NOTES BY THE WAY

Hawera Star, Volume L, 10 January 1931, Page 14

NOTES BY THE WAY

Opinions on the correct or the best •quality of ensilage have varied somewhat during the past year or two. A couple of years ago all farmers considered the well-cooked sweet fodder the best for general use and thought that stock would not eat it unless it were sweet. Since that date, however, the departmental experts have preached the gospel of green, slightly sour ensilage, which, they say, has lfche greatest feed value and contains practically the vitamin content of the natural grass.

But there have been many men who said it was essential to have something drier to balance the ration and that, therefore, hay was essential They say that the green silage is apt to make the cows scour, especially near the calving time, and that this causes a good deal of trouble and is also a source of danger. A farmer of wide experience, almost life-long in this district, talking on the subject, said his father 40 years ago at Kaupokonui made ensilage in large quantities and had little or no trouble. He made one very large stack on one occasion, putting 30 acres of material into it. This was used for three years and was good all the time. It was of the brown, rather sweet type. His own experience is that the wellcooked sweet material is best all round and keeps milking cows in first-class order and condition.

A .steadying position is evident at Home judging dv the latest reports with a decided rising tendency. The improvement is very marked and is bringing a confident and much more hopeful tone. It is remarkable what an effect this has on the average man. It has an effect, as appreciable and almost as marked as the depressing influence of the pessimist and it is, therefore, very welcome. It is creating the confidence which is so urgently required.

It is quite cheering to the average farmer tV learn that bargaining is being carried on between boards of directors and agents and betokens an activity and a promise of better things that is “meat and drink” to the farmer. He does love to see the bargaining that has so long been a part of the life of the industry.

Though the iiot, dry weather lias Suited the haymakers exceedingly well, it has been felt that rain was needed because of the falling away of milk supplies. There have been several welcome falls of rain during the past few days, that on Wednesday being fairly solid and substantial. It will he somewhat unfortunate on the late haymakers or those who have in a community of farmers, been waiting their turn, but they must take consolation in the general well being of the country and the fact that the rain will improve the pastures for their milking stock. In any case there will no cloubt be plenty of hot weather soon.

Ail illustration of the effect which the present backward season has had on pasture growth was given to me by a well-known Hawke’s Bay sheepfarmer the other day. The gentleman in question always buys a draft of wethers off the shears in the late spring to keep the feed down on his property. He stated that three years ago lie bought 700, last season he had to buy 500, while this season lie had purchased only 150, and had really no need of these.

The Agricultural Department is continuing its work on weeds with sodium chlorate and has recently done spraying on blackberry, the result of which will he awaited with keen interest. They have found it necessary to use a considerably stronger mixture. .Farmers using this are advised to he cautious, because of the inflammability of the salt when dry and also to keep stock away from the paddocks being treated because the salt in larger doses acts as an irritant and if taken in large quantities mav give trouble.

Stock are reported to be moving in fairly large numbers from the East Coast for Waikato It is expected that this coming week will see very large mobs on the road northwards.

The total tonnage of cheese imported into Great Britain during November showed a slight decline on last year’s figures, but whereas Canadian showed a falling olf of 869 tons, New Zealand’s total was an increase of 964 tons. There was also a falling olf from Netherlands of 369 tons, " The decrease was also shown in the figures - for the eleven months, with New ZeaJarid showing an increase of 2219 tons ~ and Canada a decrease of 2169 tons. - "/Among the C.O.R. figures officially published is that of a Friesian heifer, T. H. Richards’ (Cardiff), Bysoll Favourite (jun. 2vds) on twice-a-dav milking with 480.331 b in 243 days.

The English Royal Agricultural Society has decided to hold its 1931 show at \Varwick on dates from July 7 to July 11. If a sow is prolific, . she will naturally also be able to suckle a fairly large litter. But her milk yield will to some extent depend upon the feed,'ing she receives. • A sudden and radical change in the -cow’s ration will change the fat test fOf .a while; but as soon as the cows get used to the new ration, it becomes normal again. This year’s lambing in the United States is estimated by the Bureau ot Agricultural Economics of the United rSfai-es Department of Agriculture at •two million head, or eight per cent, larger than those of the two last years. The indicated totals for the last three years are: 26,363.000 for 1928, 26,441,000 for 1929, and 28,458,,090 for 1930. - A calf raised on skim milk and poor feed cannot, when it comes to maturity be in a condition to give: a good quality milk for any length of time. Its (constitution is weakened with its poor start, and never really comes to the perfection it should if it -had been perfectly fed in infancy. A correspondent writing to an exchange says that he lias personally had experience with cattle in dry seasons, and the only ones that have come through good have been the ones which had a good start as calves. This is a strong plea for continuing and developing the school calf-rearing competitions. - Gisborne rye gras crops are rapidly ripening, and tlie first of the liar"vesting .should lie commenced next week.

The Red Poll breed of dual purpose cattle is one which' is rapidly gaining popularity in Hawke’s Bay, and more and more of the red-coated cattle are to be seen in our saleyards, says the “Telegraph.” The Mount Vernon property regularly turns drafts of wellfinished, smooth-coated Red Poll bullocks into the Waipukurau saleyards, and these cattle invariably sell fairly, buying realising that the kill out well. Within the course of a week or two the ram fairs will be in progress in various parts of the Dominion. Private buyers in Hawke’s Bay are already operating, prior to the start of tiio fairs.

It is the opinion of a New Zealand farmer recently returned from a trip that farming in New Zealand is child's play compared with that in Britain. For six months of the year the stock at Home had to he housed and fed whilst during the other six months there is a continued struggle to produce sufficient food for the next winter Land in some parts of the Old Land was to be .purchased very cheap ; he was told in one instance were land was as low as £6 an acre.