FARM AND DAIRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 6 November 1926, Page 16

FARM AND DAIRY

NOTES BY THE WAY. From everywhere come reports of largely increased supplies of milk and 'generally received in a good condition. These increases are invaluable at a time when prices are much lower than has been the case for a year or two. and when pay-outs are naturally much reduced. ,It will be a great service to the dairy farmer.

The land in the middle North Auckland. says a visitor thither, in a letter to a Taranaki friend, will produce practically everything in abundancemaize 14ft high, oats, wheat, barley potatoes, carrots, all kinds of melons, and kumaras. One special part he saw was rich scoria land, at one time a forest of kohekohe, puriri and rata, but he adds, there are patches of poor country. The danger is in the spring crow ill of grass, which is likely to induce milk fever. The poor land is foirnd to be very susceptible to treatment and to be much improved and made very fertile thereby. The Goveminent is experiment on this land.

Writing to Messrs Newton King, Ltd.. Messrs Bowen and Wilson, of Hastings, advise that the younger of the two Jersev heifers purchased from Mrs Gadsbv, 'of Stratford, was successful in winning the novice 2-year-old class, and also the open 2-year-old class at our local show. This was very pleasing to 'is, and, we trust, to all concerned.

The introduction of bees dates back to 1842, when Mrs Alcorn, of London, who was interested and kept bees at her home, sent some out to Wellington. They throve exceedingly, and this was the foundation on which has been built tho great industry of the present day. “I think the system of land tenure of the Zulus is the best and simplest in the world, ’ ’ said Mr H. A. Young. SMi, when giving an address on the race to the Justices of the Peace Association at Christchurch. “No one owns the , land, but the chief portions out sufficient for 9 garden, and the person’s descendants hold that land as long as it is cultivated. All pasture, is held in common, which is the simplest and probably the best system of tenure possible. The areas are not fenced, and if cattle trespass at night the owner must pay, but if they wander by dav theie is no penalty, as the men should be cultivating the ground, and it is their duty to see that cattle are kept off. ’’

Farmers in the Hunter River .district (N.S.W.) are having much trouble witn insect pests, which are more prevalent this season than within the memory of the oldest farmers. Myriads of small black flies have attacked young lucerne plants, and in some cases farms • have been sown as often as two or three times. Swarms of caterpillars are eating pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages and other vegetables. On the Manning River large numbers of parrots are doing much damage to young fruit, and swarms of large moths are also prevalent.

CROSSBRED RED POLLS

STRIKING RESULTS IN INDIA The wonderful prepotency of the Red Poll sire is illustrated in some interesting pictures which have recently been received from Air. Roland Ady, of Rancroon in Burma, -.says tho brood joi-) - nal. ’ In 1923 Mr Ady acquired two Red Poll bulls from Mir. Carlyle Smith, and the results of cross breeding with Indian cows are well illustrated m the pictures sent. He says that he has been breeding from two Red 1 oil bulls imported into Burma by Mr. J. E. Du Bern, and he has got very good result s, which he says are plainly indicated in his snapshot. Air. Adv goes on to say that all his Indian cows are .pure white, but the calf, in every instance, was either red or brown, and that the Red Poll characteristics were very marked in all of them.

Large contingents of Red Polls nave been and are being tsent to fe'pain and Brazil. In the former country the demand has arisen for a “hardy leeding breed which can live on silage, coin and alfalfa hay and for cattle which wdlL fatten out quickly for beef and prove good at the milk pail, with hutterfat in excess of 3.5,” qualifications well fulfilled by the Red Poll.

GRADE BULL EXCHANGE. FOR PEDIGREE CALVES. A GREAT SCHEME. In Illinois there was inaugurated some time ago a plau by which Illinois farmers were enabled to secure good registered bull calves without the expenditure of any more money than they had already invested in a grade or scrub bull is simple enough. Any farmer in the State who had a grade or scrub bull 15 months old or over and wished to exchange him for a pure-bred calf would get in toueii with the farm adviser in his county. The adviser would then write to breeders who had agreed to furnish purebred calves. When a purebred calf had been located the grade or scrub bull was sold for beef (through the shipping association, if possible) and the sales slip and check received for him were turned over to the breeder through the farm bureau as payment in full for the purebred calf. The breeders registered, transferred crated the calves and put them on the train. The farmers paid the express. When the plan was first presented to the farmers the question was raised about the use of a bull until the purebred calves were old enough for service. The breeders answered this question by agreeing to ship the purebred calf and allowing the farmer to keep his grade or scrub bull until the calf was old enough for service.

More than 100 leading dairy cattle breeders gave the idea their stamp of approval and agreed to furnish one or more good purebred bull calves under the exchange plan. The plan did not appeal to the breeders from the standpoint of immediate financial gain, for in most cases the exchanges were made at a disadvantage to them. They were looking ahead, for they knew that a good bull in a community would create a demand for others and that a demand for better cattle wouldi come. Then they knew that too many grade and scrub bulls were on Illinois farms, and that tho problem required the help of all who arc interested in the dairy business.

The creameries in the State got at the back of the plan in the beginning helped tell the people about it by distributing posters to all cream stations. Fourteen hundred country bankers helped spread the gospel of the purebred sire. CATTLE REARING. ROYAL FAMILY INTEREST. The Prince of Wales has well maintained the traditions of the Royal Family, who have always been keenly interested in agriculture and in everything that pertains to the successful prosecution of the agricultural industry. Since the days of George 111. the Royal Family have been closely identified with farming, and that monarch’s popular name, “Farmer George,” shows how his subjects appreciate the interest he took iu all that related to agriculture. The AberdeenAngus herd at Abergeldie Mains, Balmoral, was established by Queen Victoria as a step towards promoting and encouraging ’.he improvement of cattle-breeding in Scotland. It was appropriate that the herd should have been established in the district which from early times had been famous for cattle-rearing, and known as a source of supply to drovers and dealers who catered for the markets of the South King Edward singled out stock-raising for special attention, and it was as a stock-breeder that he was always known in the world of agriculture. King George maintains the farms at Windsor as they have been maintained since the days of the Prince Consort, and carries on the Royal tradition at Sandringham, an animal from Ue latter herd having the distinction cf securing a championship at the last Show at Kelso; and he displays the same warm interest in agriculture that gained for his predecessors the place they held in the esteem and affection of the farmers of the Kingdom r he Prince of Wales’s career as a farmer dates from before the war, when His Royal Highness acquired -his Cornish farms. He is an enthusiastic breeder of Shorthorns, and the foundation stock were purchased in Scotland.

RAGWORT. AND THE? DISEASE OF THE LIVERi. ERADICATION OF THE WEED. An article in the Journal ol Agriculture for September gives much valuable information about ragwort and the tlisea.se which attacks stock eating it. Extracts from the article are quoted below in the hope that thewill be of value. Settlers all over South Taranaki report a serious spread of the weed, even in the rich open country where there should be no excuse fob this spread. And in some areas of really good country, anyone can see the plants thick, on some sections so bad that one could almost be pardoned for believing it impossible to clear. But that this i.s possible is evidenced by one or two instances where resolute men have taken up land thought to be hopeless and are getting results which are a .lusting tribute to their pluck and hard work. Leading men take a .serious view of the situation land are insistent that the Government should take sterner steps and make a punishment more fitting the crime of contaminating not only their own land, but that of their neighbours. These opinions seem to amply justify the extracts —perhaps a repetition of what has been published previously—from the Department’s research ' work and conclusions. Tiie writer .say s: POSITION AS A WEED Ragwort i.s negligible as a weed ot arable land, as it- is not capable oi surviving continuous cultivation, lieatnei is it to be feared in first-class grazing country where a close permanent tuu can be maintained. It has been pointed out that the root-system is not an aggressive one, although, a plant cut on at the ground-level is capable ot regrowth; but, on the other hand, the seed-dispersal system is an extremely a»oressive one. '1 he mlSoaesceiite very well developed (heavily infested ragwort country is a blaze of yellow in the .summer), the “seeds” are sma , and the pappus or down large m proportion. The weed is most dangerous m country where the soil is comparatively light, and where there as a tendency for the turf to break up in summer leaving open spaces ready to ie<Sve the seed as it falls, /lop-dressing under such ciicumstances is wmse than useless as a mean ol control. From what has been sand it will K veon that the chief means ol spread oi the plant has been through the agnecy of the wind fiom one area to more oi less closely adjoining one, though toe seed sometimes occurs as an impurity •in lines of agricultural seeds, a small amount being found, for instance, m southern Lotus-major. . • In cattle one of the first s\ nip tools is a diminution of the milk-sUppR am an acrid flavour of the milk, making it useless for butter; others .are a peculiar odour of the skin, rapid emaciation, and chronic diarrhoea. Both horses and cattle show, port-mortem yellow bile-stained tissues, and the liver almost always in a state of chronic cirrhosis.

EFFECT OF RAGWORT ON SHEEP. The statement was made bv Gilruth that, sheep could resist the action of the Senecio poison to an mdehmL'.s greater extent than cattle or horses During the period that the horse used in the foregoing experiment -No. 4 was being fed at the laboratory two sheep received daily (as well as their rood ration) *lb of the same supply ol ragwort as that given to the horse. At the eml of six months the .sheep were .slaughtered anti a careful post-mortem examination. was made. The liver and other internal organs were found in both cases to be perfectly healthy to the naked eye, and a subsequent microscopical examination failed to disclose any abnormality. Frequent opportunities offered themselves, and were made use of, of microscopically examining the livers of sheep depastured on ragwort country, but no marked pathological changes were seen. A flock of 2,000 .sheep was put twice on ragwort, with an interval ol thico month's between. The mob was taken off the second time on account ol marked mortality, some showing while they were still oil the weed, but the greatest after they had been removed Iron, it. The most noticeable symptom was this yellow colour, the affected animals being referred to as “yellow sheer..” The conclusions arrived at were that sheep can eat ragwo-rt daily without harm (with very few exceptions) .if it does not monopolise the soil, and u there is not too much they will check and even ultimately eradicate it. The reasons for the comparative immunity of sheep are supposed to be (1) that, the plant is actually less toxic than in the case of horses and cattle, and (2) that owing to their small mouths the sheep can pick ancl choose to a very much greater extent when grazing. PRECAUTIONS Writing in 1902. on the subject. Dr. Gilruth urged ail precautions, stating that every endeavour should be made by the farmer, the local and the General Government of the Colony to eradicate this weed, which is not only dangerous to stock by ingestion, but cumbers the land, rendering it almost useless. Cattle and horses are naturally averse to partaking of the plant, but under certain circumstances, such as a paucity of other fodder or its presence in bay or chaff, they commence to cat the weed and it seems most probable a liking is gradually acquired, the taste |ier.si>'ti ng evidently after the ■lytual necessity .for the ingestion of the plant has disappeared.

MM-VNS OK CONTROL OF RIAONVOR - : Compared with many weeds, i agwort is quite easy to get rid of. It is of no importance on arable land because ordinary tillage methods destroy it completely. An important fact in connection with ragwort is that though, the plant is a. perennial and will survive a. single cutting of the floweringstems at the level of the ground. Cue repetition of this for a few years kills tiie whole plant without, the need <d grubbing it out by the root. Obviouslv a. weed with such numerous and easily spread seeds must be prevented from producing them, and as it is quite possible for a’! the .plants of ragwort in a paddock to bo grubbed out and yet to retain .sufficient vitality afterwards to infest the whole of the surrounding Country the tops must be destroyed early in the -season.

Tn the various methods of dealing with ragwort that are quoted it will ho seen that all its different peculiarities can be made use of against .it, and, however abundant ragwort may he on bis property, no one need despair of getting rid of it. The following quotations are mostly from the writings of authorities in the Department, and several of them are actual answers to correspondents who have inquired as to the best means of dealing with the weed, as published in the Department’s Journal : “On small areas it may be controlled by cutting before flowering. Repeat twice or thrice in certain seasons. On large -areas sheep in sufficient numbers control it. Sheep should not be on ragwort for more than a

month or six weeks, or bad' effects will result. They can be used effectively on cattle country, if the land is sufficiently improved to enable it ;to be stocked to its full carrying capacity. IN ALBERT A. Writing from The Ranch, in Alberta, a correspondent to the Empire Mail says of the possibilities of that part of the North West Territory: “I* l4 - 1 Peace River country in northern Alberta may be- described as* the last “great West” of the North American continent. So good an authority as Sir Henry Thornton, .president of the Canadian National Railways, has declared that if only half its acreage were cultivated it would be capable of producing more wheat than is now produced in the whole of Canada. He describes it as an “undeveloped land ol tremendous promise.” CHAMPION FRIESIAN. TARANAKI BRED. Dairy farmers and all interested in the breeding of purebred pedigree dairy cattle will be interested to learn that* the purebred cow, Alcartra Cloth ilde Pietje, the New Zealand record holder for production of milk and but-ter-fat, gave birth to twin heifer calves on October 26, 1926. The sire was Pearl Mutual Ornisby (Colony Champion Ormsby, imp.—Mutual Fearl ot Rock. imp.). These twin heifers have the distinction of having the highest butter-fat backing of any females in the dairy herds of the Dominion. The performanmes of these twin heifers will be watched later on with great interest. Alcartra Olothilde Pietje has given birth to no fewer than seven calves in the last four years twin heifers born 31st October, 1922; a heifer born Ist December, 1923; a bull born 14th November, 1924; a bull born 22nd October. 1925; and twin heifers born 26th October, 1926, thus showing that she is not only a world’s champion producer of milk and butter-fat, but that also she has been a most prolific .breeder. Her progeny are of exceptional merit. One of tho twin heifers born in 1922 produced last season over 6001 b fat, and her bull calf born in October, 1925, won the first prize in the yearling bull class at the Wairarapa P. and A. Show this week. Her 'semi-official record. a world’s record on three times a day milking, is 31,312.51bs milk and 1145.241bs fat, an average daily yield of over 84 gallons for the whole 365 days. e THE PAYABLE PIG. A 'recent Press gives a photograph u r some Canterbury Berkshire*. Bacon is worth, 112 s per cwt. ; wholesale m London, or Is a lb. Surely a market worth catering for Tt is. or should be, an encouragement to farmers to breed pigs in greater numbers.