FARM AND DAIRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 18 September 1926, Page 16

FARM AND DAIRY

NOTES BY THE WAY

The wise fanner is he wlio laid in liberal stocks, of supplementary feed—haiy, ensilage, root crops, cliou nioeliier, maize, etc., and kept his lucerne stands in good order. The sight of a lovely paddock of several acres- of green oats near Kakaramea makes one realise V how much that farmer’s cows must appreciate the green feed . at this time of the year. This field of oats is nearly two feet high, and is being cut daily for the cows. It enforces the lesson that if one farmer can do this, whv not every one? The -value would appear to be well worth the expense of time and labour.

There are only seven, per cent, of Danish pigs rejected by the Danish Government inspectors. Only one-third of one per cent, is rejected altogether.

If there were anything like a fair deal between the farmers and other classes in this country, a State Bank would be a reasonable proposition. As things axe, it would only' perpetuate and legitimate injustice.

Under the heading “What a difference,” the Auckland Farmers’ Union paper, Farming First has a clever cartoon showing the old way of marketing farm products by the New Zealand farmer, turning them from the bucket into the “market,” a narrownecked bottle, and losing a big proportion in the process. Under the new method a funnel entitled cooperative marketing” ensures the products going into the bottle without los ing the smallest portion. It is like trying to put benzine into a petrol tank without and with the funnel.

It is only by co-operative manufacturing and marketing; that the farmer can obtain the complete fruits of his labour, and it is only by co-operative marketing that the markets tor the ' farmers,’ produce will he stabilised and uniform payable prices assured. Cooperate all the time. The Common Purchasing Society of Norway deals with co-operative dames, etc., pledged to take all foodstuffs, etc., through them. \

There are 2500 co-operative credit societies, with a central institute, in Hungary, whirh is the home of cooperative insurance.

In -1913 the Danish farmers broke the supremacy of the Cement Trust of combined cement factories. They erected great co-operative cement works. The National Union of Swedish. Agriculturists both buys for farmers no sells their produce. It is in touch with 19 provincial “central” societies. Co-operation in Finland promisesto be as general as in Denmark soon. Ihe Danes were well educated, the linns are very poorly educated.Fanners put money in a bank, usually without interest, little at best. Ihe* bank lends it to people who givp credit,” which often costs 50 to 100 per cent. The Union of Siberian Co-operative Dairy Companies handled the export of a number of dairies and bought supplies for members before the war. Wherever men work for themselves and their own advantage, little is done, hut wherever thousands have a common endeavour, a mighty building is erected before long. —Co-operation m Finland. The central committee of Irish Agricultural co-operative societies acts for more than 1000 agricultural co-opera-five societies, with more than 105,0U0 farmers. In 1914, 350 creameries 233 credit societies, and. 222 agricultural societies for common purchase of agricultural requirements were combined.

ROYAL SHOW

TICK PRECAUTIONS.

Very careful precautions are being taken to ensure freedom from infection by tick at the Royal Show. The committee have framed regulations, including dipping or spraying of cattle from infected areas, examination at the show grounds, and supervision by Government experts, disinfection of railway tracks used, and cleansing of stalls on the ground.

CONTAGIOUS MAMMITIS

(From the Star of -May 11, 1904.)

Away back in 1904 this ailment was causing trouble and the matter of a boric acid treatment was widely discussed. Mr. Gilruth when 'in Hawera said this was not having as goodi results as anticipated, and there were no conveniences to carry on experiments with other drugs. It was reported in the Star that the Eltham Farmers’ Union intended to- try other experiments for more effective treatment, and asked if anyone had tried the boric acid remedy and its effect. They also asked what effect it had on the "cow and how it was administered, and if any were really cured. It is interesting to read of the germs of research so long ago being spread and a tribute to the promoters. Boric acid is now used in the manufactured dairy article as a preservative.

PUREBRED DAIRY COWS

C.O.R. LIST FOR JULY

Included in the. list of records as published in the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture are the following Taranaki animals: Jerseys.—" Junior two-year, Nicholas Bros.’ (Mangatoki) Itaithwaite Madge, 323.5 lb of fat for 265 days; threevear, D. F. Malone’s (Kaponga) Cloverlea Laura, 421.98 lb for 250 days.

SPRING SOWING OF GRASS.

The following question and reply from the Waikato Times will be of interest: “Doubtful,;’ Pirongia: I have tried autumn sowing of grass-seed for two seasons, but with poor results. I have crot more bare space, water-grass, docks, butter-cups, etc., than grass andi clovers. Would you advise spring sowing. My land is mostly on the Waipa Flats. . “It .seems clear that your trouble is due to want of adequate drainage. It is probable that tile draining or other means of sub-drainage of the soil is out of the question because of cost, so your best plan w r ould be to try spimg sowing. I have often seen spring sowing .succeed under such conditions, where autumn sowing was practically a failure. Sowing on heavy wet ground in the autumn fails because the young crass and clovers have to straggle through, -winter with soggy conditions, which unduly fayour weeds such as small grass-like rushes, docks and buttercups A trial with the moleplough will be worth while and would make the drainage better. If such cannot be arranged, sow during the 'spring and you will have the drier soil to get a good cover on the ground before next winter comes around. Where drainage is bad, spring sowing as preferable.”

RECORD PRICES.

At the Exhibition sales in Sydney a record price for Queensland for a stud beef bull,' 17 months old, was established when Mr. J. Burgess’s Canning Downs South Golden Donmngton was sold at 525 guineas by Martin, Sneilino- a nd Co., in conjunction with Badgevv Bros., Ltd., and Morehead’s, Ltd., the purchase being made by Mr. Quodling for the Gindie stud farm Considering that the market was the lowest experienced 'for many years it makes the record really doubly great, and equaly on ordinary market conditions, to weTl over-1009 guineas. Mr. Burgess bred this calf; he is sued by Donnington Count, an imported bull, for which he Paid 1100 guineas. He was placed second to hxs Majesty s bull Windsor Knight at the Birmingham show in 1920. Windsor Knight was sold to the Argentine for 4200 guineas. His dam is Golden Bessie 7tli, imported reserve champion of Queensland and winner of cow and progeny class, being. beaten only by her stiul mate Oxford’s Floss. This young calf is lull of imported blood, in addition to being a beautiful, rich red colour, with all the characteristics of becoming a great sire He is under 17 months of age and’his weight is 14591 b. He was a first prize winner in his class, and o-airied further laurels for Mr. Burgess bv beating bulls' imported from Britain.

FEEDING CONCENTRATES TO . COWS.

The general tendency in dairy cattle management is to increase P P tion of concentrates to roughage in the ration in order to obtain increased growth in the young and greater milk production in lactating cows Australian expert). The dairyman should endeavour to ascertain feedi g costs in order to ensure that a pront is being shown over the actual costs of production. It has been shown at the feeding tests conducted by theßoyal Agricultural Society at .the Meibom Show that the cow giving the largest ouantity of milk or butter over a given period actually failed to show a profit upon the cost of the tood consumed On the other hand a scrub cow fed solely upon pasture or common roughage without any expensive, added conf entrates, and producing oMyafew pounds of milk, might easily show a profit over production costs. That it pays to feed cows liberally is generally admitted, but it is obviously of no advantage to force the milk yield up by the liberal use of concentrates if a profit is not being shown upon the consumed. A cow weighing 10001 b producing 151 b of milk a day can obtain all the nutrients needed for maintenance and production from lucerne hay and maize silage. But as Production increases it becomes a physical n possibility for. the animal to consume sufficient roughage to meet the nutrient requirement. Hence tlio feeding concentrates is .necessary for high production. The natural ration of the dairy cow, however, consists entirely o± roughages in the form of grass and hay. The" 3 digestive tract of the ox is specially suited to dealing with roughage, and therefore is probably not adapted to a ration containing a large amount oi orain in proportion to hay or pasture. Cattle in well-fed herds appear to be more eubject to disease than cattle m herds fed very little grain or other concentrates. This is probably due to the lack of adaptability on the part of the animals to a large amohnt of concentrates in proportion to roughage. Theoretically it is possible to' supply the requirements of the animal system by concentrated tabloids containing chemical substances compounded to supply the requisite carbohydrates, proteins, and mineral substances, but since the digestive organs designed to deal with a certain bulk of food they are apparently incapable of utilising the nutrients contained in. a comparatively small bulk of material. Ruminants have a greater capacity for food than other animals, and it is therefore probable that milk production will be limited by the ability of the cow to deal with the concentrates supplied together with the roughage. It is at least certain that a limit to profitable production will be fixed in this manner. There is, however, the factor 'of adaptability to be considered. Milk production has been stimulated to a degree greatly in excess of the normal demand upon iblic dam ■to provide sustenance for her young. This increase has been brought about by breeding from heavy producing strains and by the liberal feeding of concentrates. When food supply is cut down or restricted to roughage only milk production immediately declines. It will be interesting to note therefore whether the digestive system of the heavy milking strain of dairy cattle will develop greater adaptability to deal with increasing quantities of concentrates.

NO BORIC ACID

From the beginning of the next dairying season in the Commonwealth it will be necessary that butter exported from Australia to the United Kingdom shall be free of boric acid. This is in view of the decision of the British Ministry not to admit butter so preserved into the country. So far apparently relatively little progress has been •made by butter factories towards meeting the' altered conditions under which the' butter export trade with Great Britain will have to be> conducted after the end of the current season. Further investigations with a view not only to making butter to conform with Brjtislf requirements, but also to improve the quality of Australian butter/ should not be delayed, particularly as the time is not far distant when boric acid as a preservative must be dispensed with. Although great headway has been made in regard to the quality ol the butter, there is still room for improvement, particularly, in States other than Victoria.