FARM AND DAIRY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 16 April 1932, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY

' NOTES OF THE WEEK SALT AND -MINERAL FOODS (Contributed) It is generally accepted that salt is an essential to the daily diet of all domestic animals, including the pig. It imparts flavour and relish lo food, incites appetite and promotes digestion, it induces the secretion of the digestive fluids and encourages nutrition by stimulating a greater assimilation of protein. It has been proved by experiment that a pig weighing 1001 b. will absorb half an ounce of salt daily. Given regularly in small doses, there can be no objection to its use —in fact it is essential—but care should be taken that over doses are not given. Sudden cases of illness, often with fatal results, have been traced to pigs eating abnormal quantities of salt, but these are very rare, and should not cause unnecessary alarm. It has been proved by tests that where pigs are deprived of salt, it requires more food to produce 1001 b. of gain in pork. . The most sensible plan is to allow pigs to liavo a liberal supply of mineral food always in boxes before them. Occasionally pigs are observed to develop unnatural cravings, and will eat all sorts of rubbish lying about. This points to a deficiency of some mineral in the food. , . When it is considered that lime lurnislies the bulk of the dry ash of bone it will be seen how important it is to have this element available. On poor land or sandy soils there is always a deficiency of lime. On such soils it inessential that the mineral food be always accessible for the .pigs. Bipod sows in particular should always have lime in some form. Pregnant sows should be given a little water daily, also sows with litters, as it is such a useful corrective in many forms of indigestion, diarrhoea, or scours m both old and young pigs. ILLUMINATING TESTING RETURNS The returns just published giving the results of semi-official testing work among pedigree Jerseys hist season deally indicate that the productive ability of the breed, so far from going back is steadily increasing. Despite a somewhat unfavourable season when the average production for all the cows m the Dominion dropped from 2181 b. fat to 2011 o. fat, the average for the 503 pedigree Jerseys under the 365 day E. 0.11. test increased from 466.781 - fat to 486.25 b. fat. An increase of 201 b. lat m the average when the general tendency was a definite downward one, is a. striking illustration of the still higher standard to which the productive capacity of our stud stock is being raised. Analysing the C.O.R. returns it is found that ol the 503 Jerseys no fewer than 191 were junior two-year-olds, which makes t >c average infinitely mojiir creditable. Iho 135 ‘mature cows showed the remarkable average of 547.491 b. fat in 350 days. Only one class record was broken during the year, and interesting enough, it was shattered by no fewer than three animals. This was the junior two-year-old leadership of 731.291 b. of lat, held by 11. S. Tuck’s (Waharoa) Ivonclalo Oxford Lass, whose yield was exceeded during the year by R. Waterhouse s (Papakura) Coiuston Goldie, it. L. J •»- kin’s (Bell Block) Ashton Olives let and A. L. Hooper’s (Waitara) Budgeview Jersey Queen. These three great heifers, together with another of the same age in P. J- Hellycr’s (Bunedin) Frisky’s Favourite who broke flic houLli Island junior two-year-old record by producing 7111 b. fat, were the features of the year’s testing work. lie highest return for all ages was 840 411 b. fat produced by a three-year-old, Cythereass Twylish Cream, the property ol E. Clough, Inglewood. The number of pedigree Jerseys to which first class certificates were granted last season for both the 365 and 305 days periods was 600, as compared with a total of only 137 for all the fo’ur other breeds. ■ THE DAM’S INFLUENCE In the “Journal of Dairy Science,” Mr Lyon Copeland declares that there is undoubted correlation between Lie production of a cow and the production of the daughters, and that therefore the selection of females from high record dams should result in a herd that.should produce in excess of the breed average. Ho deprecates the selection of a bull purely on the record of the dam and declares that the record of the dam is almost twice as reliable a measure ol the production of her own daughters as it is of her son’s daughters. ■ Mr Copeland stresses the point that too much information cannot possibly be obtained by anybody selecting an untried youirg bull. Investigation should be made into the average of the dam’s record, the dam’s sisters’ records and the dam’s daughters’ records. If the dam has no record, the average of the records of her maternal sisters and of her daughters gives almost equally dependable results. SENSATIONAL RECORD IN STOUT At the rate she is going the four-year-old Jersey heifer, Woodland s ’Felicie, the property of Mr P. J. Peterson, Waitara, gives promise not only of breaking the New Zealand record but also the world’s production record. For the last few months she has consistently produced over 1001 b. fat, each monthly effort showing a slight increase over the previous period. The culminating point was her latest monthly return of 112.30 lb. fat and she now lias 656.451 b. fat to her credit in only 195 days. When it is recognised that the average production for all cows in New Zealand is only about 2001 b. fat. Felieie’s feat in producing three times that amount in a little over six months can be more fully appreciated. This dairying queen, who was bred by Mr H. C. Sampson, New Plymouth,,is a daughter of the Canadian bred bull, Bright Sultan (imp). Thus she is carrying on the work of an illustrious ancestry for Bright Sultan is line-bred to the great Island bull, Golden Maid’s Prince, who begot Fauvie’s Prince, the only sire with three daughters with records exceeding 10001 b. fat. Il certainly looks clear at this stage that New Zealand bred Woodland’s Felicie will easily exceed the 10001 b. mark for the full 365 days. The present New Zealand record holder is Holly Oak Annie, C.O.R. 10561 b. fat. BUSINESS-LIKE FA RM INC Increasingly every day dairy farming is being conducted on a more businesslike basis. The advent of group herdtesting has paved the way for a better system of farm management, making as it, does for the elimination of unprofitable animals and the retention of only the profitable ones. Herd testing is really yet in its infancy in this country but when farmers realise slill more its immense potentialities it is evident that it will become the greatest factor in the advancement of the industry. It is inconceivable that there are still dairy farmers who refuse to take advantage of it and continue to keep cows (hat are not paying for their keep. It is oh vious that the elimination of low pro ducers is the first step in developing a really profitable herd. A study of (he herd testing sheets opens the eyes of the testing farmer to the possibilities in the

right class of cows and flip, enormous importance of securing tlio prepotent sire of good butlerfab backing. A NEW ZEALAND RECORD A New Zealand record for monthly production amongst junior two-year-olds has been established by the very juvenile heifer, Alfalfa dowel, whose latest monthly return under semi-official lest is 77.301 b. fat. This heifer who started test at the tender age of one year 310 days, is owned bv Messrs A. E. Raker mid son. J’ukearune, North Tarnaki, and was bred by Mr F. J. Saxby, “Alfalfa,” Hamilton. Her sire is Alfalfa Flying Fox, a double grandson of Waipiko Masterpiece C. 8.8., whose first born daughters established some little time ago a world’s record average for age. STRIP FI NCI IS IMPORTANT Not long ago, to satisfy my own curiosity. I tested t ho very first milk of a. cow whose average test was 5.5 per cent., and thou tested the very last strippings, writes a contributor to the “Jersey Bulletin (U.S.A.). I found I hat t lie first milk contained .8 per cent, fat while the last milk tested 12.4 per cent, fat —15 limes more butter-fat in the ’last drawn milk. Stripping is important not only because this milk conjoins much more buttnrfat, hut also may help avoid much udder trouble. ‘"Keep your hands smooth and soft by rubbing' in Sydal Emollient regularly. 1/-, 2/- and 7/6.