THE MAORI MESSENGER. Auckland, September 13, 1849. DAIRY FARMING.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 1, Issue 19, 13 September 1849, Page 1

THE MAORI MESSENGER. Auckland, September 13, 1849. DAIRY FARMING.

[Continued from our last.] Notwithstanding that we have already devoted a very considerable portion of this Journal to the subject of Dairy Farming, yet of such paramount importance do we consider it to the best interests of New Zea'and that, at the hazard of being

deemed tedious, we cannot abstain from following the Author, whose treatise we lmv» modified, through a few more of his valuable pages. Having disposed of the dairy-house, yards, offices, together with the manner' making, curing, and packing of butter, the writer proceeds to furnish the following suggestions with reference to the choice of stuck, As there are great constitutional differences in cows, it is not easy to fix upon a choice at public sales or markets; therefore, dairy-ownerd should breed their own, as soon as possible after their commencement, from the best milkers of their stock, and also from good sires, as it often happens that cows of the finest forms will often fail of being good milkers, and will not produce such milk as will be profitable for yielding butter, &e. When the establishment is completed and the stock laid in, tender management in driving home, milking, and yarding is extremely necessary, as cows when driven hard, or ill-used by beating, or worried by dogs, will fret and not evince their satisfaction by ruminating, nor give their milk with good humour, but retain much of it in despite of the best endeavours of their milkers, as they possess the singular power of doing bo. When the stock is driven into the milk-ing-yard, such of them as are uneasy or inclined to be troublesome when milking should be fastened up in the bails, and there caressed and soothed, and thus brought to kindnets. which will be found a much better method for refractory cattle than the rough usage too often practised by cow-keepera in dairy establishments. In order to ascertain the best cows for breeding, experiments should be made on the quality of the milk of each of a chosen number, which may be done by setting the milk separately, and thereby proving the richest milk by the quantity of cream and yield of butter, as some will give a greater quantity than others, but will not be so productive of butter, so others will gi»e less milk but more in butter produce : therefore, an average in the goodness of the cows should be ascertained, and their calves bred up in succession as a profitable stock for the dairy.

When comparing the milk of cows, as to its different qualities, particular attention should be paid to the time which elapsed since their calving, as the milk of those that lately calved is a'ways more thin and watery than of such as calved previously ; therefore, in proving the quality of milk, nn equality of time from calving should be duly considered ; the experiment should he made three or four times during the season, to attain the practical knowledge necessary not only for ascertaining a good breed of cattle, but also for observing the decrease or increase of the quality of milk according to seasons and other circumstances.

Rich milk, produce of butter, and good flavour, are owing in an eminent degree to the pastures, food, and condition of cattle. By careful inspection and inquiry dairy cows may be selected that will produce milk in quantity and quality if well fed, to the satisfaction of the owner; therefore the greatest care should be taken to propagate a breed of thisdescription by a good sire cross whenerer it may be convenient; and suppose it be somewhat expensive at first setting out, in the end the owner wil be amp'y compensated, as the feeding of an inferior stock is equally expensive as the fieding of a more productive one ; beuides, on the sale of any redundancy, a well known good breed will command a high price and quick sale. The age of cows should be considered as well as their

form and size. A cow after having a second calf or more will be more profit- i able limn one after having a first call, although the milk of the latter is m general somewhat better in quality, in or.ler to purchase with advantage, cows 1 of five or six years old wi'l answer best i for milking; and if any of them should i happen not to be good milkers, the sa'e of a young cow will be more certain, when dry or slack of milk, and the price better than that of an old one. If the dairy ground be of an inferior quality, heavy cattle that were bred on better soils should not be chosen, as they will not thrive when brought from a better soil to a worse : in the selection, therefore, this circumstance should be carefully attended to, and cattle procured from soils similar or inferior to that on which they are to be fed for dairy uses. Good usage for the dairy stock in winter will insure an abundant produce in summer, as the cows will be in good condition when calving; but if otherwise, the produce will be deficient, ns cattle in bad condition are in general subject to disorders; for it ii well known that a stock of cattle badly fed in winter will lose some of its number by those diseases which are generated by poverty and unwholesome provender. Hence the necessity of procuring a sufticient quantity of sound food for the support of the stock in winter and spring, and at the same time seeing that they be kept warm, dry, and clean in their stalh or houses, whereby health will be secured and a remunerating profit insured to the proprietor. If cows calve early in spring, or in cold weather, lukewarm water with a little flour meal therein, to give it substance would be higldy beneficial; and a handful of salt, given once a day in the mess, would have a great tendency to fix the relaxed intestines which the labour of calving generally creates. If stock suffer from inadequate winter feeding, the effects in summer will be most obvious and disadvantageous, because the cattle being poor will be unable to keep their milk, and will begin to fail early in the harvest, causing loss from a deficiency which may be easily prevented, if owners merely adopt the practice of raising crops of hay and green Succulents to nourish and keep their cattle in a sound and healthy state. A change of pasture in summer, and varying their food in winter is very advantageous to the dairy department, as cattle are as fond of fresh food and changes as lmman beings are. Throughout the whole of the dairy system it should be remembered, cows are animals of mucli greater delicacy than is generally supp sed; and although they will endure hardships, and live under great changes of bent and cold, yet they very often suffer in their constitutions by such changes. In many parts of England a very heavy expense is incurred in the housing and artificial feeding of dairy cattle. Many of those outlays are unnecessary in New Zealand, where, by ordinary care and industry, vast quantities of the finest butter might be produced both for the home and the foreign market; besides, young stock can be bred up at a sma'l expense, independently of pigs ; and tlie lands may be brought to a rich productive state, even where the soils are of an inferior character. At the close of spring the dairy business generally commences. If the cattle are weak they should be treated with the greatest tenderness and care. It is of great importance to dairy owners that their cows should calve at one period, or as near as possib'o to one time as the quality of their milk would have no difference, and the calves to be roared would have equal constitution? and feed equally, which is not the case when any considerable difference in their births occur. When cows calve at unequal periods, it is not easy to have the butter of an c jual colour, because the milk of a cow immediately after calving is of a high colour, and, without very great circumspection, the butter wi'l be tinged in a differcnt manner from that which is madefrotn the milk of cows that have calved several days previously ; indeed such milk should not be made up for churning until the high colour ceases to be obscrvab'c; but

when its purity is ascertained it may be used without any disadvantage. The writer, from whose pages we modify and abridge,, enters into a lengthened argument to prove the benefit to be derived by milking cattle, commonly well fed, three times, a day. He shows that such a practice is as conducive to the health of the oattle as profitable to the pocket of the owner, and that both in quantity and in quality the milk is materially improved. Although the practice of milking three times a day may be considered troublesome, yei if an extra quantity of produce can be obtained and the health of the catt'e improved, surely the owner wiH be amply compendated; and, as long aa that continues to be the case, the practice should be followed up and closely attended to. As much of the profits of the dairy depend on the milking system, great care should be taken to have the cows milked clean, sr drawn quite dry at every meal ; for if the whole quantity which the cow is able to afford be not drawn oft', what remains in the udder wi'l prevent the secretion and descent of the fluid which would otherwise flow into the spaces or vessels which were emptied by. clean milking, and tend to promote a decline, or hasten a flush milking cow to the state of premature dryness, whilst the richest part of the milk will be needlessly lost to the dairy. And that cows may yield their milk freely and fully it behoves every dairy proptietor to exercise a vigilant care that they are treated with gentleness and kindness by the milkers ami stock-keepers to whom they are confided. Having now afforded amp'e instructions relative to butter making Jwe shall in one or two of our future numbers bestow some little attention to the manufacture of cheeso.