FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 June 1934, Page 8

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(By

“Rouseabout”)

ESTABLISHING a HERD. '1 BEST bull-imperative. . Probably the greatest breeder of ' dairy "cattle Australia has produced was Mr. J. T. Cole, manager of Dar- ■ balara Estate in New South Wales, the man who bred and tested the famous cow, Melba XV, Once asked how to go about establishing a herd Mr. Cole said the first thing to do was to buy the best bull within the limits of the money available, making' the cows the second element in the outlay of cash. It would be an advantage, he said, to procure cows of similar breeding to that of the bull as far as possible; but the first and most important business was to get the best possible bull. The importance of this advice cannot be emphasised- Not only amateurs, but men of long experience with dairy cattle are not attaching the importance they should to the paramount necessity of the great-constitutioned sire that is carrying high-producing blood. Of course the only conclusive test of a sire’s utility value is the productive capacity of his daughters, or the bull that is proved. Such an animal is the most valuable thing in the country, and it is as rare as it is valuable. The next best thing is the son of a proved producer and the more proved blood there is in the pedigree the better. No man who is grading up his herd to a high standard can afford to take any risk with a new sire, the selection of which should receive his most serious consideration, and this consideration should include a carefuh inspection of the dam and as complete a study of her and her family as is possible. The greatest weakness in our breeding operations is the negelct of constitution by the owners of pedigree cattle, or rather the want of appreciation of exceptional constitution; and the greatest assurance of the final establishment of nothing, but uniformally high-producing herds in this country will be the awakening of the fact that constitution must be the basis of breeding operations. If the master breeders of England had not the production figures block tests, etc., to guide them in their breeding operations they had something infinitely better. They were compelled to depend upon their eye and their judgment. They bred the best of the*best and it was in their methofis of selection where their great power rested. They attached great importance to a fact which is too often ignored at the present time —that the only sure way of judging a sire was by the quality of his progeny. They adopted asystem of leasing sires, in both cattle and sheep, to neighbouring farmers, and some of the best farmers in the land competed keenly for them, in fact the money paid for a year’s lease of some Leicester rams of Bakewells ran into one-hundred guineas, a rate which would be considered ridiculous in these days. This system was a most valuable aid to the great breeders in that it enabled them to test out the breeding capacity of the sires they, were producing, and, never losing control of them, were thus able co continue their breeding operations with animals definitely proved to be prepotent; and of course prepotency is absolutely bound up with constitution. Where do we find such a sound system as this in operation these days? . Unfortunately there is no record of the actual principles on which the old breeders worked and by their great capacity were able to create and bring to a high standard of perfection quite a number of breeds, but we do know that there was a very considerable amount of in-breeding employed where it was desired to perpetuate the type of some very outstanding animal, and writers of those days emphasised the fact that these --eat breeders of the past attached the very greatest importance to constitution. No member of the animal kingdom needs constitution so much as does the modern high-producing cow. She must be capable of giving an abnormal yield of milk through her entire lactation period and year after year, with only short periods of rest. Then she 1 must produce a calf every year. In addition she must be able, with the very heavy drain on her system, to overcome adverse conditions and to withstand disease. Great stamina is imperative. Yet the prevailing tendency is towards refinement of form and lessened ability to meet the remarkable demands on her nature. Nature is the great teacher. Man may guide nature, but as soon as man interferes too much with nature he at once receives a set-back which may mean the loss of a life’s work. The greatest lesson nature has to teach is the foundamental and vital importance of constitution, and it is when man ignores or fails to attach due importance to constitution that he tails to advance or even maintain the type he is aiming at.

TESTING IN DOMINION

In the course of a recent address in the North Island, Mr. C. M. Hume, organiser of the Dominion Co-operative Herd Testing Association, said that testing started in New Zealand under; the association system in 1909, and the group system was introduced in 1922. In the 1922-33 season 259,000 cows were tested under the group system and 26,000 under the association system, and this coming season he fully expected 340,000 cows would he under test. Those figures showed progress, but it was not near so marked as it ought to have been. New Zealand had stock equal, if not, better than any other country in the world in which to build up its herds, and herdtesting was the most important factor in this connection. The average butter-fat production in New Zealand when group herd-testing was inaugurated was ISOlbs.; to-day it was 2151b5., quite a substantial advance in 10 years, but ho ventured to say it would have been more had farmers been able to fise the usual quantities of fertilise). The aim of the association was an average of SOOlbs. Mr. Hume continuing, stressed the importance of efficient milking, and said herd-testing was a valuable aid in th s respect. Mr. Hume quoted; many individual instances in different! 3s of the Dominion to show how, farmers had increased their P Hon as a result of herd-testing, the following being a typical exampl 6 - Production increased from 66061b5. or, butferfact to. 14,1481b5., J’ 1 '! creased from £541 to £648 despite the fact that prices receded from 19M to lid. The desirability of a farmer breeding his own herd was also emphasised, and in this connec-

tion Mr. Hurpe particularly stressed the vital importance of selecting a sire with consistent, butterfat backing. Only calves by a pedigree sire were eligible for calf-marking, and the bull must also be from a tested dam if born after 1931. He quoted the prices obtained for marked calves at .different sales in comparison to those realised for unmarked calves, and said there were many farmers to-day who would not buy anything but marked calves. There were also many farmers buying marked calves and rearing them with a view to establishing new herds altogether.

SEASONAL FARM WORK. At. this time of the year the planning of future farm operations mayvery fittingly be carried out. That it is a task of major importance seems often to bo disregarded, yet it has been established by experience that in farming the greatest reward has gone to those whose operations are best planned, who plan their operations well in advance, and adjust their farming to suit the needs of the times. Never was there greater need for efficiency of farm production. The wide differences in tho general efficiency of farmers arise largely from differences in tho efficiency of their planning. There is every reason to' expect that, rewards in farming will continue to correspond with efficiency. One matter worthy' of consideration in planning is that sound farm management involves the distribution of labour requriments in such a way that the idle days at one period and the overcrowded days at other periods are both avoided as far as possible. The approach of the relatively slack period in the year of many farmers makes it seasonable to consider how any rush and bustle in spring and summer may be reduced by attending in the slack period to such jobs as fencing, the construction of ensilage pits and trenches, the repair or adjustment of equipment, including farm machinery, and the preparatory work in the production of special crops for use in periods of scant growth of pastures. One of the strong reasons for the prolonged adherence . of traditional systems of rotational cropping was that they provided for full and economical use of all farm labour throughout. the year and obviated either a rush of work or a slack period. New Zealand farmers commonly have adopted Ihe economically sound course of cropping on the basis of market pros•wets instead of conforming strictly to any specific system of rotational cropping. Although if. has at times been advisable to forgo some of the advantages of rotational cropping, it is well to bear in mind that rotational cropping has considerable academic merit which should be exploited if at all practicable. A matter of primary importance m the planning of cropping is the needs of all the stock at different periods throughout the year. Judging by results, it would seem that often the provision of feed is based on the requirements of the class of stock of major importance, while those of stock of loss but of considerable potential importance are ignored. For instance, an North Island dairy farms the cropping often seems to make little or no prov’sion for pigs and poultry, and similarly on South Island mixed farms on which grain and sheep are dominant the needs of small dairy herds and of pigs are ignored; this, in both islands, with consequent substantial detriment to the total returns.

PASTURE MANAGEMENT

Normally in June the completion .of grassland work commenced earlier calls for attention; part of the harrow-, Ing and top-dressing may remain to be .lone. On most farms there are certain grass paddocks which are more iiiitabie than the remaining ones for bi'ovicfthg late winter and early spring .'eed.’ Usually these are the paddocks which are well drained, supporting a sward containing a considerable amount of ryegrass, and possibly also provided with some shelter. Such paddocks especially should bo harrowed if necessary and top-dressed in good time, for, in many districts, if they are shut up about the end of May or early in June they will provide a substantial amount of fresh -feed in the latter part of July and in August. If there is evidence of current intestation by grass grub, then, when possible, hay and roots should be fed out on the infested areas; the additional stock trampling and consolidation which results either lessens the activity of the grubs' or facilitates the recovery of the injured plants, and the hay may contain viable seeds of valuable pasture species which on germinating tend to repair the ravages of the grubs.

On many farms the pulling and storing of mangels should receive attention in June, particularly if the land occupied by the mangel is required for another crop, such as oats, to be sown soon. However, general rules about, the pulling of mangels are unreliable. In certain districts the crops will continue growing in weight well beyond the date fixed by some as that at which pulling should be carried out. It is very doubtful whehter it. is advisable to pull such crops eaiT r in June if they are not to be used until late August or September, unless the land they occupy is specially required for some other crop or likely to become so wet later that it will be difficult to cart the crop off. However. if the crop is to be fed to stock earlier than has been mentioned above, then it should be pulled in good time to allow it to ripen or mature before the stock consume it. Freshly-pulled mangels cannot stand frost as well as those still in the ground or those that have been pulled for a few days. Hence, ir r.t all possible, in order to avoid frost injury, broken, mild weather should be- selected for the work of pulling. Many sheep farmers successfully utilise mangels relatively late in Hie season without storing them. If brokenmouthed ewes are available they are put in to eat off the tops; then the roots are harrowed out. in breaks some days prior to the sheep being given access to them.

If the mangels are to be pitted the practice of throwing the roots into small heaps, covering the heaps with leaves removed from the roots, and leaving them for a few days before carting is favoured by some; it. is believed that the roots keep heller by being left, in a heap for upwards of a week before carting into the pit. Ordinarily it is not advisable to allow stock to fall off much, in condition before a commencement is made with the utilisation of reserves of such

feed as roots, hay, and silage. It. is desirable to plan on the possibility of having to provide for a late severe spring, but such planning should lead to adequate provision being made at. the appropriate season, and, at this stage, looking to the future may be carried too far at the expense of the current requirements of the stock. The winter feeding of stock on roots alone is undesirable. Stock so fed receive, a diet which is much too watery and cold for ordinary requirements, and which is likely to set up digestive disturbances. Heavy root feeding is particularly unsuitable for old, toothless ewes if the roots are offered intact. Heavy root feeding to any typo of breeding ewe or to dairy cattie is also inadvisable. Roots may suitably bo supplemented with dry fodder such as hay or chaff. The quantities of each class of feed to be used, depend to a considerable extent on such circumstances as the supplies available and how much feed the stock can obtain from the pastures on whicn they may be running.