FARM AND DAIRY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVIII, Issue LVIII, 2 February 1910, Page 6

FARM AND DAIRY.

NOTES BY "FARMER."

It is very pleasing to bo able to record that farmors are going in more and more for the testing of their dairy cows, so that they can detect the ones that aro the least profitable and replace them with others that will give increased returns. Enquiries mado by the ] writer show that there lias been a marked increase in the number of farmors who have adopted home-tosting in South Taranaki district. Doubtless the course of training provided by the Wanganui Education Board in tho district has had much to do with this forward movement. And tho more the practice is adopted, tho loss will be the outcry about tho factory butter-fat test. One farmer I heard of was inclined to question the factory figures, but after having tests carried out on the farm was quite satisfied with his 2.9 butterfat return. He then turned his attention to the cows. In Another instance a cow considered by tho owner to be the bost-in the herd gave the handsome butter-fat tost of 2.6. Whon ono sideline of the" dairy industry shows a dark cloud so far as financial results are concerned, another irsually comes forward in a very bright light. This aspect now prevails in that pigs have decreased in price, whilst calves have shown a welcome increase. Large numbers of calves have boon inoculated recently as a preventive against tho blackleg scourge, and present market indications aro that those dairy farmers who have retained thoir calves this soason will be amply" recompensed. That^ there are so many calves to be seen in tho district would suggest, that the indiscriminate butchering, of two years ago has not been followed .this season. A rather strange occurrence in connection with dairy farming was mentioned to me tho othor day. It happened at a local dairy factory. The manager was somewhat suspicious in. reference to the high butter-fat test of a certain supplier, whose, cows wore only an ordinary herd /By investigation tile manager first ascertained that tho milk •, was 1 being watered. He next found out that other Samples of the milk kopt separate from thoso on the milk, stand did not tally with the return of fat shown by tho latter samples. It tlion was quit© clear . that tho milk kept for testing purposes was being interfered with surreptitiously. Such action, of course, woulcl quickly lead a person into a fortune, and incidentally — into • On a few farms near tho coast a small quantity of maize has been- daily carted out to tho dairy cows for the past week or so to keep up the milk supply. The heavy rains, however, last week end will again quickly restore the pastures to a luxuriant condition. ,• ■ ' THE NOXIOUS WEEDS SCARE. ! There haa lately t»een an. outcry pf alarm in South Taranaki districts in reference to the spreading pf noxious weeds, which in the near future seem likely to become a serious menace to •the successful dairy farming now carried on. That the weeds are making great headway is but too evident. A cursory glance at the paddocks when passing along a roadway proves that Buch is the case. Arid; it is certainly not in the paddocks which adjoin main roads that the pest has been allowed to spread more than, in the back paddocks. Indeed, the condition of the paddocks at the rear of many sections at the present time is truly alarming, as weeds in full flower meet the eye on every hand. The position is a serious one for freeholders, and it is they who are now crying out for inspection; ,"If these weeds are allowed to go on unchecked," said one farmer, "it will mean a decrease of pounds an acre in value" in a few years' time, and eventually the land will go out of cultivation. The great curse is the constant change of tenancy on the leasehold farms." It seems that the people who are tenants only for a short time won't take the trouble to eradicate the weeds. The! writer was informed that in certain instances of leasehold tenancy the occupiers of the land, who had heard of the Inspector of Weeds being in the simply went out in the paddocks with a slasher, cut off the tops of the weeds (chiefly ragwort), and left the bloom there to ripen and be spread broadcast over the surrounding district by the wind. One dairy farmer, who owns the freehold, assured 'me that for the past three years he had spared, no effort to stamp out ragwort . on his section: The pest is now three times worse than it was three years ago, despite the fact that he has been so diligent .and not allowed any to seed on his own farm. It seems certain, then, that the seed is coming from .adjoining sections, and the person referred to has not only to put up with the trouble and expense of trying to keep his place clear, buc has the unenviable experience of knowing that those who are responsible for the spreading of the seeds to his farm are doing practically nothing to exterminate the pest. Meanwhile, those farmers who are fully awake as to the serious consequence^ that will follow this neglect to stamp out plants that have been declared noxious within their county district^ cry out, "Where are the inspectors?"" The question is pertinent and timely. At a recent Waimate West County Council meeting it was decided to draw the Department's attention to the fact that noxious weeds were increasing to an alarming extent in the country district, and it was asked that the district inspector bo given assistance during the summer months when the plants were in full bloom. The discussion showed that the local inspector had such a big district as to make it impossible for him to properly supervise same. But it is not very long ago that people were clamoring for the retrenchment of some of these officials. When this has taken place we have the assurance of a Waimate councillor (and a prominent dairy farmer), "that there never (was too much inspection, neither as regards dairy sheds nor noxious weeds. " Whilst it does seem peculiar that farmers should have to be compelled to protect their own interests by destroying such" pests, the situation in my opinion demands urgent action. Most farmers with whom I have discussed the matter suggest that extra inspectors should be employed during the summer season. ''Tho importing of a good animal occasionally will be of little use as regards improving tho standard of dairy cattle," remarked a porson of vory many years' experience of farm stock to tho writer, "unless the calves receive better attention than they now get on most dairy farms." Succeeding observations by the person referred to, who is in a position of authority in connection with tho industry, are to the effect that calves receive scant consideration compared with the treatment meted out to them in the early days of the industry. He did not think there was any herd of dairy cows averaging anything like the herds did some years ago. - And the reason was because they had no constitution. They were not properly fed

as calves. The general practice was to keep thorn on new milk for a few weeks only, and then they wore put on skim milk or whey. Such a thing as properly weaning the calves was almost unknown. In consequence dairy stock had been degonerating. Another bad practice was to have hoifors "coming in" at two years old. In animals so young the bones were not properly set, and in addition to the progeny probably being a weakling, the mother also- experienced a check to physical and constitutional development. Farmers wore not gainers,- but losers, by encouraging early maternity among dairy stock.