FARM AND DAIRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 27 August 1927, Page 16

FARM AND DAIRY

NOTES DY THE WAY

“Tens of thousands of pounds are lost annually,” said Mr. J. \Y. Deem at a recent farm meeting, .• “through farmers not keeping their good cows when they have ‘slipped,’ and instead, selling them to the works and having to replace them with expensive purchases.” He added that his expeiience at the Waimate West Demonstration Farm proved amply the truth of his assertion. They had actual practical demonstration thereof. If a good cow “slipped” it would pay handsomely to keep her and do her well and get her in late. “Of course,” he added, “it might mean milking all the winter.” “.Research,” said Professor Hunziker in a recent address, “represented about a tenth of the problem of dairy manufacture, and the putting into effect of the knowledge so gained about ninety per cent.” And it is a point worth serious consideration by all in the industry, and particularly apropos of the work in Taranaki, where such valuable results are being secured from the Research Laboratory in Hawera. The factory officials and the farmers must realise their part in the work. A valuable work being done by the Agricultural Department is the survey of the conditions existing with a view to seeing where improvements may be effected. The Department is getting particulars of costs of production, returns and conditions generally, and scheduling them, all, with the idea of discovering what lessons can be learnt.

The Kia Ora Dairy Company m Poverty Day expects it is reported by the “Herald,” to manufactui-e 1000 tons of butter this season, which will be nearly 300 tons in advance of last year. Mangolds need to be kept at least six weeks after pulling to ripen and get the goodness from them. An instance was quoted recently where they were kept for a year under the trees in the orchard, covered with leaves, and were perfectly good when used. A point that is not always made when the question of top-dressing pastures and roto crops is discussed, is the fact that where root crops are not grown, many paddocks could be shut up and a fine growth of grass secured for feeding or for ensilage or hay. Relative average weights per acre of good crops are: Roots 60 tons, grass 10 tons, good green lucerne 9 to 10 tons (oats w’ould bring the latter up probably to 12 tons). Tripod harrowing is said by men who practise it regularly to be equal to several hunaredweight of manure to the acre. The point has been stressed by Mr. J. YV. Deem time and again in his very useful talks to farmers. “Slag sick land” was referred to by a farmer recently at a meeting of men on the land. He added that he had an area with this “complaint,” and had, by the nse of blood and bone, that is a change of manure, completely cured this section.

The remarkable vitality of young dairy stock was stressed recently by a farmer in a case where a new-born calf was found after nine days in a turnip field, whither it had strayed and where the cow was unable to get to it. He recalls that a stray heifer calved and they could not find the calf. After nine days they came on the little calf lying among the turnips, and found in its mouth a thick dock shoot, which it had got and sucked all that time. Dealing at the N.D.A. annual meeting with uneconomical transport of cream, Mr. Singleton said in an address. “It is high time that more cooperation was evidenced in this matter of cream cartage. Suppliers should get in touch with the directors of their company if they have reason to believe that it is one which is losing money in this manner. Such pressure would probably induce companies to find ways and means of solving the problem. Suppliers should realise that these excess costs are paid out of proceeds from butter-sales, and that if they did not occur the dairy farmer could reasonably expect a higher payment for but-ter-fat.”

Cows should be well fed and kept in good condition right up to the day or two> before calving, hut experts agree that, during the last day and a half or thereabouts before calving, feeding should be restricted and that an armful of sweet hay and a few mangolds are all that is required. Care should be taken to obviate- constipation, and if necessary a few bran in ashes should be given. A suitable paddock should always be reserved for the cows to- calve in, It may save -ai good deal of hunting about at -night if it is small in extent. It should be limed -regularly to keep- it wholesome, and -also topdressed so- that it will be grazed closely. Doth shelter and clean water -are- vitally necessary, but -it is desirable to remove- any dead brandies, blackberry or lawyer, ais these have an unoanqy knack of entangling' the calf. Any steep-sided creek or hole- should be fenced off or otherwise rendered harmless. All old wire -and implements should be removed. With .such a paddock at his disposal the farmer can safely leave his cows to calve, themselves.

Two energetic anc] capable young farmers near Manaia have been taking root crops off the same' area'for several years and getting remarkably good results each year. After mangolds they take chon moellier or maize and then in the spring plough in a green crop, such as blue lupin. Their idea is to avoid ploughing more land and they find it has succeeded admirably. They make a practice of using cowyard manure regularly and find it- a wonderful help. Precautions advocated by the Agricultural Department to eradicate dryrot in turnips: (1) Abstain from sowing swedes or turnips on land in which was a similar crop last season; (2) dear absolutely all previous season's seed from the drills; (3) destroy any previous season’s swedes or turnip on the farm; (4) buy only seed that lias been certified as being disease free by tlie Department. “One year’s seeding, six years weeding,” is an old adage and very time at all times and in all countries. An unusual cross, made by the bees, was seen on a farm in the district the other day. It was a cross between a mangold and silver beet and grew quite well. , • A good time to get lime into the land that needs it is when preparing to plant corn. To- get it distributed evenly a lime spreader or -sower should be used. Hand spreading is better than not treating the- land to lime, but the crops, especially alfalfa or clover, will -show where the lime has been distributed unevenly. The practice of grazing pigs for a part of the season, has increased very much of late, but they need to be shut up for the last part of the yean - . They then put on much, more condition.

Reports from Auckland districts show that lambing is going ahead well and a good .percentage pretty certain if weather conditions are normal. Exact indications of the damage done by the cold wet spell of last week are not to hand, hut it is sure to have had an adverse effect. A northern correspondent says that sheep farmers view the coming season with much hope, and they seem to think that the comparative world’s shortage of sheep and the reflection of same in the wool market is going to have an important bearing on future prices. Although there will be no fanev prices, it is confidently believed that the margin between production and the selling price will be much wider this season. It is not .realised how much forest land there is in France until one reads messages such as that cabled a few days ago that 200,000 acres of forest i n the Alpe M ari times were destroye d by fire, resulting in the destruction of many farmhouses and many herds of cattle. It is a serious blow to farming on that country. The objects of shews is to promote among the farming community an interest and desire to produce the best stock possible in the respective classes. The farmers have been educated that the improvement of their cattle and sheep by the purchasing of the best purebred stud animals is the only method of getting the best possible results from their holdings. FACTORY MANAGERS. DELEGATES IN AUSTRALIA. OFFICIAL REPORT.

Though the Australian Conference of Factory Managers, attended by delegates from New .Zealand was held in May it is interesting to read the official report compiled by Mr. A. F. Neilson, of Pihama, New Zealand Dominion Secretary, and Mr. R. Harris, Auckland Provincial President, a copy of which has been kindly forwarded by Mr. Neilson. The idea of tlic visit was considered by the New Zealand Executive _as most valuable, in not only fostering harmonious relations between the two bodies, but that the exchange of ideas in regard to all matters pertaining, to our industry would open up fresh avenues in many w T ays to cur mutual benefit. In noting a visit paid to a big produce store in Sydney Mr. Neilson re-fc-rs to one where there wore about fourteen different brands of butter, ar.d some of the best lines graded that morning were of good quality, flavours being clean and good on the palate. The "bodies of some butters -were inclined to be on the weak side. In two particular brands of butter examined a lucerne flavour was noticed; this was not objectionable in any way, yet it was quite pronounced and due to the feeding of that fodder. This fodder is extensively grown to supplement natural grasses, and is a valuable asset ir. times of drought. The finish on butters here was excellent. Referring to the industry in New South Wales, Mr. Neilson says: ‘ [l NewSouth Wales exports about 15 per cent, of her butters, the other 85 per cent, being consumed locally. Sydney alone, with a population of over a million people, is able to create this big demand for butter, and the State aims tc provide the public with only choicest qualities. The operation of the Paterson scheme in Australia is a big factor in helping the producer to get good prices for his pi-ducts.” At a factory in Victoria it was interesting, says Mr. Neilson, to find a side-line in their freezers in the form of rabbits and eggs kept for the Melbourne markets.

THE STATUS OF THE MANAGER. In remarking on the opening of the Conference Mr Neilson aptly says that “The Control Board, Australian Dairy Council and Stabilisation Committe, in conjunction with those aforementioned, all link up with the Managers’ Association and the harmony that exists is a -blend worth while. The factory manager there is looked up to, and plays an important part on the .Various (boards. The Managers’ Association has a representative on the Australian Dairy Council, which body gives every consideration to ;any measures brought forward by the managers’ representative and solicits his counsel on all questions brought before them. This is a point the newly instituted Research Colleges in New Zealand might concede us, in having a representative from the New Zealand Managers’ Association oil their Eexecutive.”

In the course of his speech at the conference, Mr NeiLson said ‘‘The over-run, which is the difference between butter-fat and commercial butter, is of the utmost importance in a butter factory, because a high or low over-run is the chief factor in deciding the success or failure of a butter manufacturing establishment. The minimum of butter-fat allowed by law is SO per cent., but there is practically no danger of infringing this law, because the maximum water content is fixed at 16 per cent. The consumer’s taste does ont countenance a salt content much greater than 2 per cent, in butter consumed in Australia or 1.75 per cent in export butter, and to ensure a good keeping quality as low a curd content as possible is essential. Therefore, the composition of an ideal butter, giving a maximum over-run, is 16 per cent, moisture 1.8 of salt, 81.6 per cent, of butter-fat, .6 per cent, curd—loo per cent, commercial butter. The over-run in siich a butter is 18.4 lb of constituents not fat, to 81.6 of fat, or 22.5 per cent, of the manufactured butter. A 22.5 per cent, then reperesents the ideal maximum practical over-run; but, like all ideals, it is hard to attain, and groat care and skill on the part of the manufacturer is required. Amongst the many causes of the inability to attain this ideal over-run are: Inaccuracies in weighing cream, losses during handling, inaccuracies in testing for fat, buttermilk fat losses, difficulties of getting maximum moisture content of butter without overstepping the limit, careless methods in estimating amount of salt to add and loss, of brine which not been incorporated in butter, and careless weighing a-ncl handling of butter during packing. To attain the best results have correct standards for acidity in cream, for fat content of cream during churning, and temperature and size of churning. Standardising of cream to 36 per cent, and acidity of .25 per cent., gives reliable results. These may have been varied to suit different conditions.” The writer finalised his essay by saying that tlie best help a manager can get in controlling the over-run is a keen intelligent, and well-informed staff, and 1 it pays to tell each member of the staff what the over-run is, and to explain the methods adopted to control it. Very valuable papers and addresses were given on such subjects as “Re-

views of Export Season,” “Keeping Qualities of Butter,” “Results from the Dairy Produce Act,” in which cream-grading was eulogised strongly, and essays on suck subjects as “The Over-run and how to Control It, ’ contributed by members of the Managers Association

TOUR OF VICTORIAN FACTORIES

After the conference the delegates were taken for a tour of the Western District of Victoria, covering about two hundred miles in the course ot which they saw some ol tlm best and bigger Victorian factories. They visited Geelong, Colac, —where experiments are being made on the manufacture of Stilton cheese —- Warrnambool, Large, Koroit, —where in some parts 30 cows are run all the year round on 37 acres, and where two thousand tons of onions are grown as an adjunct to dairying—Grasmere, Camperdown, and others.

TYPE OF FACTORIES. Regarding the factories in Victoria, says the report, most of them were of the two-storey type built in brick, concrete, and also some of wood. A pleasing feature of the inside of most factories was the sanitary conditions evident, this being made possible by tiling of floors, walls, drains, etc., which made everything easily kept clean and sweet. In most instances we noticed that the companies had provided their managers and employees with up-to-date modern residences. EQUIPMENT.

In one factory visited in the Warrnambool district a ball-bearing roller gravity conveyor was used, starting on a level with the receiving stage and running in about a 45 degree curve round the inside of the pasteurising room. Just sufficient fall was given the conveyor for the cans to keep following on as one was taken off. In its travel the can of cream ran on to a loose section of the conveyor track, under which the cream scale stood, and after the weight was registered, the can continued its travel to be graded, sampled, tipped into neutralising vat, steamed, then on to mechanical” can ’ washer, on to drying racks, and replaced on to track again to gravitate to stage for lorry to pick np and return to supplier. This was the best system seen for receiving homeseparated cream, although it is necessary for cans to be of a standard size. It would not work too well in this country with our different, sizes of cans. * “We have standardised a lot of our equipment in this country,” adds the report,” and the matter of applying it to cans is well worth considering.”

WORTH COPYING. “In all the butter examined we were particularly struck with the attention given to finish, which was very carefully done, and a point some of our butter-makers could well emulate. Other points given attention to were the thorough cleaning and sterilising of cream cans. They were washed sterilised, and dried in special racks, and on examining some of the cans we found them in excellent condition.” This is a conclusion reached after a visit to one of the biggest factories, and is worth stressing with all connected with the industry.

ROYAL PADDOCKS. Writing of an area given by the King for the purposes ot sport, “The Times” (London) says that it has an interesting history. Forming part of tiie Royal Paddocks established by Henry VIH, the land has been used for 400 years for the breeding or training of the King’s horses. Here, under \V r illiam and Mary', was established the first Royal stud of racing thoroughbreds. Many successful horses were bred at these paddocks, including the famous La Flesehe, who was sold as a yearling to Baron de Hirsch, and in 1892 won the Oaks and the Thousand Guineas, but was narrowly beaten in the Derby by Lord Bradford’s Sir Hugo. The Hampton Court racing stud was broken up in 1894. The paddocks are perhaps best known, however, for their association with the cream and black carriage horses brought to this country from Hanover by George 1., which were a striking feature of nearly every Royal procession in London until recent years. They were bred at Hampton Court throughout the reigns of the four Georges, but in William IV.’s time were sent back to Hanover for reasons of economy. The racing stud was maintained, and on the accession of Queen Victoria the creams and blacks were brought back from Hanover and tlie stud reopened. At Busliby they remained until 1920, when the King finally broke up the stud. Royal carriage horses are still bred and trained at the Hampton Court Paddocks

OHOU-MOELLIER. Reporting on a manurial trial block in Southland, the Agricultural Department reports that at the time of sowing it -was very badly infested with grass grub. The manuring was as follows: (1) Superphosphate, 2 cwt. per acre; (2) basic super, 2 cwt; (3) super, 2 cwt. and blood 1 cwt; (4) super, 2 cwt, blood 1 cwt; and 30 per cent, potash salts, 1 cwt. Germination was good throughout, but the grass grub did a great deal of damage in all plots except those jin which jpotash Isalts were used. it was very noticeable that in the potash plots the growth was even throughout, while in the others many of the plants failed to ma.ke reasonable growth. The outstanding feature, indeed, was the greatly increased size of the plants where potash was used. At time of weighing they were, on an average, at least 18in higher and had more robust stems than the others. Fourteen replications of experiment were made, and the average weight-yields for the various treatments were as follow : (1) 10.8 tons, (2) 15.5 tons, (3) 14.4 tons, (4) 22.0 tons per acre.

PRODUCING RICHER MILK,

Careful research has shown that a cow which gives rich milk utilises her food more profitably than a cow which gives milk of a poorer quality (says an exchange), so that from a mone\ r point of view, the production of inilk rich in butterfat is very important. In the effort to increase the yield of butter-fat in the herd the hereditary influence of the male animal, with regard to the fat percentage, shows itself thus: (a) A bull can only increase the fat percentage average of the herd whose average in this respect is lower than that peeulier to the bull itself; (b) the fat percentage of the off-spring will be lower than that of their dams if the same bull should be paired with cows that have a higher fat percentage than that inherited by the bull itself; (c) male and female animals transmit to their olf-spring a fat percentage conforming with that, which either parent animal has inherited from its dam or grand-dam.

THE FRIESIAN.

VALUABLE PAMPHLET. • WIDE RANGE OF SUBJECTS. A pamphlet oi great value to Friesian breeders and ot interest to all dairy fanners is issued by tlie 1' riesian Association, entitled “The Friesian dairy breed.” A copy lias been received from the Dominion secretary, Mr. J. I>. Kalaugher, who is a most valuable man lor tne society, and who is always in the forefront for the ad\ antage or the breed. A foreword stresses the point that “the pamphlet is issued to impress on all dairy farmers the vital necessity for improving the quality of theherds of tlie Dominion.” The methods urged to secure a much increased average yield of fat per cow are stated as .“uetter feeding, pedigree, bulls with butterrat backing, herd-testing, and consequent culling of the robber cow.” The first point lias been emphasised by Mr. J. W. Deem, who goes so far as to say that that one point alone would, from , the present herds and without culling, result in an increase of thousands of pounds sterling in returns. The association seeks to cooperate with other breed societies to “secure legislation making it compulsory to use pedigrees.” The value of herd testing has been acknowledged and proved time and again, and in many districts farmers are waking up to its value and adopting it. In this area recently districts have been linked up in centres, and arrangements are being made now for working them by means of visiting testers.

The pamphlet states that “dairy farmers .should realise this will raise the standard of dairying and make it more profitable by lessening cost of. production, because ‘robbers’ will be ‘outed’.” . Very valuable illustrations are given of the “true type of oow and bull,” giving a schedule of all the points in the perfect beast, and consequently those for which the farmer has to aim. A specially valuable portion of the pamphlet is the series of illustrations of each part of the animal, with a short description of the correct type, and pictures showing what to avoid in each.

Dealing *with the future the writer of the pamphlet says that the prospects of dairying appear to be sounder and brighter than ever, and the possibilities ahead for development of milk products are enormous, but the terrific losses in solids through non-application of scientific knowledge “fills one with dismay.” The alliance of dairying and pig-raising is predicted as certain to steadily increase and to provide an adequate supply of food for the world’s increasing population as the' supply of beef declines —this latter is forecasted as likely to happen. These are some of tlie- many points stressed in the pamphlet, which are of general interest end value to all bi-eeds. The pamphlet abounds in information of the greatest significance to all Friesian breeders. It is a remarkably informative and well compiled publication, and should be kept at hand by all breeders of. the black and whites. Indeed, it would be of value to all dairy farmers.