LUCERNE FOR PIG FEED.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 3 September 1925, Page 4

LUCERNE FOR PIG FEED.

(To the Edi tor). Sir, —A few months ago I noticed in your valuable eo : umns a letter above the norn de plume of, I think, “Old Farmer,” stating that.he would like to see lucerne tried to winter pigs on. If they did w.e’l on it, he said, it would be a. great thing for Taranaki. I would like to ask “Old Farmer” how many farmers have got sufficient food for their cows to eat. now ? I say that nine out of ten have not g'ot one half enough for their cows at the present time. So why think about wintering pigs to starve cows ? The swedes, lucerne, carrots, etc., that the pigs surrounded through the winter would be more profitable given to the cows now. I also ask “Old Farmer” if he milks cows (which I presume he does), do they average 3501 b of butter-fat? which I say they ought to do after all these years of testing and culling and plenty of feed. I have an average of nearly 320 c.f fat for the -last three years of my short period of dairying; but my motto is: Feed the cows 12 months out of 12 months, and plenty of it. The ! I gores t drawback now-a-days is overstocking and starving dry cows, which is worse*than starving milk cows. When a cow is starved before she calves she will he no good all the year.—l am, etc., YOUNG FABATER. Manaia.