FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 August 1930, Page 8

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS PE INTEREST

(By

"Rouse about”)

VALUE OF HAY

USE FOR DAIRY COWS

Mr. R. Boutflour, M.Sc... director. Demirtmem of Dairy Husbandry, Harper Adams Agricultural College, says; Probably no feeding stuff has been used so extensively and over so long a period as hay; and it is strange, theieb>re that, generally speaking, its rekKive feeding value is not better appreciated. ami that comparative y lev farmers either handle it or feed, it t > cuttie. with the intelligence that eme.icnt use demands. It must first be realised that the feeding value varies very much with the type of hay, the time it is cut and the conditions under which it is harvested. As an example, good meadow hay, cut and harvested in good condition w'ill have a starch equivalent or 35 and a digestible protein of 4 U , so that 21b of such hay is equal in iced ing value to 11b of barley meal or similar cereal foods. poor hav, however, particularly it Into cut, may have a starch equivalent of only IS. and a digestible protein of 21,. It would, consequently, tauc about 41b of this poor hay to equal 21b of the good hay, or llh of barley meal. It will be seen, then, that a cow receiving 201 b of good hay for maintenance m getting the equivalent of lOib of concentrated food such as cereals; ami that, if poor hay is fed, 201 b represents a concentrate value of about 51b only, the difference to the cowbeing lb of concentrates, or a starch equivalent equal to her requirements for producing gallons of milk. On poor hav. therefore, she would require feeding‘for U gallons of milk more than if she were receiving good hay. It may be mentioned that seeds hay, if cut young, can be taken as almost equal in value to good meadow hay. The necessity for harvesting hay when young is thus clearly demonstrated, since two tons of early-cut hay is equal in feeding value to four tons of late, poor quality hay. Moreover. as the young hay contains much less fibre, the. digestive troubles experienced by the cows will be proportionately reduced. It is better to have earlv cut, weathered hay than late-cut hay‘well got. As an indication of the high value of good hay it may too be said that lib of it is equal to 31b good silage, or to 31b turnips.

AN AYRSHIRE RECORD. For the first time in the history of the breed, so far as is known, an Ayrshire cow has made a second yield of 2000 gallons of milk in 365 days. This cow is Auchenbrain Madge 4 th. belonging to Mr. David Wallace, Auchenbrain Mauch’ine. It. was on January 4. 1927, that, she started her first. 2000 gallon yield, and gave in the 49 weeks following that 2047 gallons at 4.24 per cent, butterfat when li years old. Now she has done it again at 13 years of age. Madge 4th, calved on December 6, 1923, dropping a bull calf which was named Auchenbrain Milk Pool, io Carncll Benefactor. At. the calving, however, she strained a tendon in one of her hind legs, and was not able to stand on her feet. Mr'. Wallace did not think of putting her on test as it was doubtful if she would get, better. She rallied round, however, and was put on test, in January. Her milk .gradually rose in quality till she reached her highest, yield on April 22, when she touched 691 b at 3.8 per cent, butterfat. Her lowest yield was 461 b at 4.4 per cent, butterfat, and this was at her last test on November LG, 1929. She calved again on February 14, 1930. Iler total yield for the 365 days was 2000 gallons at 3.96 per cent, butterfat. She was only milked twice daily during her whole lactation and got nothing but wheat she pulled all summer. The average milk yield for her past eight, lactations was 1,475.4 gallons at 4.01 per cent, butterfat. THE WHEAT INDUSTRY The occasional outcry against existing duties on wheat and flour emanates from a comparative few. This complaint, however, is taken up and amplified by many who are unable, to separate the wheat from the chaff of the specious arguments employed to attack an industry of vital importance to New Zealand. The violent fluctuations that would be experienced with an open market for wheat and flour might possibly suit the speculating importer, but the regular consumers of wheat and allied products would be far worse off in the long run than under the present stabilised arrangement whereby wheat-grow-ers are enabled to produce the Dominion’s wheat requirements without loss to themselves.

Certainly at the present lime the world’s wheat values have slumped owing to over-production, but history will assuredly repeat itself, and overseas prices will again soar, as prices realised in other countries are well below the cost of production, ami less wheat will be put down in seasons that follow. In this relation it is interesting to note that a cable from Washington, dated July 21st, states that Senator Thomas has asked President Hoover to call an international conference of representatives of wheat-growing countries to consider a plan to bring about a world-wide curtailment of wheat production.

Now Zealand already imports more than it should for its economic good, yet in certain quarters the argument. is nut forward that the New Zealand wheat industry should be. closed down and this country should become dependent on overseas’ supplies of wheat, flour, bran and pollard. It is impossible to believe that those who pul. forward this argument have the national welfare of this country at heart, especially in view of the satisfactory manner in which the New Zealand wheat industry has been stabilised.—P.B. A.

FOR POULTRY KEEPERS.

G'IWNDARD GRADS EGGS

Ths question of selling eggs according to their weight and internal quality is receiving more attention than ever before in many parts of the world, including England and Canada, and New Zealand is at last awakening to Ihe necessity for this move, writes F. C. Browm in the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture. Should this much needed reform be carried into effect it is safe to assume that nothing less a 2oz product will be regarded as first-standard grade. Under the present system of marketing —at any rate so far as Wellington is concerned—the man tvith a small egg strain of birds is in a happy position, as he receives n similar pries for liis l<oz esss as tne man with a 2oz producing strain. Obviously the consumer pays on this basis relatively Loo much for small eggs and not enough for large ones. The worst feature of this system lies in the fact that there is no inducement for the producer to breed for large eggs. I have in mind a flock of Bim/k Mtnorcas which., apart from the early-laying stage of the pullets, can generally be depended upon to produce eggs weighing from 2cz to 2J.oz. While the great, merit of many strains of the, domestic fowl we possess is undeniable, there is a tendency for the average flock to become smaller and smaller individually each year; consequently the eggs laid are also smaller. Although the present system of marketing gives little oi no encouragement to breeders to work up a large egg strain, it is satisfactory to know that there are in the Dominion strains which retain the needed size, stamina, and power to produce good numbers of first-grade eggs. The warning, hovzever, is at hand that rhe consuming public w'ill not long continue to pay top prices for eggs which rattle in the egg-cup.

Poultry keepers possessing a small egg strain would be well advised to mend their methods of breeding and management, so that, at least the great majority of the flock will produce 2oz eggs or over —the size so much desired not only on (lie local market but overseas as well. Just as the number of eggs can be increased by care ful breeding and selection, so can the size be increased by the same process. The tendency to small eggs will never be counteracted while yield in numbers is regarded as the one and only essential in a breeding bird. A hen, however good a layer, should not be put in a. breeding-pen if it lays a small egg. The birds laying the best eggs should be chosen —provided, of course, that their laying capacity is satisfactory and that they possess points indicating a strong constitution. As a means of tracing birds which lay good-sized eggs the use of trapnests or single pens is necessary. It is true* that the man with a trained eye for form can generally distinguish between the good and bad layer towards the end of their first productive season, but it is impossible to judge from the appearance of a bird at any period of its life the size of egg likely to be produced. It must' bo admitted that individual hens will sometimes lay eggs of varied size according to the season of the year, etc, but as a rule a normal product may be looked for a few weeks before the termination of the first laying season. One of the secrets in maintaining a large eeg laying strain lies in knowing that the male bird is the son of a mother that produces an egg of a, desired size. Obviously this cannot well be ascertained unless the use of trap-nests or single pens, is resorted to.

One of the British farmers who Visited New Zealand a few months ago, in a. letter to .Christchurch writes: “Your dairy companies are very much behind the times in the absence of turning shelves, which arc. now arranged so that, even a girl can turn a. ton of cheese in a minute or so without any manual labour in the way of handling, as is necessary in your large cheese factories, every cheese being hand-turned from day to day until ready or ripe enough for marketing.”

The killing of young calves for the boneless veal export trade has -com men-ced throughout the North Island, and it is disappointing to dairy farm ers to find that the prices of calfskins are lower by' about 2s per skin compared with the prices realised last year. Another estimate is Is to Is 6(1 per skin. A northern authority, how. over, says it is questionable whether the average price to the tarmor would bo higher than 3s per' skin this year. In July last year best calfskins were making up to 15d per lb, at New Zea laud auctions, whilst, at the Wellington .sale recently the top price did not exceed i()d. HINTS FOR FORDSON OWNERS. Some useful hints on tin? tunning and maintenance of the Fordsou tractor have been embodied in a. small brochure on the subject put out. recently by the Sidell Company. The suggestions apply equally to the industrial type of Fc-rdson using petrol as a fuel, and ilio agricultural tractor operating on Power" kerosene. Especially _ apt is the warning against overloading: “You cannot squeeze more limn a pint into a, pint pot. neither l-an you get more horsepower out of an engine than it is capable of developing.” Stalling and overloading the engine is estimated Io be the most frequent cause of overheating, loss of power ami general mechanical failure, which are not. only annoying but verj- expensive. Copies of the booklet may be obtained on application to the Shell Company of New Zealand Limited. Wellington.