ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18341, 6 March 1923, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

FREQUENT MILKINGS. ' t INCREASING PRODUCTION. While the average dairyman is satisfied, and frequently more than satisfied, to milk his cows twice a day, the stud breeder with high-yielding stock at times resort to three and even four rnilkings daily. It is accepted that more frequent milking does increase production, but it is questionable whether the practice can be accepted as a profitable proposition merely from the standpoint of increased production. Despite the innate difficulties which the project involved, a series of comparative tests have been carried out on an extensive holding in the ' United States, a herd of 800 milking cows being the subject. In reporting tho results achieved in Hoard's; Dairyman, 1 Mr. L. S. Riford states that the average ' daily increase dije to three-times-a-day • milking varied from 7.91b. to 13.21b. Bas- * ing his conclusions on general observaj tions during the period of the test, Mr. | Riford expresses the opinion that an in- ' | creased production of approximately 101b. " i might be expected from milking three | times a day ■with cows that on twice-a. ■ 1 day milking were producing 451b. of milk r j daily, it was a very apparent fact that the increase was in a much larger perI centage from the higher-producing cows. ' ! On the general question it was mentioned j that the cows milked three times daily i were in better condition "when so treated' ' i than otherwise. They consumed man - ! feed and suffered less from udder » troubles.

'• SHEEP DIPPING HINTS. _ Colonel F. Smith, author of a standard work on " Veterinary Physiology," says it is best for the sheep to be dropped into ' tho dipping bath head first, as the risk of swallowing fluid is then much legs, also 1 that sheep should not be dipped when hot 1 or thirsty. Poisoning as a result of swallowing a" "non-poisonous" dip would in the sheep be practically an impossibility, .as the sheep would have to think some half gallon to " one gallon of liquid, obtain a poisonous • dose, although in improperly mixed dips the unstirred "scum" on the surface of tne ' water would probably contain enough poisonous properties to destroy a few sheep" ~ j that might swallow iti gi ■ Sheep dying as a result of such poison-^sSy • inn would give off from their cartaajpgii^ when opened an odour of carbolic acid', ttifr ; lining of the stomach is inflamed and-red- , dened. sometimes brownish, and^^tho//:'^ 1 throat, which should always be opened, A , \ . might be roughened and grayi brown ' colour* The urine is thick and possesses' 3 a well-marked carbolic odour, and the kiofneys are inflamed sometimes like a ; capjV^|; ' sule of blood, instead of ' being firm and' 1 of a distinct shape. Poisoning by absorp- a; 1 tion of arsenic through the skin is . almost 1 impossible unless a very strong soluticu, is " used, and when it does occur tliesyrop-. • toms and signs are unmistakable. It is ;» first important to impress on sheep*owner» / " the known fact, supported by overwhelming evidence, that arsenical sheep-dipping " mixtures are not absorbed through the ) sound skin. The solution to poison sheep ' by absorption would have to be of such " strength as to act a s a caustic and bum '' through portions of thß skin. In such cases deep fissures-would be found at the ' flexures of the. -b&'dy when; the skin was . i thin, such as the underpart of the belly, and between the limbs and the body, and' " such wounds would show blackening of the skin and gangrenous .scabs covering them, and would penetrate : deeply . intp the ' muscles. If the skin were broken before i dipping so severely as to allow a poisonous dose of arsenic to be thus taken into ". the system;' then the appearance and the 0 ! symptoms -would be;, similar to cases in which the ""drug-entered ■ the-body by the 7. mouth. - f r ;;:f , i- ——; : — 1 NOTES '' AND COMMENTS.\ *' y '-' '\i :■;,./. • "EUROPE'S WHEAT .SUPPLY. r, e ■ • •> 1 Zi •• It is estimated that Europe will,ire« _ quire to import 400,000,000; bushels of n, wheat between January 1 nnd July 31, < '« 1923. Non-European countries are likely ,j to require 40,000,000 bushels. r '„ or ; , * ;• I It is ftot- known in what. form 'the en- - ergy liberated .by oxidation of the body >. j tissues and digested nutrients of ; the food " I first • appears. It is first used to perform • ! the internal work of the body, and-then ■« turned into heat just as the energy of a '• j moving ' motor-car 'or railway, train .'is; • | turned into ' heat when the brakes ' are [; applied. ' , • „ , ' i Pig raising requires less .; / ! less expense: less equipment. end 7. less ; . t money, invested than any .t other > bran iK < iof stock-raising. The capital; in it.. can T •; 7 j be turned into cash every nine - or twelve y j months. Tlie man' : who .'feeds pigs ' has ,t the satisfaction of getting from one-third; / • to one-half more pounds of ' grain out of a , ' bushel of . corn than he can out of corn fed to. either cattle or sheep. . ' In New South Wales the season is most • acute in the far west. , where there has . been no rain to speak of v for. 12 months. Over this vast area the water . supply is failing, and the sumnier is set- , lj ting in. One big property /near Bourke . has just shifted 60,000 young sheep, to agistment country, and many other pro- Vperties have either moved stack or have a friend in him. • „. " "Encouragement is being given jn Scot- -;V land to boys and girls to compete at . shows with young stock. At the East Kilbride show classes were provided for calves reared by boys and pirls, and shown by their attendants, and .were well filled. >'/ Youngsters as a rule are keen competitors, . and much more unsophisticated than their ' elders. Boys' and girls' classes are in great favour at- Canadian fairs. -- / • The application of lime to the soil is Que of the oldest methods of treatment known . in agriculture. It ■ was apparently em- . ployed by the Romans 2000 years ago. In a various European countries it has been practiced for' many years past. In : fact, in all countries' where the principles of agriculture are scientifically pursued, it , is recognised that the use of lime in vari- • ous forms may be of immense benefit to the soil. '* j When well-compacted manure is stored ' r, in a tight clay bottom or concrete-floored •'manure pit, there is very little ; loss >of ; j the essential plant food elements. This" <- is especially true if the pile is built with " square sides and the top 'sloped toward / = the centre/ Apart from the , advantage in conserving the , fertiliser ingredients , . by storage of manure in this way, the n practice is desirable because it adds to i, the appearance and sanitary , oonditicto - of the farmyard It has been demonstrated that mixtures ' r of basic slag and kainit in the proportion of four parts slag and one part kainit yield better results on grass lands than j. the separate action of tho two fertilisers. It is estimated that the effect of the kainit is to increase the solubility of the j! phosphate in the slag by about 6 per i; cent. It has also been shown that the ,e activity of the phosphate in bone meal-is _ similarly increased by admixture of kainit with the meal. • Ayrshire breeders at Kilbride are t , ... I, congratulating themselves on the sue- *. '• cess of the dairy test, which was _ for cows /; .of any breed giving the highest quality I ». of milk. The animals were milked dry at ; ; '» 8 p.m. the previous evening, and ' were , milked again in the ring at 11 a.m. a The first three winners were all Ayrshires, , ( - and their yields were 49£1b., 48jib., and /,; '. | . 43ilb. The fourth award went to Mr. r Alex. Taylor far the 2000-gallon British , Freisian cow, Seaton Beauty, which gave , 431b. _ , ..~"1 ' '■ ' i