FARM AND DAIRY

Northern Advocate, 29 October 1932, Page 13

FARM AND DAIRY

TRACTOR COSTS

REPLACEMENT OP HORSES,

(Prepared by Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln.)

The replacement of horse power by motor power in various countries since the period of the Great War has effected a revolution in farming. The rapid increase in automobiles and tractors has resulted in a decrease in the area of land required to be devoted to provision of horse feed, and liberated further land for production of other farm products. In IBIS) there were 3(33,000 horses (of which 208,000 were draught horses) and 130 tractors; in 3931 there were 297,000 horses (of which 183,000 were draught horses) and 5000 tractors. These figures indicate that in New Zealand the use of tractors has not involved the actual displacement of an equivalent number of draught horses on the farm. In manj’ cases more and bettor cultivation is being performed, and in some cases tractors are being used for emergency periods only. On a few farms, however, tractors are being, used to full capacity, necessitating often two shifts per day in the busy season, and worked either in conjunction witJi horses or entirely displacing horses from the farm. . Methods Explained. The costs of maintaining a tractor for any period can be arrived at by totalling all Hie direct costs of fuel, oil, and grease delivered on the farm, repairs, sundries, housing, attention, etc., and adding all the estimated indirect costs of interest and depreciation on the tractor, on the tractor shed, and on the special implements and other equipment required. When the total so obtained is divided by the number of hours worked, or the number of acres ploughed, etc., and an allowance is also made for the special josts of labour and implements used, :hen the total cost per hour worked or icr acre ploughed, etc., can be arriv?d at. Three examines of average costs for 1000 hours’ work are set out below. Du the higher priced tractors, howiver, it is certain that a longer than iOOO-hour life could be secured. Tractor Working Schedule, Kero- Kero- Crude fype of tractor sene. sene. oil. Horse power ... 10/20 15/30 15/30 Vpprox. cost price of tractor £350 £450 £SOO ?osts of working per year: £ £ £ ; lirect ■ costs— Fuel 90 100 30 Oil and grease . 20 20 17 •Repairs ... 7 13 10 ndirect costs — *Est. dep’n at 20 . > cent, 70 90 100 "Est, Int. at G per cent. 10 14 15 Ist. total cost .. £197 £237 £l7B Ploughing Cost Schedule. s. d. s. d. s. d.' Estimated cost per hour worked .. 3 11 4 9 3 7 Istimatod cost per day of 8 hours . . 31 4 38 0 28 8 Estimated cost of labour per day . 14 0 14 0 14 0 Estimated total cost per day 45 4 52 0 42 8 Sst’d. area ploughed per day . G acres 8 acres 8 acres s. d, s. d. s, d. 'stimated cost per acre. 7 7 G G 5 4 Miniated cost for use of plough per aero 9 11 II VI. cost of ploughing per acre ..847563 ]

•Note.—ln the above examples depreciation at 20 per cent, of Hie costprice is calculated, and interest on [ one-half the original cost because in succeeding years interest costs would decrease as the value of the tractor f was reduced. If a G to 10-ycar trac--13 tor life is obtained depreciation costs " after five years would be nil. lint re--3 pair costs would tend to increase. 1 Variations. 1 While the total costs for the use of ■ a tractor increases the more the trnc- ■ tor is worked, the costs per acre cnlt rivaled or per hour ‘of work done 3 tends to decrease with longer hours 1 of work. ; The direct, costs vary with the type - of tractor, horse power, and load giv--1 en, state of repair of the tractor and ■ skill of working. Indirect, costs vary ! with interest and depreciation on the ' tractor for the period considered. and with the number of days or hours worked. Good tractor management depends upon never overloading, constant provision of fresh oil and grease as required, immediate repair of any parts the moment they require attention, and careful driving. Direct, costs of fuel acreage Is 8d and range from Gid to 3s per hour worked. The cost of the fuel ranges around Is 2d to Is 4d per gallon for kerosene and petrol and 7d per gallon for .crude oil. Although none of the semi-Diesel tractors quoted lias yet been costed for more than three years, they cost at the present price of crude oil much less to run per hour and per amount of work done than the petrol or kerosene type. A large area of land must be cultivated to warrant the Use of any large or higii-pirced tractor. Oil and grease costs average 4d, and range from lid to 8d per hour worked. Repairs, etc., average 3d, and | range from nil to 7d per hour worked. j Total direct costs average 2s 3d, and i range from 8d to 4s 3d per hour work- i ed. ' Depreciation and Interest. The actual total depreciation is measured by the difference between the original cost of the tractor delivered fully equipped on the farm, and the scrap value of the tractor when 1 discarded. If the tractor is sold with- ■ out having been used for its full life, the total depreciation will depend on the difference between the cost price and the price received for the tractor. The new tractor Avould be valued at cost, and thereafter depreciated in value by 20 per cent, per annum, or according to anticipated length of life. Depreciation costs average Is 6d per hour worked, and in the estimates given varied from 8d to 4s Gd per hour worked. In the returns examined interest at xf; per pent, per year on the average value of the tractor on hand over the whole period was calculated. Interest costs average 4d per hour worked and range from 2cl to 2s per hour in extreme cases, where tractors are highpriced and little used. Total indirect, costs average Is 10d and range from lOd to Gs Gd per hour worked. Comparison with Horses. On a basis of comparison with horse and tractor costs, tractors, particularly low-fuel consumption tractors, are cheaper than horses per unit of work done, provided the sufficient area is cultivated. By enabling Hie cultivation to be done early and in season, tractors under these conditions allow of a greater not production. As a general rule tractors are profitable under the following conditions:— 1. Where the use of a tractor reduces the labour cost of working the land and enables increased production to be secured. 2. Where, as on heavy cropping ' land, a tractor is required as a supplement to the six-horse team for rush periods. - . 3. Where, as on the light plains land, horse feed is expensive to grow

and a powerful low fuel consumption tractor handling a large acreage for sheep feed can be economically used. 4. Where, as on back country, all i the available supplementary feed is required for the sheep feed can be for provision of sheep feed can be ' -’kept down by the use of a low-priced light tractor. 1 5. When general prices arc rising and increased production from the area previously required for growing feed and pasture for horses can be sold at a profit. When wool is selling at Is 3d per pound, fat lambs at 9d .per pound, butter-fat. at Is fid per pound, and wheat at 5s fid per bushel, then costs approaching these figures ean be incurred in production of an | extra unit of these commodities, but when selling priees are reduced, wool at sd, fat lambs at sd, butter-fat at Is, and wheat, at 4s, costs must not exceed these figures.' As shown above, the total average outlay per annum for running a tractor will be around £2OO, but, whatever the outlay, it will require a corresponding increase in income froin the use of the tractor. When prices are low, this income is difficult to obtain. Lower interest and depreciation costs are involved -In the use of horses, and when labour and land has little earning value, the use of horses involves little money outlay, except for chaff-cutting, twine, use of sacks, etc. As a general rule, the use of tractors on steep land is unprofitable. Conclusion. Costs are of value to a fanner only when related to his individual farm returns; for example, a horse ploughing cost of 10s per aero might, be profitable on one particular farm, while a tractor ploughing cost of 5s per acre might be unprofitable on another farm. If the conditions to be met on any particular farm are given in detail to_ Canterbury Agricultural Collegc, advice will be offered as to whether the use of a tractor would be economical. FEERING PROCESS, In making a tidy job of ploughing a paddock a good start is .half the I battle. If the feering or brake is straight and the land is uniform in j quality it is not difficult to keep i things fairly right. Ridging is a dif- | ferent mutter and it is easier to make a straight feoring than to keep straight .afterwards. It is contended by some that a crooked drill will grow more turnips than a straight one, but anyone who takes a pride in his work hates to leave behind him a pad- j dock of crooked drills. WitJi the drill plough and a pair of good stepping horses it was a comparatively easv ! job for a good horseman to make a tidy paddock, but the ridger is a coggly affair and it is the easiest thing in the world to make a few kinks. The secret in straight drilling is to have one eye on the far end of the brake and keep it there. The statement in the Bible, "Whoso putteth his hand to the plough and lookoth back," is often used by preachers as a mothnphor, but it is also true, literally with the handle plough which evas used in Biblical days and more with the ridger of today. Of course, while keeping an eye on the target one has to be sure that the turnip seed and manure are running, because straight drills without seed or manure are no good to anyone, but it is possible to get them into the line of vision with a sort of "look as you worna’ lookin’ at mo" glanee. The trouble with some drivers is that they want, to drive the ridger, but if the horses are driven the ridger will follow. Never mind the ridger and don’t look back HU you turn at the end and the result will please yon. On country whore it is necessary to use three horses in the ridge it is a good plan to take off the scat and fix a running board on the back to stand on. Tliis gives the driver a clear front view without making a, hoop of his back trying to see round the middle horse and it also makes the filling with manure an easier job. Another thing which should be noted is that the acreage measure only works while the wheels arc rolling and many a good tally is spoiled by too much time being occupied in tilling and tinkering at the machine. Before taking the ridger out the seeders should bo taken to pieces and any accumulation of buff or dirt cleaned out. If this is done and the manure fjpouts are overhauled there should not bo much lost time. DEPLETION OF SOILS. , 1 Commenting on the reported deple- 1 Hon of Canterbury soils os Hie result. 1 of Hie continuous use of superphosphate, a correspondent, in a Christ- , church paper writes the following: i "There is every reason to suppose * that there is a justification for Mr j Dunlop’s belief that amendment in Hi;-; respect is worth serious consider- i ation. All plants in their growth and removal deplete the soil of its natural j supplies of potash, and whereas for a while super alone may be sufficient, the time must come, if indeed it has not already arrived, when potash dressings must reinforce pure phosphatic ones. Any pasture may need potash whine yields are forced, up by nitrogenous and phosphatic manures. There Is assuredly need for reconsideration ' of a policy which permits only of a 1 scheme of partial fertilising in .ruc-h times as the present."

STOCK FIGURES

NEW ZEALAND AND GREAT BRITAIN. The relative number of sheep in Great Britain and New Zealand frequently forms the subject of argument. Hero are the 193.1 stock figures of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Dominion:— Great Britain. N.Z. Sheep • 2(3,235,737 29,792,516 Breeding sheep 10,054,731 17,608,720 All cattle ... 7,05:’.,228 4,080,525 Dairy cattle .. 3,500,071 1,(301,633 Pigs 3,167,660 476,104 The liig disparity in the number of breeding ewes to total sheep is a reflection of the extent to which breeding- for lambs is practised* in New Zealand, and, conversely, lln importance of mutton-raising in the Old Country. It is natural that in a large population such as Great. Britain dairy cattle for milk supply should represent a majority of the eattle. Pigs still continue to be an insignificant factor in the Dominion’s stock figures. In spite of the encouragement given to the pork export industry by the Mcut Producers’ Board in grants and prizemoney and in advertising in England, the figures here remain practically stationary. Indeed, in the last few years Hfere lias been a reduction. In 1928 there were 58(3,0(10 pigs in New Zealand, and in 1931 476,000. This does not boar out the North Island contention that if the duties on bran and pollard were removed an important pork export industry would devcl- j op. The duties on these products and feeding barley and cracked maize were removed in January, 1930, lint it lias not added to the production. MANGEL SEED RESEARCH. HA STENING GER MIN A T JON. S UCCESSF U L EN PE RIM ENTS. Experiments carried out at Lincoln College are stated to have proved that treatment of the seed of mangels with sulphuric acid hastens its gcimination. Reference to the achievement was made in a farm report to the board of governors. Mr H. .). Geddas, a member of the staff, lias developed the research. "In New Zealand, and especially in Canterbury, where the soil, is dry, one of the worst troubles is the slow germination of mangel seed," said Mr Gcddcs, in an interview. "It often takes two weeks. Last year we tried this experimental treatment with sulphuric acid at the college and in laboratory tests the increase in germination was from 40 to 70 per cent. Treated seed was also sown in a field along with control rows. While the treated rows were continuous after germination, there were* gaps of one foot to one yard in the controls. The main achievement was the much earlier germination of the treated seed.

"With ordinary seed slow germination results in losses, as the soil cakes and hampers growth (ir destroys it. This year we have treated over lOfllb of seed for farmers and ourselves. Of course, with small quantities the expense of treatment is necessarily fairly great. At present it is 1/ a pound. That has to bo taken into account with other considerations. Mangel seed is normally worth 3/ per lb,' and to ensure a good strike farmers sow up to Gib of -seed to the acre. With treated seed the quantity necessary per acre is much less and easily saves the cost of treatment."

Mr Goddes emphasised that treatment should not bo carried out by a farmer himself because of the risk in handling the powerful acid. The seed is treated for about an hour iu very strong acid, thou -washed in ammonia, and dried. The result is smaller seed, with the husk removed and the discs covering each of throe sections of the seed somewhat loosened to assist germination. TASMANIAN FORK. A sample parcel from a. trial .shipment of 75 prigs from Tasmania was pitched into 'Messrs Garnham and Son’s Smithfiekl stall recently. They weighed from 70 to lOOlbs, had been ’.veil dressed, of excellent quality, nicely shaped, and they were lean and very suitable for the Loudon trade, comparing favourably with those received from Australia and New Zealand. We doubt if a first consignment has ever arrived in better condition and for such a commendable lot it was most unfortunate they met so deplorable a trade, says the London Meat. Trades Journal.

DAIRY INDUSTRY.

! TALLOW FLAVOUR IN MILK. i | i.MLTAL CONTAINED* AND LIGHT. I 1 Dairymen the country over arc lindj ing it possible to produce milk, of j high quality as measured by the ofi (icial yardstick that is based primarily on bacteiial count. However, by j the time this supposedly high quality 1 milk reaches the consumer it is off in jflavour in many cases. Probably, the j most common of those flavour defects j iimt develops in the milk after it is j bottled and stored is that taste called j by various name., such as cappy, pap- | ery, oxidised, oily, stiiligcm, or ra.j I nvy, In this discourse the term talj lov.-y will be o.cd, w it.-s p. 11. Tra-v j of the Illinois College of Agriciilinie jin ‘‘Hoard's Ha ir} man. ’ ' ' Butter-i a t is made up of a number of different fatty acids. Borne of these fatty acids are unsaturated, that is, they have the power of talcing up oxygon. Wlimi they are exposed to air the oxygen in the air combines with Ihe unsaturated fatty acid—a chemical p:oiess called oxidation. Alter the fat has become oxidised it changes flavour, flic taste being similar to that of tallow, and for Hiat reason it ;s described by some Judges ns tallowy. The rate at which the oxidation proceeds varies, depending upon the amount of fat and oxygen ; present, as well as other factors, such j as the presence of light and certain metals. Controlling the Development. To control tlie development of tallowincss it is necessary that only certain kinds of metal may be used in the construction of dairy utensils and equipment. Because of the effect of copper and. iron upon milk flavour they must be coated with'some other metal that lias little or no effect upon the flavour of milk. It is for this .‘easou that tin is commonly used. Unfortunately, tin is soluble in certain washing powder solutions' and chemical sterilisers, as well as milk itself, and for that reason after the equipment and utensils have been iu use tor some time the tin becomes worn away, exposing the iron or copper, which iu turn, injures the quality of the milk. burface coolers are often a source oi tallowy flavour. The acid in the warm milk coming over the cooler readily dissolves the surface metal, which may itself cause a tallowy flavour to develop, or in the case of plated equipment it may cause an underneath metal to be exposed that is responsible for the flavour. The writer recently had occasion to determine the cause of a tallowy flavour that developed In the milk produced on a farm dairy. The source of the defect was found to be a surface cooler composed of an alloy primarily of nickel, copper, and zinc. Milk of high quality was ruined in flavour by passing over this cooler. In another case a tinned copper internal tubular cooler was found to be the causative agent. Here the tin had been removed through wear and the application of certain chlorine compounds, leaving exposed a copper surface. Utensils and Flavour. Milk machine pails constructed of a nickel alloy have been found to be the cause of a tallowy flavour in milk produced on a certified dairy. From the time the milk is drawn from the cow until it is placed in the glass bottle it is constantly in contact with the linings and vats of certain utensils and equipment. Care must be exercised in the selection of plant utensils and equipment else the quality of the milk will be lowered. Glass, aluminium, tin and "chromo-alleys" have been found to have little effect upon milk flavour.

Recent studies have shown .sunlight to be closely associated with the development. of a tallowy flavour in milk. Milk in colourless glass bottles left exposed to the direct rays of the sun for even 30 minutes will become tallowy. In diffuse light the defect develops somewhat slower. Continued exposure to the sunlight will result in a very noticeable burnt flavour, which is associated with the milk serum rather Hum iu the butter-fat. When copper or iron salts are present iu milk the effect of sunlight upon the development of tallowy flavour is more pronounced. Trouble in Bottle Containers.

One of the peculiar things about tallowiuoss iu milk is that the milk at. the bottler will taste perfectly normal and not until several hours later will the oil-flavour be noticeable. This is due to the fact that a certain amount of time is required for the fat to liecome oxidised, so Hint milk contaminated with metallic sails, such as those of inn: or copper, al Hie lime of cooling and bottling, may not have a tallowy flavour until next day or the day aft" r.

On the other hand, milk may reach the consumer with only slight traces of the flavour and yet have a j.<rnuonneed tallowiucss when opened, due to light exposure on the porch when the bottle has been loft after defic-

it has been found that the tallowy flavour occurs more commonly in winter thau-iu summer, it is also more evident in the summer months when the weather suddenly turns cool. Furthermore, the flavour develops more mindly in milk held at 40 degieea Fahrenheit, than that held at GS degree:- Fahrenheit.

THE WORLD’S MEAT

DIVISION OF UNITED KINGDOM MARKET. IMPORTS INTO GREAT BRITAIN. LONDON, September 5. The importance of the United Kingdom as a market for meat produets and the small share of the total imports at present enjoyed by the Empire countries are brought out in the Empire Marketing Board’s Survey of Meat, the latest number in tin* Board’s new statistical series. It gives the figures of world production, as far as they can be ascertained, and distribution -of exports and imports of all the piincipal countries, dealing in turn with beef, mutton and lamb, bacon and hams, pork, cattle, keep, pigs, and canned meal. The Empire as a Home for Pigs.

The Empire emerges from the enquiry with more than a third of the world's sheep and 40 per cent, of its cattle, but with no more than t per cent, of its pigs. Of the 2SO million pigs in the world, 'only 12 per cent, are Empire pigs. The import of meat into the United Kingdom from the United States, Argentina, and Denmark, in particular, .s a large item in Britain’s foreign .rade. The Empire imports a great deal of chilled beef—4oo,ooo to 500,000 tons annually—and gains of chilled beef at the expense of frozen beef have diminished the share of the Dominion in the United Kingdom marker. Mutton is also imported on a large scale—over 2,000,000 cwts annually—the United Kingdom being far the most important market in the world for exporters. Foreign imports of lamb have increased, and are now 52 per cent, of the total, where they were 25 per cent, in 1021). The New Zealand imports have also increased, and are more than half of the total. Bacon, Hams, and. Canned Meat.

The United Kingdom is a heavy importer of bacon, and imports from outside the Umpire have been increasing of recent years, averaging well over -100,000 tons annually. Ninety per cent, of the imports of bacon and ham were of foreign origin, about 70 per cent, of the bacon from Denmark, and 80 per cent., of the hams from the United .States.

As in. the case of many oilier commodities, world trade in pig meats bears no relationship lo the production of the different countries. Denmark, though low on the list in point of the number of pigs kept, is easily first as an exporter of bacon and ham. The industry in that country is carried on as an export industry to a degree not approached elsewhere. In .1930, for example, there were in Canada about 45 pigs per .100 inhabitants, in the United States about 42, in the United Kingdom only six, but in Denmark as many as 140. Home Production.

Tin l Homo former produces about half of the beef supplies. In the ten years previous to 1920 imports were increasing, but the share of the Home producer began- to rise, and rose till 1050. The Home farmer produces about -K! per cent, of the mutton and jamb; 5,000,000 cwt of pork are produced locally, of which about one-half probably goes for curing. The import figure is more than double this. Pork—Exports and Distribution.

Although most of the world’s trade in jug products is concerned with bacon' and hams, there are uevorthe-

less in certain direction important movements of pigmeat in other forms. The Irish Free .State, Hollancl, Poland,, and other European countries export fresh pork, New Zealand and the United .States frozen pork, while' there is also a small trade from various countries in salted and pickled pork.

The export qf ‘fresh, pork from the’ t Irish Free State formed about 3 .per cent, of the total exports by value' from that country in the period ,1926: ‘ ■‘in. In no other case did the tradeamount to as much as 2 pqr cent. r pf the total.

Ireland’s export of fresh pork, is en-. tirely to the United Kingdom, and practically nil the frozen pork ‘sent from New Zealand and nearly 70. per , cent, of that from the United States ■ilso go to the same country. Since , fhe 'United Kingdom placed an, ( einimrgo on imports of fresh meat from • fhe : Continent Holland’s trade . has - been mainly with Belgium, ’ , France,, and Oennany, and' has recently’ been ‘Seriously a (I’ected by the quota .system... : New Zealand’s Meat Consumption. . Striking contrasts “appear in ' the’ Amount of meat consumed by the iff-” habitants of various countries. Australia and New Zealand consume,nearly 2501 b of. meat a head, eaejm yedjy,-. mainly beef and mutton,..while f , £pr„ ; flic United Kingdom, .the.. United ; •States, and Canada, the quantity . r is. ; father less than 3501 J). Imports of Lamb and, Mutton,.. . The steady and , considerable Aifc] ~ crease in the imports of lamb .from., all countries except Australia, isp./thfee principal feature of the figures re-- • garding imports of mutton and.; .lamb---into , the United Kingdonu. . For .1931 y the total imports of mutton and lamb,-.; amounted to 7,137,000. cwt, of whiyb.;:3.409.000 were from New Zealand,.. 1.553.000 from .Argentina, .1,532,00.0,' from Australia, and 284,000 from tjru: ... gnay. • ~