FARM, DAIRY AND STATION

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1847, 31 July 1907, Page 50

FARM, DAIRY AND STATION

'‘Agriculture is the Most Healthful, Most Useful, and Most Noble Employment of ; Man.'"—Washington. STOCK SALES CALENDAR WELLINGTON. J ohnsonville— Tuesdays. WAIRARAPA. Ekefcahuna— Fridays. Pongoroa—2nd and 4th Tuesdays. Master ton —YV ednesdays. HAWKE’S BAY. Dannevirke —-Fridays: 2nd and 4th Saturdays, horses. Woodvilie-—Mondays. Pakiatua —Tuesdays. Ormondville —2nd and 4th Tuesdays. t Weber—3rd Tuesday. MANAWATU. Palmerston—Stock, Thursdays; horses Saturdays. Levin—Friday, fortnightly. Shannon —Ist Friday in the month. Otaki-^Wednesday, every four weeks. vOroua Downs—Monday, monthly. Colyton—Tuesday, monthly. Pohangina—Tuesday,. W.O.R.* - RANGJLTIKEI. Sandon —Ist Tuesday, monthly. Bulls—2nd Monday, monthly. Marton.—3rd Thursday, monthly. Hnnterville—lst Tuesday, monthly. Taihape—2nd Wednesday and Ist Friday monthly. Mangaweka—Saturday, 24th September, and 12th November. Ohingaite—Last Thursday and Wednesday, alternately, monthly. Turakina—W.O.R.* OROUA. Feilding—Fridays. Kimbolton—2nd Tuesday, monthly. Apitl—4th Tuesday, monthly. Rangiwahia—lst Tuesday, monthly. .Waituna —4th Tuesday every two months. WANGANUI. W anganui—W ednesdays. TARANAKI. Wangaheu and Raetihi—Summer months only, W.O.R.* W T averley—Fridays. Waitotara —W. 0. R.* Mawera—Thui'sdays. Eltham—Tuesday, fortnightly. Manaia—Tuesday, fortnightly. Kakaramea— Saturday, fortnightly. Stratford—Tuesdays. ' . Toko—Every fourth Monday. Kaponga—Friday, fortnightly. W aiwakahaiho—Tuesday, fortnightly, tit any River—Wednesday, monthly, except November 10. Mahotu—Thursday, fortnightly, except on Sept. 22, Oct. 20, Nov. 17, and Dec. 15. HAWKE’S BAY. 8 virtford Lodge—W ednesday, fortnightly. W aipukurau—Tuesday, fortnightly. Kaikora —Thursday, monthly. Onga Onga—Friday, monthly. * Whenever occasion requires. Auctioneers and others interested in st*<!k sales will oblige us by forwarding information for this column.

FEEDING FARM ANIMALS. Tie following comment® on various fooda-stuffs appeared as a portion of an article in a recent bulletin issued by the University of California on the subject of feeding farm animals: SILAGE) AND VEGETABLES. One of the chief, requisite® of a ration for profitable milk production is that it b<i succulent, by which ie meant that a portion of the ration contain® a large percentage of water. This watery condition or succulency, adds to the palatability of the food, and also seems to have a beneficial physical effect upon the animal digestion. The cow. therefore, eats a larger quantity of food, digests and assimilates it more thoroughly, and consequently gives a larger flow of milk. Although the major portion of California does non have the long cold winters to which the Eastern State® are subject, and where it is an absolute necessity to store large quantities of iobd, both succulent and dry, still every section of our State has a longer or shorter period during the year when pastures are dry. The provident dairyman, therefore, anticipates these dry months, and either lays in a store of green food beforehand, or has some growing which he may cut and feed to his cattle. ROOTS. Several vf the vegetable® are valuable in supplying succulence for the ration. Among the root class the one in most common-use is the mangel-wurzel beet, because very large quantities . can be grown per acre, and because it is palatable to all kinds of live stock. Carrots are also used in some.sections, and they have the advantage of containing a slightly larger amount of dry matter than mangels. Of all the roots, moreover, none are more relished by horses than carrots. .English potatoes contain about twice, as much dry, matter as mangels,. and three times as much carbonaceous material. ' They are therefore of greater food value, but have too high a commercial. value as human food to make them profitable for stock. SQUASHES-.

Another class of vegetables which are useful’ and easily grown is that of melons or squashes. A very familiar example is the so-called pie-melon. This, like the ordinary held-pumpkin, can be produced readily in large quantities on most lands, and it ripens at a time when green food is likely to be scarce. All of these vegetables when fed to dairy, stock -produce an increased milk yield, which is. more than, commensurate with their actual content of .food substance. This is- because of their palatability, beneficial effect upon digestion, and the addition of a wholesome variety to the ration. Any of the vegetables named may be fed with profit to swine and poultry when in confinement, and to sheep, especially during the nursing period.

SILAGE. One of the most economical means of preparing succulent food for seasons of drought and for supplementary feeding is by the use of the silo. It is, no doubt, generally understood that the ®ilo, as at present constructed, is a huge tank having perpendicular walls and being made as nearly air-tight as convenient. The usual size for the silo is 15 to 20 fleet iu diameter and 30 feet high. The most common crop for ensilage is Indian corn or maize, which is, moreover, the most profitable plant to grow for this purpose. At ' oue harvest it furnishes a larger tonnage per acre than any other crop. The stalks, which if cured dry would be largely wasted, are kept in so soft a condition in the silo as to be completely eaten by the stock. Other plants, such as lucerne, barley, oats, and orchard grass, are sometimes ensiled, but we would not recommend their general use except in seasons or localities where corn may not at the time be available, or in case they might otherwise be rendered more or less useless if cured dry; as, for example, tlxe first cutting of lucerne with its usual, mixture of grasses. Almost any plant grown on the farm may be ensiled. The chief question is, what can be most profitably made the main crop for the purpose? The proof is abundant that Indian com is the most profitable.

No better combination of foods for feedings cows in the stable can be imagined than lucerne hay and corn silage, and possibly a little grain, although a fairly well-balanced ration can be made up without grain. In such feeding it is best to give hay and silage each once a day. The amount of silage per head ranges from 351 b. to 601 b. daily, depending upon the size and appetite of the animal and upon the supply of silage. The cattle will eat corn silage at all seasons of the year, even when on good lucerne or other green pasture; but if the supply be limited it can be most profitably fed when pastures are dry, or if the cattle should be kept off them because of heavy rains, or until the grass is of sufficient age and size to be of value. If the dairymen will erect silos and have their cows calve in the fall instead of spring, they can secure as large a flow of milk during the season when dairy products are usually high-priced as they now have during the low prices of the spring months. Corn sliage may be fed with profit to sheep as well as cattle, but not to other stock. Lucerne silage is fed successfully to all farm stock, including swine and poultry. Horses working hard should be given such watery food in very small quantities; while those at light work or doing nothing may be fed more, and will even make profitable use of some corn silage. HORSES’ TEET'II. The teeth of a horse perform two important duties—they form the instruments by which the animals bite, break, grind, and masticate their food and provide reliable data from which their age can be determined. Like ail other animals the horse has two sets of teeth during its life—namely, a temporary set and a permahent set—the former being called the inilk or deciduous teeth, which are shed at intervals to make room for the permanent set, or teeth of the second dentition. The mouth of a full-grown horse contains forty teeth,/all of the second dentition, twenty-eight of theso having retplaced at intervals the milk or temporary teeth. The full set of teeth are divided into three classes—the incisor teeth, frequently (called nippers or cutting teeth; the molars or grinding teeth; and the canine teeth, sometimes termed tushes or tusks. The incisor teeth, situated towards tne front of the horse’s mouth, are twelve •in number, six in each jaw. They fit accurately together when the animal’s mouth is closed, and are for the purpose of nipping and cutting grass and herbage, and it is principally and usually from these teeth that the age of a horse can be ascertained. The incisor teeth are divided into three pairs in each jaw, each pair of temporary teeth being shed and replaced jy the permanent teeth approximately at the same tune. The incisor teeth are in the upper and lower jaws. The two centre teeth in each jaw are termed, the centrals, the tooth on each side of the centrals forming a pair, the laterals, also known as the dividers or middles, and the remaining teeth the corners. The canine teeth, four in number, one in each side of each jaw at a short distance behind the incisor teeth, are small pointed teeth, found only in the mouths jf entires and geldings, except in very rare instances, when they may be seen m a very rudimentary form in a mare s mouth. .Canine teeth are of a permanent character, and usually make their appearance when the animal is between the age of four and four and a i a If years, and the only evident purpose they serve is to afford some slight information with regard to the age of a horse, as at first niey are very pointed, but after about a year become blunt, the bluntness increasing with age. The molars, twenty-four in number in each side of each jaw,), are for the purpose of grinding and crushing the food. The milk teetn of a horse are twenty-eight in number, consisting of six incisors in each jaw and eight molars in each jaw. The temporary teeth differ considerably in appearance from the permanent teeth, and can readily be distinguished, the former being small in size and perfectly white, whilst the latter are large and of a dirty yellowish colour. „ , - At birth, or soon after, a foal has the central temporary incisor teeth, and jy the time the animal is nine months old both the laterals and corners will aave made their appearance, so that a yearling has a complete set of inilk incisors. A point to be borne in mind is that foals are usually born in the Sipring, and in determining the age of a horse each year will, of course, be completed in the spring. The terms, “rising four,'

“four off,’’ “rising five,” “five off,” and so on, mean that the animal is respectively a few months younger or a few months older than the year mentioned. Tiie shedding of the incisor teeth in individual horses, of course, varies a few months, according as to whether the animal is in a forward or backward condition, but generally speaking, the central incisor teeth are dropped at two and a quarter years old, and at i.vo years old a horse's mouth is almost perfect, as the whole of the milk teeth nave been shed, and the permanent ceetii become fully developed, and when this occurs the animal is said to be fullmouthed. A iiorse’s mouth can be easily opened for the purpose of examination by placing the finger in the side of the mouth a the space between the molars and canine teeth. This will cause him to open and move his mouth with the object 'of removing the finger, and in so doing will snow sumcient of the lower jaw to enable anyone to ascertain the particulars necessary to determine his age. The diseases of the teeth of a horse are but few, and it is not very often fill at a hollow tooth is seqn. The grinders occasionally grow irregularly in length and interfere with the grinding motion

,f the jaws, and in sucn cases the projecting piece should be removed and the rootii made level with the remainder. Colts should be carefully watched between the shedding of the temporary centrals and the appearance of tne permanent centrals as having a broken •outli, grazing may prove rather a difficult matter, and if the animal loses condition, feeding with bran mashes, crushed corn, and such like foods will

j necessary. The following tabic win be found useful to tnose interested iu norses, as it shows at a glance the condition of the incisor teetn at certain

At two years old the centrals are temporary, laterals temporary, and corners temporary. At three years old the centrals are permanent, laterals temporary, and corners temporary. At four years old the centrals ore permanent, laterals permanent, and corners temporary. At five years old the centrals are permanent, laterals permanent, and corners permanent. At six years old the mark on centrals is disappearing, on laterals perfect, and m corners perfect. At seven years old the mark on centrals has disappeared, on laterals disappearing, and on corners perfect. At eight years old the mark on centrals has disappeared, on laterals disappeared, and on corners disappearing. At nine years old the mark on centrals has disappeared, on, laterals disappeared, and on corners disappeared.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S DAIRY EXPERT. MR J. A. KINSELLA APPOINTED. Mr J. A. Kineella, till lately Chief of the Dairying Division of the New Zealand Department of Agriculture, has been appointed to a similar position in Western Australia, and took up his duties there about the beginning of the month. The “Western Mail” gives the following report of an interview with Mr Kinsell a at the offices of the Agricultural Department at Perth. Mr KinseJla is still a young man, being considerably less than 40 yearns of age. He looks capable of throwing into hi® work a'great deal of enterprise and energy, as well a,s of intelligence and ability. When seen at the offices of the Agricultural Department on July Ist, he had a few words to say about his work in other countries. "I got my early experience,” he said, “in Canada, where I was in charge of the butter department in the first dairying school established in the country. This was at Kingston, in Ontario. After that the Dominion Government gave me the task of organising dairying in the NorthWest territories. My headquarters were at a place called Alberta, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, near the borders of British Columbia.” What kind of work did you do there? “It was practically to initiate a system of co-operative dairying among farmers in scattered districts. We had to use cream separators, and to get the cream to market we had to use ‘jacketed/ or insulated cans. Most of the carrying was done at night, because the pun Is particularly hot there in the day. Taking into consideration the fact that most of this dairying was started in what had been exclusively a wheatgrowing country, the new business proved very successful. It was something of a novelty when I took it up. I established eighteen creameries out there—a fairly large number, you will admit.” You left there to go to New Zealand?

“Yes, I was engaged by the New Zealand Government from there. That was about eight years ago. I was engaged to superintend a dairying school, but on arrival at Wellington I found the school was not then in existence. The site even had not been selected. There was other work to do, however. I worked for a year in New Zealand, introducing new methods into their system of b utter-making. The introduction by myself, in 1900 and 1901, of pure cultures and of ‘starter’ in the ripening of cream caused what I might say wa« a revolution in the methods they had in vogue there. For twelve months j worked under Mr Ruddiek, then Da it Commissioner, and when he resigned 1 took his position.” Were you not in South Africa? “Ye®. While in New Zealand I accepted an offer from the Transvaal Government. They gave me a large salary, but when I got to the country I found there were virtually no cows, and only one or two farmers there. There were not the materials to do "much good with, and at the end of a year I got Lord Milner to relieve me. That was three years ago. The New Zealand Government heard I had resigned, and gave me the chance to go back to them. But, before doaur T. xesauto a trip round

the world, paying particular attention to the dairying prospects of Argentina* Great Britain, and Denmark. The re» suits of that tour I have embodied in n pretty bulky report.. In the Old Country my investigations were chiefly i» connection with the carriage of produce, and also in connection with the requirement® of the British market. I inquired at the same time about the grading system—that is to say, the New Zealand grading system and how it suits the British purchaser.” In conclusion, Mr Kinsella remarked that he had .heard varying reports as to Western Australia’s dairying resources. Whatever the nature of these reports, tl\ey would not interfere with his determination to make the work he had entered upon a success. HINTS ON SHOWING HORSES. Good advice, on this subject is not to get smitten on your horse, because if you do, and you get left, you will feel it badly. You must like your horse and appreciate him, writes a correspondent of “Rider and Driver,” but don’t fall in love with him too much. If you care too much for your horse you will spoil him. You must have a limit how far to go. If you care too much for him you will not see his faults, and mistakes, and so will not be able to correct them. If you care too much for him, you will not stand defeat. Keep a cool eye; otherwise you will never succeed in the ring. After the show is over, pet and caress your horse as much as you like —it will do him good; but don’t do it too much before entering the ring. After you have selected the horse you intend showing, say, for instance, in a harness class, see to the vehicle and harness, and if possible have both to suit the horse —to fit him comfortably. For example, a ready-made pair of shoes may do, but undoubtedly they will not fit so well as though they had been carefully made to order. Have everything in symmetry—horse, trap and harness. Don’t bit your horses too sharp, and don’t shoe them too heavy, unless they absolutely need it. Shoeing and bitting are two most important factors in the show ring. When you purchase a horse, get his feet and his mouth in shape first of all; then see that his neck will be in shape. Look at your horse’s teeth, and see whether they are in good condition. Do not overwork your horses before showing them; and then, again, don’t keep them too fresh, so as to show ill manners, but always go after a happy medium. Do not excite your horses before entering the show ring, as music, spectators, etc., will naturally excite them.. Do not rush your horses too much, and then, again, do not let them fall asleep. Don’t crowd other exhibitors in the show ring, and vice versa. Assist, as a good sportsman, other exhibitors. If another horse is more speedy than yours, there is no harm done in letting him pass you, or doing the opposite if pace should count in the class. Keep your eyeft open, but keep cool, and you will be! satisfied with yourself when leaving the ring, whether with or without a ribbon. —“Leader.” THE PRODUCTION OF CLEAN MILK. The production of clean milk depends primarily upon the dairyman, who must (say® an exchange) observe the following precautions: —Cow® must be kept in good health and in clean, comfortable, well-lighted, properly ventilated, welldrained, roomy stables. Cows at calving or when eick should be kept apart from the herd; unwholesome feeds must not be used. Some lermenied feeds may be used in moderate amounts with safety, but not a® a chief part of the feed. Feed after and not before milking. The water supply should be pure, beyond suspicion of disease contamination. 'lhe etaole should be kept clean and free, from dust, especially at the time of miikiug. Manure snould be removed with proper regularity. Cobweb® and dust must not be allowed to gather in the stable. Lows must be kept clean by daily brushing. The hair in the neighbourhood of the udder should be clipped. Before milking, tne udder should be wiped with a damp cloth; the milker should have clean hands and clothing. All dairy Utensils, pails, strainers, cans, bottles, etc., should be thoroughly cleansed and finally sterilised by steaming at least 30 minutes. The milk pails should have the smallest opening on top, consistent with convenience. The first few streams of milk should not go into the pail. After milking, rer ove at once from stable to special milk room. Milk should not be kept in the dwelling house, living room, or bedroom.