Farmer and Stockbreeder (Specially Written for the "Auckland Star.")

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 73, 27 March 1929, Page 25

Farmer and Stockbreeder (Specially Written for the "Auckland Star.")

DAIRYING DEVELOPMENT.

ON BBCONI>-CLASB COUNTRY.

NEW METHODS SUGGESTED.

Much has been heard of recent years of the so-called "drift to the towns,* but in the absence of suitable land settler ment and encouragement by the Government this has not been surprising. Ever since the boom years land has tended to be higher in price than the prices received for primary products warranted. The result has been that aggregation has been going on, new settlement is at a standstill, a)JI hundreds of well-trained farm workers with moderate capital, are unable to find satisfactory properties. Various remedies have been proposed, but little of a practical nature has been brought forward, the difficulty being that by the time the Government acquires and opens land for settlement, the cost has become so great that the settlers have very modest chances of success. What then, is the solution of the problem? Large areas of second and third-class land await development in New Zealand, while further areas at present used for sheep farming are suitable, under closer settlement methods, for dairy fanning. With all the best land in the Dominion now producing, 11. is obvious that future increases in production of primary products must come from better utilisation of the land already being farmed. In addition science may find some way of successfully utilising large areas of comparatively barren country such as exist in the Taupo district. The proposals put forward recently by Mr. Poison of the Farmers' Union, appear to be amongst the best so far advanced for a solution. Briefly his scheme is that boys should be regularly apprenticed to farmers for a period of at least three years, after which they should be able to secure land. This land would be second-class country, which would be developed up to a stage at the expense of the Government, and which, when so developed, would be capable of giving them reasonable opportunities of success. There are dangers in the scheme, of course, but it cannot be condemned for these. The apprenticeship problem connotes responsibility on the part of both the farmers and the boys, and results with other scheme* of this nature have shown that there are some farmers at least who cannot be relied upon to accept that responsibility, but who in reality are looking only for cheap labour. A second difficulty arises in the question as to what stage the land should be developed before being handed over to the young settlers. That, however, is a matter which can be settled when all is in working order. New Pasture Methods. Great advances have been made in recent years in the pasture management methods followed on second-class land devoted to dairying, and it is now possible to greatly increase production on land that was previously reverting to fern and secondary growth. Instances of this may be found in the North Auckland district where intensive management of portion of the farm has been found more satisfactory than the handling of the area as a whole. On second-class land which is inclined to revert to scrub and fern, it is possible, by efficient management, to keep down the fern, improve the pastures, and produce more butterfat per acre. The secret of success is in handling a small area at a time, logging up and burning thoroughly, then sowing down and top-dressing. It thus comes about that the 500-acre sheep farm which hae gradually reverted, may be brought gradually back into a state of fertility as a dairy farm. That production will be enormously increased where this system is followed, goes almost without saying.

It is only when land is subdivided into small paddocks that intensive methods can be successfully practised. The trouble with the sheep farm and its 100acre paddock is that this cannot be handled efficiently. When that paddock is divided off into ten padocks, and when these are cleared and stumped, burnt off and sown down with grass, a very big step towards pasture rejuvenation has been taken.

It has often been suggested that this method is too costly; that the time and labour spent in clearing and increasing productivity are not repaid by the sub■equent increase in production. This can be proved only by actual experience, and that is difficult to secure. The writer has known of success with this intensive method, but he could not have vouched for the labour cost, so that instances would have been valueless- In the North Auckland district recently, however, some settlers have successfully carried out this type of management, and acting in collaboration with an officer of the Agricultural Department, kept a record of their costs. It was found that the total cost of logging-up, reeowing and burning was only £2 3/ per acre. The work was done by the farmers themselves, being regarded as part of the ordinary farm routine.

The idea of these farmers was proved absolutely sound. They considered that it would pay them better to concentrate on a portion of the farm, leaving the balance in standing bush. As a result, instead of having a large area all reverting to secondary growth, they have today a well-grassed portion, subdivided into small paddocks and grazed in rotation, and an area of bush.

Value of Experience

Their experience has an application for practically every district in which dairying is carried out* for although there may be no tendency to reversion, it is well for farmers to recognise that a small area well-managed will often give better results than a large area mismanaged.

In every district where land is in process of being broken in from virgin forest, or where the pastures have been laid down for comparatively few years, there are farms on which logging-up and resowing would work wonders. This is true of a considerable part of the King Country, of portions of the back country in Poverty Bay and Hawke's Bay, and, indeed, of any district in New Zealand. One has only to look at a paddock strewn over with logs to realise that a very considerable area is useless from • production viewpoint. Surely it is better to deal effectively with these ana— before attempting to break-in eore new

The development of dairying over a wider area, and the handling of large tracts of Becond and third class land on community lines such as are practised in Western Australia in the group settlements, offer great possibilities for the future; it is not too much, indeed, to say that they offer the major opportunities. Others will doubtless come with the breaking-up of certain suitable large estates, but these in themselves will never be sufficient to satisfy the land hunger which undoubtedly exists in New Zealand to-day. MINERAL MATTER FOR DAIRY COWS. In the publication of the E.J.C.S., known as "The Jersey Cow," Mr. R. Wightman discusses "Mineral Matter and the Feeding of Dairy Cows." He relates that when a. plant is burnt ash is left which contains potash, soda, lime, magnesia, oxide of iron, phosphoric and sulphuric acids, chlorine, iodine, etc. On burning an animal body a similar ash is left, containing the elements noted above and being particularly rich in phosphoric acid and lime. It has long been realised that these substances are not only important, but vitally necessary, adds Mr. Wightman. The animal needs the mineral matter in the plant to build up its bone—bone consisting largely of phosphate of lime—and also in connection with the blood stream, gland secretion, and in fact all vital functions Although the importance of the mineral matter in the food has long been realised; it has been generally supposed that under ordinary farm conditions the animal would obtain more than enough to satisfy its requirements. This suppositio® wan probably correct for the system of farming in course when the science of feeding was first seriously investigated by Kellner 25 years ago. In the oase of dairy cows, there is less likelihood of mineral deficiency becoming serious than with pigs; although heavymilking cows and cattle kept indoors throughout the winter may not be able to obtain their requirements. Pasture grass on land not exceptionally acid is well supplied with lime, and there is little likelihood of shortage during the summer grazing period. Good meadow hay contains 1 per cent of lime, and .4 per cent phosphoric acid; good clover hay is still richer. Thus 161b of meadow hay— a usual ration for an Bewt Jersey cow— would contain .161b of lime and .0641b of phosphoric acid. The experiments of Kellner show that an Bcwt dairy cow required .1001b of lime and .Oollb of phosphoric acid for maintenance, while for the production of each gallon of milk approximately .0451b of lime and .0371b of phosphoric acid are required. A normal production ration for a cow yielding two gallons of milk per day might be made up as follows: Decorticated cotton cake, 1 part; linseed cake, 1 part; rice meal, 2 pajts; maize gluten feed, 2 parts; and palm kernel cake, 1 part. Fed at the rate of 341b per gallon. Such a ration is approximately correct from the point of view of digestible protein and starch equivalent, and has been extensively used. It would supply .0071b of lime, and .0611b of phosphoric acid in each gallon ration. COSTS OF HORSE AND MOTOR TRANSPORT. It can now be taken as an accepted | fact that for ordinary trade purposes «>f townß and cities, in distributive trades, cartage of goods, market gardening, and in the work of local authorities, tlie horse is (says "The Live Stock Review," of England) much cheaper than the motor on a daily computation of work and working within a radius of from four to six miles. There are many ways in which the horse is cheaper, while his reduced speed is no disadvantage on short routes. Horse-drawn vehicles are untaxed, while the horse is long-lived and intelligent. He can be driven by comparatively unskilled men. and while standing is not consuming fuel. For collecting and delivering in the narrow streets of the business parts of certain cities and for loading at warehouses where entrances are too narrow for the ordinary motor vehicles, horses are more adaptable. The cost of a heavy draught commercial horse (so the National Horse Association of Great Britain tells us) is from £50 to £75, and the cost of a wagon for same is approximately £90 to £110. The cost of a van horse is between £40 and £50, and the van about £70 to £SO. The average service of a commercial horse is approximately eight years, though many of them last much longer; the life of a wagon varies from 10 to 20 years and over jl kept in condition. The cost of a 25-cwt motor lorry is from £160 to £400, with a license of about £26; while the average life is five to six years, according to mileage run. The cost of a 4-ton motor lorry is between £750 and £850, with a license up to about £48 to £60 per annum. The average life is between six to seven years. In addition, insurance and depreciation are a very heavy item where motor transport is concerned. For the same capital as required for a heavy motor lorry five or even six first-class hor6e vans can be put on the road, having a total capacity of from 8 to 12 tons. Each van can cover a different area, while the total depreciation on the lot will not exceed £60 per annum. WOUNDS TO THE FEET. Broken glass or other sharp objects will pierce the thin hoof on the cow, whose horny sole, habitually moist, offers little resistance. A wounded sole should be opened and some blood allowed to flow. If a poultice of bran or roots, with some carbolic or other disinfectant, can be applied, it is the best way of getting out foreign matter; failing this, a piece of resin ointment placed on tow or cotton wool and tightly bandaged on may prove effective. Many pricks of the feet will heal if a strong antiseptic is poured on to and soaked into the orifice, but a free vent is advisable unless the lameness is lessened on the third day.