SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Matamata Record, Volume XIX, Issue 1789, 7 December 1936, Page 7

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

(By J. Raethel.)

DAIRYING CONDITIONS

In his concluding article on South Australia, appended, Mr. J. Eaethel, of Matamata, deals with the dairying industry near Adelaide. Dairying in South Autsralia is entirely different in method to dairying in New Zealand. Owing to the indifferent rainfall dairying is quite unreliable. This results in the herds being mostly of live to 15 cows. The milk is either sold, or churned for butter, or sent to the factory. Forty pounds of dairy butter per month is exempt from tax. Farmers’ wives and their families play a big part in caring for the herds.

Poultry is gone in for extensively and large motor lorries call each week for eggs for the Adelaide city markets.

An exceptionally dry season is being experienced in the Adelaide district this year, and in October herds were past their flush. All manner of feeding was resorted to, such as swamps, rushes, tree tops, thistles and hay and lucerne, if available.

The Endunda District Through the courtesy of Mr. P. Klose, of Tamunda, who placed his car at my disposal, I visited the Endunda district, 80 miles north-east of Adelaide. This district is largely a wheat-raising area on the fringe of the Mallee and the oak country. The first farm visited was “ Delma,” where a herd of 16 pedigree Jersey cows grazed on 74 acres. The grass was about nine inches long and the herd was in good producing condition, The land was dark loam, most of the surface having silt from the hills. There were no shelter belts or hedges, and the only protection for the stock was of a natural kind, such as gum trees. Strong hot winds were blowing at the time. Water was stored in a huge dam which gave a year’s supply. I The Problem of Pasture

Bringing in grazing land is quite a problem. Eight-horse teams .are mostly used, and after ploughing the land is left for a year to fallow, and is then, sown with seed wheat and a small portion of oats. English grasses are not successful owing ;to the light rainfall, which is about 16 inches f annually. The . hot winds burn such grasses up much quicker than the native (wallaby) grass. When the wheat is ripe it is harvested and the native grass takes its place and provides the pasture for the herds. Stall feeding is. carried on all, the year round, and tons of hay have ,to be kept for the purpose. Both wheat and oats are cut for hay, and the crops average from 25 to 30 cwt per acre. In the same paddock as- the Jerseys 12 draught horses were also grazing.

Herd-testing System

Official herd-testing is the only system in vogue and the whole of the herds .must.be tested. The only exceptions are injured or old cows, which are kept for breeding purposes only. The State.-.subsidises herdtesting to the extent of partly financing the purchase of pedigree bulls. The subsidy applies only to pedigree bulls bred from standard cows. The buyer pays for the bull and then collects two-thirds of half the price frbm the State; Should the purchaser still own the bull at the end of two years, the State then pays the other one-third, bringing the subsidy up to half the price of the bull. .

The herd at Delma gained sixth place in the State averages over all breeds for herds of 11 cows or more, with a production of 4691 b of;fat; in 273 days. At the Adelaide Royal Show entries from Delma in 1936 gained highest points for Jersey exhibits. The two- outstanding, cowa gave 6311 b and 6681 b of butterfat respectively. The latter cow . holds an average - of Over 6001b' each year for the past five years. Another farm visited was Pella Jer’sey Farm. ‘ Here to acres’’were, cut into eight paddocks and a hull paddock. Thirty head of. stock were carried,/ of which’ 14 were cows. These averaged from 5131 b (a senior tWo-year-old) to 6151 b, all in seasons, of 273 days. A bull bred; on this property was exported ’to South Africa for' dairying purposes.’ / , - . Another ’ farm visited . was, the Hampden Jersey Stud,, consisting } of ;25 cows/ This herd won 'the 1 State average with'4s6lb, of s ,fat/' In addi-' tion ;to this gold medal ,for, bull ; and three progeny was also won..

The general conditions of this farm were all that could be desired. The land, Crops, grazing 1 and fencing were of a high order and all - of the cows were hand-mdked and rugged.