THE LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 281, 25 November 1921, Page 9

THE LAND.

B7 AGRICOLA-

MOSS IN PASTURES

««« in pasture indicates undesirable Tuitions, though it may appear £ n on good land in winter. Th ls be c the heavy land becomes very , nn the surface, and, while graeses d fnot growing at that sceon of the S I conditioue are favourable for Xfidant, which is of surface growth and 2C % Mttle support. However, Ze i* gew»». v s< " no T rty / Zto a« ount for il - ■ Apilr - fro 1" i'fne eucoeesive wet I. a frequent «» Jloss does not appear on well--5,,« l soil. The Br«t procedure in Lird to eradication is to drain the !S follow this with a dressing of lime, d later with fertiliser such as baeio "i j This encourages grasses and lover* to grow, and prevents the Iblislmicnt of moss. Harrowing does L permanently destroy, but it assists to do 60 ty opening the surface. On lisbt poor land an application of fertil&re will be found remarkably effective.

jjIPOKTANCE OF A PURE-BRED SIBE.

la these days of rapid advancement in He practical application of the ecience „{ agriculture every farmer knows that improved live stock is more profitable alike to the individual breeder and to the Dominion ac a whole than are the scrub animals still so numerous; that lorSte of good conformation, large eize, B i sound in wind and limb do more wrk in less time and sell for higher prices than do their inferior mates: that blocky beef animals with wide backs and loins are in greater demand than slablided animals that stand high on the It-g; that milch eiftre of one of the recognised dairy breeds are more efficient producers of milk and butter than are the nondescript specimens found in come ot" our herds; and that in our improved pig breeds we 'have animals best suited to one of our basic industries. Unfortunately, while ■Wβ all knenv and taeniae all Of these facts, many have neglected to put this knowledge into practice, with the result that on our i»ms there is a larger percentage of inferior animals in the herds and inferior sires at the heads of these herds than ie good for either the individual of the live stock industry in general. By some the question may be asked, TYhat way do pure-bred circs pay?" The answer is that, having been long and carefully selected for certain desirable qualities, they are able to transmit these qualities to their offspring iv a high degree. . These qualities vary with the claae of animal, but include weight , tod power in draught horeea -, speed and agility in light horees; unifo:*nity in eize, quality, and early maturity in meat animals; and increased production in various animal products. The better quality and greater quantity of tliefie products in turn bring about higher prices and greater returns. Oj tile other haiid, crossbred sires not luring the years of careful selection for desirable qualities, it is impossible for item te pass them on to their offspring, therefore production and retwßtteiiot to be expected. In other wonfe, ire have retrogression instead of progression. Instances of the improvement brought about bjt pure-bred sires are not WntMβ- The yearly milk production of M*s Urn ordinary dame and' sired by pure-bred bulb of high quality has been teMMd is: Much Aβ CO per cent, and ttc fat'pr&duction increased by 50 per Mat. In the second generation the iterSSse. in milk production over the originalI dame ha ß gone as high as 130 »rart, and the inereaee in fat produc"»n.Rβ higli as 100 per cent. In one teat with cheep the use of a pure-bred sire on a grade flock increased WTOlpraduction from 51b per animal ™ Btro per animal the firet cross. There "* »lso coneiderable improvement from «c mntton point af riew. ■»{ v? construct our practices to con"fffl with qur knowledge of aniniftl filing and plan lo head our studs, Snt? • herds with the ver y b *«t PirMred sues available. CAta OF THE FRESHENING : dairy cow. iSl U f°. WS are a-lkwed to go dry lor h.S 6 ?' 1 ' len^h of fcime to P ut ta «« In most large herds, •» W !H*ebr«d 'herds, the tows are bZ *° rest and fleeh U P ' <l^i-- reSh t f nin e' feut less experienced ftS W anEfe to r& ™P"*te, .ad are at ****« time. Augbe state that a ww fa girc more •a WMtfLf , dried off for a P eriod of wecke before calving than if she is •taS-W , ,^ ,, ! fact that milk P roduc " *t , rk ' Md th « cow g«te no rStt hcT . b y drying her off. It mS?£5- HUd to* the effect of <txt is t0 the *»-2 klee °^mtio ns do not t S h tat6mfent - Injury to %r L h ™ the °»« «• likely to •■* in „„„ m l rf a™»» Wy thin concbtiOn «» calf niiy be J but the "W»*§L taJce care of the foetus of £,, CXpwt toat the dwible Vtoiactiaa. and' the ""W fa?, .t tune of freshening Ie di«i ry to herseU - *C V^*' 8B ° f milkS 4ot £? the CasC - llcr body lit W. a ch ance to nesh tip, *C W rC f dOGS not her a agS,. «"«Htk>!, for heavy 5 S + c «reumsto Mes . Under **. Joni i 1 tfl "° months will not .bo feswi%-s S "f)," 01 <lrawn ifc vriu 1" With Soro perTiddfflt^f those whioh

Good pasture is aboiA a.ll tlie dry cow needs if ehe is in good flesh. Her condition should guide the owner as to what to feed. The principal point to consider, aside from her general health, is that she should be in goo<l flesh at calving, so that she may have some Teserve with which to begin at a high level of production. Exercise should accompany good feeding, and if she is on good pasture she will, without extra cure, get the 'best kind -of exercise. If a cow is in poor condition she will need * "enerous ration to put her in good flesh, and When feeding one should remeiwber that she is carrying a calf which will require extra feed.

THE CLAIM ON THE SOW. It is difficult to substantiate the claim Uwtf. early weaning is profitaible ■because of the saving of the time of the sow. The other domestic animals of the farm have far lees maternail duties than come to her share. The win, the cow and the ewe produce young but once a year, and usually that progeny is re■presented by one individual, with tlie sow- i-» js a litter twice a year T.his i* realised but by very few breeders, fiiat. the sow manufactures In each lijßwe-.dac tbe form of skin, bone fr*ji.2»>* this twice a year is the strain of %™A*&J**&*<> famiKw with a full Qj-lEilk. There is a limit to the ability of the cow to produce and rear 'litters of strong licaJthy stock It cann-ot .bo reasonaWe to hasten the arrival <rf each Utter. e* l tJlr«*?h We i l to , COneidw the meaning of e^en the two litters a. rear. This mrini out at the production'of the usual ZZ"I 32 , week - "«'ing them 18 weeks, and for 'bogettins in ni<r f our that the most reasonable age for wian mg is a-bout eight weeks = L lor wc »-n-