FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 February 1940, Page 9

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(By

“Rouseabout”)

DEALING WITH THE RABBIT _RELENT LES S EXTERM INATION | The failure of the representations jniade to the Government by Central 01 ago runholders to have shipping space made available for the export of frozen rabbits, with the. object of stimulating the killing of rabbits, was not unexpected. Britain has need of far more valuable commodities than rabbit flesh from New Zealand, and shipping space is valuable in these days of war. Britain has more than enough rabbits already. At least, many British farmers think so, for it is not only in New Zealand and Australia that rabbits are a pest. They do not, of course, multiply so rapidly in Britain as they do in the Antipodes, the colder Winter helping to keep their numbers within more reasonable bounds, but they are, nevertheless, sufficiently numerous in many parts of the country to be a considerable pest to farmers. Even in the Highlands of Scotland, where rigorous Winters are the rule, rabbits are common. Con-

vincing proof of this is to be found in the bodies of crushed rabbits one sees dotting the Highland highways—victims of the tourists’ motor cars. As regards rabbits for food, fresh ones are cheap enough and plentiful enough in Britain for the greater part of the year. It may be that supplies of imported rabbits would not be unwelcome at the present time, but Britain has far more need of mutton, lamb, beef, butter and cheese, to say nothing of wool. Besides, in a country where the rabbit is such a pest as it is in New Zealand, it is doubtful whether it is politic to enhance the commercial value of rabbits. For an enhanced value tends to lead to “rabbit farming,” and, thus, instead of assisting extermination, actually has a contrary effect. New Zealand, and particularly Otago, has already had experience of this. Some years ago when rabbit skins were bringing high prices, there was a strong suspicion that some Otago runholders were not doing all they might to exterminate rabbits on their properties, and it may be that the present serious threat of the rabbit in Central Otago is not wholly unconnected with this period. i The only sensible way to regard the rabbit is as an unmitigated pest, and to wage relentless war on him, accordingly. He should be exterminated by any and every means, without regard to whether or not the process of extermination destroys his commercial value. In a sense he has no such value, for the return he brings can never repay for the damage he does. Farmers have a right to look to the Government for every assistance in the work of extermination, including subsidies, if necessary, to encourage ra.bbiters. But the farmers, too, must be prepared to do their part and not leave the whole responsibility with the 1 Gov ernment. WEST COAST FARMING. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES. The Minister of Agriculture (Mr W. Lee Martin), who is making his first cfiicial tour of the West Coast, is convinced that this province will have to pay greater attention to farming in the future because the resources on which it mainly depends at present, coal, timber and gold, are gradually diminishing. Mr Lee Martin is no stranger to the West Coast. He worked here in his younger days, but since then he has had some 30 years of farming experience in the Waikato on land which, he said yesterday, was a good detal worse when he first went on to it than much of the land which he had seen on the West Coast. Yesterday the Minister visited Rotomanu, where he met farmers from the surrounding districts, and as a practical farmer he said he was impressed by the appearance of the land he had seen in and around Rotomanu. He had come to the West Coast to get firsthand knowledge of its farming possibilities, because he was convinced that farming was the one permanent industry of the West Coast. Mr W. Clayton (Ahaura), who was one of a deputation which waited on the Minister last evening, told him that the West Coast had some of the best farming land in the Dominion. This was proved by the fact that West Coast farmers frequently topped the Addington market—New Zealand’s leading market for stock —with sheep, lambs, cattle and pigs. .The West Coast also produced first-class butter. Any part of the West Coast would grow grass. Mr A. 11. Cochayne, Director of the Department of Agriculture, who is accompanying the Minister on liis tour, said that, the grass lands on the West Coast had not many problems, but there were three of major importance, namely drainage, the application of lime, and the application of fertilisers. Mr Lee Martin and his party left to-day for South Westland, where an extensive tour will be made, with particular attention to the farming activities of that end of the province. The Minister will return to Greymouth on Friday evening and will visit the West Coast A. and P. Association’s Show at Victoria Park on Saturday. He will leave on return to Wellington either on. Sunday or Monday.

ROTORUA WASTE LANDS The possibility of 17,000 acres at Kaharoa, near Rotorua, being brought into full production was considered by the Rotorua. District Council of Primary production at its last meeting. The council forwarded a remit to this effect to the Agricultural Department suggesting that the Government should make available labour and Public Works machinery. It is understood that further land development in the Rotorua district was recently discussed by the Minister of Labour, Mr. P. C. Webb, and the resident engineer of the Public Works Department. A survey of the district made by Mr. C. S. i Dalgleish, held instructor of the Department of Agriculture, shows that many farms in this district were abandoned on account of bush sickness. It is considered, however, that the use of cobalt will overcome this, and that further breaking-in of land not previously farmed will bring into greater productivity several thousands of acres.

FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE z — /I SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE The breeding of a high producing herd requires that all cows should J?e well fed, disease free, tested for butterfat, and that only heifers out of high producing cows should be brought into the herd. The best bulls are those which are not only out of high producing cows but which have proved themselves to be herd improvers, i.e., they have produced heifers giving a higher yield than their mothers did as two year olds. The use of such bulls will with certainty raise the butterfat average of the herd. The importance of the bull will be appreciated when it is realised that the bull produces many calves' in the year whereas each cow produces only one calf, states a bulletin dealing with the feeding of dairy cattle, prepared by Canterbury Agricultural College and issued under the auspices of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. While not easy it is possible to obtain a herd practically clear of disease. This demands periodical testing of all cows for tuberculosis and for contagious abortion and the removal of all reacting cows. A clean herd thus obtained may be kept clean by isolation from other herds. In successful dairy production, adequate feeding is all important and is the principal subject oi tins bulletin. The amount of feed a dairy cow, requires depends on a number of factors. (1) The size of the animal. Larger animals require more than smaller ones. (2) The amount the animal produces. A cow producing six gallons a day will require more feed than one producing three gallons or one which is dry. (3) The stage of pregnancy. An incalf dairy cow needs extra feed to build up her calf. The requirement for the foetal calf rises considerably over the last three months before calving occurs. (4) The weather. During the months from September to April, no extra requirement is needed to allow for vagaries of the weather. However, in the Winter and early Spring, extra food is required by dairy cows owing to frosty weather, cold winds and south-westerly storms.

(5) The growth of the cow herself. Extra feed is required for any weight increase the cow may make. This applies mainly to heifers but also to all heavy milking cows whose condition must be built up during their dry period. After examining the question of the different kinds of feed, grass, hay, silage, roots, kale and chou moellier, the bulletin goes on to deal with the actual feed required by cows used for fhe production of butter fat or milk for cheese factories. On this question it states: — Profitable dairy production requires a milking season of at least 9 months. This necessitates August calving. The supplementary feed required in August and Septembei’ can usually be supplied by growing about one-quartei’ acre per cow of Italian ryegrass and red clover or greenfeed oats and vetches and feeding this in conjunct tion with 10 to 151bs of good hay cow until the second or third week in September. By this time Spring growth usually commences and the grass will supply the cows’ requirements.

During January, February. March and April a dry weather feed shortage may occur. The deficiency can be supplied by feeding 15 to 201bs of silage per cow or by feeding second year Italian ryegrass and red clover, December sown black barley, or October sown soft turnips. During seasons with suitable rains little or no supplementary Autumn feed may be required btu if dry weather is experienced sugh as in 1939 large amounts of feed will be necessary. Ensilage is particularly useful as it will keep for years as a safeguard against a bad season. Cows are usually dried off during May and it is from then on that dairy cow feeding is most important and most frequently neglected. The popular conception is that the cow is dry and needs little feed but she is still a producer. During part of May, all of June and July and most of August the cow must build her calf and as every gobd cow milks off her own body during the flush of production, she munt also restore her own body tissues. Moreover, she must contend tvith severe weather conditions.

To bring her through the Winter in good condition, a dairy cow requires the equivalent of 20 to 251bs of hay, 40 to 501bs of mangels and a few stalks of chou moellier daily and one-quarter of an acre of green feed for Winter and Spring shortage. Hay requires to be fed in the early Spring at the rate of 10 to 151bs a day. The total requirements per cow are: For Winter and early Spring — 11 to li tons hay per cow 21 to 3 tons of mangels per cow A little chou moellier pei* cow i acre of green feed per cow. For Summer feed (some seasons only)— . . 1 ton of silage per cow or l-10th acre of greenfeed pel* cow. The requirements for 10 cows produring 3501b5. of butterfat are, approximately:

6 acres average meadow hay 1 acre mangels i acre chou moellier 3 acres green feed 1 acre (5 tons) silage. Low producing cows may be fed less than these amounts especially in mild climates. Cases are known, however, where herds of large Friesian cows producing over 4001bs of butter fat, are being fed with profit, oue and three-quarter tons of hay per cow in addition to full provision of mangels, chou'moellier and greenfeed.

LINEN FLAX GROWING SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS Following a.period of successful experimental work, linen flax is being grown commercially in parts of the South Island. This year 100 acres are being grown under contracts to the Government, and some of the crops, which are now being harvested, are very high in yiel dand quality.. in the I Marlborough district there j have been i some particularly heavy yield; . I A sample of the harvested flax was shown to a “Post” representative b v Mr. R B. Tenncnt, Director M the Fields Division of the Department of .Agriculture, which negotiated the contracts with th© growers, and which, in conjunction with the Agronomy Divi-

sion of the Plant Research Bureau, conducted the experimental work. “This is a sample from a crop of 20 acres,” said Mr. Tennent. “The plants are over three feet in length, which is exceptionally long, and the crop is expected to yield eight tons of fibre, which may be conservatively estimated as worth £BO per ton.

“The variety which has been sotvn, Ural crown, is a good all-round variety, the fibre of which can be used for the manufacture of all classes of linen fabrics, including aeroplane cloth. The industry is being fostered by the Government, and a prominent firm of rope manufacturers is establishing a plant at Waikuku, near Rangiora, for the processing of the farmers’ crops. It is also hoped that a firm of flax millers may carry out the processing for 100 acres which have been grown in Marlborough, and there are indications that an Australian firm of linen manufacturers is interested in the New Zealnad crops. “The experimenatl work carried out before the contracts were’ let was most comprehensive, and the yields from the trial plots were sent to the Linen Research Institute in Belfast for tests. These tests showed that the New Zealand-grown flax was equal to the best grown in other parts of the world.

“Before commencing the experimeilts, much information was obtained on the g” ' -ing and harvesting of the crop in ether parts of the world, and the experiments carried out in NeAV Zealand were planned to show the most suitable variety to grow, the soil and climatic conditions required, tlm yields likely to be obtained. the best rate of seeding and best spacing, the manures to; use, the best depth to sow, the best time to sow, the best method of harvesting, the diseases likely to be important, and the quality of the fibre available. The experiments have been made on a wide variety of soil types ranging from light silty loam to heavy clay, and it would appear that a medium loam overlying clay will give the best results.

“The weather has an important effect on the yield, since an adequate, but not excessive supply of moisture is essential. There are very large areas of suitable laud in the South Island round about Rangiora, Ashbur ton, Timaru, Oamaru, Balclutha. Gore, and Invercargill. The North Island is not considered suitable because of the risk of severe rust infection in warm moist climates.

“The present indications are that linen flax is going to be a profitable crop for New Zealand farmers in suitable areas.”

ERADICATION OF RAGWORT.

NEGLIGENCE ALLEGED. One of the major concerns of the Department of Agriculture at the moment is the eradication of ragwort, but another Government Department, that of tjie Railways, does not seem to share this enthusiasm. When the Minister of Agriculture (Mr W. Lee Martin) and his party were travelling from Greymouth to Rotomanu yesterday, an officer of the Department of Agriculture pointed out ragwort growing on railway land on either side of the railway near Poerua, and he also mentioned the fact that certain paddocks in the vicinity had been successfully cleared of the weed by farmers. One of the subjects that Mr Lee Martin discussed with the farmers at Rotomanu was the eradication of ragwort, and during this discussion the same departmental officer said he had asked district railway officials to have ragwort cleared from along the railway lines, but so far withoqt result. He added that, if there was no .response to his appeal, he would have to carry the matter to a higher authority. It. was not much encouragement to farmers to clear their lands of the weed when they saw the negligence of a. Government Department. Ml- Lee Mari in urged farmers to regard ragwort as a very serious enemy. Cases bad occurred of men being forced off their land by the spread of ■this weed. It was easy enough to deal with if tackled in time, but, if it was once allowed to get a hold, its eradication was difficult.