farmers &apos; ordinary . by Ralph Whitlock . is the N.F.U minding its own business ? many farmers must be reserving judgment on the new seeds company , N.F.U seeds industries , Ltd . it is , says the national farmers &apos; union , a private company . one half of the 250,000 &amp;pound;1 shares will be taken up by merchants and one half by the N.F.U development company . 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 . the whole affair is puzzling . the aims of the new company are described as being : 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 . to assist British merchants and farmers by providing a consistent range of mixtures for specified purposes chosen on the best technical advice . to provide for farmers , through the N.F.U brand , a guarantee of authenticity and quality of the seeds used . to provide for improved buying , cleaning , processing , packing and distribution facilities to consumers at home and abroad . to bring about , by means of an adequate stock carry-over policy , greater price stability and constant supplies . an industry on its toes . all these are laudable objects , but is any one of them new ? if ever an industry was on its toes and eager to provide good service , I would have said it was the seed industry . the N.F.U reports that three firms have agreed to participate as main processors and distributors of the branded seed . all are firms of the highest repute . but what of the many others not taking part ? are their present services so inadequate that it is necessary for the N.F.U to step in and improve matters ? what triggered off the move was a report , published last year , on the marketing of herbage seed . 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 . not everyone , though , would deplore internecine competition among seed firms . some of us still believe that competition is healthy and conducive to efficiency . perhaps the union &apos;s new venture will prove its value . if there has to be vertical integration , it is probably better for farmers that the N.F.U should be in control . yet I , for one , am a little suspicious of this latest child . dairy shorthorn decline . Mr G N Gould , chairman of the Hampshire cattle breeders &apos; society , Ltd , states that at the society &apos;s A.I centre , demand for Friesian services continues to increase at the expense of the dairy shorthorn . Aberdeen-Angus are now suffering , too , for farmers who once crossed them with Friesians for beef are now breeding pure Friesians . dairy shorthorns have also been making disappointing figures in the sale rings . recently , of two shorthorn herds dispersed at Reading , one averaged &amp;pound;60 4 s , and the other only &amp;pound;43 4 s 11 d . the highest price bid in both sales was 66 guineas . in the same week a Guernsey dispersal sale averaged &amp;pound;91 3 s 9 d ( this was for Overbury Farms , at Beckford Court , Overbury , Gloucestershire ) , 43 animals commanding three-figure prices . at Nun House , Winsford , Cheshire , Mr T Lea Sherwin &apos;s Stanthorne herd of Friesians averaged &amp;pound;118 17 s 2 d . this present unpopularity of the shorthorn is , I feel sure , a passing phase which will be corrected . consider the longevity of the breed . 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 201,196 lb of milk ( with a butterfat yield of 7,371 lb ) in 12 lactations . at 16 years old she is still giving 35 lb of milk a day . 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 . equipment for the farm . by George Jarrett . Tele-Bins bring bulk transport and storage within reach of even the small farmer &apos;s pocket . 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 . the tonnage which is moved on our farms must be colossal . 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 . here are the figures of some of the estimated losses which bulk handling can save . it has been suggested that in the building trade something like 30 per cent of the sand purchased is lost in various ways while in heaps on building sites . in farming something like 2 1/2 per cent of fertilisers may be left in the corners and creases of fertiliser bags after emptying . the same may apply to feedingstuffs . the solution to some of the problems is reasonable in price . bulk handling so often makes one think of the latest bulk transporters costing around &amp;pound;5,000 , but I am now going to describe a movable container priced at about &amp;pound;118 . making its debut on the agricultural and industrial market is the amalgamated limestone corporation &apos;s Tele-Bin , made of light sheet steel with frames made of Stewart and Lloyd &apos;s new rectangular hollow section . the weight of the complete container is 5 cwt . the bins measure 6 ft x 4 ft x 6 ft high , and have a capacity of 90 cub ft - enough for two tons of fertiliser or feedingstuff or three tons of basic slag , lime , cement or any dry materials . more and more uses are being found for these portable bulk containers on estates and large farms . agricultural merchants , too , are fast becoming enthusiasts . the railway is interested in the bins for sugar-beet . overseas , they are suitable for many goods from coffee beans to any small root crop . the advantage of this system is that , having started with one bin , one can buy more to enlarge one &apos;s activities . for instance , the small farmer can buy but one in which to store feedingstuffs . 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 14 ft lorry . 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 . this brings the capital outlay up to about &amp;pound;690 for six bins , which is a tremendous saving on specialised bulk transport vehicles . these bins taper downwards to the outlet and are set in a frame having four telescopic legs on a 9 in diameter round base . 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 . on the lorry &apos;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 . the width between the legs is 8 ft , and the height can be adjusted according to the height of the lorry by 18 in ( so that an ordinary box manure distributor can fit underneath the bins to be loaded when fertiliser is being handled ) . for wider distributors a shute can be supplied which can be clipped on to the guide rails of the bin aperture . 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 . this protection from vermin is most important , particularly with feedingstuffs , and by itself can lead to big economies . the discharge aperture consists of two large flat plates which slide in opposite directions ( the handle is flat ) , giving positive opening and closing . these plates can be locked so that the contents can not be touched except by removing the entire unit . 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 : this enables the driver of a transporting vehicle to put off a fully loaded bin . taking on the bin is a one-man job , too . for use with fertilisers the bins can be painted with anti-corrosive paint at extra cost . in any case , they can be painted for the sake of protection or in order to look smarter . this A.L.C Tele-Bin was introduced at the Bath and west show . 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 &amp;pound;4,000 , because one can literally start off with spending only about &amp;pound;118 for one of these bins ex works . 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 . the bins can be insured , too . the amalgamated limestone corporation ( Dept B ) , Chipping Sodbury , Gloucestershire , will give more information or will arrange demonstrations . farmers &apos; ordinary . by Ralph Whitlock . what goes on at Pirbright . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . the reasons for slaughtering . once every five years , however , the institute issues a report . here is the latest , just out , a modest half-crown &apos;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 . 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 . 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 . fortunately the Wellcome foundation stepped in and took over this side of the work , leaving the scientists to get on with their proper job . why then are we without vaccines to stop the drain on our flocks and herds ? 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 . 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 . the other reason for sticking to the slaughter policy is that there are seven known strains of foot-and-mouth disease virus . 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 . 