHITLOCK .sx Is the N.F.U. minding its own business ?sx .sx MANY FARMERS MUST BE RESERVING JUDGMENT ON THE NEW SEEDS COMPANY , N.F.U. Seeds Industries , Ltd. It is , says the National Farmers' Union , a private company .sx One half of the 250,000 +1 shares will be taken up by merchants and one half by the N.F.U. Development Company .sx To the layman , however , it looks uncommonly like the N.F.U. entering another business on the familiar lines of " vertical integration " which is first cousin to " take-over .sx " The whole affair is puzzling .sx The aims of the new company are described as being :sx To develop production and promote the use of the best quality strains of British grown and bred herbage seeds , and to encourage the most efficient grassland management .sx To assist British merchants and farmers by providing a consistent range of mixtures for specified purposes chosen on the best technical advice .sx To provide for farmers , through the N.F.U. brand , a guarantee of authenticity and quality of the seeds used .sx To provide for improved buying , cleaning , processing , packing and distribution facilities to consumers at home and abroad .sx To bring about , by means of an adequate stock carry-over policy , greater price stability and constant supplies .sx An industry on its toes .sx ALL these are laudable objects , but is any one of them new ?sx If ever an industry was on its toes and eager to provide good service , I would have said it was the seed industry .sx The N.F.U. reports that " three firms have agreed to participate as main processors and distributors of the branded seed .sx " All are firms of the highest repute .sx But what of the many others not taking part ?sx Are their present services so inadequate that it is necessary for the N.F.U. to step in and improve matters ?sx What triggered off the move was a report , published last year , on the marketing of herbage seed .sx The N.F.U. was rightly concerned with ensuring that British seeds had at least an equal share in their home market with foreign seeds , and there is much , though not everything , to be said for a standardised product .sx Not everyone , though , would deplore " internecine competition " among seed firms .sx Some of us still believe that competition is healthy and conducive to efficiency .sx Perhaps the Union's new venture will prove its value .sx If there has to be " vertical integration , " it is probably better for farmers that the N.F.U. should be in control .sx Yet I , for one , am a little suspicious of this latest child .sx Dairy shorthorn decline .sx MR. G. N. GOULD , chairman of the Hampshire Cattle Breeders' Society , Ltd. , states that at the society's A.I. centre , demand for Friesian services continues to increase at the expense of the dairy shorthorn .sx Aberdeen-Angus are now suffering , too , for farmers who once crossed them with Friesians for beef are now breeding pure Friesians .sx Dairy shorthorns have also been making disappointing figures in the sale rings .sx Recently , of two shorthorn herds dispersed at Reading , one averaged +60 4s .sx , and the other only +43 4s .sx 11d .sx The highest price bid in both sales was 66 guineas .sx In the same week a Guernsey dispersal sale averaged +91 3s .sx 9d .sx ( this was for Overbury Farms , at Beckford Court , Overbury , Gloucestershire ) , 43 animals commanding three-figure prices .sx At Nun House , Winsford , Cheshire , Mr. T. Lea Sherwin's Stanthorne herd of Friesians averaged +118 17s .sx 2d .sx This present unpopularity of the shorthorn is , I feel sure , a passing phase which will be corrected .sx Consider the longevity of the breed .sx Theale Maud 12th , a dairy shorthorn cow owned by Mr. Hugh N. Haldin , of Court Lodge , Hinxhill , near Ashford , Kent , has achieved a new breed record by producing a total of 201,196lb .sx of milk ( with a butterfat yield of 7,371lb .sx ) in 12 lactations .sx At 16 years old she is still giving 35lb .sx of milk a day .sx Another thing I notice is that although entries for the Royal Dairy Show in October are down by 35 , the dairy shorthorn entry has risen by two .sx EQUIPMENT FOR THE FARM .sx By GEORGE JARRETT .sx Tele-Bins bring bulk transport and storage within reach of even the small farmer's pocket .sx BULK handling with its indisputable economies in time , cost and labour is something which must be exercising the minds of many people not only in farming and its ancillary industries , but also in industry .sx The tonnage which is moved on our farms must be colossal .sx In corn growing bulk handling is taking the place of sacks , while with fertilisers and lime , too , the tendency is towards the elimination of unnecessary handling .sx Here are the figures of some of the estimated losses which bulk handling can save .sx It has been suggested that in the building trade something like 30 per cent .sx of the sand purchased is lost in various ways while in heaps on building sites .sx In farming something like 2 1/2 per cent .sx of fertilisers may be left in the corners and creases of fertiliser bags after emptying .sx The same may apply to feedingstuffs .sx The solution to some of the problems is reasonable in price .sx Bulk handling so often makes one think of the latest bulk transporters costing around +5,000 , but I am now going to describe a movable container priced at about +118 .sx Making its debut on the agricultural and industrial market is the Amalgamated Limestone Corporation's Tele-Bin , made of light sheet steel with frames made of Stewart and Lloyd's new rectangular hollow section .sx The weight of the complete container is 5cwt .sx The bins measure 6ft .sx x 4ft .sx x 6ft .sx high , and have a capacity of 90cub .sx ft .sx - enough for two tons of fertiliser or feedingstuff or three tons of basic slag , lime , cement or any dry materials .sx More and more uses are being found for these portable bulk containers on estates and large farms .sx Agricultural merchants , too , are fast becoming enthusiasts .sx The railway is interested in the bins for sugar-beet .sx Overseas , they are suitable for many goods from coffee beans to any small root crop .sx The advantage of this system is that , having started with one bin , one can buy more to enlarge one's activities .sx For instance , the small farmer can buy but one in which to store feedingstuffs .sx Transporting the bins is simple with a flat-bottomed lorry or one with drop sides , either of which can be easily converted into a bulk carrier , with three bins fitting on to a 14ft .sx lorry .sx To obtain the maximum economy , one will need two sets of bins- one in transit and the other on the farm being loaded and unloaded .sx This brings the capital outlay up to about +690 for six bins , which is a tremendous saving on specialised bulk transport vehicles .sx These bins taper downwards to the outlet and are set in a frame having four telescopic legs on a 9in .sx diameter round base .sx The legs are attached to a gatelike frame which closes inward when not in use ; for instance , when the bin is lying on the lorry bed .sx On the lorry's arrival at its destination in farmyard or in field , these frames pull outwards whilst the telescopic legs are adjusted to rest on the ground .sx The width between the legs is 8ft .sx , and the height can be adjusted according to the height of the lorry by 18in .sx ( so that an ordinary box manure distributor can fit underneath the bins to be loaded when fertiliser is being handled) .sx For wider distributors a shute can be supplied which can be clipped on to the guide rails of the bin aperture .sx The bin covers are metal with a rubber ring inside , to keep out moisture and wet , enabling the fully loaded bin to be left in the open , protected against the weather and vermin .sx This protection from vermin is most important , particularly with feedingstuffs , and by itself can lead to big economies .sx The discharge aperture consists of two large flat plates which slide in opposite directions ( the handle is flat ) , giving positive opening and closing .sx These plates can be locked so that the contents cannot be touched except by removing the entire unit .sx Each of the four legs contains a simple screw jack with a thrust bearing which is operated telescopically inside of two tubes by a ratchet spanner :sx this enables the driver of a transporting vehicle to put off a fully loaded bin .sx Taking on the bin is a one-man job , too .sx For use with fertilisers the bins can be painted with anti-corrosive paint at extra cost .sx In any case , they can be painted for the sake of protection or in order to look smarter .sx This A.L.C. Tele-Bin was introduced at the Bath and West Show .sx I feel that it will bring the advantages of bulk handling to many who have previously been deterred by the thought of having to spend +4,000 , because one can literally start off with spending only about +118 for one of these bins ex works .sx Already considerable interest has been shown by county councils , which are eyeing the bins for road gritting ; many small builders should save money by buying the bins for holding sand , cement and similar materials ; farmers can use the bulk handling for fertilisers and for strategically located feedingstuff stores over the farm ; grain from the combines can be shot straight into the bins , later to be collected by the lorry and taken to dryer or mill .sx The bins can be insured , too .sx The Amalgamated Limestone Corporation ( Dept .sx B ) , Chipping Sodbury , Gloucestershire , will give more information or will arrange demonstrations .sx Farmers' Ordinary .sx By RALPH WHITLOCK .sx What goes on at Pirbright .sx WHENEVER an epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease erupts to spread despondency and send imprudent farmers running in panic to grab insurance policies , one of the by-products is sure to be a rash of letters to the Press demanding what Pirbright is up to .sx For at this Surrey village a team of scientists devote their lives , in the Research Institute for Animal Virus Diseases , to putting salt on the tails of the elusive microbe troublemakers .sx So painfully slow is this tricky operation that the impatience of the farmer , prejudiced by the fact that he has just lost the herd on which he has spent 20 years , can be appreciated .sx Especially as scientists , immersed in their world of embryo chicks and suckling mice and being , in any case , by training ultra-cautious , are seldom very good at publicity .sx Papers such as Purification of the Virus of Foot-and-Mouth Disease by Fluorocarbon Treatment and its Dissociation from Neutralising Antibody , one of the latest Pirbright publications , do not assist public relations , valuable though they are from other points of view .sx The reasons for slaughtering .sx ONCE every five years , however , the Institute issues a report .sx Here is the latest , just out , a modest half-crown's worth in which Mr. S. W. Cheveley , chairman of the governing body , and his scientific henchmen tell us how they have been using their time and our money since 1956 .sx One thing we learn is that , far from shutting their eyes to the existence of vaccines in extensive use in other parts of the world , as is often alleged , Pirbright actually manufactures these vaccines .sx In fact , two years ago the demand for them became so great that the staff very nearly arrived at the point of stopping research work in order to concentrate on manufacture .sx Fortunately the Wellcome Foundation stepped in and took over this side of the work , leaving the scientists to get on with their proper job .sx Why then are we without vaccines to stop the drain on our flocks and herds ?sx In the first place , although a major epidemic is a spectacular disaster , the general casualties resulting from the disease in Britain still amount to less than 0.5 per cent .sx This is lower than would probably be achieved by a vaccination policy , and we would be paying the penalty of allowing the disease to become endemic .sx The other reason for sticking to the slaughter policy is that there are seven known strains of foot-and-mouth disease virus .sx Without the drastic measure of slaughter we might find ourselves invaded by one of the Asian or African viruses from which we are so far mercifully free .sx [END]