THE DAIRY COW.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 20 June 1925, Page 6

THE DAIRY COW.

CARE AND MAN AO K-MEJS'T

(By. Mr. George Ford). In opening his subject in his address given at the Farm. School at Manaia, Mr. Ford said that generally there was a. breed most suited for each district, and it was essential to secure that breed. There seemed no reason why Taranaki should not develop a dairy breed to suit its requirements. It was practically » matter of selection and judgment. It might take a good few years, but it meant breeding a man’s own herd and chosin-g sires of the right stamp to improve the breed selected. It must, he said, always be kept in mind that rearing of the young stock must always he clone with care, and that pastures and feeding were of equal importance with the selection and breeding of animals, for there could not be the hightest development unless proper feeding was given. "Worn out land, deficient i u constitutents for body forming, could never give results equal to those front land in good heart, and this applied specially to dairy stock, for the drain of heavy dairying was very severe and depleted the land of essential elements. The system of land tenure in Taranaki made this difficult. In the herd the sire was a most important factor, especially where it was intended to rear the heifer calves from selected dams. It was certain that in some cases a scrub bull was kept, and this was a serious matter when any of the calves were kept and put into the herds. He considered the bull should be the best available, both from a milk and butter-fat strain, and must have character and fixed type, combined with constitution. It needed six generations actually to fix a type. In dealing with the herd it was essential that the high bred bull and profitable cows should be backed up by good feeding, for high breeding and low feeding made a bad combination. In addition, too. abundant supplies of good clean water, easily accessible, were absolutely necessary, for the dairy cow drank huge quantities. It is acknowledged generally, that attention to these requirements often allowed inferior bred herds to beat the Jygher bred, but constitution, was also a most vital factor.

Food and disease, it was acknowledged also, had a close relation in animals, as in human ibeings, and therefore, nine-tenths of the disease affecting them came from dietetic causes. Food, air, and water were the mainstay of life, and failure in any one of these -factors caused trouble, especially in the case of dairy cows producing large quantities of milk. But food though- abundant, might he of poor value, and if this were the' case, the best results could not be secured. The better the feeding the more the milk, was a truism that admitted no denial, but fat .production was an inherited quality and no feeding would raise a 3.6 test to 4>5, though it might increase it a little. The lack of lime and phosphates was a difficulty on worn out land if manuring was "not done systematically to restore the balance taken from the soil. Although all animals required a large amount of minerals for building and keeping un hones and tissues, what was lacking in dairying districts generally were phosphates.

High producing animals urgently needed fresh supplies of this element, and the problem, was to know how to repair this want, in the food directly or from the soil indirectly. This lack of minerals accounted for a lot of the sterility and some means must be adopted to cope with the problem. Various mixtures of lime, iron and phosphates have been advised, to be added to the rations. Another urgent need of the animals was salt, of which there should be an abundance. But it i,s absolutely essential that the land should he kept up in mineral contents. Mr. Ford quoted from an authority. Professor W. B. Nevens, of Illinois, who drew attention to the “malnutri-tion-of the bones in certain animals, specially after seasons of scanty food supply. Tlie 'results were .shown in failure to breed after intensive lactation. or to maintain that production. Stockmen have noted the craving of cattle for old bones and the eating of dirt, and in some such cases improvement has resulted from feeding of chalk or bone meal.” Good food bad a direct influence on milk production and gave a better chance to compete with other countries. Strong feeds tainted the milk unless feeding was carried out very carefully. If milk delivered was not fresh and. clean the factory managers could not do their job. In a well kept farm all the minerals required should be provided through the feed, and where fields were in good heart tlie minerals provided made feed good and palatable. Lucerne, clover, rye, cocksfoot, and fine grasses all were required for summer feeding and contained all the needs of the animals. In autumn grass had to be vsupplemented by oat-s and peas or vetches, according to the farmer’s opinion. Supplementary feed was necessary, although it might not pay, but good feed in the autumn was specially necessary, and the results would repay labour expended in this respect. Sour land could not give good feed on account of its acidity. The aid of the farmer must be to secure a balanced ration, and, as each food was deficient in some respect, ensilage in lime- and mineral salts, and others wanting some quality, it was necessary to make a combination, hay giving phosphoric acid, clover lime and roots potassium. Building feed was required to make animals chew the cud and this aided digestion. Feeding of concentrates without rough feed would probably lead to trouble. In regard to dry cows, it way essential to feed them well, in view of the coining of the lactation period, and the cow stored un mineral contents in the system to supply the demands of the calving period, and ‘consequently it was suicidal to put them on rough food.

The milking cow gave off more- time than she took in and therefore a fresh supply was necessary. And after a heavy season it- was essential that she went out for a time, but she should not have to make up later and leeway suffered jn that time. She should instead be fed up against the lacation period and come in in the best possible condition.

There was danger iii turning a cow straight on to turnips, in that she might have red-water or become full of fluid. Hay should always be fresh, because mouldy hay would be certain to cause sickness, especially if the oats had been rusty. Hav should never lie fed on a damp day if possible. Condy’s crystals in weak solution of tea was an excellent corrective, and change of feed would also help. Trouble of this nature always affected more the high producing cows. Indifferent feeding too, was a. cause of udder troubles. Weak or faulty digestion. affected the nervous system in sympathy. A sudden change in food

might cause- this, therefore it was always advisable to make a change gradually. .Rough feed might cause abortion and was responsible for some cases of slipping, but is was not so bad now as *in past years. Slips frequently followed , rough feed in the autumn, but when it was stopped the slipping stopped like magic. Last year there was too much grass and many paddocks went to seed, and in such cases a liberal use of the mower would have had a wonderful effect in keeping feed sweet and nutritious. To feed cows on cocksfoot run to seed would be almost as bad as killing them. Mr. Ford quoted some remedies for sicknesses that often affected dairy cows. In case of turnip sickness— Cloudy's and alum in strong tea ; forage poisoning—formalin, and raw linseed oil, and aromatic spirits of ammonia.

Retained after birth was largely responsible for sterility, but it was a big question, and this was not tlie •only cause. The cow might cleanse but not altogether, and it was necessary to get- it away before it decayed. Generally, said Mr. Ford, if everything was kept clean and good and food, was of the highest- standard, off the best soils with tlie land in good heart, not many troubles would appear. If an epidemic or contagious disease occurred it would need scientific and expert treatment. Mr. Ford referred to vaginitis and mammitis, and said that no vaccine had yet been proved sufficiently to enable him to say exactly whether it was effective. Warm water and plenty of it, in the case of a bad quarter had a wonderful effect. It was unwise to use cold water to wash a cow’s udder or teats because of the shock to the system. In regard to vaginitis, Mr. Ford recalled a case where it was found the ovaries were as big as sheeps’ kidneys and were full of <jysts, and this was the general result of the trouble. He quoted a case of a heifer which at two and three years old. slipped a calf. She was a particularly good one and therefore was kept, and next year and for five years she has had a live calf.

In reply to questions, Mr. Ford said that in some parts pigs lost hair after a digestive trouble, and he agreed that it was probably due to lack of mineralsin food. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Ford "for his able address, and in reply Mr. Ford assured all farmers that the Department’s officers were there to do their best- for tlie people and that a telegram or letter would bring him or some one else out to assist any farmer in trouble.