FARM and DAIRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 13 February 1926, Page 14

FARM and DAIRY

Reports are still to hand Ironi various sources that the country way back from the coast generally considered of poor quality is in great heart this year and covered with luscious feed.. It is reported also that white clover is more prevalent than for a long time past. It is very cheering to be able to record these conditions.

Blue lupin is a w'onderful crop to use for a ‘ ‘ dug-in green ’ ’ crop. Those "who have used it say that every trace is gone in a matter of six weeks, being absorbed by the soil.

Visitors to the Continent who go to see the dairy farms are struck with the byres in which the cattle are housed. They are often the best built part of the ” farm and quite . elaborately constructed and perfectly kept.

It will be of interest to know that a fair acreage—‘sos acres —of the fine land near Wavcrley has oeen sold recently. The price, said to be just over £42 per acre, is considered to be very satisfactory and an indication of the continued confidence of the farmers in the producing power of the land of the district.

A considerable time since when butter slumped so seriously, a local resident who has great experience in the marketing of dairy produce ventured the opinion—and he was firm in his conviction —that it would not remain so, but that a good payable figure would be reached about which it "would remain. And so it has turned out. The position looked very gloomy, but only for a while, and some time ago jt altered and began to rise until it reached the present price, round which it has been for a time and about which it seems likely to stay. The report for a week or two has been “steady,” and this is exactly what the dairy farmer should desire rather than a fluctuating market, tvith its consequent uncertainty and its likelihood of a drop. One reason he gave for his belief was that in England and on the Continent the cattle are nearly all stall fed, and therefore there is not the probability of a great fluctuation because there is no real and marked flush in the season.

On many of the best kept farms, and this applies to a few private farms and to the demonstration farms in Taranaki, all the liquid manure from the cowshed is saved and taken to a special tank. Thence it is distributed all over the farm, and those who have seen these farms state that the areas on which the manure is spread can very easily be distinguished. It is quite certain that thousands of pounds value is simply allowed to go away and be lost, whereas it might return its value “many fold” by being collected and used. The cost would not be excessive. There is an object lesson to be learnt by the great body of farmers.

The question of dual purpose plants has been often discussed as to whether they have really been a payable proposition. It has been asserted by men who should bo in a j>osition to know that those factories which have stuck consistently to the mauufaeture of one product have done best over a series of years. Probably there are certain periods of the year which suit better for butter than for cheese, but to chance from one to the other in the belief that the market can be judged a matter of three or four months ahead must be like taking a ticket in a lottery. And there must always be districts where difficulties of communication make home separation essential and alike the consequent making of butter. This difficulty-, however, must tend to disappear and the manufacture of cheese to increase. That seemed to be the trend of advice received at the dairy factory managers’ conference.

Higher average herds are a pressing need, ami this lias been stressed by the leaders in the industry many times aud oft. Testing associations whereby c-uiliug can be properly controlled are a feature that should be largely increased. The value of them where properly established is proved over and over again. A lesson is to be learnt from the Manaia and Stratford Demonstration Farm, where a remarkably good average is secured. The cows are good animals, but not by any means the most exclusive. Good liberal feeding, care and really go'od conditions are the secret of a lot of the success.

Farmers are often said to bo never satisfied—probably quite a wrong assumption—but an old farmer the other day was most philosophic on the subject of the season. He said it certainly- was a bad spring, but in all probability they would have an exceptionally good autumn, and present appearances tend to bear out his belief.

Writing on his impressions of forestry in New Zealand, a Canadian Press delegate said that “native trees will not be found in the planted State forests. The reason is the rapid growth of exotic trees. The New Zealand trees grow with deliberation and without haste; but the imported trees respond so ardently to the mild New Zealand climate that their rate o'f growth —so the official records prove, it is said —is three times as great as in the countries from which they are imported.”

FARMS UNDER -C A PIT AEISED. There is little doubt that many farms, especially those taken up at or near the boom time, are under-capitalised and that the price paid for the financial accommodation necessary to get the men working them into the farm has boon so great that they have no means of getting the extra funds fof labour and other necessaries by which alone can the land be kept up to its full producing capacity. They cannot employ the necessary labour, they have perhaps to be content with inferior seeds, they are not in a position to top dress as they should and as it would pay them to do, and lastly they cannot get stock of the quality that will enable them to get the best returns. In addition, as a result of the want of the second two requirements, they are not able to feed their stock liberally enough to give the cows a surplus over and above just living conditions to turn into milk and butter-fat. These wants mean that efficiency is not being secured, and that the land is not being worked up to its producing limit. They would be far better off with loss land, more facilities for working, better stock and higher returns and on the other side greatly lessened expenditure. It seems to point very distinctly to the need for smaller farms and more intensive cultivation, and the ever increasing and stronger worldwide competition seems to point the same way.

Tt is over thirty-three years since the ' back country round Mangamingi, Moeroa and Matemafeonga was first opened for selection, and a few of the original settlers are still on their farms. The change in conditions during that time, from rugged bush aud steep unroaded, uncultivated hillsides to smiling farms and good macadam or tarred roads, is a remarkable tribute to the stout-hearted pioneers who took up selections and to the farseeing public men who by their energy and unselfish work made possible the capital roading system. In some parts can be seen hay just cut, and it looks as though the very late cutter may come off better than the “middle distance” man who struck all the worst of the deal. But it is certain the “early bird” caught the very best. PIT AND CLAMP ENSILAGE. When conditions are unfavourable for haymaking, pit nnd clamp ensilage is a useful method, suitable to New Zealand conditions, for saving excess of green fodder for winter feeding in a succulent form. It is, however, necessary, that the crop be a suitable oue, that the covering with soil be applied directly the building is finished, that it be applied carefully and with intelligence, and it is in addition advisable that the silage made be used within a reasonable time of being ensiled. Silage made by this method is not likely to be successful if made in too small pits, nor should it be consumed too slowly so that the cut surface remains exposed too long. Pit and clamp silage entails no capital expenditure beyond the labour of digging the pit, and is therefore applicable for occasional use. The practice of making silage by this method has not been generally adopted as a part of our regular farming practice; but it is recommended, where farmers wish to do so, that the preparation of the pits be somewhat deeper than in the field, that they have them situated near the homestead buildings, and that the face of the walls be strengthened by concrete or other means.

RAGWORT. PREVENTIVE MEASURES. HOW IT SPREADS. Ragwort was the subject of a conversation the other day with an old Alton settler, a man ivho has farmed long and farmed well, nnd seen the country from

the bush era lo that of the improved farm. He said that there was no doubt farmers could keep it in check and beat it if all would co-operate. But, ho added, so long as a few men in each district let the plants seed and the seed blow across country, so long will it be j impossible to overcome the pest, and his considered opinion coincides with that of a farmer near Matapu, that, if the problem is not tackled much more seriously than at present, the pest will drive some of the farmers off the land. He adds that the only effective method is to deal with the plants thoroughly before they seed, aud recommends salt, which he uses every year with excellent results. This applies where merely detached plants have to be treated. Where there is more to be done and plants are in clusters, sheep will keep iu check provided the land is heavily stocked, the sheep being crowded on the paddocks and moved from time to time. They must be crowded on so that they will chew out the young shoots as they come up. He says that if everyone cleaned their land there would be no trouble, but.that so far as Alton district is concerned, the farms aro kept “planted” with ragwort from seed blowu across tlie gorge. It is only one more instance that strengthens the case against ragwort and the urgent need for precautionary measures.

MORE ABOUT RAGWORT.

PREVALENT IN WAIKATO

Writing in the Auckland Star, a Hamilton correspondent says of the farms in the Waikato:—

Ragwort, a noxious weed with a bright yellow flower, is very prevalent, this autumn on the farms of the Waikato. It is regarded as one of the worst weeds on the schedule. It is easy to cut or pull, but it will grow again and again, and if left unmolested will spread rapidly. Cattle or sheep will not eat it unless there is a shortage of feed, but if they do, death is fairly certain to ensue.

The Agricultural Department is very concerned regarding its spread in the Waikato, and its representatives cannot understand the indifference displayed by many farmers to what is a serious menace. Whenever a ragwort plant appears on a farm its top should bo immediately cut off and the flowers burned.

Ploughing is often resorted to for cleaning a paddock of ragwort, but spent oxide, procurable! from any gasworks, or agricultural salt may be used as a weed-killer. Spent oxide does damage to the grass, which takes three years to recover. In every district in the Waikato more ragwort may now be seen than ever before, and, farmers should make every effort to destroy it. It is an

offence against the Noxious Weeds Act to permit it to grow, but stock inspectors are averse to prosecutions, and as they are few in number the co-opera-tion of the farmers is essential to rid the country of the menace. The spread of the weed was referred to at a meeting of the Waikato executive of tiie Farmers’ Union by Mr. «T. McKay. He thought it worse than foxglove, and destined to become as bad as blackberry. The plants were in bloom at present, and it was necessary that they should be destroyed before they seeded. The meeting resolved to draw the attention of the noxious weeds inspector at Hamilton to the niattcr.-

THE SMALL DAIRY FARM. It is generally estimated that it takes from two to three acres of land to keep a dairy cow in New Zealand, ahd since the high price of land is one of the governing factors in rofitable dairy farming, the man who can show how 46 head of stock can be carried on 50 acres, offers a valuable object lesson. A farm near Cambridge, consisting of 50 acres, carries 21 mature cows, 12 first-season heifers in milt, 1 dry cow, 6 calves, 1 bull and four horses, a total of 46 head. . This 46 head would probably be equal to about 40 dairy cows, which would be equal to less than 14 acres per cow.

This is done by the aid of 74 acres of crops in the shape of 2 acres soft turnips, 2 acres maize, 2 acres mangolds, 14 acres swedes and cattle pumkins. Half an acre is occupied by house and grounds and 5 acres were shut up for hay, which means a balance in pasture of 37f acres through a good portion of the milking season. Last season the gross takings from this farm were about £550; and this year the takings are estimated to be over £6OO, or a yield of £l2 per acre; a very substantial return, and one which shows what we have often contended—that a small farm well tilled is a better thing for the nation and for the individual than a large holding only partly cultivated. A Cambridge paper also published the following:—“Something of a record was established by the milking herd, owned by Mr. L. Hodgkins, a farmer of Horsham Downs. From a farm of 50 acres his 40 cows returned 19231 b of milk daily, with a 4.5 test. These figures speak for themselves, but the returns are enhanced when it is explained that the herd comprised 20 heifers, 16 second ealvers, and only 4 mature cows.’ ’

GIVE THAT COW A CHANCE,

Feed is probably the most important factor in the economical production of milk. The average cow will, if fed

and cared' for intelligently, retin a fair profit, while even the best or pare* breds will be unable to prove tieir ability if the nutrients necessary, to produce milk are not furnished. It is said that the basis of profitable dairying is the individual cow that is a high 1 producer, yet if she does not receive sufficient feed we do not know if she is capable of high production. The old practice of standardising the ration for the entire herd by the amount of feed the farm could produce has ceased to be profitable. Experience has taught that the most profit is made • when each individual is fed according to her ability to produce, whether she be purebred or scrub. Know your cows as individuals and you have overcome the greatest failing of the average dairyman. The world’s greatest cows would have been" unable to make their phenomenal records if they had been in the lihnds of men who did not know what they were capable of doing. How many of us in New Zealand would have heard of Burkeyje Sylvia Poscli, Pretty’s Flirt, or Holly Oak’s Annie, and many others of our great cows, if they had not received a better chance than does the average cow of to-day? Give your cows a chance by following a better system of feeding, and the results will be surprising. While all cows are not capable of breaking world’s records, they will usually pay good dividends on an investment in extra feed. Study your individual cows, then give them the right feed at the right time, and you have the Secret of profitable milk production.

HOW NOT TO INCREASE PROFITS.

I. Buy any old cow so long as it is a cow.

2. Buy the cheapest food, if any, regardless .of its contents. 3. Do not weigh the grain or milk, or do anything advised for dairy improvement. 4. Be careful not to test —your grand-’ father got along without it. 5. If the cows don’t move smartly, prod them with a fork or milk stool—it brightens the animals up. 6. Milk and feed the cows when the notion strikes you, or let them go over one milking; there is nothing in regularity. 7. Breed your cows to any scrub bull, no matter of what breed, so long as they will freshen once a year or so. S. On no account join a co-operative bull or cow testing association, nor buy a purebred dairy bull. Such newfangled notions label one as a person who will bear watching.

9. Persevere with these methods—you can depend upon them breaking you in the end.

NOTES BY THE WAY