Farm & Station

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 10508, 11 February 1928, Page 5

Farm & Station

By "RUSTICUS"

DAIRY INDUSTRY

IMPROVING THE HERDS

IMPORTANCE OF GRADING

EFFECTS 'OF GOOD SIRES.

They, first, season’s results [from herd-testing usually demonstrate that, the. 10w.,, average production prevailing in many herds is due to poor feeding, poor management and inferior cows. It is difficult, however, to determine the relative importance of improved feeding and management compared with the, increase in production obtained through the, continued use 'of good' purebred sires, as all v these' factors may be working together towards the improvement of a herd. In • 1007 the lowa Agricultural experiment Station eommene.ed. an .experiment which is still in progress, and which was designed to give direct support to- the belief that a good producing and highly profitable grade dairy herjl can he built-up, from a foundation of common cows if the proper methods of breeding,' feeding, and management are followed. Tn 1907 the ■station purchased a lino of cows, heifers; calves end a young hull which word very inferior individuals, being small,of exceptionally limited ahciorntnal'; udder, and mammary vein .development, and 'exceedingly unprepossessing ns far as quality hand 1 topi-1 ihfes were'concerned. The, sole function of' the cows, hitherto, had been to- supply milk for family use and to raise their enjves. At the station, this line of scrub-eows and calves were- given the same care, feed and shelter as the purebred dairy cattle of the station herd. The first fifteen years’ of the exepi'imont show very definite results. Careful records wore , kept of the feed provided', and the milk and fat returned. The sires used were purebred Ayrshire, Friesian, Guernsey and Jersey, and also a scrub bull. All heifer calves from such matings were raised under the same conditions as were the purebred calves op the farm. Heifers by purebred sires were bred to other purebred sires of the same' breed, and the heifer calves resulting from these matings were also kept for dairy purposes.. ','

i nfluenge of environment. The results have a very pertinentbearing on farm practice in New Zealand. The influence of environment is first considered, since it lies with* ing the. province of every farmer to alter favorably the conditions surrounding his herd. Of the scrubs that were of producing age when they reached the station, some were four years old and the rest mature. The cows that were four years of age on their arrival at the station showed a steady increase in production until seven years of age. The increase was) of) per cent, more milk and 64*per. cent, more fat. As an increase of only 10 per cent, in milk and S per cent, in fat yield was expected as a* result of maturing, consequently the greater part of the increase obtained must be attributed to the blotter environment. The. cows that were mature on arrival showed a decrease on the first year’s results, which were not arrested by. the hotter feed and conditions. . Those, cows that came to the station at four years of age produced 14 per ccnV. more milk and 8 per rout., more fat than did those coming at maturity, while those coming as heifers produced 27 per cent, more milk and 24 per cent.' more fat than did the older animals. This shows that the. younger an animal is when subjected to. good treatmentthe greater is its response. It is ton frequently believed, however, that' calves and. other young stock need little care, but if they are to tie profitable after they reach producing ago they must be well fed from the start. INCREASE. IN PRODUCTION. Records of some i scrub cows'andtheir daughters by a scrub bull show that the daughters produced .10 per cent, more milk and- 13' per cent, more fat than their dams. It has been shown that improved feed and care can bring about a greater increase in production-‘than this, so it may.bo deduced that ,tho scrub sire was valueless as a herd improver, and that the. increase in production of hisi daughters over their darns was in reality duo to the care they received early in life.

'The influence of purebred sires was demonstrated for: two generations. The first genera lion gr a des are those carrying ,50 per cent, of blood of one of the recognised dairy breeds, and tlm second > generation grades ale those carrying tho To per cent.' of the blood of .one. of . tho-ltreeds. The average increase in production of the first, generation grades over their dnnis was 39 per cent, of milk arid AS per ..cent., of, fat. The Friesians showed the greatest increase in production in milk and the Guernsey and Jersey crosses showed - a greater increase in fat than in milk. The second generation grades- showed /a still greater increase over their scrub ancestors, this being 110 per cent, in milk*'and 101-per cent in fat'. This certainly vindicates the nse of good purebred dairy sires in grading np low producing or stub herds. High production is not enough; the average dairyman demands economy of production. The second generation grades were the most economical producers of both butter-fat and milk while the scrubs were the least economical. The use of purebred sires brought about not- only greater produotoin, but more economical production- ' ?

FEEDING AND BREEDING

It was shown also that the purebred sire had to be carefully chosen as the progeny of some purebred sires showed but little improvement over their dams- while the progeny of others showed remarkable improvement. Again, the daughters of the same darn fly the same sire shoved considerable- variation, 'thus showing the need for individual Selection and continuous testing of herds for production

This work has shown.the value of feeding, breeding and selection ni building up a dairy herd. Good feeding is essential for heavy milk and butter-fat production. Good bulls Will build up a high producing herd from very inferior cows. A purebred hull is not nil that is necessary, as some purebred hulls are not lit to head a scrub herd.' Even where good footling and breeding policies are followed, rigid selection 'must lie practised as animals of the. same or similar breeding may vary widely in producing ability.

PEDIGREE SHEEP. FOUNDING 1 A FEDOR. UNIFORMITY KKQI J II FI). , ■ fn breeding pedigree slump it is of the greatest importance' to endeavour to attain uniformity, and in founding .a flock muclv time is often lost by getting together many ewes ot various types, so that it takes years of careful mating and selection tiefore the flock can.be said to have attained uniformity. It is idawys difficult to find any two Hocks that are exactly similar in type. The flocks themeslvos may he 1 uniform, hilt at the: same time differ front each other in some characteristic or other. One Hock may consist ol .Sheep the chief points of which are size and strength. Another may he noted lor its.quality of wool, ami so on, and vet one tloelt ihny be jiist as highly fed as the other. It is always Advisable in laying the foundation of a pedigree fl&ck to obtain the ewes from the same source. .1.1 purchased from an old-established Hock of' high standing they are pretty certain to ho true to type-arid ’uniform in, appearance, and tMoil it requires the exercise of the greatest skill and judgment'’ in the selection of sires to maintain the type and character, so that-the future breeder must use great discrimination in the sources 'to which lie goes for them. In-breeding must lie kept within proper limits in sheep raising as in cattle brooding hut lo establish and maintain purity and uniformity of type a certain amount of- 111-breeding is n.eepssary and justifiable". So long as strength and constitution are. not allowed to suffer, pa breeder .him well advised •in keeping within his own dock For sires until' type anti'• character arc securely fixed. : There always comes a time, however, wlilm it becomes necessary to go outside, the'flock for a.. ,sire, and then it is that- the greatest discrimination must be used and a selection niade from a fiot’k which hears a close resemblance, in type and character to the one that is being built. It is always possible, for a'breeder to obtain rams front flocks.

Constant change of blood-and putting into the flocks drafts from other flocks at different times are apt to end in loss of typo"ancf---uniformity. The'introduction of frcsli blood may at sonic, time or other be necessary to maintain vigour and robustness ot constitution, which are always apt.to beet) mo impaired .bv too close breeding, lint only those flocks shoulcl ho tapped in which purity of breeding has, been the recognised feature.

Some “ordinary”/farmers attach very little importance to pedigree in regard to sheep-brooding, but purity of blood and linengenre of as great value in the breeding of sheep as any other class of live stock.;Still

’•’pedigree” counts lor iittie unless the animal can back ifc up by merit, hut at the same time the best characteristics cannot he relied upon to come -in succession without- .pure -breeding-at- the back of them. A ccrefill "adherence to pedigree is the or. ly certain method-of H oyiriug fixity ol type, and it is oiny animals of the purest breeding that: can he relied upon to transmit their characteristics to their progency/ It must, ’however, never he taken for granted that a purebred animal is perfect. In pedigree sheep-breeding the 'breeder must pay due regard to iiiose utility points which are. of the first importance ' commercially., He should "make/the combination of good qualities with high breeding his aim, and then success both in the: showyard and in the -sale ring will assuredly follow. Jt is always worth while to keep n register of the pedigree- of each'individual ewo in- - the llock, as by that- moans it ,is possible for the breeder to carry on his back with a full knowledge of what he is doing. ,*

QOOD MUTTON. OH Alt .VOTER TSTTCS OF THE • . RIGHT; SHFEP. Referring to the raising of sheep for mutton. Professor - Curtiss,.7 ; ait eminent authority, states that .not'all the animals belonging to any oi the improved' breeds are: possessed ol_ a high degree of excellence. Individual animals always differ: in,ore tlmn breeds, and there are relatively fewreally good animals in any- breed. This'iseems to' lie strikingly true of mutton sheep,-valid the following brief summary by Professor Curtiss', on wliat constitutes a good mutton sheep may be of interest. “First let there be pronounced masculinity in the male and : feminity in the female. ..Sheep should • be neither sexless nor characterless. They should hear the stamp anti character of , the breed they represont: This.’breed character is a mark of good blood and it should he inainfest' in an unmistakable manner. The sire should he impressive, resolute. and of noble hearing. He should bo distinctly the head,of, the flock in every sense of the word. To .meet these requirements lie must have good constitutional and vital powers.' Without these no animal ,is fit. to head a- herd or flock. Ire .selecting, a sire, look first at the head. Tf deficient there, lock no further, hut reject at once. Insist supon a head that faces yon boldly with a wide face, a clear bright eye. Sickleshaped hocks and weak, sloping pasterns afford sufficient reason for condemning an otherwise good sheep.

PROFITS FROM PIGS

A VALUABLE Si DE-LINE. IMPROVING THE BREED—SYSTEM OF TESTfNG.'SOM S. . The absence of a generally-acceiit-ed scheme of differentiating between profitable and unprofitable pigs is stated by Professor T. H. Wood, in a recent issue of the Nineteenth Century Review, to. place a certain handicap on the business of pigraising. He attributes the relative!) sound financial-position of the dairying and poultry industries to the fact that an accurate measure of production is possible with cows ami fowls, thus allowing the unprofitable' beast or bird to be eliminated. Pig-raising in New Zealand, as . a side-line, if not a specific bhsine.ss. is now coming definitely to. the fore, and although it has not reached that state of development which would mark it .as an .industry.'of national import, sufficient interest .is being taken in it ty> warrant a consideration of means' ana' methods which would establish it. on the .most- profitable basis. From England /conies the news of pig-testing trials being carried out there. Those may or may not, prove of'ultimate value to pig-raisers,’ hut in any case it is not anticipated that any practical benefit will .result for a matter of rears.

There are several broad principles for the guidance of the farmer in gauging the value of hs stoc k. 'IN pe, conformity and prepotency all combine iii giving lmn. to a certain extent'. the indication lie desires, while it is also fairly generally established that the sow .which cannot rear at least nine or ten pigs a year is unprofitable and should he treated lor killing. A niQi’e 'definite means, however,’ than that accorded- by brand principles is desirable, if the pig-raiser is to differentiate with any certainty between the prolil-getters and Ihe profit-losers of his herd. AN INTERESTING SUGGESTION* ' The dairy man I’uis the benefit ol principles equally reliable—and equally broad —in selecting his stock,' yet the necessity ' for liordtos ling' 11s the final analysis of the worth of the individual producer is undisputed. Similarly in regard to pig-raising, it would seem beneficial t'p have a means whereby the farmer can gain a reasonably reliable indication as to whether, or not the 'individuals; in Ins herd are capable of producing a profit commensurate with initial outlay and upkeep charges. . / , t /// V \ in this (dnnectioii Professor Wood

makes a most interesting, if simple, suggestion. As in herd-testing the iveight 'of butter-fat produced ir.di- • elites whether or not an animal is a jn’olitablo one,'so in sow-testing, the professor .suggests,N tlie “weight -ot pig” produced can be measured lor the same purpose. Apart from the advantages it ■ oilers' the st heme makes,an appeal from one or two additional * considerations-. . in the first place it' is practically inexpensive and all the farmer has to do is to provide himself with suitable weighing apparatus, and bv’en if dim is a necessary first expense/ it- will certainly lie the last. ■ Further, there is no call for the' epipldvment ot specialists in laboratory work such as ’.exists in 'Herd-testing ‘operations, while in undertaking the additional attention to detail that the scheme demands the ’farmer imbues Ins operations with much additional interest and simultaneously places his business on ,’i plane ol increased practicability/and profit. Each litter should be weighed atthree weeks, and the number of pigs, the total and average weights, and the number at birth, should be included in the - record. At three’ weeks of ago the' young pigs should have eaten no outside food, so that their weight and number will give an indication of their mother’s milking capacity and their own inherent ability to make full use of their food.

TWO IMPORTANT FACTORS

Those'two factors, however, should really lie measured separately, as a had sow may have a good litter owing to the use of an exceptionally good boat, but‘it- is the-combination of the two factors that is important to the farmer who is producing pigs for any purpose—bacon, " pork, or lor sale as stores. It will he found that sows'vary a gortd deal in their productions; of pig meat,; while the total weight of the. litter will not Vary very; much for a given sow,- provided she has at -least a fair litter.

The farmer who* turns out pig meat from a few sows will soon collect useful information aboj.it them. But he should be careful to compare only' results that are produced under approximately similar conditions. Summer and winter farrowings, for Instiince; are not stricti> comparable,, and in assessing *J sow’s value from her litter the kuK of boar that is being employed must he taken into consideration. it would he easy to draw too unwarranted conclusions from msuincieiit data, and-at least two litteis should -he weighed’before any m.formation is taken ot the figures, hut if the weighing is made a mattei ol routine it will lead to the worst *0 s : being got rid of, .and gilt'.-’ f 'kept" from tlie best. , . If monev is lost in pig-kcep.ngM. is often due .to keeping bad sows which cannot .give their pigs; a S?od start in life. If jug-keeping is- going to progress -and he.nrohtablerthe L mcr must start to improve his sows in some such manner.

■WHEY WASTE; UTILISING A NUISANCE. PRODUC TION OF ANIMAL FOODS The .problem of wlicv residue from cheese factories, has. been of some concern to dairy, companies, in New 7ealand especially in those districts where pig breeding is not carried on to any extent. The .overflow become-: a 'nuisance with which companies find it hard to. cope. The' same problem, in .a/ varying degree, has been experienced 111 England, where Dr Leonard Harding. Ph.D., Cantab - of Manchester, has lor some years been conducting: research .work with a view to overcoming the various difficulties which surplus whey presents, and to trv to convert it into, a payable commodity. /- ', Great mortality, among fish ' was experienced in England as a result ot wiioy being turned into the streams: while-the-useful'bacteria in the filter beds were being rendered, useless. The problem of. this, waste product became‘more difficult in England since cheese-making, was transferred from the farmhouses to the factories, Where greater volumes had to be dealt with. Continental methods of

handling whey, by the manufacture of milk sugar, were not applicable to conditions in England, as there was not sufficient whey m any one dairy in England to make sugar production profitable, and whey-- contains so much water that it was impracticable to c-art it about to the various centres.

Dr. Harding first commenced Ins investigations on behalf of the Koval Agricultural Society, and later on a larger scale, for the Ministry of Agriculture. He evolved a scheme whereby the whey was treated at the point of production, by means of a specially designed evaporator, which uses a minimum of fuel. The concentrated product in the form c t a syrup is then carted to a central factory where the milk sugar is extracted and animal foods are made Horn the solids. This work is now being carried out by a private company, which has purchased the research factory from the Ministry of Agriculture. This company is handling the minimum economic quantity of whey (one million gallons a veer), and is seeking to extend its activities.

With a view to introducing the process to New Zealand, Dr. Harding is now visiting the Dominion, and in Hamilton he explained his process to representative dairymen. Tie told the meeting that he hoped to obtain concessions in New Zealand. p"ol ably with the object of floating a New Zealand company, which might run into a lew-ruillions sterling, nlieu the scheme was fully developed, with the idea, of trying to solve the i.u Idem of the waste that goes oh and at the same time clearing up the nuisance. Dr. Harding explained that it might be better to put in evaporators' here and tranship the‘svrup to England. or it might, on the other hand, he considered more advantageous, owing to local conditions, to'establish central condeiisories with, a radius from five to ten miles, and to curt the whev to the condensorics. The bulk of the whey would have to go into animal foods, as the market for milk sugar, was not a strong one.. Milk , sugar was made from reiinod' lactose, but lie was hoping to find a use for'the crude lactose, which would help' the economies of the process.* He made it quite clear that there no fortune lor rlje farmer in putting his whey to the use suggested, ii would only be of any use to the proposed company, if it could be' bought at about jd per gallon and the farmer would have to be content very largely with getting rid of a nuisance, although the byproduct would, nevertheless, bring some return to dairy companies ol a few hundreds of thousands sterling a a; veal', according to supply. Referring to the vnrue of whey as !>'. pig food, Dr. Harding said the food value was not in proportion to the amount of liquid consumed, whereas in the concentrated form the whey became practically all food. 4he concentrated food would, of cpttrse, naturally ho more expensive, but it would be worth the additional cost and would have the added advantage, that iD would keep indefinitely and would he . available-' in the winter months -when • there was no* whev. h was probable, said the visitor, if the scheme was successfully launched in England, that, tile animal foods would be manufactured in Now Zealand, but the mill; sugar .would lie-made in. England. CARE OF FARM HARNESS. TiE'NGTHKNING ITS LIFE. ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture gives the following hints on how to, take care of harness to, make it 'last':— j . For washing, use tepid water, a neutral soap, such as Caslilmor white toilet son]), and a sponge or a fairly stiff brush. Hardened grenSiv is very conveniently removed .by.' scraping with a ) dull knife.. Rinse in clean, tepid water, and allow the harness to hang in a warm place until it is no longer .wet. Init damp.. Then oil it and leave it in,a warm place for twentv-lour hours before being used. Harness should he oiled or greased while still damp, otherwise it may take up "so much grease that it will pull out of shape or take up sand and grit, which Will injure it as well as spoil its appearance. Harness shook! neovr look or feel greasy. ; Ncatsfoot or castor*oil. or a mixture of , these with wool grease, is good for driving harness. For heavy harness use a mixture oT tallow and red livdr nil, or ncatsfoot oil and Hallow, or a mixture of any or all of these with wool grease to make a paste having about- the consistency 01 butter. Apply the grease lightly to di'ivinw harness, and liberally to work harness. Rub the oil or grease, warm to the hand, thoroughly jnto the leather while it is still-damp lroin the washing. After the harness has been hull's in a warm place over-night remove with a clean-,'- dry cloth the excess of oil which the leather is unable to take up. In no ease should any grease or other preparation ‘containing. mineral acids or n.xnlie acid he used on harness or belts. No matter how highly such preparations may he recommended, avoid them. Their use will liasten the rotting of the leather.

nominating settlers

NEW CA N A DIA N % SOH EAIE

: Details of a now ntul' extensive scheme of immigration to Canada, on the nomination principle, have been ofliciallvtannouneed in London. It.is based on the agreement between the Provincial and the Federal Governments. under which the Federal Government will, in future, • accept responsibility for the placing of experienced farm workers and domestic ■workers, without any , limitation asto number. * It will also agree to the ‘settlement of inexperienced farm workers'sent out from Britain under the terms of a wide nomination scheme. This scheme wifi operate under the two headings of personal and descriptive nomination. The former will be that in. which a particular emigrant is named and nominated bv a /friend in Canada, while descriptive nomination will mean that a Canadian employer will nominate not the itulivi(tnal worker, but the. class 01.- worker lie will ■ he. prepared to ynecept mid settle. • - A special effort is to he made to develop this principle of nomination by ! the promotion of close co-opera-tion between the Canadian Government and all who are .engaged on emigration work. • To meet, any '.Further .demaiid for settlers, the Government will, moreover. allow bulk nomination offsettiers by*-all emigration workers'who eivn demonstrate their anility the newcomers satisfactorily. lhcsc will, of course, include the - immigration organisation of the'two Canadian railway .companies and other organised emigration bodies. The bulk nomination .sVhemo will be. operative until May IT this year.

CLEANLINESS FIRST. PA ST EI T RI.S ATI 0N- NO SUBST ITU TIC f Pasteurisation •is not a substitute for cleanliness or efficient cooling oil the farm, prompt delivery ol the c-ream.y-pr thorough cleaning and sterilising of the cans at the factor.'. It is a. preventive and not a remedy—jt only assists to control, retard, and some objectionable flavours and bacterial development. While pasteurisation assists, in improving a cream the fact must not he lost sight of that a high quality butter cannot be made lrpm an inferior cream .supply. The most efficient pasteurisntibn will never cause a fermented cream to make a finest butter.