INTEREST IN WORK

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 192, 16 July 1941, Page 5

INTEREST IN WORK

BRINGS ITS OWN REWARD. lu all walks of lite interest in any particular duty brings its own reward. Efficiency and success come as a result of application and perseverance. Giveti the same amount of capital, land of identical value, the same size of herd, and generally similar facilities one fanner will succeed where another will 'tail. The successful farmer will be tho one who is interested in his iarm, its appearance, its stock, and its returns. He will be Jceen to see that the fences are maintained in good repair, that the production of feed is adequate for his stock, that his herd is maintained in good health, and that his implements and milkingshed facilities are of the best. To the successful farmer it will be regarded as common-sense to take every care of the implements used on tho farm, to house and grease them when not in use. It will bo obvious to him that milk is a commodity easily contaminated, and he will take steps to ensure that there is a good supply of hot, clean water available for the cleansing of machinery and receptacles through which milk passes. The sheds and yards will be kept thoroughly clean.' It will be natural for him to take; steps to utilise to the full extent separator milk or whey. With the addition of supplementary food thes«- pro; ducts will lorm the basis of the pigs' diet. And by utilising these byproducts efficiently the average return from the cow can Iks augmented at the very least by £2 per annum. The successful farmer will see that the best calves produced by his herd in the spring arc not allowed to go*away on the bobby call lorry. He will rear these to take their place in the herd when replacements become necessary, and by so doing lie will eliminate any danger of bringing to the farm disease which may appear through buying cattle to fill herd vacancies.

Tho successful farmer will prefer quality to quantity. He will realise that it is uneconomic for him to milk a herd of, say, 50 nondescript producers when by milking uO cows of good quality he will get a better return and have less work to do in producing the greater income. When the time comes for fences tobe replaced the successful tanner wili not discard the posts which have rotted at the ground line. These he will cut to make low droppers (live to be used between posts) and with the shortage of wire, he will take necessary steps to provide himself with a sheep and cattle-proof fence. To save time and heavy work the skim milk from the shed will be piped to conveniently situated piggeries and to feeding troughs for wcaner cattle. Planning plays an important part in farming, and much work may l>e eliminated by the practice of a littleingenuity, particularly in respect of

the yarding facilities and conveniences in the milking shed. Control of the herd is essential during the milking period, and the successful farmer plans the layout accordingly, having a race for tho milked cows to go through before emerging into the outer, yard and into the paddock. Then if a cowinadvertently gets out of the bail the tanner can bring it back to the shed without difficulty. For dosing, tho race is aiso very useful and saves making a mess in'the cow shed during such necessary operations. As already, referred to, contamination of milk has to be guarded against, and in this connection stress is placed on the need lor efficient drainage and a wholesale and abundant supply of water. Odder troubles are the nightmare ol the dairvman, and annually thousands oT cattle pass from the dairy to the boner pens. The delicate tissues are susceptible to damage through chill, a blow, or through faulty operation of the milking plant. In support of the contention t.Tat it is better to milk a small herd of qualitv producers than a large nondescript one. a farmer in the Feilding district whose herd consists of 2S milking Shorthorns states that last season his* returns from the iactory totalled £'Gfu as compared with another farmer who milked :3B cows for a return of £635. In subsequent notes shelter and the constitution of healthy herds will be discussed.