ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13768, 5 June 1908, Page 9

ON THE LAND.

MANAGEMENT OF THE* FARM. '•','_ THE SMALL SETTLER. '• . ': . [by bata.] ** No business can bo so badly mismanaged an farming and still give the mismanager a living. But this is no reason for trying to reach the limit of bad management." The above is taken from the columns of an agricultural paper, and the average farming reader will readily admit that it is chockfull of truth; yet it seems strange that it should bo so in this age of up-to-dateness. '

. Probably in the next decade or so things will bo altered and the fanner will be able to range himself alongside the smartest of smart business men, for the rising generation of agriculturists have opportunities for acquiring a thorough knowledge of both the theory and practice of farming such as our forefathers never dreamed of.

, The . agricultural colleges of to-day, the teaching of agricultural chemistry, and the reducing of the highest scientific theories to common knowledge must all tend to produce an intelligent farmer whose chances of success can bo threatened only by adverse circumstances over which ho has no control.

The mismanagement on the farm of today, however, is more pronounced amongst the many who make, a living out of the small section, and, generally speaking, it is due cither to carelessness, lack of experience, or want of method.

Where carelessness dominates the farmer in his workings"no sympathy can be offered when he finds that his returns arc far less than they ought to be. We all know the gentleman of , the "it'll do" creed. He generally hangs things on the floor, and, as a rule, lie tics up his broken harness with a bit of flax, not because ho is short of the price of a few split rivets, nor because he is short of time, but simply because a bit of flax will do. Everything inside his fences shows suffering from the " it'll do" complaint. The house roof leaks a little, the crops are too late sown, around the cowshed is like a moat without a. drawbridge, every wheel on the place cries aloud for grease, but ho passes on with si ha"ny smile and the comfort of his philosophic motto "It'll do."

In the case of the man whoso mismanagement is duo to lack of experience there is hope for him. He may put, his crops in far too late, or ho may use phosphates where nitrogen is needed; but when in duo season he sees a very poor return for his money and labour ho will want to know just where lie made the mistake, and, what is more, he will find out and profit by it. There are very many men who have, taken up farming without having had any previous experience—and made it pay. They have of. a necessity gone through a period, of . mismanagement, but if during that period they did manage to make a living, tho hard-headed ones would not bo long in finding out that better management resulted in better returns.

If the small farmer, who is only just making a living, would take himself to task lie would in most instances find that want of method in his work is his chief drawback. Its is a very difficult thing for a man working his farm single-handed, with perhaps„.occasional hired labour, to get everything done at, its proper time. As a rule he is craving for a few more pairs of hands to his body, a few more hours of daylight, and a few more days to tho week, so that he might get dono all that needs doing at a given time. But if he will make up his mind to accept the inevitable and be content with one pair of hands and time as it always has been and ever will be, he will find himself better off in the long run, providing always that he goes about his work in a systematic manner. .'

Don't try to do half-a-dozen jobs at the same time, but do one thing and do it well. Make up your mind as to which job needs doing first, and, having decided, start on the work and finish it.

Work partly done is never very cheering, and one acre well cultivated is a far more pleasing prospect than ten acres • ploughed, but left to get overgrown again with scrub and fern, becauso the one acre is ready and in good trim for any use you may put it to ; but your ten acres of overgrown ploughed land will require a tremendous lot of extra work, and work which will carry with it a constant reminder of " what might have been." ■ .

. One piece of necessary work which 13 often put" off until too late for the season is the planting of shelter trees on the newly-made farm or orchard. The planting of shelter is really one of the most important tilings to be done, for neither crops, nor cattle, nor poultry can come to their best when exposed to every wind that blows and to the full power of the hot summer sunshine, and the man who neglects to shelter his puldocks or orchard is guilty of flagrant mismanagement. The cost of shelter is small in comparison with the results obtained, find the variety of quickly-growing trees- or hedge plants so great that any neglect in this respect is inexcusable.

. From an ounce or two of seeds sown, in a garden patch at the right time and treated with the most ordinary care you can get sufficient trees to plant out, a good many chains of shelter which, apart from their value as shelter, add to the beauty of the farm and when well own have a standard value of £1 per lineal chain, according to the Government valuator. ■

Mismanagement is too often shown in tlio treatment of grass paddocks. It is a common thing to see a paddock laid down in grass, and when it is ready for feeding off all the stock on the place are turned in on it and kept on until what was a nice sward of grass resembles a well-worn carpet. Subdivision is a great aid to successful farming. If you have 20 acres of grass you will derive more profit from it by fencing off into, say, three, or four paddocke, than you will by making two 10-aeres, or 'using the whole. The cows , get frequent changes into sweet pasture, and those paddocks which are shut up get a rest and time to grow. The cost of fencing for. these subdivisions will soon be wiped out by the increase of milk and butter.

Good management is shown, not so much by the successful largo operations, as by careful attention to the minor details of everyday work, which are often neglected because the immediate results are not noticeable.

Thoroughly strip the cow at every milking, no matter how you are pushed for time. If you axe going to catch the early morning train for town trot off without blacking your boots if needs be, but don't do the cow and yourself a bad turn by poor milking.

Make a regular thing of cleaning out the cowshed, stable, fowlhouses, and pigsty. Fowls and . animals thrive better and are more contented if their quarters are always kopt clean. The old saying, "Happy as a pig in muck," is quite wrong. The pig in a clean and sweet sty is not only much happier than his dirty brother, but is ready for the butcher's knife much earlier.

Keep an account of your receipts and expenditure—no matter in what simple form, so long as nothing is omitted on one side or the - other—and at the end of each year balance up your books. You will then have absolute proof of your good management or tithorwise.

FEEDING SORGHUMS.

" To avoid poisoning when feeding sorghums it fefe is advisable to adhere to the following rules: '.., . —Never allow stock to have access to growing I& . crops of sorghum, millet, amber cane, Dhoura ;''' or Egyptian corn, kaffir corn, or other plant ji of the sorghum family. Apart from the dan- ', " ger of poisoning, the practice of grazing the crop is a. wasteful one. Never feed newly- '" , cut sorghum at any stage of its growth, but .'' always allow it to dry or "wilt" for one or two days. If the atmosphere is dry and •.'■' / sunny, the danger will disappear more quick- ' ly. Never feed immature growth. Feed only (-.', in the green state ''crops which have blossom- ' '. ■ed and are forming grain. Only use that '.., torghirm as green feed which has been grown vigorously on moist land. Stunted crops off dry land should be made into hay or ensilage before use. Let the allowance be always moderate in amount, with a due proportion of ?i ? other foods. v

' FAT, PERCENTAGE OF MILK. . The effect upon the yield of fat influenced by the breed 13 -well'known,' but "the variations caused by the-individuality of the cows (says Dr. H. B. Wood in the Country Gentleman) yield.'about' 5 per cent, butter-fat; Guernsey, 5 per cent;- Shorthorn, 4.1 per cent.; Ayrshire, 3.7 per cent.; Holstein, 3 per cent. A mixed milk, as supplied to cities, should contain over 4- per cent., but owing to carelessness in production and lack of attention to the cows the percentage is usually 'about 3. High-grade milk, under the supervision of milk commissions or pro-, duced from registered stock, contains about 5 per cent, butter-fat. If a cow is found to yield but a small quantity of milk this should be tested to determine the percentage, of fat. She should not he excluded from the herd until the quality of her milk is known.

If by analysis the butter-fat of the mixed herds is found to be too low, the cows producing the greatest quantity of milk'sbould be examined and the poorer ones excluded, or the desired result may be obtained by adding a cow which yields a small quantity of rich milk, as a pure Jersey. The fat yield of the individual cows should bo known, .else the value of the herd cannot be appreciated. Since the Babcock test is so easy and rapid that method should bo adopted.

Each cow has her own peculiarities, and will yield milk accordingly. Just because she is a Jersey cow is no proof that her butter-fat will always tally 5 per cent. Each cow lias a percentage -all her own, and the Jersey may yield anywhere from 3 to 7 per cent. The individuality of a. cow can only bo learned by observation. Somo cows give their richer milk in the evening, others in the morning. A daily account of the separate morning and evening yields of each cow should be kept, to detect any changes due to harmful influences. A cow that, after giving a constant flow, suddenly lowers to a different yield and keeps to that, is under somo dangerous influence of surroundings--weather, feeding, or other factor affecting her health. When the danger is thus suspected :it can be readily discovered and eliminated before it passes beyond the control of the farmer.

Fore milk contains many bacteria and little fat. As it is, therefore, a detriment to the milk supply, it should be discarded. Foro milk is that- portion of milk first secreted, and which lies at the bottom of the udder cistern. The first three or four teatfuls should bo milked on the floor of the stall, or into a pail for calf-feeding. The last milk drawn is the richest in butter-fat.

With an incorrect manner of milking tho fat yield will be diminished. If the milking is not done gently t-hb cow will be disturbed or injured, and the milk yield will be less. Violent abuse of the cow injures the udder, decreases the yield, and causes dirt to fall from tho udder into the pail. The y; old of milk may bo considerably augmented by gentle massage of the udder, which consists of a lifting, rubbing, compressing motion by the palm of the hand on tho quarters. This, however, must be done gently or it will bo injurious. .

The time of day for milking must not be left too late. The longer the time between milkings the less will be tho fat yield, bcctuso the udder ' fills with the watery part of the milk, the presence of which prevents the secretion of fat. If cows were milked mora frequently, bitfc regularly, they would yield more and richer milk. In Holland milking is clone several times a day, which work gives good results. With the high cost of labour this method is not applicable in this country. "

Quantity of milk is largely the result of food influence; quality is more the characteristic of the animal. Watery food; as pasture grass, increases the output of fat. Ensilage makes more and better milk than does dry fodder. Second crop clover and cowpeas are excellent for increasing the miik yield. . Tho high-class dairies have found that the greatest flow of milk can bo obtained by feeding regular rations of •ensilage, bran, hay, etc., each feed being given in definite weighed amounts. Owing to certain individual traits fiomo cows require more food than others. . ~-•.- -

Environment frequently has a marked effect on tho milk and the fat yield. The ordinary daily fluctuations in tho quantity of milk produce an inverse change in the fat percentage, keeping the total yield of fat nearly constant. When anything causes the amount of milk to diminish there is usually a corresponding rise in the fat percentage. Exposure to chilling or damp winds, fright, or other emotion, sudden changes in temperature in ■ the barn and improper treatment, in many cases, decrease the fat percentage. Impure surroundings, badly ventilated barns, lack of exercise, numerous injuries, ill-usage and long confinement within the barn will decrease the milk yield and tho fat percentage. These, also, undermine the health of ,tho animals and render them liable- to tuberculosis infection.