MODEL DAIRY FARM

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 147, 23 June 1915, Page 13

MODEL DAIRY FARM

HOW SUCCESS IS WON WOODVILLE FARMER'S COUNSEL FRUITS OF EXPERIENCE

Just outside the borough of Woodville, on one of the many country roads which form a network over the district, the visitor comes across a farm which at once takes the eye, even of a layman, for its neat and well-kept appearance, tho greenness of its pastures and the trimaess of its fences, and the well-planned arrangement of paddocks and yards. It is clearly something different from the average dairy farm of this district, or, indeed, of 'any other district, and the visitor will be naturally led. to an enquiry. Ho will not be surprised to learn that this is the farm to which the Manawatu Agricultural and Pastoral Association awarded the prize for the bestkept dairy farm in the district covered by the scope of the Metropolitan Show. It is indeed a model dairy farm, justly regarded as quite a show-place for the visitor to Woodville. This is the farm that Mr. J. Burt-Veale made out -of land no^more promising than that of his neighbours. 1 EXPLAINING HOW AND WHY., Some years ago Mr. Veale was > asked by the National Dairy Association' to read a paper on "The Dairy Farm" at the annual Dairy Conference at Palmerston • North, and this he did, producing an address which won the enthusiastic encomiums of his hearers; and still stands as one. of the best' and most practical examples of, a brief , treatment in an important branch of rural industry. As the paper is not easily obtainable to-day no apology is needed for reproducing the gist of it now for the benefit of farmers and others interested, who are not in possession of the material. After a reference to the man whose sole object in getting a dairy farm is that, he may as quickly as possible sell-it to somebody else at an advanced price as "ono of, the greatest curses the industry has to contend with," Mr. Veale urged that with the present values of land a closer systematic and regular farming must be .adopted. Land suitable for dairying was ' now costing: frprn £15 t to '£45 per acre, and still > rising in price. In order to be successful the 'returns must be made to cover interest on the capital outlay, labour expended, and other outgoings. FARMING SYSTEM MUST . ■ CHANGE. . • " For some yeaxs past," said Mr. Veale,- "dairy farms have been selling at , increased values, without having increased in carrying capacity,, in fact, the style of farming generally - adopted has been to- decrease rapidly its carrying capacity, and many, therefore, have been successful men, not from what they

I find them. My practice is to carry a beast to one acre and a-half throughout the year, but, of course, not all dairy cows. WELFARE OF THE COW. "The milking should be done regularly and thoroughly, and cleanliness is essential in all things. In my opinion, the cows should be brought in profit as near as possible to August and September, and milked up to the end of May and June, giving two months' rest — some, perhaps, a little more or less. The health of the cows should receive careful attention, and simple remedies, Buch as drenches, lotions, etc., should be on every farm. Many a good cow has ■ been lost because a. small trouble has not been noticed in the early stages. The cows need careful watching during July, August, September, and October; these, to my mind, are the most trying months to the dairy farmer, and ono important essential is ample provender. Cows can usually in this country keep their condition on grass until the end of June, and sometimes the middle of July | then they should be fed, whether in milk or not. My practice is to feed on roots and hay, carting the same out of the paddocks, and going through the cows daily to see that nothing is amiss.

A week before cows are due to calve 1 draft them out in small paddocks, so that they can be watched even more carefully.

THE NECESSARY PROVENDER. "Every farmer should study the question of the necessary provender for the cows. I lay down as near as possible that one acre of grass hay should be cut to each five cows, to be supplemented, if possible, with three-quarters of an acre of oaten sheaf or oaten straw, after threshing, and one and a-quarter acres of swede turnip for each ten cows, to be fed to dry cows only and 6tore pigs in winter. There should also be one acre of mangold for each twenty cows, or carrots, if preferred. These should be fed to cows in milk with hay. Good ensilage is undoubtedly equally as valuable as roots for provender, bnt personaUy I only make this in wet seasons. . . . Each autumn, when practicable, we get ready _ a piece of ground for the plough, and, if .we can see our way clear, turn it up for winter fallow. If the land us heavy and- sour, we lime it fairly heavily, say up to two tons to the acre if very sour. Usually we have a > more or less wej, spring, and working in our land is often a problem. . . . The care of the cows takes up considerable time, and every available hour must be spent in getting in the season's crops. The first, the mangold crop, should be |in by the end of September ; then follow oats for harvesting, and such crops as peas and barley ; peas should if possible be sown earlier. Carrots can be gown in October, and the hay field should be closed up during the first week in that month. Swede turnips, in my experience, do beet when sown about the middle of November. METHODS OF MANAGEMENT. "It is important that •> farmer should I select the best quality of all manures and seeds, and not see where he can buy at the lowest possible • price. My contention is that he must look for quality every time. In my own case, when I grass in spring, I usually sow with grass seed 2| bushels of black barley, which I harvest and_ thresh for pig feed. The straw comes in for bedding of calves and pigs. It is easily threshed and a fine farm fodder gram. Each spring and autumn the manures made are spread on any pasture land looking in need. Mangolds I sow five pounds seed to the acre and five cwt of mangold manure, with a little sulphate of ammonia or nitrate of 6oda, drilling them in to enable the horse hoe to work between the rows. Turnips I sow 10 to

12oz eeed to the acre, drilled in witif 2cwt of turnip manure, but do not hoa them. Oats are usually sown three bushels of double dressed seed to the acre, and when grassing down I uss 451b of early and late varieties of grass seeds and clovers to the aero of the very best seed I can purchase. I dress tha young grass with from two to three cwfc> of basic slag to the acre in the months of July or August, and never cut a field for hay until laid down two seasons. la some cases I cow about lewt of superphosphate after the slag has been sown ; this gives speedy results, but it has not the lasting qualities of slag. Qoodbono dust is durable, but expensive ; 2jcwt of slag and lewt 30 per cent, potash manure to the acre is & good dressing, probably tho very best. EMERGENCY FODDER,- " Once the crops are sown, the hay harvest will soon claim attention, followed by cleaning of root crops, and soon the barley and oats harvest Is o>* one. The cows, of course, are entirely on grass at this season, and it is our practice to change them ever^ week at least in both fresh day and night paddocks. We shut up paddocks for this purpose. " Dry seasons have shown the dairy

farmer that provision should be made to keep up the milk flow after February and March. In this direction maize is becoming recognised as one of the best fodders. Therefore, sowings should be made in December and January of this, and, should abundant grass provender be available, this Can be used as an ensilage crop and so t provide splendid winter and early spring fodder, and allow good hay r to carry over. Two acres of maize should meet this need for fifty cows. In my opinion, maize is best sown in drills, twenty-four inches apart, to allow use of the horse-hoe, and % cwt of superphosphate, and £ cwt of sulphate of ammonia should be sown to the acre. Maize Bhould be cut a few hours before feeding, and not until it is in flower. All care should be taken in feeding off, as t many good cows are lost through allowing them too much in the early stages. INTENSE CULTIVATION PAYS;, " Intense cultivation pays. In my experience with mangolds, ground ploughed twice over gave 30 per cent, more, weight of roots than ground ploughed once, and when time will allow, fanners should all work their land well. Grass paddocks should be brushharrowed a few times each year and top. dressed when showing signs of wearing out. i The nature of manure used must, be dictated by the nature of the land and the result of experience of what* suits the district, . . . Such ia the rontine of' a dairy farmer's life. Pitting mangolds, lifting potatoes, repairing fences, cleaning drains, pruning hedges, and the hundred and one things that are more or less neglected in the busy season, can occupy the dairy farmer during the winter months, when not at-' 1 tending to the cows, and prevent him becoming rusty or hard-up for a job. In passing, I should mention that the successful dairy farmer makes a strong point of his by-products, and my own experience, based on several years' average returns, is that the surplus cattle sold each year and the net profit on pigs should amount to 40 per cent, of the value of the butter-fat at lOd per pound for butter-fat." Mr. Veale closed his address with strong advice to the dairy farmer to keep a systematic set of books.

Sections abutting on the Square, Palmerston North, ranged from £52, in 1866. In the main streets they were offered for £10 and could not find ready buyeit.