Farming Column

Hokitika Guardian, 9 January 1932, Page 8

Farming Column

DAIRY'ING IN DENMARK. YEAR-ROUND PRODUCTION. Very high praise is given to the Danish dairy industry by Mr Eliot IL 'Davis, of Auckland, who paid a visit to Denmark in November for the purpose of acquainting himself with the methods of dairy production and pigraising in use there. In an account of his trip, forwarded from London, Mr Davis says that he is no longer surprised at the huge volume of foodstuffs exported from Denmark to Britain.

When asked why Danish butter brought higher prices than New Zealand on the London market, a Copenhagen authority, Mr A. Briukmnnn, told Mr Davis frankly that the Danish article was undoubtedly the better. It was, of course, not more than seven days old and had not been subjected to refrigeration, but another factor was tiie quality of the cream from which it was made.

“Mr Brinkman said that in New Zealand the milk was skimmed in the farm and the cream then sent to the factory.” said Mr Davis. ‘A cry often, he understood, a matter off two days elapsed between the time the cream was sent to the factory and the skimming, the consequence being that the cream, hv the time it reached the factory, was slightly sour and, in order to neutralise this, they used some kind of alkali, which counteiacted the sournessPROXIMITY TO DAIRIES. “He stated that the main thing required for making fine butter was to have fine milk. In Denmark they sent the mil* to the dairy twice daily, morning and night. It was in the dairy a very short while before conversion into butter. He gave it as his opinion that there did not exist a single farm in Denmark which was. at the outside, more than three miles distant from the nearest dairy. Consequently, the Danish dairies did not need anv neutraliser and, there! ol e. the butter had a better texture and consistency, with more ‘life’ in it than the New Zealand article.

“As regards taste, the Danish was superior in every way. Ideal buttei should taste like cream, hut. he said, with all respect, the New Zealand butter did not possess this qualification. The best was almost without character as regards llavour; the second quality had other faults. In speaking 'as he difl. '/he 'emphasised several times that he was expressing no prejudice, but merely answering my question why Danish butter commander! a much higher price than New Zealand.” STABLING OF COWS. As it was winter time, Mr Davis saw no cattle in Hie fields. ‘-Throughout the winter the farmer stahles’all’his cows,” he said. “They are placed in stalls from October 1 to April 1. This gives a tremendous advantage over New Zealand as regards output, hut the advantage of climate in New Zealand °ver Denmark is very big, and it seems to he quite against nature’s laws to have an animal tied up for six months in a. stal ilo.

“The food of the cows consists during this time of beetroot, turnip, mangels, swedes, hay and straw. All the*" are grown by the farmer himself, and they go in lor practically no ensilage in Denmark.”

Mi' Davis was much impressed by what he saw of the control societies, which keep exact records ol the food consumption and milk output of hilly of) per cent, of Danish cows, and advise the- farmer at frequent intervals regarding diet and the < ailing ol unprofitable animals. He visited one large “feeding station,” where exhaustive tests were being made of different food rations and their effects on cows and pigs. LESSON FOR SOUTH ISLAND. On a large farm of 1000 acres Mr Davis went through a stable containing 2-10 cows, of the red Danish breed, all under one roof. Each, lie was told, was milked by band twice daily. “The whole process of the cattle farm goes on in this stable.” said Mr Davis. "The cows lane their calves in separate boxes and three or lour very fine bulls also have tlleir quarters in it. It, was a wonderful sight to see (.bis number ol' eon's contentedly chewing the cud, sonic lying down, others standing, of course, in very close proximity to one another. Their main Iced consisted of bay, barley, straw, beets, turnips and mangels. Full particulars oi every cow, including the previous day's milk old nut, were written on a blackboard abo\e her stall. “The whole system j„ one which should commend itself to the New Zealand Government.”, concludes Mr Davis. "The farmers in (lie Soutji Island especially would find a largo increase in the production of their milk if such methods were followed, instead of leaving the cal fie to face all Cm elements o| a wilder quite as bad as I lie.v have in Denmark.” ,uif*k fi.ti.T!k items. \ .splendid lambing peiveiitage j s p'poileil from ;l l.illll oil lie I'oloi Road, near Stratford. I'lnni a llork ol 91 I'tt's a stock deal r lift 'd 06 lambs lor I lie free.'.ing works, averaging Vl.a'Jib. each. ,M,I their Were 18 others IK *| quite i,■ (Iv foi flm works, itml'.iir.: i pi'.r.'.ent,,f f'v i l.:i pea coni.

Aii aggregate of 11,500 bales of Poverty Bay and East Coast woo! have been shipped by overseas liners for London, and three vessels art booked to load here in January. Complaints regarding lack of space evidently emanate from last-minute shippers who miSs: d their opportunities.

A heavy setting of fruit on the apple 'trees continues to give good promise of a record export from Poverty Bay later in the season, and the earlier estimates of 26,000 cases have not had to be revised. Black spot has been scarce, but powdery mildew is reported, and the bronze beetle has been active in recent weeks.

The Ayrshire breed of cattle sprang from the northern division of Ayrshire, a humid county on the south-west coast of (Scotland. The evolution of the modern improved breed began between 1750 and 1780. The earlier Ayrshire was small, inferior, irregularly shaped, with short, crumpled horns, and of a brown, black or black and white colour. During the latter half of the nineteefch century the bred spread to the southern parts id Ayrshire. and into Wigtown and Dumfriesshire, where, on account of the growth in the practice of cheese making, it replaced ,the original Galloway breed. The udders of Ayrshire cows that are found winning in tl> e mdk ng classes at Home are practically perfect in form, and unequalled in any otlur breed. ** * # The pen in which a young sow is placed for her first litter should always be provided with farrowing rails, s> that 'the chances of her pigs being crush.d is reduced as far as possible. It should not be too large, othenvhe some of her young ones may get lost, and she may not have the sense to - r < them together as an older sow would do. If she has enough room to turn round easily, with a loot or so to spare on each side of the pen, that is quite enough. Of litter she should not have too much. A lew indns o) slim i stuff, chaffed if need he. is much better than a deep bed of long stuff in which her pigs may be hidden or smothers, cl. Litter of some sort is necessary, not only for the sake of warmth ami comfort. but also because if the sow happens to tread or lie on any other young ones they will stand a much bettei chance in either case if there is something soft beneath them,

'Phe cat-tie men in North Queensland have been given very generous help by the Government by way of reduced rentals and extended leases. Pastoral leases and grazing selections numbering 0523 have -been affected, and the rent reductions are officially stated to amount to i£500,000. The low rents are to be continued for an additional five years, from July 1, 1931, and graziers not- arnuoy under the concessions may be included. Under the act of 1929 the leases of 287 pastoral holdings were extended to give a full period of twenty years, including the unexpired terms, and surrenders of 899 holdings had been accepted and new leases granted.at the reviewed rentals, in nearly all cases for terms of ou years. That was not applied in cases of mixed farming districts, where the country was considered likely to be required l’or ci-oser settlement. ** * *

The American Department of Agriculture announces that, the value ol all crops produced in the United States ha-s declined bv nearly lour billion dollars (normally £800,000,000) during the past two years. The value of all crops produced in 1931 is estimated at 4,122,850,OtlO dollars compared with 5,818,82U,CU0 dollars in 1930, and 8,088,494,000 dollars in 1929. The farm value of all wheat in 1931 is estimated at 595,000.000 dollars. The decline in values is due primarily to lower prices received by larmeis which constituted a total reduction ol 3,969,644,000 dollars, or 49 per cent. The percentage of the decline is nearly uniform in all parts of the country except in Dakota which was badlj hit by drought. The decrease a iso is shared bv practically all crops. Approximate decreases were Maize, 1,043.000,060 li. dial's ; cotton. So 1,000,000 dollars ; wheat, 446,000,000 dollars, and tobacco, joU.UOO.OOO dollars. DAIRY FEED. The quality of grass consumed by a medium-size dairy cow in lull .field * ll '*' be about a hundred-weight a day when on good pasture. This is. houe\ei, a matter of conjecture. All cows do not graze alike, and the same cow docs not every day eat exact l.v the same quantity.' Less herbage will naturally be consumed under certain conditions ol weather. A cow regularly at * pasture will just take her till, and possibly (hen lie down to ruminate. Coarse grass will give the necessary bulk, but it will not yield the same amount of nourishment mr the cow as fine herbage. IMPORTANCE OE FEEDING. With regal'd lo the matter of leeding out, cat tle, it may not be too niueli to say that the way in which a large number of young animals aiv led and cured for must be held responsible for t heir being I lirifl less food consumer*. In fact, it may by justly questioned wind he,- llm want of care in breeding nr Ihe wretched system too commonly adopted Ml rearing the young valih' have In answer for m putting sim'i an enormous number ol interior entile of Mrilisb origin upon our markets. While wliai may by said on this pailicnlar subject lias mole particular relerenee to beef production, i| 11110-1 be lioine in mind that in Ibe attention to young dairy slock and then I 111!,' rniK.ll direct l'« "tit w ill nr, I lie n him indirect, loss may be. avoided