A MODEL FARM

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 138, 15 June 1927, Page 19

A MODEL FARM

HOW TO ACHIEVE IT

POINTS TO CONSIDER

SOME ADVICE TO FARMERS

It is safe to say that every dairy .farmer desires to work under the best conditions possible. To do so means not only ' greater Komfort ' but greater profit. Farmers generally take pride in their farms, but how many are\ satisfied thai their property is not capable of being extensively improved? What is a model dairy farm? Probably Xevery l.has different ideas on, the subject, but there are several essential points. These ane enumerated in an article wJach appeared recently in the '"N.Z. Dairy Produce Exporter," and as the subject is of vital interest to all farmers opportunity is taken to reprint the article in the present edition.

One frequently reads in the land agents' column in the' daily newspapers that he has for sale a farm, which he describess as a "Model Dairy Farm" (says the writer). Should a prospective buyer be induced to visit this farm he will, if his experience is similar to that of the writer's, be rather disappointed, and will come away feeling that he has not yet inspected a farm which reaches his ideai of what a model dairy farm should be. In the following lines the! writer will endeavour to give his opinion of what a model dairy farm'should be, and hopes that some oif his ideas and suggestions will be 6f benefit.

For the purpose of allowing the farmer to do all his own subdividing, erection of buildings, etc., we will assume that he buys a property of 100 acres that is only ring-fenced. We will also assume tHat the property is all level, is not irokeri by a swamp or creek, and also faces the north. Of all the dairy farms in New Zealand there are only a, small number that are all level, not broken by any swamp, creek, or river, and which face the north, but for this model farm we will assume that it does possess these, advantages. Having bought the farm, the first thing the owner thinks of doing is the erection of all necessary buildings, and the dividing of it into a suitable number of paddocks. Quite a lot of time and thought can be spent on these things, and it is well for him to draw out a plan, and probably alter it many times, before he finally decides that it is to his entire satisfaction. He will have to decide how many paddocks he is going to divide his farm into, and the area of each, and before doing so there are many things to be taken into account. FEEDING THE STOCK. Generally speaking, the best dairy land in New Zealand will carry a cow to two acres, and a few young stock, horses, bulls, etc., in addition. To keep his stock well fed in the winter time, the farmer lias to provide extra food in the shape of hay, ensilage, roots, etc., and in this case we will reckon that he requires 10 acres of hay every year. It will then be a good plan if he divides his farm so that he can have at least three paddocks of 10 acres each. This will enable him to have three paddocks, any one of which will be big enough to provide his annual hay requirements. Should he divide his farm into smaller areas it will mean that he will probably have to cut two paddocks for hay, and even if they are side by side a fence will have to be taken down, or a very wide gateway erected if he wishes to put all his' hay in one stack. Should he make two stacks, it means shifting the stacking gear from one paddock to another, two stacks to be built and topped off, and fenced, and all that takes extra time, labour, and money. Fencing material is expensive, and die less one has to buy the better. We will take it for granted then that the owner of this model farm decides to have three paddocks of 10 acres each for the reasons stated abo%re. He will probably by this lime have decided how he will subdivide the remainder of his farm, and where his various buildings are to be erected. Of late years, many farmers have divided their farms into the required iiumber of paddocks, with a race, a chain wide, running from the cowshed, back through the centre of the farm, till it reaches the back paddock. This is rather a good plan, but it would be better if, instead of having the race a chain wide, the farmer made it about three chains in width, for this reason. With fifty cows travelling to and fro four times a day, the race, of only a chain wide, very soon gets cut up, and in wet weather becoms muddy. With the race, or paddock as it would become then, this disadvantage would be overcome, as the cows would have more room to move about whilst driven to and from the shed. GROWING LUCERNE. Most farmers to-day are adopting the system of farming without growing roots, especially if their land is suitable for lucerne growing, and with this plan in his mind "Mr. Model Farmer" decides which part of his farm will be devoted to that purpose. To have a sufficient area of lucerne to provide green food for his 50 cows, the farmer will require to have about 12 acres of this fodder, as it is calculated that one acre will be sufficient for five cows. It will probably work in very well with the running of the farm,' if the lucerne paddock is situated somewhere near the centre of it. As twelve acres is rather a big area to put into lucerne in one year, it might be better to divide the paddock with a

temporary fence, put five acres in the first year, and the remaining five acres the second year. Some farmers might prefer to have two separate paddocks of five acres each, in lucerne, but should the farmer not require a certain cut of it for green feed, and decide to make it into hay, he will have two stacks to build, and perhaps fence, whereas with one paddock of ten acres all material can be placed in one stack. As this farm is all level, and there is no bank on it, where die farmer could dig a pit for ensilage making, he will either have to erect a silo or else make his ensilage in a stack. Probably in years to come silos will be far more numerous in New Zealand than they are to-day, and as the first cut of lucerne is generally made into ensilage the silo will probably be erected somewhere near the lucerne paddock. As the odour from ensilage is sometmes rather strong, it will be a good idea to have the silo some distance away from the cowshed, so as to prevent the odour tainting the milk. For this reason it will be, a good plan to have the lucerne paddock some distance away from the shed, and near the centre of the farm should be a fairly convenient locality. ARRANGING THE PADDOCKS. It is ofteji very handy to have one or two small paddocks near the shed or house for a calf paddock, or for the purpose of holding a sick cow, which may require attention several times a day. Then it is very handy to have the bull paddock close to the cowyard, with a small enclosure between the two, so that by opening a gate from the yard to the enclosure the cow can be turned in, and by opening another gate from the bull paddock to the enclosure the bull

can come in also. As most farmers keep two bulls or more, the bull paddocks will require to be from three to five acres in extent and securely fenced. Nothing is more aggravating than to have your bull get out; among the herd at the wrong time, and perhaps into your neighbours as well, so make sure of the bull paddock fences.

If the farmer intends to go in for pig-raising he will have to decide where he will have his pig paddock and just here let him take a word of advice. Do not have your pig paddock and styes close alongside your main entrance gate and the road, as many farmers have, owing to the annoyance caused passers-by through the odours. No pigs should be confined to small pens or styes unless they are at least five chains from a road. s THE WATER SUPPLY. ' . Before leaving the subject of paddocks, it may be well to state that as there is no water on this farm, wells will have to be dug and windmills erected, as a plentiful'supply of good water is absolutely necessary on every dairy farm. A model dairy farm should have water in every paddock, with the exception of the lucerne paddock, as that should not be grazed to any extent, so the farmer will have to decide on the most convenient positions in which to erect his windmills. Another very important item on a dairy farm is shelter, and the fences should consist of some live kinds that will grow and provide sufficient shelter from all quarters. As this farm is all flat anid the boundary fences run straight the owner will be able to have all hisj fences running at right-angles, making it very convenient for plqughing, harrowing, top-dressing, cutting with the mower, etc. A three-cornered paddock, or one with fences that are not parallel, is always an awkward one to work, and if at all possible, when subdividing a fajrm, all the fences, or at least two of them, should be parallel ones. 1 FARM BUILDINGS. Wlien considering the erection of buildings it is a good plan to-select a site}, if such is available, that will afford a good drainage, and should any stv.ch spot be handy, it is well to make , use of it. However, as this farm 3s practically level, and one spot is as suitable as another, the farmer- decided to erect his house near the middle of his road fence, and about two or three chains back from the road. With the house facing the north, the sun can shine practically all around it, and, if the kitchen is at the back of the house, the heat froun the stove or gas fire will warm that room sufficiently should the sun jjj.ot do so, particularly in the wintertime. After selecting his house site the Banner will next proceed to select sites for his other buildings, particularly his cowshed and piggeries. Before doing so he should bear in mind the direction of the prevailing winds, and, if at all possible, not have either his cowshed or pig-

geries in such a spot as will enable the odour from either to be blown on to his house. On many farms this does not seem to have been considered at all, and one prevailing wind will waft unsavoury odours from the cowshed to the house and another prevailing wind will do the same with odours from the piggeries. Nc matter how clean these buildings may be kept, there is often an odour, proceeding from them, more noticeable at night time, but if they are erected in the proper place this will seldom be noticed at the house. THE COWSHEDS. . failing winds vary in direction in different parts of New Zealand, but, generally speaking, with a farm facing the north, it would be a good Pj a" tO, have the cowshed due south of the house, as it is rather rare ta get a wind from that quarter. The shed need not be more than four or nve chains from the house, as a greater distance is a disadvantage, particularly to the womenfolk on a very wet morning or evening. The best style of shed is, I believe, the run-through shed, with the open side lacing the north, so that the sun can shine in a certain distance on the concrete floor. A shed that is built in on all sides, with a door to let in the cows from the yard, though it may be scrubbed out with water every day, never smells so sweet a* an open shed into which the sun's cleansing rays have access. Of course, in mid-summer, when the sun is nearly vertical, the rays do not penetrate far in, but at other periods of the year they reach almost to th« spot where the cow's front feet are when she is standing in the shed. borne sheds are boarded down low at the entrance side to keep the rain off the milkers, and of course this also keeps the sunlight off the floor. A good plan is to have two 12ft x lft boards fastened together and fixed on to the beams of the roof, with hinges, so that they can be fastened up to the inside of the roof with an iron hook in fine weather, and lowered when required to keep the rain from blowing in too far in the shed. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS. In building the shed, it .is., a good plan to have no timber whatever touching the ground. The floor, of course, should be. of concrete, and all the walls, for the bottom three feet at least, should be of the same material. The butts for the upright posts or scantlings can also be of concrete, and if the farmer tau procure his shingle at a reasonable price he will find that it will hardly cost him any more to build a shed in concrete than in wood. At any rate have all the foundations of concrete, and do not bury wood in it, as some day the wood will rot, and it may be a difficult job to remove the rotted part and replace with new. Have your yard, or yards, concreted, and no bigger than you think will be necessary. If all cows are dehorned, as they should be, it is surprising the number that can be held in a small yard. For the fence around the yard, the best is one composed of concrete, posts and sawn rails, preferably 6ft x 2ft. . A wire fence soon gets ou,t of order, and often a cow will attempt to jump it, with the result that some of her teats or her udder will be cut or torn. On many farms there is a strip of concrete, about 6ft wide, in front of the doors, for the cows to walk on as they emerge from the slied, and then they step off on to soil. In the course of time, with traffic 'and wet weather, . the soil gets worn away, and before long there is a drop of anything up to 2ft from the concrete down to the mud. To avoid this it is a good plan to put up a post and rail fence at the edge of the concrete so that the.cows walk along it and go out at the end of the shed. If the concrete is continued out in the paddock a few feet it will prevent having so much mud about, and will make it far morq pleasant both for man and beast.