A DIARY COW’S FOOD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 10 March 1939, Page 8

A DIARY COW’S FOOD

QUESTION OF NUTRITIVE VALUE ■' ] i A dairy cow crop? grass over approx- i 1 imately one-sixth of an acre a day. If 1 i the farmer imagines himself doing this : r job with a lawnmower he will realise s something of the amount of work a cow i , must do to provide herself with the bulk j ( of food she requires. To produce one j pound of butter-fat an average cow i s must consume up to 1501 b of pasturage, j J In view of these figures it should be appreciated that when pasture is short : it is essential to provide dairy cows j 1 with bulkv foods such as hav or ensil- s age. and that where the nutritive value c of the grass’ is low. but the bulk ample, the ration should be balanced by the addition of concentrates. The dairy cow is a wonderful factory for the conversion of fodder of all sorts 1

to a highly complex food in the form of milk. but. like all other factories, she must have a regular and ample supply of raw materials if she is to turn out the finished article in payable quantity and quality. Never neglect Colds, take Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure.

FROZEN FOODSTUFFS A GROWING INDUSTRY GOOD NUTRITIONAL VALUE Statistics, prepared by the foodstuffs j division of the Federal Bureau of Forj oign and Domestic Commerce relative to “frozen” and "frosted” foods, reveal 1 that 47 American companies reported | ar. output of 159.209.00011) of quick- ' frozen foods in 1936, while in 1937. 62 .companies reported an output of 273.407.7661 b. Trade estimates for 1938 place probable production at about 480.000.0001 b. , The survey points out that research - workers estimate that waste-elimination i ranges from 33 to 66 per cent, in frozen vegetables, and from 15 to 80 per eent.. in meats and sea foods. Research hn.s also shown that vitamin retention unci nutritional value arc satisfactory, and Ihat althoufSi frozen goods do deteriorate quickly when thawed, bacteria are effectively checked while the food is frozen. NEWS AND NOTES DRIED GRASS FOR riGS I 111 the swine experimental work at Ruakura, three groups of pigs were used to test out the worth of dried grass in the winter store ration. The grass was taken from some of the farm's manurial plots and was cut with a lawnmower. The material, which had to be ground for the pigs j tlJ lake it. contained a good proportion j of clover and the resulting dried grass | meal had a high protein content (about (28 per cent.) The pigs were able to j take Jib Per day, but the group re- | ceiving lib per day could not manage so bulky a fodder, and the amount was j halved. The superiority of meat meal to dried grass meal was shown in the figures for another group. VALUE OF ENVIRONMENT Some poultry-keepers, especially beginners fail to appreciate fully the great importance of correct environment, and they try to build up their flocks before gaming the necessary experience. Good (eggs, day-old chicks, or perching pul--1 lets may be purchased from reliable | breeders, but if a number of these fail i to come up to expectations during their growing or laying period there is oliten a tendency to blame the seller when ' the real cause is due to some misman- j agement through lack of experience and ! a thorough knowledge of the full re- I quirements of growing stock. Suitable housing and sheltered runs are as neccssary as suitable feeding. SPECTACLES FOR HAY-FEVER How he cured himself of hay fever by accident was revealed by Mr Noel Bryan-Jones, a member of the Board oi Examiners of the British Optical Association. He said: “I suffered from hav fever for years. Then one summer, to my surprise and joy. I waited in vain for my usual bout. Nothing happened. ' Then I realised that I was wearing ! spectacles with a certain type of lens which is used by opticians to relieve eyestrain, caused by the effect of bright light. “That was five years ago. and it started me on investigations that have led to my discovery. “The type of lens used in. hay fever-curing spectacles is always the same, but it lias to be i slightly modified to suit individual cases.” OVERSEAS AFFORESTATION As one always interested in afforesta- j tion and an advocate for community i

forests in Australia and New Zealand. JMr R. J. Morris, a member of the i Queensland bowling party, told Nelson Rotarians of the keen interest being j taken in afforestation in Japan and ; Germany, two countries he had recent- j ] ly visited. Mr Morris said that every town in Germany had its community ! forest, and in some districts the asset ! was so valuable that the profits from ! i the milling of the bush met half the : local rates. In all countries the native! 1 bush was dwindling, and it was necesI sary for extensive planting to be undertaken. In Japan 62 per cent, of the land was in forest or about to be planted. In the last five years Japan had averaged 300.000,000 trees planted. The Germans and Japanese recognised the value of afforestation, and he hoped that Australia and New Zealand would ir the next few years show greater j activity in that direction.