WINTERING THE HERD.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 2211, 5 September 1910, Page 7

WINTERING THE HERD.

There i 3 hardly any use in a farmer engaging in the milk or butter trads unless hs prepares his cows for the ordeal. Nobody is clever enough in this world to make something out of nothing, and the cov; cannot be expected to make milk in great quantities unless she gets food enough and fair treatment at every turn of the road. If you starve your cows this winter do not expect them to yield a great quantity ci butter next sum- ! mer. It is beyond their power to 'do so. The practice of allowing the seasons to regulate the condition and profit of farm live stock is far too common. It is, no doubt, true that j animals which are half starved in ! winter can be soon restored in the spring, but that process, it should always be remembered is done at the expense of milk, or flesh or wool. The rule applies to all kinds of farm I stock. Once you let them go down in condition, a lot of time and trouble is necessary to bring them up again, and all the while this is going on there is no profit being earned. When the cows, for instance, are reduced to skin and bone in the winter months it needs no argument .to prove that such animals cannot 1 yield as much milk or butter the following summer as others which i have received a little better treatment, and whose conditions has been , steadily maintained by a little extra 1 food. The starvation plan, I have | often noticed, whether intentional or unavoidable, does not bring any satisfaction or profit to the owner of the stock. WINTER GREEN CROPS. ! Throughout the coastal districts [ there is a fair amount of feed for ! stock, but nowhere is the grass so abundant or so promising that the sowing of a few acres of green crops | for winter feed can be safely dis- { pensed with. Given moderately } showery weather during the next i month, the graes will be likely to ; shoot up vigorously, and this will ; relieve and requirements ; but the | winter months are usually bleak, and : especially trying on dairy cattle ; which happen to be in low condition. I Moreover, the autumn spring of I grass may be fairly abundant, and ■ yet prove insufficient before the win- | ter is over. Time and again farmers j have been heard to remark, "Grass iis so plentiful this season that we can dispense with the sowing of winter green crops" ; but, generally speaking, this trust in the future usually proves a mistaken policy. At any rate, it is always well to be on the safe side of things, by putting in a .sufficiency of crops to supply the requirements of an unfavourable winter. A comparatively small area is needed for such purposes, and should the feed not be required it can be converted into ensilage and stored for future use. There are several kinds of crops suitable for the winter feeding of dairy stock, the main thing being to get something that will grow rapidly and will yield a large bulk of fodder. For choice, some farmers have a preference for rye, while others usually sow Cape barley. In some districts a mixture of barley and rye will be found the most suitable ; and when previous sowings are made, a succession of green fodder is available throughout the winter, which will be found simply invaluable for maintaining the milk supply, and keeping the cattle in good health and condition. Another most excellent winter green crop that can be recommended for the moist districts is crimson clover. This is an annual plant, and while not making so much growth in the cold weather as rye or barley, comes away very early in the spring, or about the month of September, yielding an immense quantiI ty of splendid fodder. Crimson clover ; has the additional advantage of being highly beneficial to the land as a fertiliser. The few farmers in this State who have given it a trial have found it to succeed admirably. Past experience has shown that it is more profitable to feed the cows well throughout the winter months than to allow them to fall away in condition to the extent that is commonly witnessed ; they should be brought to the calving period in spring—not fat exactly, but in good hearty condition—otherwise they will not do their best during the following summer. There is a deal of truth in the saying "A cow that is well wintered is half summered." This means that when the cows arein good order in the spring they do not spend half of the summer in making up lost condition at the ex* : pense of the milking yield.