FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 May 1931, Page 8

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(By

“Rouseabout”)

ADOPTION OF GRASS ENSILAGE

I It is extremely likely that next year, profiting from the experience of neigli- * hours, many more farmers will adopt the practice of grass ensilage for the first time. Particularly' to those who are adopting ensilage for the first •time next summer gives little, if any justification for slackening off in regard to special feed provision during the coming year (says the “Journal of Agriculture). This should be kept in mind constantly when planning the next year’s cropping programme. In introducing any sound farming system in which ensilage is a feature an essential initial step is the building up of feed reserves sufficient to enable one to . acc without anxiety an unfavourable period in which there may be not only a minimum amount of surplus summer grass-growth available for ensilage, but also a specialty heavy demand for reserve feed. If proper building up of feed reserves is not carried out it is easy to imagine the state of affairs should the first year in which it is proposed to. make a feature of ensilage mark the commencement of a period of unfavourable conditions for grass-production. The feed saved through ensilage would be scant, and if the ensilage were not accompanied by the growing of other special crops, then the autumn and particularly the following winter would be trying times. Safety as regards feed provision should be a first consideration. Ensilage is an excellent means of gaining and maintaining a safe position, but it is most unwise, as the above considerations illustrate, to abruptly transfer dependence in a marked degree from special crops such as turnips and mangels to ensilage. Possibly for the‘first year in which it is proposed to have silage available it would be well to plan the cropping programme in such a way that in ordinary circumstances there would be need to utilise but little, if any. of the silage. This would immediately create a good foundation of reserves for the future. Certain objections will readily occur in connection with substantial reserves of silage. While some of these objections are real enough, they are not of equal moment to proper reserves of feed. Absence of proper' reserves of feed constitute one of the weaknesses of our farming. Few practices could be more unprofitable than underfeeding of stock at critical periods, or compulsory selling of stock at those inopportune times when many others are on the market as sellers. These are the dangers involved by absence of proper feed reserves which still occurs so frequently. ORCHARD DRAINAGE. Most orchard properties can 'be improved by drainage, and with many it is a matter of urgent necessity if the trees are to be maintained in good health and maximum productivity. The beneficial results attained by adequate drainage—aeration of the soil, uniformity of temperatures, improved mechanical condition of the soil, and removal of excessive moistureare often not fully" appreciated, especially with regal'd to the conversion of organic matter and mineral spbstances into plant-food. Wliere drainage is properly established nitrification is not only accelerated, lint it is also induced to a greater depth t han would be the case where drainage is neglected, the secondary effect being that deeper rooting of the plant is encouraged (states the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture). In heavy and retentive soils stone drains are ideal in action. If-material exists in the form of liftge stones close to the property,, these drains will be found inexpensive to construct and practically everlasting. Tile drains can be recommended for use in light lands, being not so vigorous in action. They will also give satisfactory results in clay soils when stones are not procurable. CATTLE FEEDING WITH ROOTS. In the recently-published Transactions of the Highland Society there is a, report on cattle feeding carried out at the West of Scotland Agricultural College Farm, Kilmarnock, the experiments that were conducted seeking to compare heavy root, medium root, and no root rations. Some of the conclusions that are drawn from (he results are these: —The old-established practice of feeding a liberal allowance of roots to fattening cattle is still fully justified by results. It is possible to cut down the root supply without adversely affecting the rate of progress or raising the cost of beef production. This gives an enhanced return per ton of roots consumed but increases dependence on purchased concentrates. It is not an economic proposition to dispense with roots on farms where they can be successfully grown, and where the winter fattening of cattle is practised, as without, roots the cattle would appear to make rather slower progress. .Cattle of fibout 10 to llcwt. live weight would appear to require the equivalent of about 9 to 10 gallons of water per day. CURE FOR BLOAT. Mr-Pitstick, of Buena Vista, Idaho. United States of America, has discovered a simple and reliable cure for blcatt, which, says Mr A. F. Miller in “Hoard’s Dairyman” of August 26, is common in the early summer, especially on sweet clover pasture. He partially fills a gunny sack or grain sack with finely chopped ice and places it over the cow’s back so that the ice rests on the most prominent part of tiie bloat. In just few minui.es the -gas has passed off and the cow is able to eat. “What I like most about this ice puck,” says Mr Pitstick, “is that it does not affect the cow in a harmful way as does kerosene and other cures for bloat.. It acts quickly and leaves the cow with a good appetite.” Mr Pitstick has tried this simple cure a number of times, and as yet has' never failed to' give favo”’—’results. He suggests that for those who do not have access to ice that a cold water pack would do almost as well.

VALUE OF SCIENCE-

LORD BLEDISLOE’S ADVICE.

Six practical points for improving the prosperity of the primary industries of the Dominion were advanced by His Excellency the Governor-Gen-eral, Lord Bledisloe, at the opening of the new building at Massey Agi icultural College when.he imparted considerable advice on factors governing New Zealand’s sources of national income and wealth, states the “Manawatu Evening Standard.” “Science is well defined as systematised knowledge as demonstrated by induction, experiment or observation. His Excellency'stated. “Its ramifications are many and its value depends upon the extent to which it augments the happiness and well-being of the human race, and this nec.essarily varies with the objectives, spiritual, ethical and industrial of different countries. “Industrially, the best possible utilisation of the land with the profitable output of land products of the highest qualitv and consistent uniformity is indisputably the paramount objective, beside which all others pale into relative insignificance. To the attainment of this objective all patriots, whatever their personal vocation, should bend their energies with cleir, unwavering vision, employing oi encouiaging science as the chief instrument of its successful realisation. “No industry is more dependent upon science for its success. Upon none has it conferred greatei favours. From none has it received

such a small acknowledgment. “For a country competing in its land products in the open markets of the world with those of other countries conversant with and practising (.he latest teachings of science to turn a blind eye to the lessons of the scientist is to commit economic suicide. Even the most impoverished countries of' the world have found public expenditure upon scientific research and the scientific guidance of their farming population to be a sound and remunerative national investment. “But for its justification such systematised knowledge must not be confined within the boundaries of colleges and research stations —and here let me make an appeal to the staff but must radiate freely among all grades of the farming population anfi be transmitted in simple, intelligible language free of all technical jargon and accompanied, where necessary, by dexterous manual demonstration.

“Moreover, while allocating to certain institutions specialised activities in various branches of agricultural science, there must be, in order to ensure the fullest fruition and financial economy, a generous measure of team work, both among individual workers and among institutions, and the discouragement of overlapping, duplication of effort, or trenching upon spheres of investigation outside their proper ambit, with consequential claims for financial support from the public purse in competition with other institutions better equipped than themselves in personnel and plant for the specialised task to which they seek to extend their activities. There must similarly be no monopoly of agricultural knowledge as between the various countries of the British Empire. This was unanimously recognised and acted upon at the Imperial Research Conference over which I presided at Westminster Hall in the Autumn of 1927. WHOLE EMPIRE BENEFITS. “There are now definitely and permanently established in Great Britain several Imperial Bureaux or general clearing-houses of agricultural science, including bureaux' of entomology, mycology, soil science, animal nutrition, animal health, animal genetics, agricultural parasitology, plant genetics and fruit production, collecting and disseminating to research workers and farmers in every part of the Empire up-to-date knowledge of high economic value to its primary producers. In addition to these, but not yet formed into Imperial bureaux, arc British National Institutes conducting research in dairying, poultry husbandry, agricultural engineering, low-temperature preservation, and agricultural economics respectively and freely and confidently imparting invaluable knowledge and guidance, as the result of their discoveries, to any and all throughout the Empire who desire and are likely to benefit thereby.

“What branches of so-called agricultural science, it may be asked, are of most importance under present world conditions, to New Zealand in general and to this North Island and Massey College in particular? Unhesitatingly, I place first that which when I was an agricultural student and, indeed until recent years , found no place whatever in the curriculum of an agricultural college—viz., agricultural economics. For it is conceivable that New Zealand farmers may raise on their holdings butter, cheese, meat, wool or fruit of the highest quality, and yet fail through defective organisation or faulty methods of marketing to make a living out of their production, even at a time when their foreign competitors are successful in doing so out of .similar products o£ inferior quality.

“In this connection, let me, as an old member of the Empire Marketing Board, emphasise six conditions of economic success.

“(1) The necessity for loyal commercial co-operation between all primary producers of the sam? commodity throughout the Dominion. “(2) The importance of uniformity of quality and description of all exported products. “(”) Th - desirability of exporting tile best only and retaining Hie in ferior grade:; lor local consumption. “(4) The oirlanc-" of regional overlapping and consequent expense bj- de livcring milk or other farm pro.i.ieL; to the ne.'irfsl local factory rather than to one more remote.

“(5) The wisdom of sideline.:, in farming, rqther than having all your eggs in one basket. This applies especially to Hie small dairy farmer ami such subsidiary activities as pig or poultry-keeping.

“(G) The paramount, need for supplying oversea customers with what, they want, however unreasonable their demands—and not what, the producer thinks they to want.

“The rapid and confident develop-

ment of the economically developable ( land of this Dominion —and I here, hope that Mr Forbes will not disagree with what I am about to say—such | as is favoured in the national inter-1 est by all parties in the State, wouldl appear to depend main.’v upon the steady prosecution of a systematic soil survey, with resulting soil classification on tile one hand, and upon the scientific ascertainment of such soil deficiencies as can be made g'.od within the limits of remunerative expenditure on the other. In other connections. work of great national importance is in progress under the aegis of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. That being conducted in relation to the Pakilii lands of the Nelson province adumbrates the early conversion at no great cost to the nation of an immense tract of presently worthless land into a national asset of high productivity and value.”