Farm & Station

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10734, 3 November 1928, Page 12

Farm & Station

DISEASE IN STOCK

ENGLISH QUARANTINE PLAN

POSITION OF DOMINIONS

The agricultural press in Britain is disappointed at the results so far attending the establishment of quarantine stations for the treatment of stud stock for export from that country. Two points in particular are loudly lamented by one influential journal, the first being that British breeders themselves are not fully informed concerning the actual position of the quarantine scheme and the second, that certain of the Dominions —including New Zealand—being unnecessarily afraid of the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease, ignore the facilities offered by the scheme for sale importations of stock from the. British Isles.

The complaint comes naturally from a country that has everything to gain by the re-establishment of an export trade in stud stock, hufi unfortunately for Great Britain the overseas portions,of. the Empire have to view the matter from an entirely different standpoint. They have to protect their herds and flock's from the most deadly scourge known to present-day agriculture—a scourge which if introduced into New Zealand, would mean nothing less than nat'onal disaster, and one which necessarily calls for the most stringent safeguards to ensure the country’s immunity from its ravages. Whether or not British studmasters are sufficiently appraised of the position of the quarantine scheme from their particular point of view is a matter of slight concern to the average breeder in the Dominions. He will doubtless have a deep sympathy with the Homo breeder in tlie unfortunate circumstances which rendered the scheme necessary. He will also admit that the failure of such countries as New Zealand, Australia qnd Canada to participate in it must be more than discouraging to the promoters, tjut lie will certainly resent the inference of one English journal that.“the spirit of sweet reasonableness” is lacking iu their attitude toward the scheme.

POSITION' OF NEW ZEALAND. Nev Zealand's position in the mat-ter—-to confine the question to purely, local limits—is most certainly justified by the dictates of reason. The incidence of foot-and-mouth disease in Great Britain has been such that opinion in this Dominion is definitely opposed to any relaxation ol regulations which would permit participation in the quarantine scheme. _ Verbal assurances concerning its efficacy in preven ting infection from imported through its channels, while emanating from admittedly authoritative sources, have utterly failed to inspire confidence, especially in view of the fact that stock purchased by other countries has had to be destroyed on arrival, notwithstanding that veterinary certification had been given in England concerning its freedom from disease. New Zealand has every justification therefore in adopting the attitude she does. What the country would lose in the event of infection so far outweighs what it could hope to gain by importations from British studs that any alteration in present pohey would be positively foolish.

The countries at present accepting stock through the English quarantine station arc South Africa, Kenya Colony, Palestine and West Africa. The present rate of Business is quite insufficient to ever justiify the expense of initiating the scheme,"'though it is feasible to suggest ..that.it might exband as time., goes oil. Expansion, however, must depend on the...extent to which the efficacy is proved by results in the countries now operating under it, a circumstance which offers it tie encouragement to those breeders in Britain who anticipated that importations would automatically be permitted with the establishment ot the quarantine stations.

OBJECT OF THE SCHEME. The object of the scheme was to provide Home breeders with , some means of supplying overseas customers with stock and at the same time giving protection against th a danger of carrying the disease to the country cf consignment. A citate of infection in Britain is presupposed in the proposal, for it will he admitted that given a certain period of complete freedom from disease export operations could lie re-established on a •normal 'basts. From the point of view of New Zealand, Australia and Canada, therefore—whose refusal to use the:" facilities offered is sound from their standpoint—the provision of quarantine regulations has been a superfluous step. Complete freedom from foot-and-mouth disease over a safe period seems to he the only condition on which these countries will reconsider a recommencement cf trading relations in stock with Britain.

The position was inevitable, if unfortunate. A much more comprehensive policy than the mere setUng up of quarantine stations would appear to he necessary if Britain is to gain the confidence of the overseas Empire in the-matter of the safe importation of stud stock from her she res. For instance, there is the question of her own importations from Argentine—-a country in which foot-and-mouth disease is more than prevalent—-and the relationship, if any, that this hears on the incidence of the.disease among her own stock. / V SIGNIFICANT FACTS. .It seems very significants that Great Britain, who permits the, importation of meat, etc., from Argentina, should be subject to sporadic , outbreaks of, the trouble while othei countries which debar trade, of a related nature with the Argentine and othei- affected lands,' should remain disease-free. The United;States, for. example, suffered from small cutbreaks years ago. but these were quickly quelled and' jin embargo placed on the importation of stud stock from infdsted countries, a rid. even op the importation of chilled and frozen 'beef from South America. There has been no recurrence of the trouble since. v ■ W

Consideration of such > significant facts should be resolutely faced by Britain if she considers a_ renewal of business with the Dominions, worthwhile. And she must reject the, idea so often expressed in .her. agricultural press, that the .Dominions must soon be forced to purchase new blood stock from,her to maintain th? quality; of their, herds arid flocks. This is far from being the case .in New: Zealand, aT any rate, and our'breeders have the satisfying knowledge that their'.' sheep and cattle ■ not only hold their own with those in any other, country, but in many cases; lead the way. ■:

SCIENTIFIC DAIRYING.

RESEARCH AT MASSEY COLLEGE.

FLAVORS FROM ROOT FEEDS,

Research work in dairying performed by the Dairy Research Institute at Massey Agricultural College, Palmerston North, has not been in progress sufficiently long to allow of authoritative reports being issued. However, some conclusions already arrived at, touching among other things, food flavors in milk and cream, are of interest. A cheap and effective method of generating steam on the farm for the" cleaning of utensils has •been developed and is recommended as an important factor in the chain of operations ensuring true cleanliness at the farm end of the industry. Experimentation aiming at the study of some factors influencing the daily yield of milk and secretion of rat, is being continued, with particular reference to climatic conditions, and has reached the stage when there is a colossal amount of data under analysis. While this work' is proceeding, study is being made of the effect of different sequences of feeds, particularly in the winter, when hay and roots supplement pasture. It is sought to obtain some data about the effect of supplementary foods on the quantity and quality of milk and cream.

FEEDING COWS WHEN “DRY.”'

Already, several points of u general character have made themselves apparent. Much of the experimental work at Massey College is, to some extent, similar to that already done in other lands. It is being done here with the object of finding out how far the results obtained in other countries appl.y under New Zealand conditions. Massey College conclusions so far mainly support what has been noted in overseas research, but there are necessary modifications to suit local conditions. Close observations have been made of tlio effects of the condition of cows at the time of calving. The good effects of earing well for cows when dry lias been strikingly demonstrated in the subsequent milk yield. It has been shown that so long as cows possess the hereditary characteristics to produce milk, and are fed well while they are dry, they will attain the maximum yield within a month after calving, unless climatic conditions are adverse. There is a tendency in New Zealand, because of the mildness of the climate, to more or less allow the herd to winter as best it can, Rut every observation and experiment proves conclusively that the. building up* of the condition of the animal during the winter is well repaid in the extra and sustained milk yield after calving. Always, that is, provided chore is ample teed afterwards. Those cows which come to calving in good condition arc, too, healthier, and less none to l'an victims to disease and upsetting conditions.

HARD TURNIPS SAFELY FED;. Supplementary feeding ab Massey College comprises principally maize and sort turnips in the autumn, folowed by swedes and hay and then hay and mangolds. Management cf the dairy herd has been shown to be a feature of primary importance. That, is. of course, recognised by farmers,' but'the importance of it is hot sufficiently, realised insofar as it relates to .regularity of milking and careful treatment of the cows. These are but two of the superficially small details, attention to which magnifies them i’ll results attained. A short trta-l Inis' lleen made or the effect upon milk and cream flavors of the feeding of hard turnips—soft turnips wid be the subject of following experiments. This is regarded by the Dairy ltesearch Institute staff as work of much importance, for the dairyman is often confronted with the absolute necessity of providing* supplementary fodders. He can easily grow crops ike swedes. He is familiar with them. It is a crop yielding generously; hence the importance of Knowing exactly what- are the effects of feeding such a popular medium-

CLEANLINESS PAYS . . i Experimentation m this respect in- ' dentally has emphasised once again the paramount necessity for cleanly Hiking, inn is very closely associated with the production of flavors u milk —even the so-called turnip flavors. It was found that where no care was taken in washing the teats, where the udder .was not properly cleaned and the first milk rejected, flavors resulted. Where the udder was cleansed,, the fore-milk rejected and utensils kept scrupulously clean, it was found that the feeding of a reasonable quantity of swedes during the winter months had no detrimental effect on the milk and cream. • In an endeavor to aid the dairy farmer to maintain his utensils in a clean condition, much attention has been paid to- methods of cheaply generating steam on the farm. Ono ouch, easily employed by anybody, has already been found. A circular pail or “steamer” about 30in in diameter and about four inches deep, has a wooden lid with three steam nozzles fitted into it'. The pan, filled with about Ijin of boiling water from the electric heater on the farm,; is set on an iron stand over . a primus lamp or .some similar beating agency. Very quickly, steam issues from the jets.

STERILISING ON THE: FARM Cans, or any open receptacles to be steamed, aro then inverted, over the jets and after seven minutes may he taken off, when they will quickly dry themselves in a thoroughly sterilised condition. The use of a drying cloth is strongly discountenanced owing to the possibility of infection by Tjactelria. The cost of such a device should not exceed 30b—a copper or anything similar can be made into a ” steamer’.’: and the results are well worth while. Loose machine parts may ho steamed in a Wooden box with holes in the; bottom, wood -'being chosen as the material because it better retains the' heat ■ Of other work in -progress there •may be mentioned the 'note kept/ of the effect of manures oil the yield of milk, and butter-fat, and the- testing of pigs, which involves the weighing of litters of sows of- different' breeds;.of all ages in several parts' of.' the Country,; as., well as .at the college. Oter ffOO sows .'atehinder test jn this -co-operative work, and farmers are displaying the keenest interest.. 'Experiments in feeding. cf pigs’ and tests of the value of breeds from several viewpoints are" also be-; xng : conducted..’' . ’ <

By "RUSTICUS"

LUCERNE CULTIVATION.

HARROWING AND CUTTING

CAKE IN GRAZING. Harrowing the lucerne crop as a means of keeping down weeds is not to be recommended until after the flrst harvest years, because the risk of injuring the young plants is too great. Alter the first harvest year harrowing or other ■ methods of cultivation should be resorted to with a view to keeping down weeds, but it is doubtful whether harrowing is beneficial apart from weed destruction, in the Ijnited States it is not recommended on broadcast stands, neither is it recommended by Witte and Elofson in the second and subsequent harvest years on drilled stands. Under New Zealand conditions, if the soil is not in a suitable .condition when the lucerne is commencing active growth in the. spring, harrowing within two days after the first cutting, and if possible again 'after the last cut of tiie season, might‘prove beneficial, For this purpose suitable implements' must be used and the tines of the harrow should not lie too sharp.

WEED ERADICATION CHIEF AIM. The chief aim of after management of the lucerne crop is to keep down weeds and to bring the plants into the best condition for withstanding the winter, both of which are of great importance during the seed year. When sown in drills, the stand should be horse hoed several times during the first summer, and if necessary weed in addition. In the first harvest year hoeing should be started as early in the spring as the condition of the soil permits, and the process repeated if necessary after the first cut, and if need be again after the second cut. The .summer cultivation of lucerne is not tfseutial, but deep and thorough autumn cultivation of established stands is strongly advised }.'<y Mr. 11. W. Hesse, in the New Zealand “Dairyman.” The grazing of lucerne with stock, he states, obviously consolidates the ground, and the free use of the cultivator should naturally follow. The advantage of autumn cultivation is that the ground is left m a- rough condition suitable for winter conditions, so that a fine and free surfare can easily be obtained subsequently with the tine harrows for the following growing season. Spring cultivation is also desirable after a wet period, and the cultivation is usually effected with the tine harrows or with a cultivator fitted with special lucerne points.

AVOID USING DISCS. Where the land has become too consolidated for grubbing with the lucerne cultivator, or where the grass weeds growtli is thrown up t ! y this implement in lumpy sods, the discs may be used to assist cultivation-, but these should only be used on wellestablished stands, and then without any set on them, and the straight cut used Ordinary discing with the idea of cultivating the ground should, however, be avoided, as experience has shown that in most eases the use of the disc harrow is actually injurious, and this or any other implement that tends to split the crown is not recommended.

WHEN AND HOW OFTEN TO CUT

In the ‘second and subsequent' harvest years lucerne is most usually cut two, 'Three, or even four tiilies,. for. hay or green fodder. Frequent cutting. however, has the effect of diminishing the persistency of the stand, and even, under the most favorable conditions more than three cuts will tend in this direction, while under conditions less suited to lucerne cultivation it is not advisable to cut more than twice per season, according to Mr. Hesse, if it is desired to •maintain a long duration stand. The heaviest yields‘will be obtained from cuttings made when the crop is in full bloom, and on young stands in particular cutting too late or too early lias equally bad effects on persistency and is not to lie recommended- As a general rule, it may be stated that cutting lucerne before flowering time is fatal to the persistency of the crop. As a rule the crop should be cut when about one-third and not more than one-half of the stand is in flower, a procedure which is compatible with the saving of fodder of high,nutritive value, and with safeguarding persistency. At this period of the early flowering stage, the young shoots have just started from the crowns, and when the new shoots are about one .inch in length is usually the best time to cut- the crop for hay. In practice, the flowering stage of the crop does not always give the best indication as to the time for cutting, because the crop is frequently ready in the spring for cutting long before the flowering stage has been reached, whereas the summer crop is usually ready for cutting simultaneously with the appearance of the first flowers.

Lucerne contains the highest quantity of protein content before flowering. If the crop is left till flowering it is frequently found that the quality of the hay deteriorates and there is much greater loss of leaves, which indicates that earlier cutting may be desirable, although care should be exercised to maintain the persistency of the crop by not cutting too soon. The'-time for cutting must!be determined in practice- after a close inspection of the. crop, and the base of the plants examined. The new growth of shoots from the buds at: the base of the old istalks should be from one-half to an inch in length before the old growth is cut. The crop should also be cut, even if the the new shoots have not come away from the- crown, whenever the tops have turned yellow, or if the crop is affected with-leaf spot, or other disease. , .

GRAZING LUCERNE. : . Although lucerne is essentially a hay arid soiling crop, it is used to a considerable extent' as pasturage in .many parts of the world. It is generally recommended-that lucerne shorn a not be' grazed in the first harvest vear, and it .is an established fact that it. should not be grassed continuously or. allowed to be eaten down to> the crowns. 'Lucerne can be Aery profitably fed off; particularly,. during' the winter, with little da infige- to- ■ the crop, but care must be exercised to see that if is not grazed by stock,toolong at any one .time.. If ffe-sli young shoots' are available sheep will refuse the. coarser steins,; and constant •orazing with sheep is a common pause of the destruction of lucerne stands. Mie . impression that lucerne will _npb stand grazing, ' however,. has arisen

from the fact that it will not stand constant nibbling. Where lucerne is required for grazing it is best stocked when from 9 inches to 1 foot in height, the field being kept closed till the crop is well and sufficiently grown, and then stocked heavily, so .that it will he eaten off quickly, after which the stock should be removed and the field closed until it has grown again. In grazing lucerne the.,system of drilling in 14-inch rows is an advantage, in that the sheep are able- to walk between, .the ..rows ..arid, the crop is kept much cleaner.

MAKING LUCERNE HAY. Lucerne makes a hay of fine quality more digestible than most forms of rough food; is of good nutrient value, being considerably higher in this respect than rod clover hay, and is easily cured. In harvesting lucerne should not be allowed to dry too rapidly in the field, so that a pliable stem may be retained and in order to conserve the maximum amount of leaf. Hay making will be dependent on the weather conditions prevailing at harvest time, hut under normal dry conditions lucerne can lie cut in the morning, allowed to wilt till the afternoon, and then raked into wdnclrows. In order to obviate too rapid drying, w r hen the weather is hot, it may be better to put the lucerne up into cocks, but if these are made on the large size they should be turned once or twice to obtain even drying. Lucerne is best stacked on the green side, and should heating' take place in the stack this will, not greatly impair the quality of the hay from the feeding standpoint. Lucerne hay should be of a bright green and nonbrittle nature. It absorbs water very rapidly, so the stack should be kept as high as possible in the middle whilst building, and when finished it should be thatched, covered with ■'a layer of straw, or protected with a tarpaulin.

CHECK ON FERTILISERS.

FEW DEFICIENT SAMPLES

NEW METHODS THIS YEAR

The careful check kept upon the standard of fertilisers is referred to by the Government chemist, Mr. If. C. Aston, in his section of the annual report of the Department of Agriculture.

The number of unofficial samples of fertilisers received from purchasers for comparison with the vendor’s, invoice certificate is steadily increasing, 34 samples having been submitted during the year, states the /report?. In one case, that of a “special mitxture,” serious deficiencies were disclosed, and a substantial rebate was' obtained by the purchaser. 'Seven' samples were received from inspectors under the Fertilisers Act'. In no one case did analysis disclose any discrepancy to the prejudice of the purchaser.

In an earlier report, mention was made of the inauguration of a system of examination in London of samples from all shipments of basic s'iag 'exported from England and the Continent of Europe to New Zealand. During the last four months of the year samples of 06 consignments of slag were analysed at the Imperial Institute. with the following results: Slag with minimum guarantee of 17 per cent. phosphoric acid—Compiled with guarantee. 42: below guarantee, 20 per cent, phosphoric acid —Compiled with guarantee, 3; below guarantee, 7. in only two instances, however, was the deficiency greater than 1 per cent. The- importers of slag found to !>e below guarantee were notified of the Imperial Institute’s results before arrival of the shipments. The citric-solubility of the basic slag was in all cases satisfactory. In one instance, the fineness of grinding was slightly below the minimum guarantee of SO per cent. During the 1927 session of Parliament the Fertilisers Act. 1927. was placed on the Statute Book. The m*v Act, which replaces the Fertilisers Act" of'•ISOS provides, among other things, for complete disclosure of the components of fertiliser mixtures, m addition to the,. usual statement of the chemical ingredients. The measure' prohibits the sale under the descrip-, tion of “fertiliser" ol any material m respect df which a brand could not be registered under the Act, and provides for a simplified form of registration by -vendors who do not import, or mix their own fertilisers. Begula--tions under the Act are now in course of preparation. The registration. of. vendors ot-fer-’-fill sens under the Fertilisers Act has been earned out as in previous years-V Thn altered methods of registration under the new Act will in the coming year involve a considerable increase ’hi the work of checking and certifying the registration of brands, and in correspondence with vendors.

MILK FOR CHEESEMAKINC

Taranaki experiment.

“During last season the Whenua!cura Dairy Company adopted a system of differential payments for milk lor cheese-making, based upon the results of regular microscopic grading of the milk at tli3 Federation laboratory,” Mr. P. 0. Veale, research chemist, has reported to the Taranaki federation of Co-operative Dairy Companies, stains the “New Zealand Herald

“This innovation will he made the subject of a special bulletin shortly, and accordingly I will report very little at present. Suffice it to say that there- was a remarkable improvement effected m the quality of- the milk received at the factories, and a marked rise in the yield of cheese per lb of butter-fat, and in the seasonal position of the- factory at the grading port. The factory routine throughout the whole system' was characterised by remarkable ease and uniformity of working, a considerably reduced requirement m starter, and a total absence of non-acid arid other cheesemaker’s troubles. This is especially notable in View of the- fact that for a number of years Whenuakura had suffered seriously from chronic non-acid trouble at certain seasons of the year. “The Purapura branch cl- the Whenuakura Company, manufacturing casein, secured the highest average grading points of the factories supplying curd to the New Zealand Casein Company, at Aramoho,. and tlieiir product was characterised by a 'remarkable pnifonnitv. Moreover, the Purapura branch held the distinction of having. supplied;, up to March of this year the highest quality casein curd, ever received. during • a 10-day period. This performance, however, was equalled ,by another company .aft a later period of the season, when conditions ‘ were undoubtedly easier. “These facts are definite proof of the-benefits-to.be derived by the adoption of milk grading with* differential payments, and, it is hoped that ;'<y a, voluntary extension of the system among its. own.members,' the federation will again give the lead, a- 9 it has- done; iii the pqsf, to the whole of the New Zealand dairy industry. Personally, I , shall welcome, the decision of* any factory ,to .follow ’tlio 'lead of the AVhennakura .Company ”