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Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 December 1924, Page 12

“but at the present time that success is only on its first footing,’’ he added. The movement must spread, he continued, and he appealed to farmers to give it their baching, not only morally and financially, but by advertising it and letting people know what was being done and the value of the work.

DAlitii laO IN DENMARK. ■ Speaking tt> a Wellington press representative a few uays ago, M. iViouner-r'atei'.sen, a Danish uairynig expert, saiu, inter ana:—The uairy factories here are very-much different from those of Denmark. in Denmark there are Ificßi factories for 1,300,000 cows. The farmers there take aIL the milk to the factories, and they receive back SO per cent of the skim milk, oil which they feed their pigs. In this way they have built up a big trade with Britain in bacon. ’The secret of Denmark’s- success in topping the prices of the English market is ascribed to'its insistence of exporting only the best of its butter. There, he contends, lies the reason for its heading the price-lists. In one important respect he found that New Zealand methods differed from those of the Danes. Whereas many New Zealand farmers go in lor crossbred cattle, the Danes pin their faith to jiurebreds, generally Friesians. CUED NOW. This is an excellent time to cull the herd, weed out the unprofitable cows and fill their places if you wish to increase your herd with good animals. Cow testing associations have demonstrated for many years that the large producing cows ai’e the greatest profit makers. These associations have also proven that liberal feeding of balanced rations will prove the most profitable. Only a small percentage of the dairy cows of this country are dairy bred animals. There is roomffor fifty years of culling, testing and breeding and still we will be far from where we should'be. Keep in mind that some of the dairy breeds have already re qiured several hundred years to build SLAG ON THE PASTURE. On nearly all pastures basic slag at the rate of scwt per acre every five years will pay its way in improving the feeding qualities of the herbage. Even on the richest pastures, where basic slag produces no visible effect on theherbage, its better fattening capacity can he demonstrated if a record be kept of ..the meat or' milk produced, or even of the duration- of the grazing afforded bv a particular field. Whereever it is the practice to feed roots and hay on the grass land, basic slag should also be applied, or-value will, hot be obtained for the manurial residues of the extra food. Often a good dressing of basic slag -will in a couple of years dispense with the necessity of, or very much reduce the amount of, the manuring of pastures. There are soils of lighter type that‘will pay for potash—generally pastures with wiry, stemmy grass, in which clovers are rare and infrequent. There are pastures again, generally weedy, lightcoloured,' /pastures, which- show hare ’spots .of earth or which go mossy in the winters—that need a complete manuring including a little nitrate of soda to : give them a good start towards making a swarcl. -Such thin pastures seem to remain at a- standstill for many years after laying down. If once they can be made to carry a. growth of ■i<>very herbage they ‘ will begin to improve permanently; " SHEEP AND WOOL PROSPECTS. Some interesting discussions took place at the annual meeting of the big meat company in Canterbury, the sub” jeet \)f greater prudence in dealing with thp flocks. Inter alia, the report was as follows; —

Mr Mulholland said that if they fattened the old ewes and got rid of them all the result would be that they would be that number of sheep short. Mv Grigg; Oh, I mean the ewes that will not breed again. Mr Mulholland said there should he a word of caution given out to the people about freezing their ewe lambs — those that were of suitable quality for keeping for breeding purposes. That was one thing that, it appeared to him had been overlooked The present prices would tempt the farmers to sell them as iat ewes. A ewe lamb was worth more as a. fat than as a store. The chairman : We have urged that year ip and year out. They had constantly urged, he said, the necessity for the preservation of sufficient. ewe lambs and sufficient quality. The reputation of the Canterbury lambs depended upon the farmers preserving their ewe stock and so keeping their stuff up to quality. Many farmers realised that and were preserving their ewe stock. When a farmer set out to turn liis ewe _ lambs into money he should do so with restriction and care It had to be remembered that'if they could get their lambs ready as 381 b iambs they would he saving feed, which, for some purpose or other, was of value. That feed surely could be used for some profitable purpose even if if was not profitable to buy store lambs. Mr. Grigg said that if the farmers of Canterbury laid themselves out to get a stock of good ewe lambs and keep them, it would mean a better quality of wool than could he got where tne ewes were old. Old ewes did not yeild good wool. It should be realised tnat if they were able to get a pound more wool from each sheep at the present time it would mean a cm in to the country of £2,000,000. It‘could very easily be done if good ewe lambs were kept, instead of being sold and depenplaced on the old ones.

SUPPLY OP GREEN FOODS. DAIRY STOCK NEEDS. An Australian dairying authority says: One of the most important matters affecting those who are keen about delivering to the factories a full ana steady milk supply, more particularly during the summer and autumn months, when the grass commences to go off, is the provision of some green foodstuff of a succulent nature. ,' h Y ask a cow to make milk on drv herbage, straw, etc.? Not only can more live stock be kept, but it can he fed at proportionately less cost. For example, on an experimental farm. r,O head of dairy cows were carried through the summer season on 2o acres ot pasture (‘2O of which was very rough, poor pasture), by the aid of green feed from four acres. There was no appercinble decrease in the milk flow, oilier than natural'falling off towards the end of the lactation period: further, the cows were in good, healthy condition in the autumn.

flats, peas, and vetch, when sown together, make an excellent mixture for green feed for dairy cows, because it is ri'-h in protein and cnrbo-hvdrnt'vy Green feed will do much to reduce the cost of rearing calves. Ten pounds of good oats, peas and vetch have anprnximatelv the equivalent in fee/iing value of 31h of ground oals IVlmn green feed in the form of clover, rape and oats, peas and vetch is provided for our brood sows we are able to