DAIRY FARM BUILDINGS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1745, 16 August 1905, Page 56

DAIRY FARM BUILDINGS

(By O j Reakee, Chief Assistant

V tiufcirJaXM ± Xc\ IX. J This subject is so large and so comprehensive! that it is difficult, in tihe limited space of time available fo-r the reading of a paper at a Conference, to express one’s views as fully as could be desired. Therefore I must ask your indulgence if on some point® I am compelled to go> less into detail than their importance to the dairy farming community deserves. Although I do not propose to overlook in any way the shortcomings of dairyfarmers it must be understood that I deal with the subject with a. thorough appreciation of the great difficulties under which many of them are compelled to work/ It is'a question, however, whether a considerable proportion of those who have been compelled to commence their career in straitened circumstances have ever attempted to improve their buildings to any extent even when their financial position has become such a-s to warrant expenditure upon them. The fact of the old inadequate structures having answered their- purpose in the past seems to be considered a sufficient- reason for allowing them to remain iif use, with little or no addition® to improvements. Some men of more progressive tendencies do l a good deal in the way of erecting new buildings, hut even in some of those cases the structures are designed on UNSUITABLE! LINES', and in consequence are less handy, convenient and sanitary than would be the case were they properly constructed and designed, though- erected at the same or very little extra cost. The buildings, etc., necessary for an efficient dairy farm are:— (1) The milking shed. (2) The milk stand. (3) The yards. (4) The calf-pens and feeding places. (5) The pig pens. (6) The silo. I propose to deal with each of these seriatim. First, THE MILKING-SHED. The milking-sheds at present existing in the colony exhibit a great variety of structural arrangement, varying from the well-built, closed in, yet wellventli fated shed, with concrete floor, good water supply and drainage to the ramshackle, dilapidated open-on-one-side erection, with dirt floor, no water supply and no drainage. Unfortunately the latter type is far more frequently met with than the first, and much of the dirt-contaminated milk which finds its way to our factories is the result of the use of these utterly inadequate structures, with their usual accompaniments of filthy, undrained yards, etc. In erecting a new shed the farmer is naturally influenced to some extent by climatic conditions. In the South, where cold winters are to be expected and the housing of cows at night is an economical necessity, the closed-in, well ventilated shed' is required. On the other hand, in the warmer climate of many portions of the North Island, cows do not i*equir© roof shelter at night, a shed for milking purposes and winter feeding only is necessary. I mention winter feeding here because that- is a matter too often neglected, and the advantages of which appear to he too little appreciated. Another type of shed which has lately come into use in the Taranaki district is that known as the race-shed. This, as a milking-shed alone, has many advantages : its great disadvantage being that it provides no facilities for feeding cows. But before going into detail regarding the general design I will deal with the essential points which must b© observed in the erection of any milking shed. These are:— (1) Good material in walls and roof. (2) A ground floor completely impervious to moisture. (3) A good water supply.

(4) A good system of drainage. ! (5) A sufficiency of floor space for j milkers andi attendants. 1 (,6) In the ease of a closed-in shed, good ventilation and plenty of air space. TO GO INTO' DETAIL on these points, as regards the structural material in walls and roof, itshculd be substantial and lasting, since in cow-sheds, as in all other structure®, the best and most lasting material (provided the original design be satisfactory) is always the cheapest in the end. The ideal milking-shed would have its walls for at least six feet, from the |loor, built of concrete or stone, or of brick, faced with cement. This, however, though desirable, is not an absolute necessity and other conditions being satisfactory, and scrupulous cleanliness observed, wooden walls will fulfil all requirements. The material of the roof matters little so long as it is good, and watertight, but in the case of closed-in sheds provision should be made for ample ventilation throughout by means of louvres so arranged that rain cannot drive in through them. Where cows are housed at night roofventilation is an important point, a® warm air, which in a full cowshed naturally becomes foul if confined, always tends to go upward to give place to cold air making its way in from lower levels. Next comes the floor. This, from, a sanitary point of view, is most important. A large amount of money has been wasted here in putting wooden floors in milking sheds. Most of them are worse than useless, in fact in many cases it would he better to leave the cows to stand on the ground surface, i There is only one kind of wood floor! which cannot be branded as absolutely j undesirable, and that is what, is known ; as a “decked” floor, one built of well! seasoned wood, which will not warp or i shrink, and in which the interstices be- j tween the boards are thoroughly caulk- ! ed as is a ship’s dteck. But to. put such j a floor into a cowshed would cost, ah j least, as much, and probably more, than one of concrete, which, properly prepared and well laid, forms a per- i fectly satisfactory shed floor. I have seen concrete floors in this colony which were far from being satisfactory, simply because they were ibadly made. That, however, was

THE FAULT OF THE BUILDER, and not of the material. Asphalt, of a kind similar to those known as neuChatel and Val de Travers, would make a good floor, if properly laid, but it would cost at least as much, and probably more than concrete, and be no better. In laying diown concrete it. is necessary that it be properly prepared. A good mixture is five part® of clean washed shingle, or, better, still, if it be

obtainable, small chippings from a road metal crusher (none of the stones composing it should be larger than would allow of thein passing through inch ring or sieve); one and a half parts of clean-washed sand, and one part of good cement. If properly-washed sbingle cannot be obtained and the builder has to use material obtained direct from the sub-soil, or a river-bed as it will be usually found that it will contain a certain proportion of sand. Hence less sand will need to be added accordingly. In preparing the material the sand and cement '-bculd be thoroughly mixed while dry, then, the shingle added and well mixed, and; water then applied in such a manner that it is distributed evenly through the mass. An ordinary watering can, with a “rose” fitted to the spout will answer admirably for this purpose. If the water be_ poured on from a bucket it is by running the cement .into masses apt to prevent its even distribution throughout the finished mixture. After the concrete has been laid down its surface should be kept constantly wet for two or three days as this help® to ensure a HARD AND FIRM SURFACE. A good solid' floor can be made with, well laid blacks cemented together, andi where material for concrete is unobtainable, a good briok floor provides a useful substitute. So far as this colony is concerned, concrete, wherever obtainable, is the best material for cowshed floors. Wood is the worst, since even if well laid there must be a space between the floor and the ground surface as the boards cannot be laid, flatly on the ground but must be supported hy cross pieces below and once leakage commences, as it is bound to do in time as a result of wear and tear or warping, even in a decked floor, a beginning is made in the saturation by manure and urine of the ground surface beneath. In a wood floor not decked the leakage must begin at once, and its naturally resultant -: evil consequences quickly oommense to take effect. I have found worse smell existing in a milking shed with what to a. superficial glance appeared to be a fairly good wood-floor, than in one with nothing but a dirt floor. I will now go on to the question of.— WATER SUPP3LY. A good supply of water for washing down purposes is a necessity in every milking shed, and it should always if possible be obtained from a sufficiently high Level to ensure a good pressure, and a system of hose , pipes provided m the shied in order to render it easily available for cleansing purposes throughout the building. The maintenance of thorough cleanliness should be the dairy-farmers’ watchword in the whole of his operations. In New Zealand at

-tiu© present time too many dairy farmers appeal* to ignore this altogether, and it is impossible to collect milk from cows in a milking shed under cleanly conditions unless plenty of water, easily applied, be available for washing down purposes, yet lack of a good water supply is one of the most prominent features of our milking sheds at the present time. To provide it means some expenditure of money, but seeing that the leaven of the contaminated milk from one dirty unwashed milking shed may leaven the whole of the daily mitK supply of a creamery or factory to the detiiment of the quality of its output, money spent in this direction is always well spent, and moreover, is an. economic necessity, and after all it is not in most cases an expensive matter. Water is plentiful enough in the principal dairying districts of the colony and wind-mills with which to pump water from a well or creek, tanks and piping can be obtained at a reasonable cost. Onoe a good system of water supply is installed it costs very little afterwards for maintenance. Yet ah the present time it is a common occurrence to visit dairy farms, owned by individuals who could well afford to provide an efficient water supply, where the water for washing down purposes has to be carried to the shed m buckets 1 Under such conditions cleanliness cannot be expected. DRAINAGE. Good drainage must be provided. Assuming that the floor be of concrete or other equally impervious material as it should be, a drain so placed as to receive and carry away the droppings of the cows can be made at the same time as tne floor is put down. It should be concave in shape, not less than twelve inches in breadth, or four inches in depth at its centre with a good fall to its outlet. A fairly broad drain is necessary in order to allow liquid drainage facilities for flowing away at once without being blocked in its passage by masses of dung. The hose pipes connected with the water supply should be so placed that the entire length of the drain can be thoroughly flushed. Onoe outside the shed, the disposal of the drainage must depend to some extent upon local conditions. In any case it mqst be got clear away from the shed and other dairy buildings. The bulk of the dung will not flow away but will need to be swept or carted out by a wheelbarrow, or truck, but it must be taken clean away. It is a most reprehensible habit to allow a large mass to accumulate close by the shed. A good plan is to provide a lowset vehicle, in which the droppings can be placed and at onoe carted away. In the case of the dairy farm which obtained the first prize in last year’s competition. the owner had provided a sensible, economical and einoient drainage system. The milking shed was built on a small hillock at the foot of which was a flat planted in fruit trees. The liquid drainage was conveyed by an open drain to a large tank in the orchard, and used as a fertiliser. The remaining material was collected and wheeled down and used for the same purpose. Where the ground surface is perfectly flat!. although it should be remembered that in

BUILDING A MILKING SHIED' a position should if possible be chosen •which would ensure a fall for drainage) there is a difficulty to be faoed«_ In deciding what method is to be adopted the farmer must be guided largely by the nature of the soil and general surroundings. If the subsoil be of loose shingle, or other material capable of absorbing watery fluid in quantities the liquid drainage may be carried off by a gradually deepening open concrete drain for a reasonable distance, say twochains from the shed, and then onward *>y an open drain dug in the soil ending either in a large covered pit dug in the shingle, or a series of irrigation channels. The drainage should then be completely absorbed and if irrigation channels be utilised will act as a fairly useful fertiliser. In oases where the subsoil is unsuitable for either of these methods, the best plan to adopt is to cany an open drain lined with concrete at /other impervious material, for a distance of not less than one chain from the shed, and at its end provide a concrete lined covered pit for the reception of the drainage. Its contents must be removed as often as is necessary, and taken away and properly disposed of, preferably for fertilising purposes. A good farmer never wastes useful fertilising material. At the present time anything approaching efficient drainage is almost non-existent in milking sheds in country distric f-s in this colony, and the conditions prevailing in the immediate vicinity of" milking sheds consequent upon this lack of any attempt to properly dispose of liquid drainage and manure are not only disgusting, but are a danger to human health, and a menace to the continued commercial prosperity of the dairy industry. DESIGN OF SHEDS. I will now pass on to the question of the general design of milking sheds. This may be varied, to suit general and climatic conditions. I propose to consider three classes of sheds, via. • (1) The closed-in shed. (2) The. half-closed shed). (3) The “race” shed.

THE CLOSED-IN SHED. In sheds of this class it is necessary to provide a sufficiency of air space, not less than 600 cubic feet per cow, provided it is intended to be used for the purpose of housing cows at night. It should also be properly ventilated. Speaking generally there can be no doubt that a properly constructed shed of this class is the best for all purposes that can be 'built. It enables the milkers to carry on their work in comparative comfort no matter what the weather may be, and the cows can be boused at night when required, and even when not housed can be convdently fed when a scarcity of pasture reorders extra feeding necessary, as is the case nearly everywhere in this colony during winter. On the other hand a closed-in shed badly designed, with insufficient air space and insufficient ventilation is distinctly bad when required to be used for housing cows at night. The close foetid atmosphere produced in such a shed during the night is a menace to the health, of the ■animals, and combined with the usually close proximity to each other of the cows, is a factor in furthering the spread of contagious disease, such as tuberculosis for instance should it be present in the herd. Better house cows at night in a shed open on one side than in an imperfectly ventilated closedin shed. The closed-in shed may accommodate one* two or four rows of cows, the form most usually met. with being that designed for two rows. Occasionally one meets with a shed with the stalls forming a double row along the centre of the shed with a passage between, and a passage behind each row of cows for the milkers. This is convenient from some points of view especially as regards facility in feeding the cows while in the shed when the food has to be brought in from a store outside and apart, from the building. It also ensures that buckets of milk while being carried to the cooling shed, are only exposed to contamination from sudden voiding of dung or urine by the cows on the one side instead of two. It has, however, one serious disadvantage in the fact that consequent upon the cows facing each other, an animal suffering from Tuberculosis or other contagious disease affecting the respiratory organs may in addition to infecting her neighbour oh each side, also convey the contagion to those opposite. And even from a feeding point of view it means either inconvenience, faulty construction, or lack of economy in working seeing that the food must either be brought in from outside, or thrown down into the central passage from a loft above. The existence of a loft above is bad, since it renders PROPER VENTILATION, in the direction of the clearance of warm impure air, which always tends to go upwards, difficult. Moreover, when such food material as hay, for instance, is thrown down from above into a passage on each side of which are the heads of cows, there is a risk of small particles of seedhusks, etc., getting onto the eyes of the animals and causing trouble. Considering everything I am of opinion

that the heist style of closed-in shed intended to accommodate two rows of oows, provide facilities for milking, feeding, and housing a.t night is that with the cows standing back to back with a good wide passage between, and a food store on each side on the floor level, or only slightly above with sliding or flap doors before each bail, or pair of bails, through which the food can be passed. This leaves the roof space clear for ventilation purposes and yet provides good facilities for feeding. It is important in a shed so designed that the central passage be of sufficient width to allow of buckets of milk (,aieo the milkers themselves) when passing through, to keep clear of contamination from the droppings of the cows. It should not he less than 9 feet in breadth. Too narrow a passage is altogether mistaken economy. In the case of the entirely olosedi-in shed, intended to accommodate a single row of oows, a food store on the one side, and a passage of hot less than 6 feet wide behind the stalls will be correct. I may as well here consider some other points of design which apply to milking sheds other than those to be described later, known as “race” sheds. First as to SECURING THE OO WS. The usual arrangement is that known as the “bail” which is the most convenient for milking purposes alone, and is so well-known that I need not describe it. But when oows are housed at night, the head must be given some freedom to permit of the lying down in comfort, and then chains so arranged that they can be easily applied or removed aie necessary. These should be short enough to prevent individual oows of aggressive temperament interfering with their neighbours, and yet not too short to prevent them lying down and rising in comfort. Next comes the question of THE STALLS. These in the shed intend only for milking and feeding and not for housiing at night, should be not more than 6 feet 3 inches in length, from the bail to the inner edge of the drain. Where oows are intended to be housed at night the best method of securing them is to use chains attached to up-rights and bails are unnecessary perhaps in the case of individual had tempered animals. Here a little more length may be allowed and 6 feet 6 inches instead of 6 feet 3 inches provided. THE DRAINS. In the olosed-in shed, as in other Bheds except the “race” shed, a drain should run along the hack of the stalls. As I have already dealt fully with the question of dealing with drainage, I will now refer to THE HALF-CLOSED SHED. This as a shed for milking and feeding purposes alone is perfectly satisfactory if properly constructed and possessing a clean outlook. For housing cows at night in cold and inclement weather it is of course inferior to the well-ventilated closed-in

shed. At the same time seeing that cows can stand a considerable amount of odd without ill effects provided they are well fed and are kept'dry the evil of insufficient ventilation is far greater than the ill effects of cold. But the dairy-fanner must consider the question of the milk yield of his herdi, and there can be no question that given equal feeding conditions and pure air, their night spent in warmth and comfort will enable them to give a better yield in the morning, than would bo the case if they, while otherwise comfortable, were exposed to a, low temperature. Hence if the provision of a plentiful supply of pure air can be ensured, the closed-in shed, is preferable to the half-closed shed. In the half-closed shed the roof should be carried well out so as to form a verandah for the efficient protection of the milkers in wet weather, and the flooring material carried beyond for a foot at least, and unless there be a gutter above, a drain must be provided to carry off rain water. The open side of the shed should not face upon the yard, unless it be also floored with concrete or other impervious material and provided with water supply and drainage in order that it may always be kept perfectly clean. / THE COMMON PRACTICE of placing the yard (usually unpaved and filthy) abutting directly upon the open side of the shed is most reprehensible. In wet weather it stinks, while after a period of dry weather, the dust from it, consisting largely of dry particles of dung saturated more or less with urine, is blown about by the wind, much of it finding its way into the shed and contaminating the milk in the buckets. The ground space facing upon the open side of the shed should be under grass, thus preventing the possibility of dust contamination. The holding yard, unless so constructed and arranged that it can be kept in a . sanitary condition, should be at one end or at the back, and the entrance and exit .arranged acoodingly. I pass on now to, THE RACE SHED. So far as I am aware sheds constructed on this principle exist only in New Zealand, in parts of the Taranaki province, most of them being in the neighbourhood of Manaia.' For the single purpose of milking oows they are the best I have seen, when properly constructed. As stated before, however, they are useless for feeding or housing purposes. In sheds of this das® the cows instead of standing side by side, stand head to tail, in what is to all intents and purposes, an ordinary race. The building is entirely olosed-in, oblong in shape, with the entrance and exit for the cows at the same end, but at opposite sides. At the end* of the “race” on the entrance side may be placed a door through which cows can leave the shed when only a portion of the herd is being milked, and only one side of the shed is required. At that end of the, shed is a cross gate .which can be util Fed either for continuing the “race” through this* door, or, the

door being closed, for carrying it on the other side of the shed. In those sheds I have seen the “race” varied from 2 feet 2 inches in breadth to 2 feet 4 inches (2 feet 3 inches is the best) and was provided at intervals of from 6 feet 13. inches to 6 feet 6 inches with movable seoross :bars in order to prevent the ani--mals crowding too much upon each other. Six feet 3 inches is the best distance for these cross-bars. The inner side of the “race” is formed by one permanent rail fastened at intervals to the uprights supporting the roof, these being placed in the same line, and by two other bars, the lower shorter than ‘ the upper, which commencing at lower levels (at a point opposite where each cow’s neok would be placed as she stood in the “race”) are affixed at the other end to a bar passing obliquely downwards and forwards from the level of the top bar thus leaving ACCOMMODATION FOE. THE MILKER. Along the centre of the -shed is a >; path, which should be not less than ;:six .feet in breadth, along which the '.milkers can pass to and fro. The •whole -of the interior of such a shod be floored with concrete or ■hard 'asphalt the highest point on the ■floor level being the centre of the oen;tral path, thus providing a slope outwards .to each side. -The drains are (placed -immediately outside, the walls snot coming down to within six inches of the floor level, .so as to provide a aclear outlet for liquid drainage and dung. Tire floor material is carried outwards beyond the 'walls, being there .formed into a drainage channel running ■the entire length of the shed on each .iside, .gradually deepening of course to (give the necessary fall, in order to '(protect the milkers from the discomfort . consequent upon a strong inward ''deaught through the drainage outlet on .whichever side of the shed may, from ‘day to day, he the windward side, narrow ihinged shutters may be provided -so (arranged that while falling sufficiently '-(far to prevent the incoming of strong .currents of air, they wiE yet allow fluid drainage to flow into the drain. After -milking is concluded they can be raised, the more solid material swept *®ut, and the floor thoroughly washed ’down.

iFor milking purposes only, this doss rdf shed is distinctly good. To begin with, -the : eows are 'perfectly quiet and 'tractable .(even hrst calf heifers giving •'Very ‘little trouble) since they are not ''.subjected 'to the same amount of re'•straint as whenybailed or chained in a sistall. Excellent drainage is assured, and all the. liquid portion of it passes sat once outside the building instead of '-making its way inside to the outlet "■.’With the probability of being blocked tin its passage by masses of dung. The .attendants avoid the -trouble of -seouriing -each individual cow in a bail,- or by '&> chain, all that is necessary being the •-dropping into place of the cross-bars. I am informed that vvlien a It-eu-d gets accustomed to a “race” shed the crossbans are. frequently unused as the cows stand perfectly quiet in theur places, 'For this to be done it is of course necessary that the divisions be correctly arranged and not too long. The ’attendants have an absolutely clean pathway in the shed, and neither their 'Clothing or any milk they may be carrying in -buckets is likely to be contaminated by the droppings of the cows. \A good water supply is of course necessary, as in all milling sheds, and this could foe utilised for einciemt sluicing and washing clown purposes at A MINIMUM OF COST.

When 'last in Taranaki I was informed that a shed of this class to ac•'commodiaite 20 cuws could be built at a >oO9t of £SO, exclusive oi water supply. ,-My informant liad himself erected a ■“race” shed to accommodate 16 cows, <amd he based bis opinion on his own and I saw no reason for sidisagreeing with him. His building mt 4in in breadth. The middle pas-

sage was narrower than it should be and in order to provide a sufficiently wide passage a correspondingly higher cost would be entailed, but this should not necessitate an addition of more than £ls at most.

To sum up the matter of milking shed design from a New Zealand point of view, I am of opinion that, — (1) When financial considerations render it possible a dairy farmer should build a closed-in shed taking care to provide thorough vent Eat ion. Such a shed is particularly necessary in the colder .districts of the Sleuth Island where night housing in winter and indoor feeding are essential. (2) Where weather conditions render housing every night, even in winter, unnecessary, while facilities for winter feeding are required (and they are practically needed more or less everywhere in New - Zealand) the half closedin shed is sufficiently satisfactory and is cheaper.

(3) When a dairy farmer in the warmer districts of the colony, has but a small amount of capital available for the erection of a milking shed, has no facilities for providing winter feed or intends to give it to his cows in the paddock (thereby wasting a portion) and consequently wants a budding in which to cari-y out the process of mil Icing alone, the “race” shed combines cheapness of construction with the best possible sanitation, combined with the miqfet comfortable conditions for the milkers.

THE MILK STAND AND COOKING SHED.

This necessary adjunct to a properly arranged dairy farm should be situated in the vicinity of the milking shed but in such a position as to be absolutely free from any risk of contamination. Also in order to ensure a low inside temperature it should be as far as possible sheltered from the sun’s rays. Inside should be placed the cooler, also a water trough with if possible a current of water running through it in which the cans can stand- This last is exceptionally valuable in oases where the evening’s milk has to be kept on the premises until next morning. The shed should be walled on all sides, hut well ventilated, the ventilation be;ing so arranged as to exclude as far as possible the entrance of wind-blown particles of dust. The -floor should be of concrete, asphalt, or well-laid bricks, and a plentiful -supply of pure water for washing down, also for rinsing cans etc., should be provided. Hot water for the necessary scalding of cans should be available elsewhere than in the cooling room, as its use in it would tend to temporarily elevate the temperature. Such a cooling shed as I have described, is, I regret to say, very seldom met with here, one usually finding a milk-stand placed immediately alongside, sometimes even inside the shed, on which the cans stand during milking hours. Here the warm milk is exposed to many sources of contamination, and has every opportunity to gather germs which may have a detrimental effect on the quality, both from a market and a healthy point of view, of the butter or cheese produced from it. It affords stifl another instance of the thoughtlessness, or indeed one might term it justly, the criminal carelessness displayed by many dairy farmers in the matter of ensuring purity of milk. THE YARDS. Except p'ig yards at old fashioned obsolete slaughterhouses, I think the •most disgusting sights I have seen in the colony have been certain yards adjoining milking sheds. The spectacle of cows wading to the milking shed knee deep, at times even belly deep, in a filthy mixture of mud, dung and urine, with udders and teats splashed with it. or dragging through it, is enough to make one foreswear milk and butter for the rest of one’s existence. Many farmers I know, through lack of means or material find a difficulty in providing cleanly yards, but there can be no

excuse for’ the utterly filthy places one too often meets with.

A yard adjoining a milking shed should be properly paved and drained, the paving material for preference being concrete or hard asphalt, or failing these, well-laid bricks. Shingles or broken up metal is not satisfactory, as the earth from below works up through it in wet weather, it cannot be properly washed down, and the drainage cannot get well away. The position of the yards is an important point, but I have already referred to this in connection with the milking shed and need not recur tio it. The best yard of all is that paved with concrete, roofed in, well drained, and provided with a good waiter supply for washing down purposes. In districts where a heavy rainfall is the rule, the roofed-in yard is especially vaLuable and should always be provided whenever the owner’s financial means renders it possible. It should not be very costly. The CALF SHEDS AND FEEDING PLACES. The calf rearea on the average farm is deserving of the most sincere commiseration. From the very carry period of his existence when he is parted from his dam, his life is for some months an uphill struggle against unfavourable conditions. Undue exposure to cold and wet weather combined with inadequate, improper and indigestible food renders his lot a most unhappy and unfortunate one. Every dairy rarmer should possess a warm comfortable, well paved and weE drained sited in winch calves can. take shelter during bad v r eather. Also proper arrangements should be made for feeding them. The best in my opinion is the provision of small bails, each with its own bucket or other appliance for holding the food,'thus ensuring that the weaker* calves get their share equally with the strong.

Another important point, almost invariably neglected, is that the buckets or whatever vessels may be used for the food, should be thoroughly cleansed after each meal. It is bad enough for a calf bo struggle along on separator malx, sometimes assisted by the addition of a little calf food, or linseed, or often with no such addition, without his already weakened and abused digestive system being further deranged by the assimilation of soured and decomposed .food material from dirty vessels or troughs. If the present system of rearing calves on inadequate food material continues it will mean in process of time, a general deterioration in constitution and disease resisting power, in our race of dairy cattle. As it is, the annual loss among young dairyreared cattle under two years of age, from parasitic and other diseases is a very serious matter, and unless farmers as a body will improve their methods of rearing this will increase year by year. Yet it is almost wholly preventifole if proper methods be followed. PIG PENS. As a profitable consumer of dairy byproducts, the pug is a most useful animal, yet he is frequently the victim of improper housing, nany of the pig pens to be seen in country districts are foul, filthy, unhealthy and inadequate in the extreme. The pig has some crude rudimentary ideas of observing cleanliness in his abode, and if eriven a chance Will put them into practice. Rut the miserable structures in which one too often sees pigs herded together very quickly renders useless any efforts on the part of the inmates to exercise their rudo instincts of cleanliness, and they lapse into a condition of chrome filth. Pig-sties sibouid be roomy, the sleep-ing-plaoe raised above the ground level, with a slight slope outwards for drainage, while the outer pen should be properly paved with concrete or asphalt, and drained. ■ The prevalence of tuberculosis among pigs on dairy farms in this colony while undoubtedly primarily due to feeding on infected separator milk, is aooen-

tuated by the close confinement of the animals in dirty pens.

So also swine fever, if it ever reappears in this colony, will as in the past, receive great assistance in regaining a foothold, once it gets amongst pigs housed under bad conditions, and the same applies to other contagious diseases.

Apart from the question of disease, it pays to keep pigs warm, clean and comfortable. They then do better, fatten quicker, and the niortaHty among them is greatly Lessened. Before leaving the subject of pigs, I would refer to one important point which is almost invariably neglected by small farmers, viz:—-the provision of proper feeding troughs, and their maintenance in a cleanly condition. A pig's ideas of cleanliness do not extend to feeding processes and liis trough usually gets badly fouled. It should always be thoroughly cleaned out before a fresh feed is placed in it, yet how often is this done P .me dregs of the last feed mixed with dung, etc., left by the feet of the greedy occupants of the pen, sour and ferment, and in so doing become transformed into material -which if taken into the system in sufficient quantity must ty>e‘ (highly injurious. As it is, many of the cases of “mysterious” sickness, or death among young pigs, are, I aim certain, due to this cause. It is a common sight to see a pig when he gets an opportunity, chrunch and swallow such material as coal ashes, charred ■wood, etc. This is cine simply to a natural instinct prompting him to take something to counter-act the acidity of the stomach produced by the soured food. The best feeding trough for pigs is one of iron, enamelled inside for preference, which can without much elrort be lifted in and out of the pen for cleansing purposes.

THE SILO. Ensilage is a most valuable food for cattle and as a means of providing winter feed for dairy cows, particularly in districts where bush hias been newly cleared and the plough can be used only to a slight extent, or not at all, or where climatic conditions render the saving of hay a dumcult matter. Hut whatever be the local conditions the provision of ensilage should always be considered by the dairy farmer. In some of the dairying districts of the colony one finds that in summer there is a superabundance of feed, while in winter there is a great scarcity. If farmers in such districts provided a supply of ensilage, utilising for this purpose the surplus summer grass they would be abie to bring their cows through the winter in much better condition than is the case at present. iVloreover, no matter what the local conditions may be wherever winter feed is required, ensilage always provides a most valuable food material. It is a most regrettable fact that in this colony, where a benefioient nature has provided conditions favourable to the production of a plentiful sunpply of food material for farm stock, so much should be allowed to go to waste during those portions of the year when it is plentiful, and so many cattle be allowed to go through the winter in a half starved state. The production of ensilage is not costly; once the provision for making it is secured, it only means the expenditure of a certain amount of labour every year. Yet one rarely visits a farm on which ensilage is prepared. The sooner dairy farmers ..generally realise the value of this as a food material and take steps to provide it for their herds, the better for the maintenance and advancement of the dairy industryI do not here propose to deal with the matter of the construction of silo as my friend, Mr Mills is reading a special paper on the subject, and I have already trespassed largely on your time. Rut no up-to-date dairy farm in this colony should be without a silo. All could carry more cows all the Year

round if the surplus of summer feed oouild bo entirely and profitably utilised tor winter feed, and the silo provides an efficient means for doing this.