FARM AND DAIRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 22 January 1927, Page 16

FARM AND DAIRY

BREEDERS ’ PARS. At the end of a long life of usefulness as a milker, the reject dairy cow should have remaining constitution sufficient to ensure its puttings on enough condition for the butcher, but this fattening business should not be undertaken by the man who is specialising in milk production. By far the most successful method of replacing the herd bull is to breed him. Just how far a breeder is justified in going is an individual problem. Some breeders have had remarkable success by inbreeding—that is, a system of mating animals together that are carrying 50 per cent. c«r more of the same blood; while more have relied on line-breeding, which is mating related animals together that have less than 50 per cent, of the same blood. Commenting on the judging of the Jersey section at the last Royal Show, the current issue of the New Zealand Farmer states: —In connection with the judging of the female clasess, it was very pleasing to note that the judge, in contrast to the procedure adopted by another Australian judge at New Zealand's first Royal, sent all the cows back to be milked out, before finally giving his decision. Purebred live stock has about 40 per cent, greater earning power (apart from its breeding or sale value) than scrub stock.

The most potent and best bred bull is the one that will produce best results in the commercial herd as well as iii the purebred herd. Not every farmer is qualified to breed studs. He requires skill,' judgment, patience, and money to do so. But every breeder of live stock should utilise purebred sires to improve his stock. Of the many factors that influence the food value of herbage five are of prime importance: (1) Degree of maturity, (2) " the soil, climate, and other natural influences, (3) management, more especially manuring, (4) clover content, (5) species. The method of procedure in feeding and earing for cattle does not matter so much as long as the cattle are well fed and the work is done regularly. About 50 per cent, of the dirt ..which fails into the milk is soluble and cannot be recovered with any straining device.

One of the most surprising discoveries of recent years, says a writer in an English journal, has been the beneficial effect exercised on the milk yield by a constant and regular supply of water for dairy cows. Constitution in a cow is shown by a number of things, among which a large breathing capacity may be placed first. Since oxygen is essential to the proper purification of the blood, a large breathing capacity is an assurance of the requisite amount of air. This is indicated by large and distended nostrils and good lung capacity. At the last meeting of the New Plymouth. Jersey Club, letters were received from the Stratford and Kaponga Clubs agreeing to a suggestion that- in the event of a series of demonstrations being arranged in the different districts, the costs of the demonstrations be borne by the clubs concerned, and it was decided to ask Mr. H. E. B. Watson if he could give demonstrations at New Plymouth, Stratford, and Kaponga. during the second \yeek in March. Several members spoke in appreciative terms of the care taken by the Railway Department in carrying stock to the Stratford and Hawera Shows, and to the clean condition of the trucks. It was decided to send a letter of thanks to the department. In Australia, it has been proved that roots of lucerne have penetrated 100 feet in the alluvial banks of streams while 20 to 30 feet are quite common.

Herd testing is steadily increasing in the Kaipara and its proved value gains many converts. Records show that the number of cows tested increased from 1469 to 1533 as between December of 1925 and of 1926 while the average return was raised by 171 b of milk per month and of 21b of fat. The highest herd in December 1926 was 20 cows, averaging 9691 b of milk, 5.1 test and 48.951 b fat and the highest individual test 11851 b milk, 0.4 test, 75.841 b fat. The lowest —a proof of need of culling—39olb, 2.8. and 10.921 b fat.

The conifer plantations in the AYaimea County now aggregate 5361 acres (states an exchange). This far exceeds the acreage in the vast majority of New Zealand counties. It is exceeded, however, in two instances — Matamata, 13,150 acres, and Amuri, 11,261 acres, and is followed by Ashburton, 5352 acres. Waimea County lias 245 acres in eucalyptus and broad-leaved trees. Waikato easily heads tbe list in this classification with 2131 acres. The only other county over the 1000 acres mark is Malvern with 1003 acres.

Early days of agriculture are recalled by the following par. from the Lyttelton Times of 1876: The reaping and binding machine was set to work on Saturday on the farm of Air. A. Grey, North Kowai.

MANURES FOR DAIRY FARMERS. The notice of a reduction in prices of manures, coupled with that of the formation of a new company, Fertilisers Ltd., in connection with the big New Zealand Dairy Company of Waikato will be good news to farmers for it is pretty certain that they will get the very best terms and lowest prices. It locks like an important step towards the more efficient handling of a large and important section of the industry.

TOP-1 IRES,SI NG R ESUI /£'S. Wonderful results are recorded from the Waikato as the result of topdressing. The Waikato Times records instances of increase of carrying capacity from 20q sheep (doing am., fairly well) to 500 breeding ewes and 70 head of cattle (and all doing well) on an acreage of 285, of which dll m\ practically Waste. Another case is given where the land had gone back to fern and rubbish, so badly that <SO acres would not support a sheep ami now, after two seasons with 3 cwt each, English glasses have come back, fern gone, and 3S sheep were carried to the acre. On stili another section a noxious week called tawheno had taken charge, so much that the owner was going to grub the land, but since top-dressing, tbe stock had knocked out the weed so much tliat spreading was prevented. The autumn Was found to be the most profitable time to apply topdressing.

PRETTY AND INTERESTING. SHE P DO G TRIALS. TRIBUTE TO TH E CANINE. The Times (London) says: ".me International Sheep Dog Society's Trials, which were field at iur.., give toe oe.si possible opportunity of seeing a very p.etty sport. i’Or sheer variety oi interest land character c-ompresneu nut a lew hours not even hounfis well hunted or pointers and retrievers at. tnei. steadiest come up to a trial ot tne oe:., .sheep dogs in tbe United Kingdom. Toe tasks imposed are auiictni even dogs which are well used to isuch contests. They involve driving the sheep between hurdles, penning them, 'sheading' or separating them; hut perhaps nothing strikes the observer as more remarkable than the way in which .a dog will obey orders of which he cannot be expected to see the reason. He has successfully brought, his sheep a long way to his master. He is instantly ordered to take them away again in another direction. He sees straight in front of him a gap between hurdles, and he is made to. understand that he is not to go through it, but to go round if and come through the other way. There are few prettier sights for dog-lovers than ia young dog's .hesitation, his glance back at his master to inquire whether he really means the order, then his implicit obedience to a command in which he cannot see any sense. At that moment, and also when a clog in full career stopsp short and lies suddenly crown at the sound of the whistle, the spectator realises sharply the force of that magnetic Jink between dog and master which joins the magnetic link between dog and sheep to impose the will of order and intelligence upon a lower form of creation. The dog doeis not surrender his iniative; he puts it, in all its originality, at tire service of the higher power. Happy the people who are ruled, as the .sheep are ruled, by a good dog with a good master. They *are made to do the will of superior wisdom and to believe it all the while their own choice.

“A sheep dog trial is one of the prettiest sports; hut it is more than a sport, and it is more than an allegory of human government. It is no fancy| display of virtuosity. These dogs, if not regular field workers themselves, are the sires land darns of field workers all the world over. Their proficiency is a matter of practical interest to British farming, .and so to all who eat mutton and wear cloth. There is no good shepherd,’, says the motto of the French Shepherds’ Club, ‘without a good flock, and no. good flock without a good dog.’ The saying expresses the interdependence of the three elements; and it is the flock, not the dog, which comes home in the end to the business and (shall we say ?) the bosoms of men. There are sports and competitions which end in amusement—a good end, hut not so good as that which includes also practical service. And practical service is the main end of sheep dog trials. Few of these border sheep dogs are much to look at; at the .smaller trials some of them, tare comically devoid of any aristocracy, but that of brains. But the pedigree collies, or bob-tails of the show-bench, however perfect their points, .however glossy or shaggy their coats, -would make a. sorry sight on the trial ground, confronted with strange sheep, unreasonable hurdles, and a complicated bask. The border sheep dogs own a higher gift. Through generations of careful breeding land intensive training they have reached the very high level of intelligence and character which causes them to he sought for in all countries where sheep are pastured, because they ar<i unmatched at the work. No wonder the border is proud of its shepherds and of its sheep dogs and finds sheer dog trials its favourite form of sprrt

IN AUSTRALIA. DAIRYING SEASON. Prior to the recent general rains in Australia, the dairying outlook was very poor for it is some years since there was such a continuance of hot, dry weather in the spring, and the paspalum pastures could make little headway. On some farms handfeeding had to be resorted to, and in several districts applications were made for Government assistance. At this time of the year it is usual to have a weekly surplus of about 20,009 boxes of butter for either export or storage. As a. matter of fact, the actual production is below local requirements, and importations are being made from Victoria and New Zealand. The few thousand boxes finding their * way oversea are of second quality, which Australian consumers refuse to touch.

As tbe result of the revived pastures, production has steadily improved, but it took some time for the cows to recover from their gruelling experience. \s most of them calved about September, the lost time can never be regained, hut it is possible (based upon experience after previous dry periods) that with a succession of seasonable rains the' milking period will extern 1 ater in the autumn than usual, and thus lessen the demand upon stored butte r.

The few dairy farmers in the central division had an excellent season, hut mainly they were swept by hush /ires and lost their pastures and stored bay.

PUREBRED BULLS POOL. Breeders of purebred cattle and those engaged in the dairy industry generally will watch with interest an experiment that is being made in Tasmania to establish a pool for young purebred hulls. This pool has been designed for the purpose of assisting in the profitable disposal of surplus stock and to eliminate the scrub hull from the dairying industry, by making available purebred bulls of a standard, but not of recordbreaking quality, under conditions that are expected to prove an incentive to dairy farmers to possess a purebred animal.

AGRICULTURE AT CAMBRIDGE. A Home paper reports that Mr Desmond Neligan, son of a former Bishop of Auckland, went up to Cambridge this term to read agriculture, with a view of either farming in the future or of possibly taking up estate agency. New Zealanders will he interested to' have news of Air Desmond Neligan, who was born at Bishop’s Court, Auckland, in 1906. His recreations include Association football' and hockey, as well as fives and golf, but best of all he likes cricket.

FRIESIAN DERBY. FIRST WINNER TO BE EE-TESTED. It is understood that Mr 0. A. Cadwallader, the well-known Greytown breeder of Friesians, is placing Coldstream Pontiac Wayne, the winner of the first New Zealand Friesian Derby, on semi-official test again.

It will be remembered that Coldstream Pontiac Wayne gave 19,156.5i”D milk and 714.241 b fat, which is 196 per cent, above her standard and the highest percentage yet of any Friesian Derby winner, starting test at the age of 2 years 7 days, thereby making one of the nine Friesian two-year-olds that have produced over, 7001 b in one lactation period. Coldstream Pontiac Wayne was placed on test last season, but after giving 38.281 b fat in her first 15 days on test- she contracted an attack of lead poisoning during her first full month on,' test, and although she produced over 841 b fat for the month she did not sufficiently recover to continue, and so was withdrawn from test. Coldstream Pontiac Wayne is n daughter of Wooderest Netherland Prince ('Coldstream Manor De Kol) — Wooderest Netherland Princess, 621.22 lb fat, and of Colantha De Kol, who gave 582.6.31 b fat at 5 years 54 days. Colantha De Kol was sired by Annette Colantha De Kol (Colantha Pietert.ie Count De Kol—-Annette sth of Brundee, 545.31 b fat at 4 years), and is out of Colantha La Favourite, who produced 810.751 b fat at 6 years 26 days.

IN SOUTH CANTERBURY. The grain lands round Ashburton and extending over a large area north and south, are reported by Mr W. Dakers, Manaia, who has just returned from a visit thither, to be looking excellent, and the crops very heavy and in perfect condition. Mr Dakers says he has never seen better crops, and he was for many years resident there. He travelled over practically the whole of the wheat areas in South Canterbury, and considers that these are larger than usual. The farmers are optimistic of the future and look to getting heavier crops than they have had for some years. He saw also in the course of his travels many acres of very fine wellgrown o'hts. All varieties of crops have done well.

OVERLAPPING- BY FACTORIES. Referring to the dairying industry” in tile Dominion, Mr. G. D. Macfarlane, in an interview, said that unfortunately there was still far too much overlapping in the collection of cream. This seemed to have become accentuated in recent years, and while economies were being effected in many other directions, he thought that some efficient method should be devised to obviate the overlapping in the interests of he producers themselves. Regaiding the future, Mr. Macfarlane expressed the view that, since the settlement of ie coal strike, better times were in store for the Old Country, and the demand for New Zealand primary products would improve. They would not reach the prices of recent years, in face of the increasing competition of continental countries, but prices, ho thought, would stnblise on a basis satisfactory to the New Zealand producer.

JUDGTNG COMPETITIONS. A very valuable and interesting event is the live stock judging, an intercollege competition, for tlie training of young men in live stock judging, and considered of such value that it has been a special feature each year. Handsome trophies are allotted to bo competed for by teams of five students from agricultural colleges or schools, the winners to be those making the highest aggregate score in judging the classes of heavy horses, beef cattle, dairy .cattle, sheep and swine. Points are given, for placing and for reasons equally.

IN CANADA. TORONTO ROYAL FAIR, At the last Royal Agricultural Winter Fair of Canada, held at Toronto, the huge number of 240,000 people were put through the gates in seven days. It has, however, to be remembered that this is the only winter show in a very large area, and that it is held in a closely settled area at a time of the year when not much else is occurring. The fair combines practically the features of a summer and of a winter show. Cattle, horses, and all livestock, in addition to leaping events as at _ a summer show, are combined with fruit, dairy produce and all the other features of a winter slnjw. And it is held in a huge “Royal Coliseum” all under cover, a wonderful pile of buildings altogether. Among the by-laws in the cattle department is one that ‘‘ a bull over one year old without a ring in his nose may be excluded from the Royal.” Class cattle are given every attention, and one rule states that all accredited herd cattle will be housed separately from other livestock, ant] a departmental vet. will oversee the housing. The committee allot seven prizes, and in some cases up to 12 prizes in some classes. There are ribbons for senior and junior and grand champions, male and female, in each section.

In the dairy cattle department, all entries must be from accredited herds and lnve passed a veterinary test. There are classes for graded herd, county herd, dairy herd (four cows), junior herd fone bull -and four females), and breeders’ herd.

In the performance division, all cows must have jiassed a qualification for certificate, from two-year-old—2Bo lbs milk (8 fat) to mature 420- lbs (141bs fat). In the swine department (they are not called “sections”) the , leading breeds arc Yorkshires, Berkshires (championship), Tamworths, Chester Whites, Duroc Jerseys, and Poland Chinas. There is also departments for market swine, and a hog feeding competition—a feeding hogs for profit competition conducted by the Department of Agriculture, and consequently a strictly utility section. It is open only to young men under thirty.

A section unknown in this Dominion is the “Rabbits and Cavies,” and, curiously enough, there are classes for New Zealand red buck and doe. Foxes also form a strong section, and in this there is notified a Futurity Sweepstake for foxes whelped in the succeeding year to be shown in the next show. Several points worth notice are Shown in the by-laws of the Dairy Products Department. One is that the “Educational features are under the direction of the Ontario Dairy Council and the Federal and Provincial Departments of Agriculture. ”

THE DAIRY WORLD. IN AUCKLAND PROVINCE. Dairy production in the Auckland province this .season continues to maintain record figures, according to returns prepared by the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company. With a great Hush of feed apparent in all the dairying localities there is every prospect of the output being maintained at a high ratio until the end ol‘ the season.

During the fortnight ended January 13, there were received at the grading stores 128,187 boxes of butter, compared with 106,757 for the corresponding period of last year, an increase of 21,430 boxes. Butter received for the season to January 13 totalled 1,039,609 boxes, compared with 920,205 for the corresponding portion of the previous season, an increase of 119,404 boxes.

The cheese output this season is also well ahead of that of last year, notwithstanding the large increase in butter. The cheese receipts at the grading stores for the fortnight ended January 13 totalled 11,954 crates against 11,217 for the similar period of last year. The total cheese receipts for the season to January 13 were 91,190 crates, compared with 85,575 for the corresponding period of last season, an increase of 5616 crates.

PIG GROWING. THE LARGE WHITE. NOT CONSIDERED BEST. For some time past the large white has been much in the minds of piggrowers, for it was considered to be a distinct advance on anything yet imported for the purposes of the Home market. And this was emphasised by the approval bestowed upon them by tiie Meat Producers’ Board.

Apparently as this breed was the one in most use in Denmark, the Board considered that was the last and best authority. Some weeks ago au Australian authority, Mr A. Stewart, who judged all the pig breeds at the Auckland Royal Show, strongly questioned in these columns the justification for the Board’s preference. Mr Stewart suggested that it would interest pigbreeders to know who the authority or what the authority was for the lioardlgt . action. On the other side* of the quc4p| tion he quoted experiments conducted * in Victoria which showed the Large White to be far from entitled to the distinction conferred on it. Pigs had been, taken at the earliest possible age, fed exactly the same until ready, judged on bacon or pork qualities, and weighed whilst alive, then killed, weighed, and finaTy judged on the dead meat. All the breds in farming practice were represented in these tests, and in every case the Berkshire came out on top, whilst the Large White took an ordinary position in the list. ' In 1 the face of complete practical tests like this and the overwhelming decision for the Berkshire —for the purposes of this argument it did not matter much which breed it was that came out on top— Mr Stewart pertinently asks on what authority the Large White has been official’y declared as the best export breed. 'ln any case, as Mr Stewart pointed out, the ideal bacon pig was a cross, and the Board should have completed the work it set out to do by selecting the best mating breed'.

LOCAL OPINION. - j A leading local breeder endorses these opinions very firmly. He said that tirere was little doubt the TamworthBerkshire cross (for bacon) would mature quite as quickly as the Large White and get as much size quickly. The experience, too, proved that it was ideal for export and just what was required for England, the main market of the world. The Berkshire-York-shire was best for pork.

ANOTHER QUERIST. Another critic entitled to speak vvveil some authority in view of a recent visit to Denmark is Mr R. K. Alexander, Director or Lincoln Cb lege. . To a newspaper interviewer on his return the other day he said that he had noticed from the New Zealand newspapers that the Large Yorkshire was not the pig that it usecl to be. New Zealanders would be well advised to develop the breeds thev had, as the small exports a ready made to London were highly thought of. the only complaint was that there was not enough of the same charapter available. The Large. Yorkshire was too big for the trade. The Danes were- breeding back again to their native] pig, and developing; a type of their own, which was not so big as ,ho Large Yorkshire.

THROUGH AUSTRALIA. WATERLESS DESERTS. In the course of a tour from Perth to Sydney, a squad of motor-cyclists had an unenviable experience. They found water very scarce on long sections and discovered that some of the stations along the route were on restricted allowances —they had had no rain for four years. Government wells or tanks had been established along the road, but these were nearly all ruined by rabbits, which had fallen into them and been drowned.