THE LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 99, 28 April 1922, Page 11

THE LAND.

By AOBICOLA. THE TSST OF THE PROGENY. Evidence show? (1) that in the transmission of milking qualities, the Sire plays a* important a part as Uhe dam: (-2)' that, while both should have -t milking pedigree. ancestral merit alone will not insure the transmission oi milking qualities: (3) that, to secure the, bust results, the progressive improvement pedigree should he confirmed by performance. A pedigree bull . does not always get -good daughters. - His true merit can only he judged "by a progeny test. i ~ DEEP PWHTGHING. Deep ploughing, hesides giving "body" to the soil and producing a sufficiently deep tilth for growing heavy crops, actually restores to the top soil some percentage of the lime and other artificial fertilisers which tend to sink into-the subsoil. The subsoil is not: devoid of plant food, as some suppose, "but it -soirjetinies contains material t-hat is harmful to the growing plants. When exposed to the action of frost and rain, these harmful suustanees ara washed . away, and the soil, .works down -to a fine, clean tilth in the spring time. IMPROVED BREEDING. The milk records of a heifer, or cow provide the information "which, taken.in conjunction with type, 'constitution. ..and "breeding, powers, .will, enable.an owner to j decide which, cows shpuld be retained as the foundation cows of a herd, and which hull should be purchased, as, .likely, to raise the standard of. the herd. " One important-point, to -breeders- .is,- it -. has been shown by a study of; herd records, that a good-milking cow- is -not" necessarily a breeder 'of-rgppdij-dairy stock. The. ability; of a cow. to. transmit her productive qualities is distinct from the possession of "these qualities. She may pass them on or she may not. It is-.iy milk records'.that we find out: the cows which are good in' themselves, and that we find out-also to what extenttheir progeny inherit their good qualities. If the average dairy, farmer is to.-get the full of records in "breeding he must be prepared to kqep good cows, which also breed.good'stock to a greater age than has been customary. Further, in respect of-"bulls, the-farmer must be prepared to follow the example'of some pedigree breeders and: -keep a. pedigree hull which throws promising heiferß until these: heifers-come, into milk; if' they milk well the value of the bull is increased, in spite of his age; if they milk poorly the breeder's', -judgment was at fault. In order to-make progress a breeder must be prepared to take some risk. INBREEDING. -Many people, have a-tgreat prejudice against in-breeding. -When they got sheep or..any:other.:.animal:"true to type aimed at, the surest way to fix that, type - was .by' judicious in-breeding. '.'"-The. lecturer., was satisfied from" a'Jong-.experi-ence .jthafc-. linei -breeding,--which• -was- a -modified' '{form of ln_%iJ6eding, 'was' the surest arid perhaps only way to preserve typciand'imiformity..' He Vas. quite-.con-vinced thati sires comirig from "such: flocks . would -prove far-' more ; impregßive> sires : , bred. : on haphazard!-lines. ?Oiie- ofat-tße chief, reasons- why-some.-: breeders'.-sheep fluctuated, from .'year .to year; .and .were uneven in -type: was :;: breeders had not grasped the laws-that govern lieredity, r and had,-not-learned the lessons that nature.revealed only to her most diligent students.. .He would not recommend any man to go in for pedigree breeding unless he was an enthusiast, prepared-toglve-carefut-tliought and study .to thg question, r There were many men breeding pedigree stock who would be more profitably; employed breeding crossbreds. He advised' anyone contemplating breeding -any kind of pure-bred ;: stock to-start with, the-very-best they could afford, even -' if • they started with fewer. Life.-.was:tOovshort-to grade up, and it was the work "of-an .expert. TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH SANITATION. Sterilisation is a much u*M terra, and T.means the- rendering -of, lining- niattex incapable of reproducing itself or M fur.ther growth and idevelppment. If it is Tised in reference ..to germ. lifc,as .we irsu. ally refer to it tiie total, and complete" -destruction.of all. ..the'...organisms . is, meant. Pasteurisation means tOii'y.. a; partial stei'ilisation.of. a, only_those germs are.,killed that- can be. killed at -very-low •"temperatures, while' ithost rthat-require^;lHgher -terupei;atu--es; ■tre only hindered- in their growth. T-lie,, -latter .metlliod-is.used.ain.ihe. -prepCj::tlion or-fppd, products- for ihum'iiv.cpiwump-* tion. are.- also -called. ;germi- ; .cities;: they destroy- or,, kill-.-the nisms that cause'disease. Anti-septics. aro;,agents -that, prevent- del inhibit-the-: growth, and- development of -.germs.-'.'oh organisms'' that cause piitrefaction, de-; caV,.fermentation or disease. • Deodorants •ordepdafiser3 are agents that destrpy.- or counteract, foul or ohjectionable odours/; From the above it. is evident that a disinfectanti-may -also, be,,-aTi,-antiseotie end a-deodorant: an antiseptic cannot however, be a disinfectant, because it does not. 'kill..the.organisms. A deodorant may .also-, boi antiseptic or a disinfectant,- or Vice versa. There is : nfc. : lie- of separation ."between,, e.orne of these ■ isuhstairces. : under certain' conditions. •■ I etnts on founding-a herd "•' opVpigs. ;In choosing a- sow that is to act a«sthe foundation of the herd, one must look for cer l tajn„poiuts,. wliethcr,she-be a.,.pedigree or non-pydigree. animal, p.or:.in6,t9nce, no enter, a.'herd,Atnless.;she;.w.ere long, and,bad,.plenty of./width,, foi' 'Ms essential thati-ifrthe bejjft prolific mother «heS must have -plentyh of. room to carry her pigs. " ; A' little, narrow';;s.ow, ias, no .chance. -df producing a big litter/-, of .healthy In the type of sow .which is, our ideal, and there would be twelve, njcely-placed -feats, she would he able,4o-iSUCr.-le that number of pigs,- even :t*hqugh perhaps ->ye raight only.alpave; ten .on "her-if. we-"cori-sidercd -the* foil dozert t;oo-ipany. ,As regards the"hams, these should, ; be well-filled, and meated right; down to the hocks so kB to forrrt a :gpod second.-ha.m. 3iis is important, a.-i even a pedigree gig finds -its ultimate fate at- ih& liands-of the? butcher, where such things will .count greatly in its -favour." <Ag. everyone knows, the hacon type of Pig is altogether longer and stands on higher, legs thandoes the porker'gig* and therefore, in .choosing" the. sow..,it .is as 7 cl l IQ.hear, in. nuiul "tiie kind„of.pig. one is aiming- to breed. If .a general, utility *° w ., ls .4ceded, those whicli stand ,oh,wellBlacedniedium lehgthalegs are to ;be-pre-"fetred. 'Again, aeow'tha-t moves.well is S«« Tight to choose, for ir.-t&e,. "plan

is to go in for pigs which will graze for part of their living, what one requires is the sow whicli can move easiiv and quickly. There is a wide divergence of opinion as to the right.age at which the gilt should be mated, and no hard and fast rule-can be laid down for this .important event, but all the hest judges are in agreement that mating should never take- place .until the-gilt is at least eight months old; some good judges arc of opinion' that it is wiser to leave a gilt a while-longer if it is desired to keep her on as a brood sow, for by delaying the time of mating it appears that a"gilt will m.the end last longer. It is certainly not wise to put the gilt to the boar, until her constitution has had time to form, and her frame to become matured-for the work in hand. It to waste a few months, and then breed-from a good-sized' sow with a chance, of getting a well-grown and healthy litter of pigs than to be in too great a.hurry and breed a lot of wretched weaklings. --Naturally, the man who wishes to found a -first-rate, herd will be most careful as ~to the-pedigrees of the sows he is to use as a foundation, and here; we would remark that many of the best herds of pigs in the country have arisen from quite moderate beginnings. It is worth remembering that it is not always the boar or sow who wins all the big prjzes„tluit; will turn out a.first-rate breeder. Frequently.one finds that animals -who have never seen the show yard are producing progenj- second to none and fit to go and win in any company. > At -one.;tinie fanners did nojt pay a* as they might have done to the question of prolificacy jn their sows, hut now the times have very considerably changed, and every one knows that a sow producing only* five or six pigs at a .farrow, cannot pay her way. If a man wishes to make a. Hying out of pig breeding he must take the trouble to find out which are his best breeding sows. • j-ggwragaggg-jgwilggiiam^g