THE PRACTICAL DAIRY FARMER

New Zealand Mail, 18 January 1900, Page 4

THE PRACTICAL DAIRY FARMER

A farmer.of our acquaintance once stated that the.best cow he ever had was a fifteen-sixteenths Jersey cow.

Mr Owens, the Cape dairy expert, recommends as the best breed of cow a cross between the shorthorn and Ayrshire. * # e #

Inoculation against tick fever is said by New South Wales veterinarians to be thoroughly effective—proved by some expensive practical tests.

Too many dairy-farmers neglect the all-important matter/of supplying pigs with fresh water. They like it, require it, and its absence tqlls.

Experience has proVed that the’pig is the most profitable animal on the iarni and it is a veritable goldmine when liberally fed and cared for; * * *

Much concern is being felt by dairymen in England at the recent decision of the Royal Agricultural Society of Great Britain to omit the class for dairy cattle from the shows of the societv.

A point to remember is that the calves should be fed uniformally sweet milk where possible, as it is a decided mrt to them to feed alternately sweet *nd sour milk (skim). Oatmeal, or similar food may be added to give body to the milk. Whole maize has been fed with success. * * 5

The good-natured pigs are the most profitable to feed. A pen full of Quarrelsome animals will not lay on fat so fast as those which go in for eating mstead of fighting, and keep happy and good natured. Select the young pigs at feeding time, and pick out the good natured ones, and keep those for your own use. * * * HJ

Regularity in feeding is 'just as important as regularity in milking— not only because the cows appreciate it but because they demand it. A small quantity of food given regularly will produce more milk than a large quantity given megularly.. And it must be remembered that stinting the cow’s food is the worst kind of false economv that can he nractieed.

Care of dairy calves is the most intactor m ie d eve lopnient of a ?ed d hv airy leld ',,. has ,J een advocated by some authorities that the calf from lb 13 ™ two ? r . three meals direct andVho 6 3S lfc 18 nature ’ s method ana the neater we can start off in oature s footsteps the better. There will be ne difficulty in teaching the calf to annk if one is careful to let it get quite hungry before feeding and change gradually from whole to skim milk

European experiments in feeding nitres *5? tbat J b ° tffJSS tei wheat is distinctly percentihlp pS.;- nr itS •tppaient the quality of nork nrn the CG ftlmr b °f h g l ain ? was ex eelFont, P On SSA, TL tt&srFrtlte^and’that ded ' to Weaken &e appe? * .Up inir s8 m f„‘“.etaht Pre,erab,e . -* * ’* » tne heifers previous to and at in? S°p‘SI ”?pe”d taT B '"'/’ S thing should Vm i 0 and overymilking powers A™ 6 *5 davelo P her during this any succeeding period TWa f ed atof the period is the Hm* st -part;, work towards rWni™ 6 to ?° *he m °st care df cows inst plf Pmea , t ’ and the in 8 demands S2h*SSifiL ~to'

When the heifer comes into milkiiU she should be fed all she can succulent food to increase the milk fln«for tlio udder is plastic and can yet'ri enlarged- while if the young co# to. ceives only dry food she will have tracted milk capacity for life. --

The watering of cows must be a mu tine practico—not a spasmodic that can be attended to at a convenient moment. If several hours elapse wifi/ out gratification' the present need tea passed—t rue, they may drink, - but thl milk flow has been shrunken. . ■ *** * m The smooth, round-ribbed, straight backed, massive cow is not the idqaftL man after milk should look to, but ra! ther the cow with the flat thighs p?oi minent bones, long sway back (higher at the tail than the shoulder), and wedge like construction, giving room for tfe large udder to be attached high un extended well forward.' ' P ™ * U Ten pounds of milk a day is sufficishf for the calf the first week. At two months it should be fed about tweHU pounds. Twenty-five pounds a day j» about the maximum quantity of milk to feed any calf. If the slightest tendency towards scouring is noticed reduce jhf l feed and give a couple of raw eggs the shells. ° . : # * * v'-lfl In his .experience he has foundAiSi the best results have been obtained wjb&| the pigs have been fed on barley mejd? separated milk and potatoes. The predation in the flesh of a pregnant so? lie says, commences a month after serriSf and increases daily after that date. Male pigs should be castrated before the age of four months at the outside.

Manure should be kept packod aw&j froui the air as tightly as possible; a£(t if well rotted, should be ploughed under just before planting; otherwise turu'Jt under several months before that time, Contrary to the common, opinion, halfrotted manure is more valuable than well rotted, because the former contain a larger amount of nitrates. ) V;' * * .« . It is hardly necesary to say thatjie work of cleaning the stable should ney« be performed before milking operations; Certainly a deodorant can be used'before milking if cleaning must be done at tbat time, but wo can’t see that it. even necessary. Milk flavour is so delicate and fragile a thing that every care should be taken to preserve it. '■■■• * * * Si

Stated times for milking and nevtf permitting of a variation is essential ii the most is to be got from a cow. . Set the milking time so that it will divide the twenty-four hour day regularly, ae six iu the morning, six at night, 0r.7 a.m. and 7 p.in. respectively., By mot varying from this plan the. lacieafeconomy of the cow will be educated to regularity in milk secretion and accumulation, and the cow will yield more milk when milked regularly. * * - 421|

Mr Shaw, a well-known Limerick jia-con-curer; has a distinct preference for the Berkshire. The only objection,to the breed, ho says, is the colour, as black pigs do not make as saleable , sides as do the white ones. Were it possible to produce white Berkshires, Mr Shaw cccsiders they would bo the ideal type, the cross between the Yorkshire and Berkshire, however, is excellent. The Berkshire is the most-productive as regards its_ yield of bacon, as it gives for -the weight less offal than. any of the other breeds. Mr Shaw gives a preference, in buying pigs, to animals of about-1® lbs weight, or 2241bs when alive.

To teach the calf to drink let it fast twelve hours, then take about two ijuajts of warm milk directly from its mother. Hold it in front of the calf. Put the first two fingers of the disengaged hand, palm uppermost, in- the calf’s'”mouth, allowing it to suck. Now quietly lower its head until the knuckles are below the surface. Spread the fingers a lit* tie so that the calf can suck the> mifk through the canal formed between theis. As soon as it gets a good swallow of the raiJk gradually withdraw the fingers/h young and hungry the calf will soN learn to drink in one such lesson. With refractory individuals a little patience will be required. .• / ••• -

Spring is coming. Prepare VO®, ground for Niinmo and Biair’s “Stasr dard” Seeds, pure and fresh, and alwaj* reliable. Catalogues of Seeds. 'the Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company' reports as follows, v* dcr date London, 24th November I® 6 impracticable conditions imposed by tl*' Government of Argentina on exporters of live cattle and sheep from the Rif s ’. Plate seemed to have liad the effect or changing a regularly increasing truce into one growing smaller each Woj®> horn a surplus over last year of 8/U» head of cattle and 18,043 sheep/W August Ist, when the regulations i into operation, to a present deficiency J compared with last year, of 345 b®' j locks and 32,332 sheep. Advices fa® the Plate to 16th ult., however, so® that the Government, realising the nU-* I chief done, has issued other rc £»L| tTons, iit which all the former i> n P o sjju ] articles have been eliminated, and mo»] of those left in force have regard oil j to efficient caro and raangement,,;, fjyj seem reasonable enough. I