LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

Southland Times, Issue 17833, 12 July 1918, Page 7

LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

MR PEAT’S FRIESIANS.

Seed Growing in N.Z.

New Dogs at Lochlel Kennels.

DAIRYING NOTES.

(By “PLOUGHMAN.”)

Young pigs, especially those fed principally on whey or those whose surroundings are on the damp side, often lose the power of their hindquarters. Frequently the pigs are in goed condition and the fanner is therefore at a loss.to .understand• the cause or apply a remedy. The first thing to do is to change the diet, which must be soft, and take steps to regulate the bowels with small doses of salts or oil. The animals must be well bedded down in a good dry, warm place. In addition to the laxative give a powder containing the following ingredients twice daily, mixed in the food:— Eight grains nux vomica, one dram gentian, and one dram ginger. Your chemist will supply these. A 14-furrow stump jack plough is beini used very successfully by Mr George Elliot: on his property in the Lakes district. Tlk motive power is supplied by a team of nine horses, and 15 acres is ploughed per day. In view of the shortage of labour, the machine is proving a good success. The autumn sown crops in the Lakes district are looking well and are already showing above the ground. Mr J. A. Johnstone, of the Clydesdale Horse Society, says that, while there are many who predict that the tractor plough will replace the horse-drawn implement upon the land, he is not one who can accept that view in its broadest sense. Mr Johnstone expressed his views thusly: “That on level and light land the motor-driven plough has come to stay I do not doubt, but so far as I have been able to investigate the matter, the motor plough on heavy lands and on hilly country has not been a success. On the town streets and on well-macadamised country roads we may expect a certain amount of heavy motor waggon traffic, but I am convinced that with our Government’s policy of closer settlement on the land—and this policy is bound to undergo great expansion after the war—we shall experience a revival in the demand and an improvement in the prices for our draught horses.” Some Southland dairymen are looking on with considerable amusement at the frenzy their North Island confreres are working themselves into over the dried milk proposition. But on the surface at least there is a very considerable reason for their excitement. To-day the price of butter on the London market is 191/- per cwt, and dried milk (skim-milk) is 160/- per cwt. But two pounds of dried milk can be made for every pound of butter. As an example of what this means compare the cow giving 10.000 lbs of milk in a year with a 3.5 test, ■with a cow giving 7000 lbs of milk with a 5.0 test. The butter values of both are the same, but the 10,000 lbs of milk, cow will give 7001bs of dried milk to the other’s 4901b5, a difference of 2101bs which at 160/per cwt amounts to £ls for the year. Finding that he had not enough fertiliser to finish sowing his winter wheat, an Ashburton farmer decided to use lime, and to his surprise finds that the later-sown portion is much more advanced and healthy-looking than • the t earlier-sown. area, which was distributed with the manure. The farmer intends to watch carefully the comparative results. Obviously, however, the lime had only fulfilled its advocated function of making soil properties available to the plant. Following on the remarks and advice to fanners re preparing for the expected shortage of imported seeds, published in these columns, Messrs J. E. Watson and Co. have further stressed this important matter by publishing a resume of correspondence which has passed between the firm and Dr Reakes, head of the Department of Agriculture. Farmers should now be fully alive to the requirements of the position and make their arrangements accordingly. This is also a matter which should receive the earnest consideration of the Fanners’ Union who should, through their existing machinery, issue a strong appeal to their members to raise a proportion of seed. The matter of cross-fertilisation of the seed is a very important one, and no better provision could be made for coping with this difficulty than through the various branches of the Union who could supervise the work and arrangements in their various districts. That New Zealand-grown seed is surpassed by none has already been proved, and at the recent Hamilton Show where there was an exceptionally fine showing of swede, mangel and carrot roots, the following comment was passed by leading experts upon a stand of such exhibits raised from purely Maoriland grown seed: “The finest display of roots and vegetables ever made in New Zealand or Australia.” There is no question regarding the germination qualities of New Zea-land-grown seed either, as various tests made have proved, and these have been supplemented by extensive tests at the Ruakura State Farm this year, the germination being exceptionally strong, while the resulting crops were also of a very high order. In the past New Zealand-grown seed has been procurable and the present crisis is going to pi'ove that in this matter of seed production v.’e can be self-contained. Sir Thomas Mackenzie has sized up the position too as an announcement from him recently stated that he had made arrangements to have returning dominion soldiers specially trained in the business of seed production. Put to the test, New Zealand may evolve from the crisis as the producer of the finest seed in the world. Our soil is as new compared to that of the countries from which we have imported in the past, and there is therefore every reason to expect better results when we have become conversant with the right methods. Perhaps, too, our new seed will produce a swede capable of resisting i;he scourge of dry rot which may be a product of the old soils of the Old Lands. It is to be hoped that in this unparalleled occurrence in our agricultural history, the State Farms are rising'to the occasion and making full use of their experts to raise and produce a great requirement of seed, as so far the Department has not taken very energetic means to stimulate the necessity amongst the fanners for growing seed. It is a work the men of the Fields Division might sacrifice other duties for at the present time. Mr James Lilico, of Lochiel, whose loss of his homestead by fire recently will be generally regretted, continues to import into the dominion, 1 International and other renowned sheep diog trials’ winners, despite the aggravated conditions due to the war. A batch of three, a dog and two young bitches, great workers, have just come out of quarantine. Although they had barely settled at the Lochiel kennels, Joffre, the dog in question, who is by the Scottish International winner Don, found a great admirer in another Trial enthusiast, Alex. Peat, of Dipton, who eventually succeeded in purchasing the imported dog. Joffre, although less than a year old at the time, ran third in an important trial in Scotland to Risp, who is now considered to be the best dog of the day in trial circles at home. With Joffre, Mr Peat also took back to Dipton two puppies, one from each of the imported bitches. In his kennels, Mr Peat has already a bitch by Lad who won the International Trials also, and the bitch’s dam, Otterbum Trim, is ;a full to Swap and Don, both of whom have won the Blue Ribbon event as above. Here is - a fine performance in fat lamb production: Last month (says the Christchurch Press) Mr P. Gillon, of Greenpark, sent 20 lambs to the freezing works, which aggregated 12271b dressed weight, or an average of 6L3Hb. The return for the car-

cases at 6id per lb, was £3l 6/3. The fat realised £1 2/3, whilst the skins averaged 12V3. Deducting the expenses, £3 9/6, the lambs gave the high average of £2 1/- per head. The analysis of a ton of farmyard manure has always been a subject of interest to the farming community. Gn an average a ton of ordinary farmyard manure may be taken as containing 12lbs of nitrogen, lOlbs of phosphate of lime, and 71bs of potash. A dressing of twenty tons furnishes to the land about 2401b of nitrogen, 2001b of phosphate of lime, and 1401b of potash, or as much as is contained in ten cwt of sulphate ammonia, six cwt of superphosphate, hirty per cent., and 11 cwt of kaimt, alhough, of course, the constituents are not a such a quickly available condition as in the fertilisers. The recent sale of Mr J. F. Rathgen’s farm at Brydone to two returned soldiers is the first sale of the kind reported, as it was made uuuer a clause in the Act for settling soldiers on the land, which allows the settlers to eexrcise their own choice and then secure the financial aid of the Government to complete the purchase. The two purchasing soldiers in question, Messrs Gordon and James Stewart have , secured two very fine blocks of land, each 100 acres in area, and with the known fertility of the'land in that quarter, success should attend their efforts. * Quoted prices of root seeds should bring home to the. grower of field roots the necessity for producing these seeds in the dominion. An extraordinary fact regarding the age of a Shorthorn bull was established during the hearing of a recent case in the Marlborough province. The case arose out of injuries sustained to the bull between the time of the purchase and delivery. The plaintiff said the bull was stated to be 7 years of age and he paid £4 10s for him. By reason of the injuries received he was worthless as a bull and plaintiff said he would not have resold the bull after purchase for £2O. He had been put to considerable expense in travelling, round trying to purchase another lull without success and he claimed £lO damages accordingly. The defendant stated the bull was 17 years of age and had been in his possession for the past 10 years. He had purchased him from Mr Aldridge for 30s. The S.M.: You seem to have made a very good bargain in selling him for £4 10s? Defendant: Yes, but plaintiff will do better still if he gets damages in this case! The magistrate, in summing up, said there was no doubt that plaintiff’s bull had been injured, and had been rendered useless. He had been deprived of his property, and some compensation for the trouble and expense he had been put to was only fair and reasonable. Judgment was given for plaintiff for £lO and £4 10s costs. The strength of Ayrshire breeders in Southland has been added to by the advent into the Edendale settlement of Mr A. M. Weir, one of the firm of noted Ayrshire breeders, Messrs Weir Bros., of Pukehiki, Otago Peninsula. On account of two of . the brothers proceeding on active service last year, Messrs Weir Bros, had a clearing sale of their pedigree Ayrshires in August last when a considerable amount of their stock came to Southland, notably to Mr P. Hellyer, of Woodlands. Mr A. M. Weir recently purchased Mr James Columb’s 250acre farm at Edendale at a price said to "be a record for the district for a property of its description. He should be an acquisition to the pedigree live stock breeders of the province. Great interest throughout both islands has centred in the proposal to open the flock book of the Romney Marsh Society to the South Island breeders again, so as to conform to the idea that there should be one Flock Book for each breed. The proposal was threshed out recently at the annual meeting of the society held at Palmerston North when there was a record attendance. The knotty point about the proposal and that on which all feeling rested was the inspection of the flocks applying for admission. Northerners were prepared to open the book to South Island flocks of which the histories were satisfactory and inspection was made before being entered. On the other hand it was held there was as much reason for the North Island flocks to be inspected as those of the South. However the South Islanders were successful. Mr W .D. Hunt moved that those flocks already in the South Island flock book be accepted for entry. This was adopted, in preference to one that “the flock book should be re-opened and those flocks admitted which, after inspection, were worthy of entry.” The chairman, Mr Matthews, of whom one might say he is the “grand old man” of Romney sheep breeding, gave it as his view that it would be a graceful act to allow this to be done, and that carried the day. As is generally known cow pox is highly contagious, the hands of the milker being the medium by which the disease is spread from one animal to another. The disease is occasionally seen in horses, attacking their lips .and heels, and may be transferred from these animals to cattle by their attendants if the latter assist with the milking as well as acting as horsemen. The following treatment has been found very effective: Care should be taken when milking that the blisters are not ruptured until they are ready to break, qtherwi.se they will gather again. Wash with an antiseptic and then apply a little carbolic oil or boracic acid and continue this treatment until a cure is effected. Is lucerne a suitable crop for Southland? Opinions on this matter vary as the wind, but it is correct to say that there is room still for very considerable experiments before the matter can be established. What suits one locality will not do in another. For the successful culture of lucerne, the drainage must be perfect. Lucerne will not flourish on land which holds the water. Some varieties may be much more suitable to local conditions than others and experiments in this direction would be very useful. A variety hitherto unobtainable but of which much has been heard is Grimm lucerne which had its origin in U.S.A. Mr A. Macpherson, Government Fields Instructor, has been experimenting with a small parcel of seed procured after much trouble and is preparing an article on the results of his labour. One root grew so well as to show a nine feet three inch spread of lucerne when'the second crop was cut, and it weighed 161b. Some of the branches were 75 inches in length. Mr Macpherson has been endeavouring lor several years to introduce this variety. Experiments conducted in America show that it is one of the hardiest known forms of lucerne. It has borne a temperature as low as 38deg. Fahr. below zero, - and has been cultivated below sea level and at an altitude of 13,000 feet. The reason the Grimm variety has not been introduced into New Zealand is on account of the scarcity of the seed. In 1913 the Agricultural Department received two drams of the seed, and the cultivation of this was subjected to severe tests, surviving them all in the most astonishing manner. To water-proof your boots mix together equal parts of bees-wax and mutton suet and rub this on to the soles and edges of each boot.

Southland has a very enterprising fancier of , stud stock in Mr Alex. Peat, of Dipton. Some time ago, Mr Peat- who conducted studs of Bprder Leicester and Merino sheep disposed of these, and centred his attention on his Romneys, of which he has imported from the North Island some fine foundation stock. But it is as a fancier of •Friesian cattle that Mr Peat is best known. He has been building up a herd of these fine cattle by extensive purchases of imported and tested cattle and Mr Peat recently informed, me that a short time ago, he made overtures to Mr John Donald to put a price on Westmere Princess Pietertje, then under test, and Woodcrest Johanna Tehee, the then champion milk cow of the dominion. Mr Donald however refused to part with them on any consideration whatsoever, and so when the purchase of Westmere Princess Pietertje to Mr W. D. Hunt was reported it came as a great surprise to Mr Peat. Mr Hunt is ; therefore to be doubly congratulated on his success. Mr Peat was a competitor for the pick of the cows at Messrs Clifford Bros.’ dispersal sale of the Black and White cattle recently held in the North Island and has received advice that he was successful in securing the pick of the cows. The leading cow in this herd was “Grace Fayne of Ashlynn,” which under semi-official test produced 716.051bs of butter-fat and 17,9341bs of milk. This cow which Mr Peat was successful in purchasing, was 4 years 302 days of age when she was entered for the test and she did not milk for the full year, having to be dried off at 351 days. She is due to calve this month and the progeny should be valuable as she was bred to a bull of extra special worth. According to an article in the Popular Science Monthly (New York), the undertaking recently established in California for obtaining supplies of potash from seaweed is proving so successful that one firm alone is producing three times as much potash as was previously imported from Germany. The kelp is cut by means of a reaper, which cuts the weed 4 ft. below the water. The kelp is carried from a boat-harvester by a continuous belt elevator to a crushing mill. It is stated that sufficient potash is being obtained by these means to supply, not only American needs but also those of all the Allies. A splendid recognition of the work of our State Farms in raising the standard of pedigree stock in the dominion has just been made by the well-known stud breeder, Mr J. W. Harding, of Mount Vernon station, Waipukurau, who has volunteered for active service and recently entered camp. Tn view of this he has just presented his imported Clydesdale horse, Dunrod Sensation, to the New Zealand Government.. The Department of Agriculture have gratefully accepted Mr Harding’s offer, and propose placing the horse at the State Farm at Ruakura. South Island dairy factories are awakening to the possibilities of the manufacture of glaxo and dried milk, which despite the warnings of the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Lands, to tread the path warily, are at tbe present moment the mecca of North Island dairy 7 concerns. The following motion passed by the Waikari branch of the Farmers' Union (North Canterbury) illustrates the spread of the fever routhwards:—“That the secretary be instructed to write to the manager of the Glaxo works, Matamata, asking for information as to the prospects of their starting glaxo works in' North Canterbury.” It was pointed out these factories were enabled to pay 3s per pound for butter-fat, with a prospect of 5s per pound in the near future, as compared with Is 5d to Is 6d in Canterbury at present. Recent additions to his stud of Romneys at Dipton by Mr Alex. Feat are as follows; —4l 2-tooth ewes and a ram “Castlerock 176” from the Trustees of the late T. L. Barnhill, Castlerock; 6 2-tooth ewes from G. E. Allen, 5 ewes from A; Matthews, and 5 ewes from Wm. Perry. The last three North Island breeders all won prizes at the Panama Exposition and rank as the leading Romney breeders of the dominion. New Zealand has beaten Australia, as well as the rest of the Empire, for the coveted honour among dairymen of champion butter cow. For two years the Australian record was held by a red poll cow, Muria, the property of the Victorian Department of Agriculture. This cow was remarkable for her extremely high test, a valuable point in the Red Polls. Her record was 14,972 lbs of milk containing 1007 lbs of butter. There are very few Red Polls in the dominion although the breed is said to be a fine dual purpose one. I beßeve the first introduction of the breed to Southland was made a few months ago by a new settler on the Edendale plain. There is an extensive herd in. Canterbury and in return

for a shipment of Friesian cattle, the New Zealand Government has recently secured in exchange the nucleus of a herd from the Victorian Government. The record of the Red Poll was eclipsed last year by the milking Shorthorn, Melba VII, of Darbalara, a New South Wales cow ’of outstanding type. Her year’s production was 17,3641bs of milk containing 1021.591bs of blitter. Melba VII finished her year’s test in full production returning 621bs of butter or 2lbs per day for the final month. : Westmere Princess Pietertje, the great cow recently purchased by Mr Hunt, easily beats the two previous Australian records however, as her performance of 939.781bs of butter-fat from 24,1991 be of milk is equivalent to 1174.721bs of butter in the 12 months. When completing her test in the hands of Mr John Donald, her breeder and seller, this great Friesian cow tested up to 5.4 per cent.—a great test for such a heavy milker, whose average production for the year was over 6* gallons per day. Reports to hand of the dispersal sale of Friesian cattle at Lepperton, New Plymouth, as recently advertised in the “Times” by Mr Newton King, show that buyers were represented from every part of the Dominion and New South Wales. A splendid sale resulted, while no sensational prices were paid, the general average was such as to make the result a notable one. There were 48 head and these sold at an average price of 67* guineas, or £3402 for the herd. Twenty-three mature cows were sold at an average of 79| guineas; the 11 heifers, from 9 months to 21 years, averaged 58 J guineas; and 14 bulls, from 10 months up, averaged 55 guineas. An average exceeding £7O per head for a mixed herd of such description points conclusively to the general high class of the cattle sold. This is shown also by the fact that while the top price was 120 guineas, very few sold below 50 gna, the lowest price being 35 guineas for a bull calf. Therefore it is unfortunate that very few of the cattle are finding their way into the South Island, two cows coming to Canterbury and one bought by Mr A. Peat, to Southland only. The latter’s purchase represented one of the highest class members of the herd, she having exceeded the 7001bs mark for butter-fat. Although a number of other cows were bid for by Southlanders, better prices were offered by North Island bidders on this occasion. However there is reason for congratulation in the fact that when the Southlanders are prepared to buy, they can offer prices which succeed in securing the very beet offering. It is to be regretted, however, that several of these fine cows left the Dominion for Australia, a New South Wales buyer securing one of the cows at 90 guineas, and three heifera at 60 guineas, 81 guineas (top price for yearlings) and 60 guineas; but there is an ever-increasing demand for our cattle in the Commonwealth and these cattle are not likely to damage the reputation of our stock in the eyes of breeders there. The following prices were paid:—Cows: 120 gns, 107 101, 100, 100, 92, 80, 78, 63, 90, 60, 61, 92, 70, 50, 50, 75, 70, 92, 90, 90, 49, 91, and 70; 2-year-old heifer; 60gns; yearling heifers; 60 gns, 55, 70, 81; heifer calves, 56 gns, 47, 46, 53, 60, and 58. It pays to breed purebred stuff at the latter values. The bull values were: Top price, SO gns for an 8-months-old calf; others of similar age, 50 gns, 50, 35, 57, 51, 36, 50, 73, 35, 65; and for yearlings, 62, 59, and 66 gns. Congratulations were heaped on the vendors for the fair and above board method in which the sale was conducted. An evidence of this was shown by tbe fact that when the cow, Rozine 3rd Fayne, was knocked down at 50 guineas, an advance of 20 guineas on that price was offered the buyer by the vendor.