FOOD FOR THE DAIRY COW.

Otago Witness, Issue 1905, 25 May 1888, Page 6

FOOD FOR THE DAIRY COW.

Dairyfdjmers, so to say, artificially extend the winter season to five months, or, in other words, the system of management pursued involves a " a close season " and contraction of dairy productions altogether inexcusable in this growthy climate. However variable at other seasons, an admitted characteristic of the climate is the long, mild, open autumn and early winter, and which limit the severe period to two and a-half months at the, outside. In four weeks we shall have' the shortest day, yet there has been a continuous growth of grass throughout April and May, and even the hillside pastures have not lost their greenish hue. Admitting that the weather has been exceedingly favourable during the past six weeks, compared with previous seasons, it has-not been for vegetation exceptionally so; but e^en had such been the case the contraction of milk supplies, beginning in March and now culminating in the closing of the dairy factories, is all the more condemnatory of the dairy farm management that prevails. Very clear it is that the best instructions in the modern methods of cheese and butter making will avail but little towards the development of dairy industries until the present system of caw-keeping is materially modified, and the growth of suitable food for the milkers is a recognised specialty on dairy farms. Heretofore sole dependence has been placed on the pastures and a patch of turnips as an auxiliary food in winter. The cows are necessarily timed to calve late in spring. Early in March the grasses are less nutritious, the yield of milk fails, and the summer milkers speedily run dry. There are no newly-calved cows to replace them—for the farmer has no. suitable food for them —and the dairy is virtually closed during the following five months; and all this in a colony where green food may be provided all the year round at little cost. In Australia dairy farmers have difficulties to encounter unthought of in New Zealand. Mo efforts are spared therein growing food for the cows when possible. Material for ensilage, grown and conserved at considerable cost, is now a main dependence in maintaining supplies of dairy products, while here a choice variety of crops might be always available for the cutting. It should be unnecessary to again refer to the suitability of this climate for the growth of entoh orops, as the subject bas been repeatedly disoussed in these columns, but we desire to impress on dairy farmers the significant fact that since the revival of interest in dairy industries in the United, Kingdom much reliance on and importance is attached to this class of crops. A well-known ■ writer on agricultural subjects thus describes catch crops: —"Bya catch crop is meant that variety of crop which, fast growing by nature, removable at wiil, reversible if desired, is not only marked out as peculiarly, adapted to a growthy climate, "but flourishes to.peifection under the circumstances." The greatly extended cultivation of these crops in England recently is incontrovertible evidence^ their value, and especially so in connection, with the fact that values of cake, feeding Tnealß, &c, have greatly fallen of late yoars. The extension of the acreage under, and the 'systematic use of catch' orops l( is^ under the circumstances, all the more remarkable. The reason why is not far to seek, for, as the writer quoted justly remarks: —" Under a well-devised v and well-wrought system of catch-cropping, one acre of land can be made to produce for stock food as much bulk, weight, or value as under the old rotation could be got from two acres, and perhaps more." The- kind of catch crops mostly grown in England are rye, winter tares, and spring tares, with peas mixed occasionally, and beans, oats, rye, or barley to support them j rape, stubble turnip, mustard, maize, Italian ryegrass, and crimson clover. When crops so varied have been successfully <grown ' in England for the purpose, farmers may rest .assured they would succeed here. Of course maize for feed would be a summer orop,- fciicl to ensure hardiness the precaution should be taken to procure Gippslan4 (Victoria) grown seed, The crop, is extensively used in Great Britain and va^ Victoria for. son.verei9»

into ensilage, and is highly prized for the heavy yield of highly nutritious food. Its most economical use here would be for catting when in bloom, or sending up its * seed stems, and feeding to the dairy cows. On Lord Walsingham's property in England maize has been grown for years. The first year it was tried it produced 32 tons per acre of excellent green stuff ; another year the produce was 28 tons per acre ; a third year it was not weighed, but it looked to exceed its predecessors ; and in 1887 it was scarcely affected by the severe drought. The crops were sown in June and cut in September of each year, and the average period of growth, therefore, was about three and a-half months. It is necessary to state, however, that 15 to 20 tons of farmyard manure was ploughed in per acre, and at seed time a dressing of about 2cwt 201b of artificial manure was harrowed in. The cultivation of vetches must be familiar to most farmers, but it may not be amiss to remind them that a thorough preparation of the soil and a, liberal dressing of manure will be well repaid by an abundant crop and the maintenance of soil fertility. The time is opportune to put the question to dairy farmers — How much more independent would your position as regards cattle food be to-day had you a few acres of vetches sown at intervals in December ,and January, and from which you might have been cutting a feed daily for your milking cows since March, and with sufficient crop still standing to carry on till July ? In England a fair average crop of spring or summer-sown vetches weighs, cut green, from 16 to 20 tons per acre on fairly well manured land, and a crop of winter vetches cut in spring from 12 to 15 tons per acre. There is not the slightest doubt that should no other part of the farm be available it would be preferable to reserve a portion intended for turnips for summer sowings of vetches. These, ready for cutting from March till July, would supply prime food for cows in full milk or save the turnips — a great consideration in all seasons with ths general stockowner. The winter tares sown in March or early in April, according to soil and aspect, and' maturing in the spring, would not only give the cows a full flow of milk, but would save the young growth of grass. On new pastures especially hungry cattle wandering ceaselessly in search of scanty food in spring inflict incalculable mischief by poaching the soil into holes and killing the grasses. A daily feed or two of tares or other catch crop would obviate all this, and dairy operations could be profitably conducted. Farmers generally have so long followed the old routine of grass and turnips that they will be slow to quit the groove. With dairy farmers the departure must be speedily determined on, just as they must in the future supersede turnip cultivation to a great extent by the growth of mangels and cabbages. It will no doubt be argued that the labour charge for cutting and carting to cattle of these forage crops will involve labour and expense. Granted, but on the other part is assured a much larger number of cattle kept, and —if dairy cows— all in full profit. By an improved system of cultivation, largely including the growth of forage crops, the stock on many farms might be doubled; but, taking dairy farms on the whole, it is not going too far to say that oneihird more cows could be kept, and more profitably kept — one-third more stock, worth one-third more money, to say nothing of the increase in value and quantity of the dairy products. When a knowledge and experience of modern dairy management have been acquired there will be a general desire evinced to provide suitable food liberally for milk cows.