FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1939, Page 9

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(By

“Rouseabout”)

DUAL PURPOSE CATTLE. PROBLEM FOR DAIRY FARMERS The foundations of New Zealand's prosperity were laid on wool, frozen lamb and frozen mutton. Later came the dairying industry, and it soon rose to a position of importance, but, until recent years, the beef industry, so far as export is concerned, was neglected. One of the chief reasons for this was that N.Z. frozen beef had little chance of competing against Argentine chilled beef on the Home market, but now that chilled meat can be sent from New Zealand to Britain this handicap has been removed, and. according to some authorities, the N.Z. chilled beef trade has a greater future than the lamb trade.

However this may be, there is no doubt that there is now in New Zealand a far greater interest in the rearing of beef cattle than was the case a few years ago. Evidence of this is to be found in the increased attention that is being devoted to the AberdeenAngus, those stockily-built black polled cattle that are said by many to be the best beef cattle in the world. The Aberdeen-Angus is not, however, much good for dairying purposes, and for the dairy farmer, who wants to combine butterfat and beef production, the problem is to find a good dual purpose breed. There are some authorities who contend that there is no such thing as a good dual purpose breed. Their argument is that, whether for milk or beef production, the best results can only be obtained by using single purpose breeds. Tt is true that in New Zealand there have been some disappointments with dual purpose cattle, but this may be largely due to the fact that hitherto scientific cattle breeding has received little attention in this country. In Great Britain, 'the home of many fine breeds of cattle, dual purpose cattle have been used with success. The experience there has been that, while dual purpose animals fail somewhat in comparison with the best of the purely milking breeds and the best of the purely beef breeds, they do, nevertheless, give a good average return in both branches. Here is the conclusion of a British authority: — “When milk averages of dual-pur-pose herds are compared with those of the average single-purpose dairy herds, not only in the general run is there not a great difference, but there is this other important factor —the dual-purpose herd produces the more profitable calf, namely, one that will sell readily in the beef market. Again, there is this by no means unessential fact —the life of the dual-purpose cow is well in excess of the average dairy cow in Britain, the difference according to official estimates being at two and a-half to three years in milk. Regularity in breeding and an average life of seven to eight years in milk is no small recommendation for the dual purpose cow.” THE HEREFORD. The Hereford breed, one of the oldest in the British Isles, is also claimed to be one of the best of dual purpose breeds. Here are some points in its favour:—

Hereford cattle are specially noted for early maturity and aptitude to fatten. They are unsurpassed as graziers and will readily fatten on grass alone. The grass-fed Hereford beef is in great favour, and commands top price on the London market during the season, having that marbled, well mixed appearance that butchers and consumers perfer. A Hereford carcass carries most flesh where the best joints are cut. The Hereford bull is very extensively used for crossing purposes for the production of store cattle which are eagerly sought by graziers all oyer England and Wales. In dairy herds especially, where the calves are sold soon after birth, the Hereford cross is very popular. The Hereford breed has on this account made enormous strides in Ireland, where the breeding of store cattle for the English and Scotch markets is of such importance. Herefords are supreme as ranch cattle, roughing it in extremes of heat or cold. They thrive and fatten on scanty fare and are eminently suited for countries where the grass is rough and the land harsh and stony. Because they are so robust and hardy, Hereford cattle are remarkably free from disease and have great powers of withstanding infection. As a breed they are practically free from tuberculosis, only about two per cent, reacting over a very large number of tests. This is a most important point in their favour now that so much attention is being paid to tuberculosis in cattle. That other disease so dreaded by stockmen, namely, contagious abortion, is also rare in Hereforu cattle. Although coming to such early maturity, Hereford cows have exceptionally long lives as breeders. Dropping their first calf at three years old, they frequently live and continue breeding up to 14 or 15 years of age, and instances have been known of cows much older than this.

Hereford milk is very rich, containing a large percentage of butterfat, and where Hereford cows are brought up to the pail they prove good milkers. Many Hereford breeders have kept one or two cows specially for milk for their household purposes and have developed their milking properties with very satisfactory results. There is a herd of pedigree Herefords in Wiltshire (England) that has been kept entirely for milk for over a century, and the milk average for each cow is very great. This herd has won prizes at the Bath and West Show against herds of milking breeds.

SHORTAGE OF FEED. Dairy farmers arc experiencing their worst season in recent times, states a Gisborne report. Dry conditions have prevailed for six months am! production throughout the district is 30 nor cent, lower than last season, which vas not a good one. The decline in output, as compared with two years ago, is substantially more than 30 per cent. The. worst, however, may be ahead. Farmers are faced with the prospect of an acute, shortage of Winter feed, if rain comes during the next week jor so the position will be much relieved, but if the dry spell continues much beyond Easter and if the weather is cold, prospects for the Winter will be uncertain.

NO HEATHER, THANKS. N.Z. HAS ENOUGH PESTS A visitor from Scotland, Mr. A. Trotter, of Edinburgh, suggested the other day that heather should be grown in various parts of New Zealand where it would add colour to the scenery. He admitted that he knew the difficulties about introducing anything into New Zealand, because of the way in which it might spread, but, nevertheless, he thought it would be a great asset to the scenery in certain places. He added, “Farmers might be worried about it, and I realise that it could be introduced only in certain places, but in Scotland the sheep (perhaps they are of a different breed) do not seem to mind it.”

It would not be a very wild guess to suggest that Mr. Trotter does not know a great deal about sheep farming in Scotland. The heathered hills of Scotland are world-famous, and certainly they look very beautiful when the heather is showing purple, but, nevertheless, heather is a weed, and a rather bad one at that. It is one of the pests that has overrun thousands of acres of pasture land, especially in the Highlands. Bracken is another, and of the two is the worse. If heather is burnt off at the right time, sheep will eat the fresh shoots when they appear. Bracken is quite useless. But, though sonic economic value can be extracted from heather, it would be ridiculous to suggest that a hillside of heather is just as valuable as a hillside of grass. Fortunately, there is not the slightest chance of heather being deliberately used to clothe some of the hills of New Zealand, just for the sake of delighting the eye of the passing tourist. The tourist industry may have come to be the chief industry of the Highlands of Scotland, but it is by no means the chief industry of New Zealand, and Mr. Trotter may rest assured that the farmers of New Zealand would do a great deal more than worry if any attempt were made to furnish this country with heather-clad hills.

New Zealand has already had some experience in the matter. The writer of an article in the Dunedin “Star” says:

“Many years ago heather was planted, for the first time in- this country, on certain of the open portions of the Tongariro National Park. When the Park Board was constituted a considerable quantity of seed was on its way from Great Britain, purchased at the expense of the Robert Bruce Trust. The board gave permission for the planting of this seed already on its way, but decided to consider the matter before any further planting was allowed. The question was eventually discussed by practically all the branches of the New Zealand Institute, which were unanimously opposed to the introduction. Where the plant has been introduced in the neighbourhood of Dunedin it has not thrived or .extended. Owing to the richness of the soil or the profuseness of moisture, local native plants, never at any time sparse, have been able to battle successfully against it. But the experiment provided a different tale on the formerly bare places of the Tongariro National Park, reports stating that it spread like wildfire. Though science formed a minority on the Park Board, scientific principles triumphed over sentiment, and it was decided that an attempt should be made to eradicate the heather in that area.”

He concluded his article thus: “All in all, it seems clear that, while New Zealand -welcomes almost anything Scottish, from a Highland Regiment to a haggis, it is not enamoured of the prospect of having to cope with imported vegetation that is difficult to keep in check.” The farmers of New Zealand have, in fact, quite enough imported pests to deal with without adding to their number. Some of the pests could not perhaps have been excluded. They came in as stowaways, as it were. But it is a major tragedy in the history of New Zealand that such great pests as rabbits, deer, sparrows, and blackberries were brought here deliberately, not, of course, as pests, but for no reason that was at all adequate. It is impossible to say how many millions of pounds the four pests named have cost this country, not to mention any others. There is not only the damage actually done to be reckoned, but also the large sums spent in efforts to combat and eradicate. The grand total must be colossal.

FARMERS’ PROBLEMS. POSITION IN ENGLAND. Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith, Minister of Agriculture, recently denied a statement that he had made “a wonderful bargain with the Premier,” and that he had “a cheque for £15.000,000 for agriculture.” He was speaking at a dinner at Chester given by the Cheshire Branch of the National Farmers’ Union to Mr. Tom Peacock, who was recently elected president of the union, slates the “Daily Telegraph.” “I need not tell you/’ lie said, ‘ that there is no truth at all in that particular statement.

“That is not the way we are going to settle our problems. It cannot be done in a slapdash way. They must be settled by a closer review in consultation with the N.F.U., we must find out all the real needs of the industry, and try to get the necessary things for protection. “I know that you will not come to me expecting me to fulfil your wildest dreams. The simple reason, and the true reason, for my appointment is that the Prime Minister and the Government really do want to put agriculture in a proper place in our national economic system.’’ lie wanted in the shortest possible time, he said, to be a'-te to nut before his colleagues in the < Gl.-pic’ preptwals which would go a long way to solve the farmers’ problems. He believed, he said, that th-: farmers in the Dominions were perfectly ready to co-operate with our own farmers to make the most of the markets rather than to have cut-throat ' competition. I IN PRAISE OF THE PIG. The pig is the most valuable animal in the world. He is more useful and

less quarrelsome than man. The pigeats waste foods and millers’ offals; it roots up and manures the land to assist the growing of other foods; if given the liberty it will roam the forests and thrive on fern roots, etc. It is the most prolific of all animals, and it matures for human food the quickest. When it is dead it provides nearly fifty different commodities, from bristles and leather goods to gelatine, cosmetics, lubricants, fertilisers, candles, metal polish, soap and pharmaceutical preparation—all from parts we don’t eat! • From the edible parts we get bacon, ham, pork, lard, brawn, trotters, black puddings, saussages, pies, pig’s fry—in short, the pig produces for many in the largest ratio to weight of any of the farm animals. Its fat has an energy value as high as cod-liver oil, and the lean has a greater nutritional value than beef.