FOR THE FARMER.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XIX, Issue 2052, 6 December 1924, Page 2

FOR THE FARMER.

A first-class product cannot be secured by utilising old milk cans and other utensils which have open seams and joints. Milk will get into the rough places, sour, decay and innoculate all the milk with bacteria that will sour the milk. It is a mistake to believe that because a bull sires first-class stock his son is certain to do likewise. There is a probability that he will, but no certainty, therefore it is wise to stick to the proved sire so long as his services are fruitful. Good attention does not necessarily mean overfeeding and general pampering. There are other things not at all connected with feeding, which enter into good management.

EXAMINE THE UDDER

When you are estimating the quality of a cow’s udder an actual examination is absolutely necessary. We have found by extended experience that before buying a cow it always pays to go over every part of the udder with the hands. Gentle massage (says a writer in the Breeders’ Gazette) will locate every lump and hard spot. Such tumor-like places or “bunches” in an udder tell the story of past attacks of inflammation, slight or severe, and indicate the likelihood of a recurrence of the attack at a subsequent calving. They should also lead one carefully to examine the milk secreted by the affected gland. It is therefore well to strip a stream of milk from each teat in turn into the palm of the hand, then note its appearance and smell, and if there seems to be no sign of abnormality one may next venture to taste the emulsion.

The quarter that contains a tumor or scar tissue has been attacked at some time in its history,' and will be subject to further attacks. In some instances tuberculosis of the udder is present, especially where the lump is high up at the rear of the udder. Testing with tuberculin should therefore be done without fail when hard, insensitive lumps arc felt in an udder. It is always unsafe to buy a “threeteater cow, or one whose milk is abnormal in any way, for infection possibly may spread from such a cow to the others in the herd. A careful manual examination of the udder in all of its parts, and as to the quality of the milk yielded, is of paramount importance before money is invested in a cow, and never should be neglected. FEEDING THE FARM HORSE. NECESSITY FOR PROPER ATTENTION. The draught horse on the farm is very frequently but ill prepared for the work of the season. The general feeding' of the months of winter remains unchanged almost up to the time that the busy season is about to begin. It may be that a few weeks earlier some extra feeding is provided. It must never be forgotten that hard condition is the outcome of continuous and careful feeding, associated with reasonable work. The horse that is directly from the grass may be fat, and show a bloom on his skin, but he is soft and far from fit for a day’s work of twelve hours, and this is often necessary. The horse in that condition starts the work of a long day after idleness, and may, too, have had some extra feed the previous night. The animal is then the fit subject for colic, founder and sore shoulders. It is quite recognised that on account of the high price of oats and chaff that the winter feeding of the farm horse may not have been liberal. It is late now to feed up; it is, however, necessary to add something to the general ration, but let it be reasonble, not large feeds of chaff, with an addition of oats at long intervals during the day. See that the horse has access to water, before feeding, and avoid the long drink of water after feeding. The grass paddock at night need not be in great grass, but it need not be bare.

The hours of work may prohibit thorough grooming, but the shoulders should be carefully attended to. The brushing, rubbing, sponging, drying, and a well-fitting clean collar will prevent many a sore shoulder. See that the horse goes to work with sound feet. If he is to be shod, have the shoeing done a few days before hard work begins; if he is to remain unshod, have the feet trimmed level and even.

DANISH THOROUGHNESS. An Australian returned from a visit to Europe writes to the Sydney Morning Herald his observations and impressions of (among other matters) the Danish method of co-operative dairying. The following are a few extracts form his article:— (1) As to standardisation of butter, the butter of the Danes is standardised. There is no “cheap,” “middle,” or “dear.” If it is not up to standard it is not put on the market. It is said that a Dane may be slim over a horse deal and may murder his mother-in-law, but he “may not adulterate his butter.”

(2) As to trading methods, the Danish farmers have long been accustomed to manage their village communities in common, and, having learnt to trust one another, it. was just a stage further to adapt the idea of co-operation to their buying and selling transactions. While some nations tried to undercut their neighbours in the world’s markets by lowlowering prices, the Danes succeeded by improving the quality. This meant that more labour and better-priced labour was used. (3) As to aim in education, the Danes have succeeded in making the work of the man and woman on the land interesting . There are about 70 high shools, which concern themselves with the teaching of history, music, poetry, art, ,other countries, and the lives of the great. Their purpose is not to teach the pupils to earn a living, but to teach them how to live a life of culture while doing so. One teacher said: “We teach them so that they can be partners in the highest life.” The teachers say to their pupils, “Honour physical labour; know your trade well, and put your brains into it; never neglect your intellectual development.” With this conception in mind, the Danish farmer idealises his work, and make it both pleasant and profitable.