ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13874, 7 October 1908, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

THE DAIRYING SEASON. • "With tho > opening of the dairying season comes a favourable opportunity for discussing questions affecting this important, industry, and one of the most - important ■•■;■'■'■' -questions at ..the present . timo is how taj .increase the production of butter and cheese.. Prices are good for these products, the demand is good, arid our farmers have only to " provide enough raw material in the shape of milk to largely augment their output. There are two ways of doing this,' which have often : been pointed out—by ..breeding and feeding.'.When the average-dairy cow in New ; Zealand approaches tho Holstcin. Henrietta which gave 15,5651b of milk making 5581b of butter in one year, or even, equals the six best cows at the Weraroa Experimental Farm, which yielded from . 90001b to ,12,0001b :of milk, and from 1;3451b to 4501b of butter-fat for the season, wo shall see: an enormous increase in tho production of both butter and cheese. . ;• i' , Improvement by breeding takes time and! . 7 skill and money. Increasing tho milk production by feeding, or preventing decrease. '. of production through lack of feed, can be ■ started right away. ''During tho noxttwo. months is the time when dairy-farmers can put. in fodder, crops, which will help ■■.ti'tjm."'. to combat the summer drought, or,. if the drought ■ does not come, will provide hay ' and ensilage for winter'use.'•; • V ; J ' It is accepted as a matter •of fact now:, that if our dairy-farmers had possessed, even, moderate areas of green* maize, lucerne, '$r other suitable fodders, the butter produc-: tion of tho Dominion last season would hate . been a record one, and the farmers would have put a few hundred, .thousand pounds •extra into their pockets. ; ;-v i *' SI "'' Lucerne in suitable soil would withstand a much greater spell of heat ; and drought than that which wo endured last season, and : : it does not take a great area of lucerne.to ; keep cows in milk during tho summer season. ■■ . . ■■■•■■ /J* .■ *?-';• There are few farms in Now Zealand V which do not possess some little 'flat jor pocket of ground which would make ;a good lucerne paddock, and if such a piece :ol! ground were properly prepared and sown. '.■■; with this valuable legume, it would -not only be a stand-by in time of scarcity, bub a very good investment in. time of plenty.*The effect of lucerne on milk production '.''■'■.) at any season of the year' is good, whilst •'in dry,' hot weather, when grass is scarce, "•it gives truly marvellous results. 'I £ Where it is not desirableto establish as permanent such a fodder as lucerne, a very fine substitute is maize. Green maize, sorghum, lucerne, .millets, and • the large Jelovcjjra :■' should be provided by every man who haS"a herd of cows. A few acres of each means much larger milk cheques; it m«» Bps life : : improvement of ■ the soil and protection against winter famines. y ■ 4*l Experiments at the various.. Govorntodnfc farms have shown that immense quantities ■ -.• of maize and sorghum can be raised with 1 . i little trouble.' Crops ranging from 50; to • ' 60 tons per acre have been obtained with I the addition of lewt of steamed bonedus* and lewt of superphosphate to ordinary ! well-cultivated soil. Japanese millet has. j given 24 tons per aere, c'owgrass 50 toils, " i red clover 41 tons, crimson clover 28- tonS[ ■ : | and some of the trefoils over 20 tori's to tlw I acre. It can be seen that it would not tile*. | a big acreage of these fodders to provide foo{' for stock during either summer or, winter, J fa when not required in their green state thfej : can be preserved for an indefinite timG/it the shape of hay or ensilaged ~.. ..■'£«.-■'.', i It,is a regrettable fact,'that; in a' counter , like "New Zealand a few ' weeks'J dry, far.-*, • weather, or a corresponding period of bold*- ;.■ /and wet, should cause an immense amount : ■ of suffering to much of our stock and heavy • loss to their owners. This is undoubtedly ■ ; due to the.fact that too little attention.-'is given to the raising of extra crops for feed, and too' much dependence i* placed &a ~ '~' grass. ."■ i'-' : ''' ' ' ;",-•■■>'■•-■•' " ,It is extremely probable that'.during th« next few months we shall seo thousands ot tons of feed going-to waste in our pastures, and it ib not impossible that before autumn we shall hear of the milk supply falling <,'£ because pastures have dried up. It is tier-' : tainly unwise and unbusinesslike not tat - y , secure in seasons of plenty stores' for use in seasons of scarcity, and if some ■ of our dairy-farmers object to . the 'cultivation o£ land for the purpose of-raising fodder crop? • there can surely'•' bb 'no reason why ■. they should" refuse to shut lup one or two oflthefr paddocks so that the grass can be cut for. ■ hay or ensilage. In this respect farmer* "would bo wise to try the effect <of topdressing such paddocks with artificial*; ma-. ' nures. The addition of a few hundred- ' weight of basic slag and' a light sprinkling , of potash or other; fertilisers , would 'J, give. .' such a fillip. to the growth of clovers' and other legumes in the pasture as would, pay for the manure over"*-and'over attain, and would result in such material for hay or en-.' silage as would render the -farmer /independent of pasture for months' at a tinjie. : Ensilage or hay-making is so simple and ' requires such a small;amount of plant thai! ': it; is within i the r reach of every farmer. A . light grass-cutting machine, or even scythes and stout arms,- are sufficient to dealwith the produce of a good many acres, and the trouble of turning it; into hay or ensilage is "infinitesimal •compared-with its valu£ • It would be ranch to "the advantage of' Now Zealand and to the; many farmers immediately 'concerned if the common; system: of depending on pasture arid ■ pasture- along, ■ for the sustenance of stock were entirely changed, and if a more intensive method •of farming were substituted. Not-only would the average production per acre ba largely increased . under even a moderate amount of cropping, but the land could bo steadily improved in fertility, and. farmers, instead of having to provide new areas foe their , sons, could . treble or j, quadruple th< , output of the old farm. -• ' '" -| /

BREVITIES. ' Agricultural shows are up novelties;, they' are national institutions, and every year they come round with' the same regularity as the? season? themselves. _ :,';.',]'.; .■; '''. ill :', . .■' ',■'..■ '■~. ',;■ '. CA'v 1 ,- , -"Iv Charcoal given to "animals, especially wtdf poultry and swine,, acts upon the blood !i aa a 'purifier;, often' being 'found.of "benefit; when there is no '.. definable disease. Practice differs regarding; the length £$ - ;■: time the litter : should- remain with _ -the mother. If the sow i 3 to raise two litters _ in the year she cannot' suckle her litter for; '' a period exceeding ; six weeks! 1 " ? . Young. Block in particular cannot Tory | easily bo" "overfed. They will eat all they can get, and they ..ought/ to ' have it, but,at , ;: '■■'] ; regular times, -and some food ought to ba ■ given . in" hoppers that they can help thc,m* selves, whenever need "it. ."•" V' , ' • - '■" ■■ , Farmers, should study, how .to Taise fa.nfi&rsi on the ■■' farm/ Sometimes a farmer fchin&a thaji if he can raise a doctor or a lawyer he is doing well, but he should, remember that some of - the noblest men and , most successful men. in the nation are farVoolrs. The farmer may not become vastly wealthy* but wealth :is v not. the-imeasure■ of : success.* *- f After first week piglets can bo fed regularly, care being taken never to feed - : ™°? than will be- eaten within-the succeed- ■'■ ■' ing half-hour., During the fifth, or even tha fourth week, a Utile meal may be added'to the. milk. For, th.i&tvpurppse thero is no betI terimealJ. than-ground oats^irom. which all' the hulls havevbeon sifted. .'•■'■'> J, .. 1 • X : Viewing tho future of' live stock husbandry , in this country fromthe : point of view "of t - what has been accomplished in a few instances where intensive methods',, have been intelligently applied, and what' has been achieved ;,✓'., in; the iold&r" countries 'ojl the old world;:ife~' ; ;,, t is evident we- are"' only in our infancy -*o ;fax as intensive livo btooJ« production is concerned. . ' ; . - ,■, V In Iceland horses ' are shod ■'.with, shorn.-. horns. In the Soudan the horses arc? shod with sooks made of camels' skin. A German; not,long ago invented a horseshbe;'ol paper prepared by saturating with oil, fcur. pontine, Zand ofchor ingredient*. i lie tayftrs of suoh paper are glued tc the hoof till u,« required -thickness js obtained, and the gfio«.' thus made if du»»b|« And impenetrable to. moisture ' - 4 ;-;.'■ -, 1■ - :- . '■■; ■ ,; ■ ■■' ■- ' ' ' ' ',*'.;