ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13602, 22 November 1907, Page 8

ON THE LAND .

,'.'*. "' * ■ \v<?'•?* THE MANURE HEAP. ' Mam:ke that lias been carefully kopt in fa cover and properly composted will shd ■ its effect almost immediately, but if iV(J'" ; been leached by heavy rains and exposed',' " > to drying winds and be sun's rays-; it w m,"" * bo of littlo value, although it may not 1* worthless, as (ionic-thing of more or W value will remain, but whether it will j )av for the labour and expense of hauling' it" is a doubtful matter. b /"'Tf,! : All kinds of manure .should 'be^kopt''una«flll cover to avoid heavy rains. A leakage heit, and there, or a little water on it now ? : ' : then, is nor. a disadvantage, but by r'<ri mean.? allow the manure to bo. soaked U-'- * drenching rains, for they carry- away the ' ' most valuable portion of it. • Prepare h , suitable place for the manure, sloping .to.'. V wards the centre, and under cover. First put down a layer of muck or fores; mould, over which place a thick coverm- ' of leaves, and then throw on the manure" ■ From tiroo to time let all the soapsuds and' liquid manures', bo thrown over the solidi As soon as tho ' manure has been placed or,' the heap commence.the process again with , tho dirt and leaves. If the leaves are, not handy use waste bedding of tho stables and•■'.> pong.' . _ ... _ - '' V,■ Always finish by leaving the manure cover., ed. Keep it damp, but in no ease let itT.'.'■'• get drenched. Moisture, however, will assist decomposition, especially if tho liquid* - of the stable are used. It will be an' ad--.' vantage to sprinkle the heap every <Jj) T , ■ or whenever the manure is thrown oiii; ■>'■. with diluted sulphuric acid, which not only' decomposes it and renders it soluble, but" also converts the ammonia into sulphate of. ammonia. Do nob avoid the littlo extr* ' labour,, but take good care of the manure," heap, for therein is the wealth of tho farm.

■'■■ -^"'"s'SGlf: . MILK VEINS AND THE UDDER./ . A few years ago, sav-s Hoard's Dairyman, we thought we should nee what percentage of the farmers out of 100 believed that the krg» veins on th© belly of the cow, which W ■ ■' called milk veins, were really veins for con-' veying milk to tho udder. So, without ex- ' pressing any opinion of our own on the mattor, wo simply, asked the following question'; ' ' of one farmer after another , ~ ".' " Why are tlrose veins called milk veins*'' Tho answer from 90 out of 100 was in effect like this: "Because they carry the milk to' the udder." Of tho remaining ten, five" could not give any answer except that they did not'know, while only fivo had the right idea, viz., that these veins were ia reality; great blood rein's-returning from the udder, to the heart. Afterwards wo conversed with i several of the original 90 on the subject, «it!, : stated to them'- what science had really found - out and as to tho purpose of these veins. ■ In almost every instance, however,' we found them adhering steadfastly to their former" ideas. One of them declared 'that he hioV cut into iho veins of a. dead 6ow,'and had • seen the milk flow out. Now, this is bub one of the several t«or».concerning the physiology, of & cow which .wrc'Stp^trgly.. believed in by. the farmers. Td" \* ! be really intelffgent and well-informed, to = i bolieve' tho truth antkjiot.A mass of errors,'}. on. "any questions concerning' Jiving beinp, { - one must make a study of them. Can■«■«.■..■ afford as farmers to be harbouring' & mass of unfounded notions about so important sn animal as the cow? If wo believe the truth.as it really,exiite,-' that . these veins . return J the blood .to th« j -- , heart, : it will beach us several valuable let-' sons. .-.-.."": First, it will slx>w us the enormous circuit.' tion of blood that is required to produc* ' milk-in a good cow.' - Second, it will teach w that wo must take good care of the liodcr. ", for with such a heavy, influx and outpour oi ■ ■blood';the'. organ is.very sensitive* to abrupt; changes of heat and cold. This is tie rea- ■' son that cows -harcMgikijgc^' 1 ,- I by lying on cold ground late in the autumn: ' | also by lying on stone or cement flcoj,--. Third, it will teach us the folly of tying row* to th© common stanchion whereby it is ©aft", for a .standing cow to step on to'tlao teats,' or udder of the cow that is lying down aej|Mw to' her. We should 'wisely- provide a system,. " of tying cows in tho stablo that will prevent such serious injuries. Fourth, a knowledge of 'the true physiology of the udder Will teach us the importance of careful and gentle usage of it in milking and the great importance of attending to any dorsngenseatu _. at once, which may, take place. '" . There is no reason on earth why every v farmer who keeps cows should not be a well: informed man on the physiology and function of th© i dairy cow. Such knotorledg*' would prove a very profitable guide tit t)i» wisest and best methods of handling the cow. , Wo should always remember that the higbeti, profit from cows can only come through the -j use of - the best judgment ,and the best methods. To have i good judgment ,we must , have sound knowledge, for, as said th* an-' cient proverb: "Woe unto him who beli»veth a lie." ■"•: '';■ ';"''' '''^'pjk •■'■ '- - ■■ ' " ■' ■.-'•--■■■ ; —■ . , . , COWS ARE NOT ALIKE. • , , -' Like human beings, cows differ one from; another '.widely; in other words, t each'cow, - has her individuality. Tho food.which one 1 cow cats with avidity another oow dishfc* and eats with reluctance. Th© ration that is perfectly balanced for one member eC the herd, and by the mo of which she pro: 1 duces greatly and economically. "is, entireiT, out of proportion for another and she,pro-.-duces far below her ability in amount of. milk, butter-fat, and profit. ■ . . ," To accomplish''," best. results is no t?".# ;, task, eo that on farms' whore the Lord .is, large • enough,■'containing'so cows or »i° r 'i...f, ono man should have entire : charge of the feeding. If i lie is endowed with S ibe'qu*' l |tS« ficationa of an expert feeder:'-he' can easily stimulate the herd.to return handsome profits after deducting his own salary. *" , should;bo a man who is capable of studying' , and learning tho peculiarities of each ani- • nial in the herd, and should know, the <™ ,r • •"actor of the ration' demanded by each bow and'be able to balance'up the ration accor;--fogly. '-•■■■.'''■' :•■••■'.■-..■■■•■■'■= r : :'>:•■■ j^'fi%' : fi a ' ■ - , -' :/ DAIRYING ITEMS. A couple of rudimentary teste, .behind, *; ! * four fully-dovclopecl ones aie a good ,nrtl ''" cation. ; ■" . . _-. i. Signs of good cows many times- {»''■ Looks, in a cow, at least, are sometime*., , deceiving.- ,_ V' V ■ .; Apart front the inherent qualities of -Wcow and her feeding, tho roost ihii«« , -"> i , feature, perhaps, is tho housing. - One of the most important points JirtjgW^.^.'.; ; motinff cleanliness is that the stalls, $o°"' be adapted to the-'size of the cows.' '.> If the cows are fed before milking. R »*>: cienfc time should elapse ■ between'.: feeding 1 ; • and milking to allow all dust to settle. - If milk, has been kept in a room whM» the .temperature has been too high- & £ > : i ;:-;. conies -tainted," "and- will euralo ****■ , , boiled. -, \;. Milk production is to a'large cxtent^«;• . pendent on the nervous system,' and *?** , inglv: eomfortablo quarters avo..of.p'»"»'? H , . - importance.. ~ '_ W T hile we have had many, admirable, JenJfor at least twenty years, tile rank .andiw of- our milking stock; improves very sipw, , and it is 50 per rent, worse tban-it » u b ' ' to he. , „ , As to the absolute indigiciieaWhty & *■;;. separator'in a creamery or dairy whrra .. large quantities of milk are dealt wto, J,r is hardly' possible to find a diverg« D , ~ opinion. '-', " * - ~•' i Cleanliness in the shed is to be woo'** : . cd from -the point-of viow ,of ,:.tl)e-r,W l M||||.for it will generally be found that «>*'.* i, -'. 'do better and yield better when thn «W are- kept clean. - ~.-•■. . • - ' "'.'-^j"«J' ! -||£||sl|| When siiage imparls a bad or <h M ? able flavour to the milk produced . ' rem.' -, almost, invariably the cause is that tl-P has not been fed properly or that■*!»*'. silage' has teen used. , Y ■« If the milk his been kept in wssf» ' a room where there is a great deal of o» > , ■or' if it contains a little dirt that c*P' , from tho hands of tho milter or from ... udder: of the cow at milking-time, « .y' curdle when it is being boiled. ', \,-- • ■ It' -the- heifer should fail to turn c : JV; wo -cannot, blame anyone but ' our?e» o^"ffi^' f whereas, if we trust the man we' '"■*, t^> ;; and then our expectation* are not r ? * '-J we are quite inclined to fine »"."• M<t , i.ovcr fuiiy trust the neighbour »■' *•■,.,..-■;.[■,,^