FARM AND DAIRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 17 March 1928, Page 16

FARM AND DAIRY

NOTES ON OTAGO

EXTERMINATING THE RjfBBIT.

INCREASE IN .SHEEP-'CARRYING CAPACITY. (By an old resident of ilTawcra.) During a recent tour through. Otago the writer was greatly struck with the fine showing of grass everywhere. The whole country is looking better than it has done for the last fifty years. Two causes have been at work, a tine warm season, and the great diminution of the rabbit pest. Few people realise what a curse the rabbit has been to Otago and Southland. It has certainly caused a loss in products alone, during the last fifty years of at least one hundred millions, while the return from frozen rabbits has not amounted to ten per cent, of this amount. Thanks to the American demand for icony seal, rabbit skins have been bringing fancy prices during the last vear or two, with the result that poor‘bunny has been greatly harassed what with poisoning, weasels and traps, he has had a bad time. Many farmers have discovered that by poisoning with strychnine they do not punislr the natural enemy, the weasel, whereas when they use traps they usually catch from two to three per cent weasels to rabbits. The rabbit is Caught in the trap because of his ruling passion to scratch wherever loose earth is found. Profiting by this, the rabb’iter places some nicely worked earth over the trap. When no birds’ eggs 'or young birds can be found the weasel’s next preference is young rabbits, and .now comes a striking illustration of the old saying, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” The weasel knows that when there are young rabbits in the burrow the mother doe covers the entrance with loose earth, with a view to keeping out intruders. 'The weasel is not given to digging holes himself, but when he finds loose earth he xv ill wriggle about feeling for the entrance to the burrow. Unfortunately for him his knowledge does not enable him to discriminate between 'the work of the doe, and that of the trapper, hence lus undoing. In many districts the rabbit has-been so reduced that there are not sufficient to keep the weasels .supplied, and in ■one district, where no rabbits have been seen for- years, the weasels have been supplementing their larder by catching the fresh water .crayfish m the small creeks. As a result of the diminution of the rabbit 'the increase of sheep in Otago and Southland last year amounted to nearly half a million, whereas 'the flocks in the rest of the Dominion were practically stationery. Otago and Southland bids fair to regain the position >of the chief sheep province of the Dominion. It has another advantage that land values, which have .been more or less depressed as a result of the rabbit plague, are only about half that of the North Island in relation to the respective capacity of the land. NOTES BY THE WAY. A farmer of long experience in South Taranaki, who has been both sheep and cattie farming, showed a ‘ Star representative in Haver a, a few days since, the returns of nine bales ol crossbred wool sold at the last IV anganui. sale, which realised on an average about per lb, and nearly £3O nett. In the time of the slump about live years ago, the same number returned him about £5 per bale, from 31d to 4d per lb. 1 L is a startling contrast.

Speaking of the fine state of the Rawhitiroa and Mangamingi Roads, at the Kltham County meeting on Saturday. Cr. Knuckey drew a pen picture of the road thirty years ago and to-day. hie said Jig hail seen seven pair of bullocks drawing a load of grass seed on the' mud road, the state of which was so bad that the axle was buried in tlie slush. it was a terrible mess.

A busy harvesting week has been spent by the farmers, (says the “southland Times”.) and the prospects of the season are bright on account of the continuation of the fine weather. Threshing has commenced and will proceed rapidly during the next few weeks.

Under the heading, ‘‘Owned by the Tvingj,”( a Southern paper shows a group of Canadian farmers, on a. marketing tour organised by the C.P.R., paying a visit to the royal farms at \Vindsor where the King’s Hereford bull ‘‘Monarch” majestically headed a procession led out for inspection.

In connection with the recent yisit of Dr. Leonard Harding relating to the proposal to utilise the solids oi surplus whey from cheese-making, if is understood (says the “Southland Times”) that options have been given for the supply of whey from about nine factories in Southland, and it is to ho hoped that the promoters of the scheme see their way clear to commence operations, as there are prospects of a very valuable sideline to the dairy industry being instituted.

In the matter of instituting a Do-minion-wide farm dairy instruction on a national basis it was unanimously decided by the factory managers in Auckland recently to approve of the suggestion, and the opinion was expressed that such should be given effect to before the next dairying season.

Nineteen double-deckers of fat lambs (about 1140 lambs), two of pigs, anci five trucks of cattle were dispatched to the Addington market last week. The season for fat lambs on the West Coast this year lias constituted a record.

Attempts to sell unhealthy and undeveloped purebred s casts a. reflection on the whole purebred business. Courage to sell culls to I lie butcher is necessary to success.

No soil can produce healthy and abundant crops unless it contains an adequate supply of lime, and therefore the question of liming is one which should occupy the attention of all farmers.

If a dairy-fed heifer is worth raising it is worth raising well. A poorly developed heifer will he just as skimpy at the pail, as her owned was with the feed.

everything seems to point to the greater need for the extension of the system of breeding for feeding rather than buying lor that purpose.

There are 15 farm institutes in England and Wales, and all except one have demonstration farms attached. The main purpose of the teaching that is given at farm institutes is to provide instruction in the scientific principles underlying sound farming practice. The existence of the demonstration farms allows of such instruction io be closely related to practice, and this applies not only to general agriculture, hut- also to gardening, dairying, and poultry instruction.

The cows may be given silage twice a day. They will readily consume up to 501 b, but a daily ration of 401 b each is generally found to be sufficient. If each cow in the herd is allowed a ration of 201 b of silage twice a day, a herd of 50 cows will consume one ton of silage per day.

There are different systems of crossing, each of which, when strictly carried out, give good results. When carelessness or indifference is allowed to enter into the business, however, instead of producing the desired type (whether for wool or meat or a. dual purpose sheep), the outcome is unsatisfactory in every, respect.

There is a great difference in milkers. Cows will do much better when handled by some men than they will with others. A person should milk fast. It has been found that with a slow milker the cows get into the habit of giving down their milk slowly, and do not give as much as when milked quickly. A milker should also be carefui to get the last drop out of the udder.

Milk in its warm condition is more susceptible to contamination than perhaps any other food production.

Lucerne seed production last year in the United States totalled approximately 42,000,0001 b, compared with 57,000,0001 b in 1926.

The effects of an insufficiency of lime are apparent not only in diminished fertility but also in diminished feeding value of the crops grown.

Clipping the udder not only keeps it cleaner, but there is less danger of irritating the cow by accidentally pulling the hairs on the udder when milking.

Exhibiting is a splendid, means of advertising, but the entry must be conditioned and trained for keen competition. Many good animals are left far down the line because 'the owners did not give them a chance to make good.

Our newer knowledge of nutrition speaks in no uncertain terms regarding the value of lime and what are termed generally minerals in the breeding and nutrition of all animals. Right from start to finish lime is of prime importance. It renders the soil more productive and easier to work, it limits or eliminates certain very troublesome weeds and plant diseases, and finally it enables greater numbers of more prolific, healthy and flourishing stock to be kept.

In general it may be saicl that en-silage-making consists in conserving green fodder crops without first driving off the moisture. Fermentation is checked at the desired point by compression, which serves to exclude the air necessary lor the further action of the fermentation bacteria.

Rye is liked by cows, and milk of a very good quality is given. Fed alone it should he cut at an early stage of growth. When, however, it is mixed with vetches or rape, even when more mature, or when fed with roots or cabbage, stock are- very fond of it.

If sows are fit at farrowing time they will do their pigs well for several weeks before shrinking much, and by that time there are easements for her in the pigs being able to eat some food on their own account.

Prior to weaning, young pigs should be gradually accustomed to foods which will replace the mother’s milk. From about five weeks until weaning time, which is usually seven to eight weeks, they should receive, in increasing quantity, a mixture of foods such as pollard, bran, barley meal or maize, potatoes, or separated milk where available.

Young gilts need more nourishing food than old sows, since they are still growing and developing. A dry, roomy, well-ventilated shed should he available for the sows t-o lie as desired; so long as the floor is dry and there are no draughts all the requirements are satisfied.

Sows selected from spring Utters develop more quickly than those from autumn litters, and can he mated when about eight months old; their first litters will, accordingly, be produced when thev arc about twelve months old.

The brood sow is a means of providing quick returns and large dividends, and had been rightfully called the “mortgage lifter.” The natural increase is early and manifold. She provides a medium in herself and her offspring by which coarse and nonmarketable grains can be marketed at an enhanced value, dairy by-products may be utilised to the. greatest advantage, kitchen and garden wastes are turned into cash, and withal the fertility of the soil maintained to a greater extent than it would be were the grain - and other feed, sold off the farm.

At a recent meeting of the dairy committee of the coimcil of scientific and industrial research, Professor Riddet and l)r Mars den were appointed to confer with Mr. H. H. Sterling re the offer of a laboratory for research into the fat and casein content in milk yield in relation to cheese yield, and into fat losses in buttermilk.

The blow-fly, it was slated by Dr. Tilyard, causes a loss lo Australia, oi ;C4,OOD,'OOI>, mostly to sheep farmers. It is of interest to know that he has been retained as adviser on noxious weeds to the council of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and will pay annual visits to the Dominion.

DAIRY FACTORY MANAGERS

MEETING AT AUCKLAND

Over 40 dairy factory m a angers and officials in the dairying industry attended the annual conference of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Dairy Factory Managers’ Association last week. The chairman, in welcoming manager's from all partis of the province,

made special reference to the resignation of Mr. A. A. Thornton, ex-chief Government grader, who had to resign on account of ill-health. A high tribute to his work and sterling quad-' ties was paid. Mr. Harris extended a hearty welcome to Mr. E. C. Wood (formerly of Patea), who has filled the vacancy.

Several papers of interest to factory managers were read and addresses given, subsequent- to which there was a general discussion. Included among those who addressed the conference were Mr. W. E. Gwillim, assistant director to the Dairy Division, Mr. P, O'. Yeale, scientist to the Federated Daily Factories in Taranaki, Mr. G. Valintine, manager of the dairy division of the Massey Agricultural College, and several dairy instructors. STRIPPING THE CO\V. One of the early objections to the milking machine was that it did not '‘strip” the cows properly,, which meant a great loss of butter-fat. The objection, whatever basis it possessed, had to give way to economic necessities, for speed in the dairy was essential. An American authority provides an illustration of the value of stripping the cow .closely. I ‘l saw a poor job of milking being" clone, and sat down to remilk the cow,” he says. “At that one milking i got four-fifths of a pound of milk, or the equivalent of I.Gib a day. This would amount to 48lb for one month, 432 for the avernine months in milk. This milk tested 11 per cent, fat, indicating a total probable lass of 47.511> fat for this cow’s yearly milking period. Not considering the effect of the incomplete milking on drying up the cows, which would doubtless mean an even greater loss in production, this 47.51 b fat at Is 8d a lb represents nearly £4 that the owner would have received in a year if the cow had been milked dry.” In a recent test the last drawn milk from three cows was compared with the average test of all their milk for the day, with the following results : Average test. Stripping test, percent. percent. Gqw No. 1 4.0 10.5 Cow No. 2 4.5 10.0 Cow No. 3 4.4 8.2

CAKE OF THE BULL

TENDENCY TO' NEGLECT

There is a great deal more written about the care of the dairy cow than about the hull, says a critic in the Auckland “Star.’’ Probably this is accounted for by the fact that the bull is only a single animal from which no direct revenue is returned.

Sometimes a bull lias lived and died before his real value as a breeder became known, for the reason that he was not kept long enough for his daughters to come into milk. There are several cases of outstanding interest on record where bulls have been sacrificed to the butcher’s block, whereas their daughters later developed producing capacity of unusual merit. All of the inherent good or evil in the make-up of an animal is the result of heredity, and the bull contributes 50 per cent, of the hereditary characteristics of every animal, young oi old, in the herd. Feeding and care in the management can only influence size and capacity, and these only within the limits prescribed by the hereditary characters of the individual. Males to be used for service in the dairy herd, then, should be properly grown; and the problem of feeding, exercising, and caring for them during their useful years is one that should he given much attention. For f lic first six months of his life (states the “Farmers’ Advocate’’) the young bull may be treated exactly as the heifers are cared for. Skimmed milk or whole milk, where it is available, with good hay, a little silage, and all the grain he will eat, will keep him growing rapidly at a time when growth really counts. Maximum growth is essential, and, of course, the less feed that is required to obtain this the better for the dairymen. More animals, however, are irfjured by too scant feeding than are fed wastefully by too liberal use of feed. A very good grain mixture for the young animal is one made up of wheat, bran, and ground oats, 1501 b of each, to which is added 1001 b of oil meal. If hominy feed is available

the four Ingredients may be put in the mixture in equal parts. For the second six months of the bull’s life the same feeding may be continued, except that the milk may be omitted and the grain-feeding increased somewhat.

HOME-CURED BACON

TIMEEY SUGGESTIONS

THREE IMPORTANT POINTS

When it is properly cured there is nothing to surpass the flavour of homecured bacon and ham. Compared with the factory product, which, sometimes is not given adequate time for drying and maturing, the home-cured article lias a more mellow taste. One of tlip first considerations is to select a pig of good quality and well fattened. No one can make good bacon from the flesh of an old sow, nor from that of a coarse, half-fattened animal of any age. Young, healthy, lean pigs may be selected ior generous feeding, and often those with little other than a good frame to recommend them are converted into excellent fat specimens in a reasonable time when adeqnately r fed.

The very best quality bacon is secured from young pigs that have been grazing in the open in summer, and are fattened off quickly in autumn. Pigs that are housed in a confined space never do as well as those given ample roaming space. Exercise puts an edge on their appetite, and their whole inclination is to eat freely. Attention has been directed in these columns on more than one occasion to the best kinds of pig runs, and suggestions have been made on the subject of rations, suitable troughs, and the breeds that fatten quickly and give the best returns. In this article it is proposed to deal only with the actual process of bacon curing. There are several different ways of curing, all simple and easy, and involving no expensive outfit. The pork may be dry salted, brine cured, or there may be a combination of both. Some of the best bacon is cured by the last method, which has* the further merit of effecting the curing most rapidly. Individual farmers have different views concerning the efficacy of the different systems, but whatever method be followed, it is essential to' observe these three vital Uniform density of pickle; (2) uniform temperature of cellar; (3) cleanliness in the course of the operation. The curing temperature is very important. If any attempt be made to cure bacon at ' a temperature higher than 42deg., or at the outside 45deg. F., considerable trouble will bo experienced. If the atmosphere is what might be termed warm, the whole of the meat ,may be completely spoiled. Old-fashioned systems consisted of dry salting on a stone slab, pickling for three or four days before dry salting and brining Brine curing is not as sure a cure'as salting without liquor. The latter method will cure for any length of time in reason flitches or hams of any thickness. Brine is more suitable for”thin bodies of meat, or for curing for a brief season. By way of concluding it might be advisable to emphasise that young pigs that have learned to eat well before being weaned suffer no serious setback when the sow is taken from them. Then, if they are growing rapidly, there is no danger of over-feeding them. “Little and often” is the slogan for any farmer to follow in this respect. ' If their ration is divided into four or even six meals for the day instead of two, they will thrive all the better for it, and they will arrive sooner at that stage when they will he fit to turn into hams and bacon. CASEIN INDUSTRY. Writing of the manufacture and export of casein from this Dominion, an exchange says that as its manufacture follows on blitter manufacturing, the industry is particularly suitable to New Zealand conditions, the skim milk being curdled after the butter-fat has been extracted. New Zealand already exports casein to Australia, America, France, Great Britain, Japan and Germany, being able to enter such highly-protected countries on account of the excellent quality of the Dominion product, and

because casein is not manufactured abroad in any great quantity. Small quantities are produced in Australia, France, and Denmark, but Argentine casein is of an inferior grade. And the market? It is steady, although subject to fluctuations in price. Nevertheless, New Zealand receives a fairly high price for its article, but, as is solely used in other manufacturing processes, industrial stagnation hits the market badly. The demand in . certain respects is somewhat limited, -but new uses for casein are being found almost daily. Consequently the industry is by no means hemmed in, and further expan sion is possible.