Farm & Station

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10752, 24 November 1928, Page 12

Farm & Station

dairyinc economics.

VALVE OF SMALT, FARMS*. IMPORTANT RiESEARCTI.' Some interesting facts .about, the economies of dairy farming have ltfen elicited by recent work of the fields division of the Department of Agriculture. Mr. K. J. Fawcett, the department’s economist, in an article covering the results of the work, goes extensively into many aspects of the productive capacity of small farms. It would appear, lie observes, that it was mainly to the development of the dairying" industry that wo must look for’ any extensive increase in the output of primary produce during the next decade. The. increases which had taken place in our dairy herds over the last 110 years had been made possible, by an extension of th© area clovoted to dairy fanning but at the present time it did not appear practicable to 1 nither increase this area to any appreciable, extent. Dealing with the factors of la! br ami area conjointly it> was remarked that it was Clio family labor unit that was of paramount importance in production. This being the. ease it was necessary that a great deal of attention should he devoted to the comparatively small farm, which constituted an* economic area, for the average .family to manage. When dealing wftli high-priced dairy land it was essential that every acre should produce its fair share, and if an area too large for the available labor was boii,_ f&rn::‘-'L maximum production inis mm likely to be realised.

SMALL FARMS PRODUCTIVE. Determination of the economic area of different classes of land was extreoiily difficult, especially as, under improved management of grass lands- it was likely to vary as time went on. Genera, ly speaking,. small farms were the most productive ‘on n p;.r acre basis; the number of cows carried on such was high and Die average production per cow was not •detrimentally affected. From data, available for the. season 1926-27-the (production on different,, groups jpl farms worked cut as follows: —

■ Cows Area Butter- Carried Butter N'um. Range of fat per per fat

As it would appear desirable, from the production viewpoint, that the national policy should he to. encourage farms of an economic family area it was necessary to •study tho returns from this type at the present time under average farming conditions. The following tvns the average position on a group of farms i t 50 acres-

Average total Unitor-fat supplied to factory ... ... 62521 b Average total cows milked 22.4 Average butter-fat per cow 2SOlb •\vra "O total maintenance ' expenses £122 Average net return frotn pigs account ,••• £3f> Average net return from cattle account £l3

ECONOMIC PTUCB PER. ACRE. Front thesis?, figures the fnim profit could be shown by assuming a fixed price, for but tor-fat. Maintenance oxpenses covered such items as fertilisers, local body rates, repairs to fences, 'machinery, and buildings, power, cultivation, depreciation, and sundry expenses. Labor and interest wore not included. The position then, on the debit, side was: Maintenance, expenses, £122 ; balance, £345 8s ; total, £467 8s- On the. credit side appeared : By butter-fat, 62821 b at Is 4d £4IS 8s; pig account. £B6; cattle’account, £l3; total £467 Bs. This balance of £345 8s would represent the total income of the family, provided no outside labor were employed, and it must, pay interest on borrowed capital. It also represented interest, on personal capital employed in the venture. The economist gees extensively into the questions of labor reward, interest on borrowed and personal capital, and attendant issues, and concludes that it would appear that £43 per acre is the price which can, on the average. be paid for 50-acre farms producing 1251 b of butter-fat per aero. While in the past considerable stress has been' rightly laid on the necessity to increase the average production per cow it would appear that the more important factor or cat rying capacity had often been neglected.' Many farms, with high herd averages were not producing so highly nor acre as they should. In improving the herd average the tendency too o-l veil was to under-stock. This'was not sound. Undoubtedly inferior cows should not he thrown out. of the herd when food was plentiful unless the farmer was alio to replace them with animals of better quality. In other words, while a farm was capable of feeding the who 1 © of the herd to capacity, even the poorest cow produced something, and it was a direct loss to sell, her if she could not be replaced.

CARRYING CAPACITY MAIN ISSUE. The outstanding feature in the study of farm statistics was the importance of carrying the greatest number of cows conipnt-ible witli sa-fe-tv. It was the farm which carried the highest number of animals to any given area which invariably had the high per acre yield. So important was. this factor* that it was noticeable on many farms of medium herd average that the per acre output was higher than on farms with an extrem.d’v high herd average 'Hit with a lesser number of cows per acre. One, was brought hack to the point that it was a pasture management and food preservation that were the first, considerations. As a general mle high herd averages were associated with a large nunilkr of cows por given a.rc;i, nnd tins was to be expected if one accepted the apparent. fact that food supplv was of paramount importune?). Adequate labor and liberal manuring were named as important factors. The writer concluded , “I udor our present, economic conditions dairying, if practised on sound lines is the system of farming which will employ tiio greatest number of people and which is likely to give them a reasonable labor reward and interest on invested capital. It will allow of great, density of liiral population and 33 wo are at present situated this would appear to be a sound aim,'

FLOCK HOUSE BOYS.

SEND FOE BROTHERS. TRIBUTE TO SCHEME. By ilio end of the* present year no less than 429 hoys, sons of British seamen, will have been brought out to New Zealand under the Flock House scheme, states the eighth annual report of the Fund. SELECTION OF BOYS AND GIRLS The work attached to the selection, equipment, and emigration of boys and girls for training at Flock House Station and Girls’ Flock House is now tie paramount work of the London advisory committee. In the .selection of girls the committee has the assistance of the Society for the Overseas Settlement of P->< : L Women, which acts on hehau of the Young Women’s Christian Association. Each application from a boy or girl for participation in the scheme is made the subject of exhaustive inquiries in the locality in which the hoy or girl resides, and is later carefully considered by the Loudon committee before being finally accepted or rejected. All participants must primarily he . sons or daughters of British seamen who lost their lives or Ivoame incapacitated as the result of injuries received at soa during tlio war. They must he of good character, intelligent and healthy and with a genuine desire for life in th? coim-ti-v.

■fhe Committee is careful not to pamf. the prospects „f New Zealand m glowing coic, , but to impress on all applicants that their future will l>e determined solely by their own industry, thrift, and determination to succeed.

A pleasing feature has again been the number of applications from brothers and sisters 'ol boys who came to New Zealand with previous drafts, showing clearly that such hoys are confident of a happy future in New Zealand and wish their brothers and sisters and later their mothers, to share that future. The care exorcised ill tlio selection of the hoys is evidenced by the quality and general conduct of the lads already received in New Zealand. it must always lie remembered-that while this work is of the greatest importance to New Zealand and the Empire, the trustees’ first duty in administering ijie funds in their charge is the, assistance of the hoys and girls who have lost their fathers at sea during the war, and that in some eases youths must he accepted who require building r.p physically and mentally from the results of "hardships endured through the loss of their breadwinner in their early years. The ti listens cannot, and do not wish to, evade this responsibility, and the greatest sympathy and care is given by the matron and staff to the few of these youths we receive. More consideration is also needed from the employers of such youths when the time comes for them to leave c lock House. j;y the end of the year the number of girls brought out- under the scheme will he. 94.

TRAINING THE ROYS. The training of the lads has been eont'nued on the same lines as heretofore except that the period has been somewhat extended. Few lads now go out until they have had eight months’ training, and a few have a cons’dornbly longer time at Flock Hoi.se. it is designed that each lad shall, during' his time of tin ning have at least two periods ateach particular kind of farm work, dairying, fencing, team work, shepherding, garden and orchard, carpentering, srriibciitting, etc., etc., in addition to their hostel orderly diit cs. The lad completes also a course of elemental',• technical instruction given by the principal. During that period an observant and willing lad becomes adapted to country life and gains an initial knowledge of general farm and station work, sufficient' to make him a useful farm assistant, and able to progress' rapidly when ho goes out to employment.

The moral, social and recreation side of the boys’ life lias been well looked after by the Y.M.C.A., secretary and housemaster, and by the matron.

The health of the lads has been generally good all through the year and, as always, the growth and physical development- is extraordinary.

TRAINING OF THE GIRLS. Under the guidance of the Y.W.C.A. ladies’ committee of management, the training of the girls at irirls’ Flock House has been continued as before, and here also it has been found wise to extend tjic period of training, more particularly on the cooking and domestic side. The training is designed to. make the girls thoroughly domesticated and useful assistants to farmers’ wives, with a love of country life, and able to perform all such light fanning duties a.s are often earned (ut by farmers’ wives and daughters. 'The closest care is given to their moral and religious welfare.

her first lactation

CARE OF THE HEIFERS

Tile heifer during her first calf period requires careful handling and feeding. Any rough treatment and careless management will result m impairing her subsequent usefulness. Heifers should be milked as long as possible. Even if the young cow is only giving a small quantity of milk nn effort, must be made to keep her going. If she dries up too soon it is fatal, for at each future lactation she will tend to dry off at a similar period. A heifer should be kept going; it induces milk staying powers. Do noc condemn a heifer on first calf that is disappointing in the quantity of milk, provided she milks for a reasonable period. Many young cows improve greatly on subsequent calvings, but heifers that’ dry off too quickly are not. as a rule, worth persevering with. Keep a record of the heifer’s production Ltv having her tested, as a heifer’s test is her life’s test. She will not materially improve im the percentage of fat in alter life, provided that when the test was taken she was in normal health and sufficiently fed. All increase in fat- production will come from increased quantity of milk.

By "RUSTICUS"

CRASS AS STOCK FEED.

IS IT FELLY UTILISED P CONSERVING TIPS. Grass is perhaps the most important of all crops raised in agricultural countries, for on it'all live stock products ultimately depend. L ntil quite recent years grass received scant attention from scientific investigators; to-day probably no crop receives more attention from them. Research work in grass land improvement lias followed three mam lines—(l) The production,* by selection and breeding, of improved pasture plants, and the use of these in “balanced” seeds mixtures; (2) manuring; (d) efficient utilisation of the crop. The last of these is a matter of considerable importance. The results of recent research work indicate that oven the method of grazing and hay making in general use may fall far short of making the best possible use of the nutritive value of pasture. While hay is cheap to make, it is relatively inefficient as a food, being bulky (and thus costly to transport), and containing a comparatively small pro portion of digestible nutrients. The possibilities of conserving grass bv some other method that would give greater food value and smaller bulk are surveyed in a report prepared by Mr. A. N. Duckhum of the Bowott Institute, Aberdeen, at the request of the Empire Marketing Board. The report, which is briefly discussed in the “Scottish Farmer,” emphasises the bench; that drought-stricken area? in Australia, would derive from the importation of grass in comprised form from other parts of the Empire. The value of young grass for stock is stressed by Mr Duekham.

Recent experiments have shown young gras u<;to have an- oxtrnordinary value for grazing. Not only is tlio yield nor aero much higher than with hay. hut the nutritive value throughout tlie summer approaches that of linseed cake. In experiments at Cambridge young grass, cut weekly during the growing season, produced vSO nor cent, more digestible protein ner acre than hay, though it yielded only about half the hulk .of dry matter. The problem facing the investigators is the drying and preservation of young grass ; and it presents serious difficulties. Natural drying is ruled out on account of the waste involved. Artificial drying preserves the feeding value of the grass, but it is very costly. Tho cost' c-nn ho greatlv reducer! by “prodrying” in tho field, i.e., allowing the cut grass to lie for 21 hours before carting it to the drying plant. Pre-drying, however, involves considerable loss of feeding value through fibre formation and leaching. Tho question to he answered is whether reduction in cost due to pro-drying is more than offset by the loss in nutri live value. Three methods of preparing the dried young grass for sale or for transport are suggested—(l) Grinding it into meal; (2i Baling it under pressure like hay ; (3) Making it into calces, cubes, or briquettes like concentrated cattle foods. Grass meal, it is stated, would bulk from 90 to 110 cubic feet per ton. It would analyse well, hut on account of its dustiness would irritate the mucous airmtrvaues of the animals’ nostrils, and would he difficult to hand food. The grass could probably be. satisfactorily baled under pressure, and would probably bulk 75 to 90 cubic feet per ton. Grass cake is the only form of compressed voting grass on which any appreciable amount of work has been done. During the summer of 1927 it was made on an experimental stage at Billingham-on-Tees. Tt bulks from 45 to 55 cubic foot per ton; and from analysis it would appear that it would contain the same amount of starch equivalent and digestible protein per 1001 b dry matter as young grass. It is estimated that grass nuts or cubes would be more expenive than ealce, while briquettes would probably be the cheapest form of all, as well as the least bulky. ,

Mr. Buckingham lias gone into the question of costs in some detail ; hut it is pointed out that the economic removal of the water from the young grass in the first instance is the criterion by which' any new method of transportable given crop conservation will stand cr Fall.

NEW CURE FOR WEEDS

GROW CROPS UNDER PAPER! Writing in the “Scientific American,” Milton Wright says that he thinks we may grow all cor crops under paper before long. His conclusion is based on the success of this method in Hawaii. The pineapplegrowers of that territory last year paid £IOO,C<IO for paper under which to grow pineapples. The growers raise 30 per cent, more pineapples than they otherwise would—and fTjnro is a" tremendous saving in labor. Ho goes on: “Without any great stretch of the imagination wo can see the day when nearly all our plants—potato, oorn, tomatoes, spinach, cotton, and what not—will be grown under paper. To understand the. use of paper in agriculture, suppose we go back to its origin. On a sugar p'antation near Honolulu before the World War. Charles E. Eokart. found- it a stupendous task to keep down the weeds. Year after vear ho had been heaping crop refuse between the rows—mulching is the term farmers use—for the double purpose of blanketing the weeds and retarding the evaporation of moisture. The mulch would decompose after a time and actually encourage tho weeds. If only Eekart could find a mulch that would control the weeds permanently he would he making a tremendous stride forward. At last he hit upon a tough kind of paper. The sharp shoots of the young plants easily stabbed their way through, hut the weeds wore smothered. The idea grew. The use of black paper, it was found, raised the temperature of the soil. Tire activity of bacteria was in-, creased. The moisture remained in the ground until it was absorbed by the plant roots instead of being wasted quickly by evaporation. Then, too. the paper preserved the original cultivation of the soil throughout the growing period. > With one unused to mulch paper the thought is likely to occur that vains would be prevent'd from reaching the soil under the paper. The fact is that the water reaches the soil through the openings where the plantings are made or between the edges of the paper, and seeping downwards or sideways is stored up under' the blanketing effect cf mulch paper. One thing made clear by the experiments is that not only are crops more abundant, but they are earlier. In many cases this affords the possibility of an additional planting before the growiug season is ended.

AMONC THE SHEEP

SHEARING PRECAUTIONS. LAAIES MISMOTHF.RED. When shearing is in progress quite n noticeable number of ewe hoggets, ewe lambs, and sometimes older ewes are accidentally damaged in what is really a very serious way by one or both teats being clipped off through accident or carelessness. Usually the fact of this having occurred is not noticed at tho time, and it is only when the ewe bears a lambi or twin lambs, that it is realised that, as a consequence of the loss of one or both teats -she is unable to rear her lamb, or lambs. It. is advisable when wether and ewe hoggets are running together, to draft the sexes into two separate mobs for shearing, then the ewe hoggets can be culled for Breeding purposes. and the shearers, having a straight line of females to work upon, will he likely to exercise more care in damaging the teats. In the same way more care in avoiding the pizzle of the. males when covered with very thick belly wool will be likely to be exercised. A cause of loss among lambs, the direct importance of which is apt to be overlooked or under-estimated is the mis-mothering of lambs at docking time. Among small flocks this .nav not mount, to much, but on big--gew properties it must cause a note-; worthy loss in the aggregate. To. prevent this, or to reduce it to a minimum. is a matter involving principally method and management) in handling the ewes and lambs at the time of the operation, but every sheep owner and every shepherd should bear ibis point in mind.

CLOVER AND SOIL

THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. In a publication, issued recently to the Department of Agriculture for Canada, dealing with manures and fertilisers, there is a short, account of an investigation, conducted by the Division of Chemistry in respect to the enrichment or the soil by the growth of clover. The soil from a plot was removed to a depth of eight inches and replaced by soil of a perfectly uniform character. At the commencement of the investigation lime, phosphoric acid and potash were applied. Mammoth red clover Wits sown and the plot was kept in clover for ten years. It was cut down when deemed necessary throughout the season, the plants not being permitted t:: sect;, and the •..•"‘fork..! tr;!« allowed to decay on the soil. EVory second year the plot was dug over and re-sown. The soil was sampled and tlts> followin' 1 " arc the results:—

Percentage Pounds in per acre water- to a free soil, depth of 4in.

Thus, over a period of ten years, tho clover had enriched the soil to a depth of four inches with notrogen to tho approximate amount of 500 pounds an aero- or 50 pounds a year. “This nitrogen,” states tho report, “although not present in an immedi-ately-availa.lAle condition, is associated with readily decomposable organic matter, and would l>o set free for the use of succeeding crops.”

TOP DRESSING

EFFECT ON THE WOOL. Though there can be no question as to the added feeding value of to]tdressed pastures, tltere is a good deal of uncertainty as to the effect on the wool fibre of a sheep that is run continually on pastures which have been treated to an applieation of superphosphates. It has been decided to inaugurate trials in different districts, and four of these will shortly be in progress. The idea is to select an even lot of sheep, wethers for preference, as they are less liable to change from year to year, and divide them into lots—one lot to be run on top-dressed pasture, and the other lot to be left on natural pasture. In three instances sufficient/ manure is being supplied to landowners to topdresx 40 acres of land each. The trials will actually l«e started shortly, but one trial has been m progress since November, the wethers having heen shorn and samples of their wool taken before they wore put into thoir respective paddocks. The plan of the trials provides that certain individual sheep will be marked in each lot, and - 'at shearing time samples of their wool will be specially taken and kept for twelve months, when wool from the same spot will be taken for comparative purposes. Results up to the firstshearing in the spring will be kept for the three trials about to he commenced, but it is expected that more definite data will be obtainable over the following twelve months, when the manure will have had more chance of becoming effective.—E. A. Elliott, sheep and v. ocl expert, X.S.W.

PASTEURISED CHEESE

HAS IT THE BEST FLAVOR ? LONDON MERCHANT'S REMARKS. “Pasteurised cheese has been the subject of a good deal of speculation in .England, and views have been expressed that the cheese does not develop the same fine flavor when pasteurised”. So answered Air. A, C. Rowson. of Tooley Street, London, the question of a press representative as to the difference in prices of New Zealand and Canadian chee.se.

Against that argument, however, remarked Mr. Rowson, there) was the undoubted fact that there, was not the same proportion of bad flavored cheese arriving as there had been in the past few years. In. view of the rather wide margin fetween the prices of Canadian and New Zealand cheese, it seemed possible that there was a demand in England for a well developed flavor which was not being fully met hv New Zealand manufacture. The opinion was frequently expressed in English markets that the looseness of texture of New Zealand cheese was to some extent contributing to the difference in price between tho two competitive varieties. Even leaving out the comparison it could be taken that the cheese of attractive appearance would bring in some measure an improvement in pric,?. ’ Canadian cheese was usually of close texture and consequently of an attractive appearance. The conclusion to be drawn from those facts, said Air. Rowson, was that it would prove to the advantage of New Zealand producers to overcome looseness of texture in any way possible.

of Farms. aoroa go. acre. 100 Acres. per Cmr. 87 .50-89 117 43 272 258 61 00-129 98 38 23 130-175 93 3-5 ■203 32 176-2.50 98 ,37 26S

Before experiment 0.0137 583 .After two years ... 0.0580 60S After four years ... 0.0608 742 After five years ... 0.06SO 841 After six years ... 0.0744 008 -After seven years . 0.0750 915 After nine years ... 0.0824 1.005 After ten years ... O.OPmR 1,044 Increase m nitrogen due to ten years growth 0.419 511