ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13938, 21 December 1908, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

MAINTENANCE OP TYPE. The annual report of the Queensland "Department of Agriculture and Slock has something interesting to say concerning an allimportant question to stock-breeders:— '• The maintenance of'the standard of > excellence of tho stock of this State is a question that should concern every holder of land and every lover of animals, but it is without question that in many instances entiro stock of all kinds are used for breeding purposes that are not true to type, and, by their use, help towards a deterioration that is becoming more in evidence every day. The temptation to a small breeder to retain for the future service of the public a goodlooking colt or bull calf, without reference to its freedom from hereditary diseases, or ! without tho qualities that aro born of good | breeding, is producing a harvest, particularly j on our coastal country, that will react upon those who, for ,tho sake of the small fee charged, encourage such breeding. There 13 no law regulating the kind of animal that may be used for the propagation of its breed, and anything that may bo. done must be entirely voluntary on the part of the public. .Victoria has taken the matter up with regard to horses with a great degree of . success, and at an examination lately held 205 stallions wore refused a certificate of soundness out of 889 auirrials examined by the Government veterinary surgeon. The proportion rejected is sufficient evidence to show that, in order to maintain efficiency of type, there should be some control over the animals that are at the service of the public, and, if further evidence is required, it may bo mentioned that, at a veterinary examination in Great Britain of horses that were entered for the King's Premium, eight out of fifty-three were rejected for hereditary unsoundness. An attempt was made during tho year to interest" some of the loading agricultural societies in this State in the importance of this question, and an offer was mado by this Department, in the event of those societies refusing, to award prizes to an animal that had not been examined and passed by a veterinary surgeon, to provide officers to conduct the inspections and to issue certificates of soundness: Though sympathy was expressed with the proposal, the importance of which was admitted,-no definite action has been«taken by the societies; so the position remains as heretofore, and owners in the Southern States have a free field hero for the sale of animals that have been rejected by the veterinary surgeons as being hereditarily unsound.. It is quite understood that the innovation proposed, as it has to be on voluntary lines, must be established gradually; therefore only horses were mentioned in the communication to the agricultural societies; but the system should embrace all entire stock," and if this were done> a g::eat step would bo achieved towards arresting the deterioration of type' now so manifest— only in the show-ring, but on the country side. The ( value of a veterinary certificate for entire stock is so great that, once accepted, the public would look for i*;, and in the course of time the nondescripts would disappear. It is suggested as a moans to an end that the' payment of subsidy to agricultural societies should be subject to a condition that the entry of entire stock for competition must be accompanied bj a veterinary certificate of freedom from hereditary unsoundness. An illustration oil the need of supervision over the entires used by the public may be found in the fact that at one show this year an entire horse, that inquiry proved had been refused a certificate by the veterinary surgeons of Victoria as being unsound, was awarded champion and first prize. This horse will, if used this season— and there is but little doubt that it will be used— a means of contaminating our draught stock by transmitting hereditary disease. ■; AGRICULTURE'S IMPORTANCE. Roosevelt, who did a j;reat deal for American agriculture during his presidency, said no nation has ever .achieved permanent greatness unless this greatness was placed on the well-being of tho great,farmer; class, the men who live on tho soil, for it is upon their welfare, material and moral, that the welfare of the rest of the nation ultimately rests. It is especially important that whatever will serve to prepare country children for life on the farm, and whatever will brighten home life in the country and make it richer and more attractive, for ■ the mothers, wives, and daughters of farmers, should be dOne promptly, thoroughly, and gladly. There is no more important person, measured in influence vpon the life of 'the nation, than the farmer's wife, no 1 more important home than the country home, and it is of national importance to do the bsst wo can for both. ' ' ■ GOOD-TEMPERED SOWS. A very important point in successful pigbreeding is to have quiet and good-tempered sows. It would be a difficult matter to. make anything like a correct estimate of the number of pigs lost every year owing to badtempered sows. An ill-tempered sow is very, easily excited when her pigs get noisy from hunger, cold, or other reasons. • On the other hand, a sow that has always been well treated is not so easily disturbed and excited at farrowing time. A sow that is accustomed to being shouted at, hustled about, and threatened with a stick looks upon man as her'.. natural enem-<v and this feeling is intensified when she farrows. Her instincts of self-defence* and protection of her young become very keen, and when she hears her particular aversion in the neighbourhood she becomes greatly excited, and the young have a bad time. The work of training pigs to be quiet and gentle should begin when they are quite small, and it should be kept up. Rough treatment of any kind must be avoided, such as shouting at or hustling them away when they crowd round the feeder for their food. The pig-breeder will find any time that he may give in cultivating the acquaintance of his sows well spent. They appreciate an extra root or so thrown into their sty, and a light scratching on the back with a stick is evidently enjoyable. A sow that is accustomed to being noticed in this way will seldom be any trouble a.t farrowing, if from any reason it is necessary to handle tho pigs. If kindness counts in dealing with any class of stock, it will most certainly pay when extended to the brood sow. It is certainly the most satisfactory way to study how they can bo handled quietly rather thai! to use force. It is especially important that sows farrowing during cold weather should bo quiet and gentle, as it is frequently necessary, in order to save the little pigs, to put them into a warm basket as they come. After tho farrowing is complete the little ones are returned to the mother, and the probability is that none will be lost. With savage sows it is impossible to observe this precaution. WEIGHING SEEDS. The pound weight is altogether unsuitable when dealing with seeds. Not only does the number of seeds per pound vary widely, but the number of plants produced by a pound of different samples of tho same seed is liable to great fluctuation. Farmers aro therefore recommended to consider " number" and not " weight" when sowing, and to aim at a certain number of plants of rye-grass, etc., not at a certain number of pounds of seed. The seed merchant should bo asked to guarantee the purity and germinating power of his seeds, and then the approximate number of plants that a pound will produce is readily ascer:ained. It is not intended that the farmer should attempt by , exact calculation "and ;areful weighing „to sow precise numbers, riiis would of course bo impossible, and, if possible, the attempt ■ would bo useless; tor, ,as has already been explained, soil, season, and manuring so affect the young jasture that it usually bears no close re.ationship to the particular mixture used in sowing, and a- few thousands of seeds more or less will not make 'much differ-; Mice. Why, then, it may be asked, should auo trouble about the. percentage compose

■-""■' ! "" "" BE ' | tion of the mixture? This reason for mak* ing some attempt at precision is this:—>• While soil, etc., affects the character;';,of the pasture produced by any particular seed mixture, the final result is in part due to the influenco of one plant; upon another. Rye-grass will affect cocksfoot, for example, and red clover will affect white clover. In order, therefore, that we may be able to explain the final results. fully, we must know approximately the composition of the nf seeds mixture, and a mere record of the number of pounds sown will not help oib , much because of the variation, in the quality of seeds. LUMPY JAW. \ ' : \*'y "Lumpy jaw" is caused by invasion of the tissues by a microscopic fungus known.*as " Actinomyces hovis," which grows upon * cereals and fodders fed to cattle and other domestic animals. Barley is perhaps more . commonly affected by the fungus than are other grains, but the disease due to the :;% fungus is comparatively common where t neither barley nor other common cereals are fed to cattle, henco it is certain that the fungus may exist apart from the ordinary : cereals and fodder plants. ■'.'■- u . ? DIGESTIBILITY OP PROTEIN. \ ... The percentage of protein digested is relatively, high—7o-88 per cent, in grains, seeds, clovers, legumes, and cereal by-products medium, 50 to 70, 'in green fodders, hays, .',-; and silage; and low, 20 to 45, in straws and potatoes. As a general rule tho proteins are' less digestible tho coarser tho fodder. A term frequently employed in animal dietetics is tho nutritive ratio, which means tha ratio of tho protein in tho food to the remaining digestible organic matter expressed as carbohydrate. Nutritive ratios aro de-' scribed as narrow, 1 to 5£ and under; medium; and wide, 1 to 8 and over. It has been found by experience that animals thrive better on a certain daily protein intake. Animals at rest or doing ' moderate* ;> work require 1£ to 21b protein per 10001b' of live weight. .■" *«»♦*» •' ; VALUE OF ENSILAGE. "How long after ensilage is put up can it bo utilised for feeding?" is thus answered by a practical man: —Feeding from the silo may .;..:-■ commence about a week after it has been , - ifilled, or it may bo postponed indefinitely. ' Unless an ample amount of. ensilage is put > up it is better to feed green maize directly, from the field as long as it lasts than to begin feeding immediately from the silo. The average quantity to feed is from 301b to 451b of ensilage a day to each cow. This means that an acre of land yielding 12 tons of green maize will supply the average ration of en* , silage for seven months to three animals. ,'■■■.:■■■ The amount of green I maize from per acre ranges from eight to twenty-two tons. The .-■■" ensilage should always be fed, after milking. If fed before it is apt to give the milk a" ! ' taste. It is also important that no ensilage • is left lying around in the mangers. Ensilage is one of the best milk-producing foods :":- .'that."can.be. fed to cows. There are, of , course, extravagant claims made for the ; silo. A.few enthusiastic advocates claim that ; putting green maize into a receptacle of this kind doubles its feeding value.' ' It does no good. to make assertions of this kind. Dairy, cows, as a rule, - have -givien: better results when fed on ensilage than when fed da equal amounts of maize. A considerable portion of the dry fodder is not consumed.; by the stock, but all the ensilage is eaten* The stock, however, like the ensilage better' than green maize, and will consume more'.o£ it, thereby leaving more nutriment to form milk after the wants of the body have been, -~ supplied. Ensilage is more profitable the year through than dry, fodder.. It is succulent, which makes it -a Satisfactory substitute for grass. Stock will consume more »n-* silage than'dry" feed/ 1 If greatly increases the number of animals that can be kept on a given acreage. * gg ■ ■ '• --•. • " . f* BLACK APHIS. ~~"" A noted Tasmanian fruitgrower reports that he has. met with remarkable success in'-'check* ing biack aphis by the use'of^'kainitrtHa ,says kainit .has proved so successful in, Tas- ! mania that he has the greatest cohndence; in recommending it. s He " says it*is 'too"la;telin the season to expect- perfect results now. The best plan is to destroy the insects before they begin to crawl up (the limbs from th© v roots where -- they - hibernate. ; Iszssolve ; fiota two to four pounds of kainit, according the size of the tree, and well soaki tHe ground round the bole of the tree. *.Tio ground round ' the stem ; should be -broken lightly to enable the infusion to soak* w&li . in. The salts 'of ■ the manure are soon perceptible on/the foliage, and' are evidently; most "distasteful to the aphides.- -" - -■ ■- ■.■ , L - -. t. -0 . ■ ■.;••.-...•■;■;..■• :.--,..--.-.-...,. .«:':;>'ii;*,i-.-- .;-' '. BREVITIES. '"" < k J- I ".,.. ■ ■'..•....,-... .. ~. , .•..'■ i • -. ■..■'... - . i'. ; .-. There is too great a tendency to reduce feed whenever "milk, butter, or cheese sella at a price below normal; ;- e .-.} ''--:"' '-~''■'■■''', ■" ' '*'\ *:■''; .:'V : '""' : ",-'>':'-^'"V'-'-*f.:,-?';. Real good silage depends largely upon the faithfulness, constant trampling, and lie. "everlasting at it" of the man -w the'-silo; ; . Most cows that ■ abort - will come I fotheffj ' "in.'from. two to four \ weeks after.aborting;j but it is not a normal; period, and there "ia not one chance in ten of ; their getting in calf if bred at that time. --~-« .-* , Don't strip the cow with the thumb and I finger," but milk with' the whole.h.ari3>od»'aa fast as you can if you want to make -good cow of -her. Get all the milk each time fpf she will gradually dry up. • ' .' -■" The pans should be cleaned by first rirising with cold water and then washing 'with scalding water. Hot water used first cooka . ■ the milk that adheres to .-the t sides Jof th,e pan ahd it is then hard to remove, - : '- £*; I In support of -shelter it may be pointed ' out that "exposure to excessive heat is hurtful to cows; and, although- it:may not be credited by some people.: that the ; milk 1 supply suffers, others have experienced its re* ducing influences. • ~T ' ' •■ \ ■ • . j Many; people complain that tho'' dairy business, especially when the object in 'view is butter-making, is not so profitable as it • should "be; but in many cases comparatively little attention is paid to the proper} utilisation of skim-milk as,. pig food, ~ ;'; . In tho light of experiments recently made in New South Wales oaten chaff >■ and bran, stand even higher than ensilage, but as few dairymen or farmers are ready to feed cows on oaten chaff we must urge that its place bo taken by ordinary wheaten chaff. • - - •■ Cream should be run oyer a _small cooler immediately after separating, and cooled as lew as possible on the farm. ' The re- ■ duoing of temperature immediately firrria i the fat globules, prevents* early sqiiring,". aSS gives improved texture to the butter. ~ • i ~ To keep cows healthy and in good condition scientists tell us the food they eat must contain at least lib of soluble proteinnourishment which can-be,; assimilated -by tho animal's digestive ; organs—to every 51b or 61b of carbo-hydrates, or rejected matter. It may be thought that when the pigs are in good appetite they should always find food in the troughs. The idea is, however, wrong, and leads to waste, because the,, animals have regular feeding times, and in the intervals, if they go to the troughs, "thWr simpler play with the food. It is better]© place in the troughs at the principal feeding hour a sufficient supply of suitable food, an? then tho pigs will be satisfied "and, not jji> dined to go continually to the troughs. .-, ""—I i ." .'■■■.-;.■'" 't-''''"sA-.';■-..' -..-..-. -, ■ ■■■. _ .... y <mi No "zoo" can be said to be complete; ■- without a camel (says the Post). 5 Tfi( ship of the desert may be a ship out WL water, but it is a very convenient niteand of transport - for; ; children and ! otHers in "zoos." The Newtown Zoological Jpff dens can boast of a celibate lion with * a number of beasts of the' field and fowls of the -.air. It is now to' have a icaroeL The Rev. D. C. .'Bates,; wft&has "done,* and ' is doing,' so much for the improvement/ ; of the " zoo,": has negotiated purchase of a fine bull camel from the establishmettb at Wonderland, Miramar. The City Council has given its approval; and the carnal I has been installed in its new qua#efs,i A stand will be erected to save him kneel-t ing - down to receive < passengers on. 5 his ba°k, and he will ,soons be a,t work. ;H& earnings aro to be devoted^.Jthe/iroaejSJi c '.'-; rt'uad* - - - .<--' • '- > t - - 1