LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

Southland Times, Issue 25312, 15 June 1935, Page 14

LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

(Conducted by

W. S. Allan, M. Agr. Sc.)

Items of Interest with a view to publication in these columns will be accepted, and any inquiries accompanied by the name and address of the inquirer, not necessarily , for publication, will be answered through these columns. ANSWER TO INQUIRIES “Subscriber,” Winton, asks: (1) Would a cow’s milk have a higher test when she,is stale or close to calving? (2) Would cows with a 7.4 test be considered good? (3) How many pounds of butterfat are produced by a cow giving 311 b of milk of 7.4 test daily? (4) At what age, under ordinary conditions should a Jersey, bull be' full grown? (1) Soon after calving a cow’s milk is of low test, and continues so until the third month, when milk production is usually at its highest. From then on the quantity decreases, and the test gets higher until, at the end of the lactation, the test is at its peak. (2) Butterfat tests of 7.4 are high. Average milk contains 3.8 to 4 per cent, fat. (3) On the milk and test figures supplied by you, the cow is giving 2.294 lb of butterfat daily. (4) A Jersey bull should be grown to maturity at three years, but this is governed, to some extent, by conditions under which the animal is kept. YOUNG FARMERS’ SECTION GRASSES, WEEDS AND CLOVERS. IDENTIFYING THE GRASSES. Series 4. In this issue we resume the series on grasses which was interrupted last weeK owing to lack of space. To-day we are concerned with the identification of the various grasses. The following key made up by Professor F. W. Hilgendorf, M.A., D.Sc., should enable you to discover the name of almost any grass you may come across. To be able to use it you will need to know the names of the various parts of a plant, as described on this page in the June Ist, issue. The following example will show how the key should be used. Suppose you have a complete specimen of cocksfoot, but for the moment you do not know what it is. Starting with figure I on the left of the key, we have two alternatives. Cocksfoot falls within the second alternative hairless—and so we run out to figure 14 on the right of the page. Now find 14 on the left of the page and consider the two alternatives. No rhizomes takes us to 19. Here no colouration takes us to 22. At 22 no yellow colouring takes us to 23. Here no swelling at the base takes us to 25. Leaf sheath is compressed so go to 26. Not a “Poa” blade so go to 27, where the total absence of hairs finally identifies the grass as cocksfoot. 1. Hairy on leaf, or sheath, or both, or, only round ligule 2 ‘ Hairless 14 2. Hairs at least as conspicuous on leaf as on sheath, or chiefly near ligule 3 Hairs long and numerous on sheath; much less conspicuous on blade Prairie Grass 3. Hairs long and silky round ligule, shorter or absent elsewhere 4 Hairs not chiefly round ligule 7 4. Ligule very small if present at all (see note) i ' • 5 Ligule quite obvious, with hairs in front of or behind it. 6 5. Thick ring or tuft of hairs round mouth of blade. Blade rather narrow, sometimes hairy. No clasping ears Danthonia Thin ring of hairs; blade broad and light green; distinct though not large clasping ears Microloena (see note) 6. Very large ligule; hairs long and silky behind it; strong rhizomes; often a few scattered silky hairs on edges of sheathing parts of leaves Paspalum Moderate ligule; hairs round mouth of blade; often hairy elsewhere; no rhizomes; taste suggesting smell of hay. Sweet Vernal 7. Distinct red and white veins at base of sheath, best seen when sheath stripped backwards 8 No distinct red and white veins 9 8. No rhizomes Yorkshire Fog— Strong rhizomes—a serious twitch Creeping Fog 9. With distinct clasping ears 10 With no sign of clasping ears, though there may be present unmistakable . rounded shoulder-like projections (v. fig. 9 p. 17) 11 10. With strong rhizomes —a serious twitch \ Agropyron repens Without rhizomes (an annual, with a barley-like head, usually visible or enwrapped in the leaves) Barley Grass 11. Hairs on the blade short and in distinct lines (usually only to be seen by method descriped on p. 27) 12 Hairs long, often velvety, and always quite obvious 13 12. With a string of 3—B onion-like swellings about the size of peas at the base of the plant Onion Twitch With no string of onion-like swellings Tall Oat Grass 13. With purple colouring over blade, or at least on the ear-like expansions at base of blade; an annual; waste land only. Spikelets with awns about one inch in length Barren Brome With no purple colouring at ears; an Annual on waste land or in old pastures; awns about quarter of an inch long Goose Grass 14. With distinct rhizomes or sometimes stolons 15 No rhizomes or stolons 19 15. With clasping ears Agropyrum repens Without clasping ears 16 16. Growing almost exclusively in slow running water; broad soft blade; compressed sheath Floating Sweet Grass Growing on dry land 17 17. Very ’ fine bristle-like blade; rounded shoulder-like ears (v. fig. 9 p. 17) Chewings Fescue Blades of ordinary width 18 18. With Poa blade (v. p. 22) Poa Pratensis Blade with distinct ribs and tapering from base to tip Creeping Bent 19. Distinct red colour on underground part of sheath; colour brighter when dead sheaths stripped off 20 No red colouration 22 20. Sheath distinctly compressed just below base of leaves Perennial Rye Sheath just below base of leaves virtually round 21. Upper surface edges of leaves when rubbed downward on lip distinctly cutting Tall Fescue or Meadow Fescue Leaf only rough, not cutting Italian Rye 22. Underground part of sheath with faint but unmistakable yellow colour, both on withered sheaths and on the fresh ones underneath (many specimens may need examination to see this) Crested Dogstail Sheaths not yellow at the base 23 23. With one or at most two distinct swellings about the size of a pea, at base of sheath 24

With no swellings at the base 25 24. With one or at most two swellings; length of ligule less than half the width of the blade Timothy

.With one swelling; ligule almost as long as the blade is wide Phalaris bulbosa 25. With leaf sheath compressed 26 With leaf sheath round 31 26. With Poa blade (v. p. 22) 28 Without Poa blade 27 27. Quite hairless; leaf sheath so strongly compressed as to have almost cutting edges; no rhizome Cocksfoot— A few spiky, silky hairs behind ligule; strong rhizomes Paspalum 28. With rhizomes 30 "Without rhizomes 29 29. An annual, usually only on waste land; usually flowers all the year round; about 50 per cent, of the leaves transversely crinkled Poa annua A perennial in pastures; flowers only in summer; few. or none of tile leaves transversely crinkled ‘ Poa trivialis 30. Growing on dry land, blades _ rather narrow Poa pratensis Found only near slow running water; broad soft blades Floating Sweet Grass 31. Blades very narrow, often bristle-like 32 Blade broad ' 34 32. An annual, often growing in tufts or waste ground or among crops; awned spikelets nearly always exposed or enwrapped in sheaths Hair Grass Perennials forming a turf in pastures 33 33. With rhizomes which are often weak, but forming a very dense mat Chewings Fescue Without rhizomes Sheep’s Fescue or Hard Fescue 34. Ridges high and sharp; no sign or medial groove on upper side of blade; stolons or rhizomes present Creeping Bent Medial groove, if present, veiy shallow; no stolons or rhizomes ' 35 35. Dead sheaths at base of plant dark purplish brown; ribs fiat; a broad, shallow medial groove on upper side of leaf always present but often indistinct; on damp heavy land Foxtail

WHEAT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES OF THE INSTITUTE. IMPROVED QUALITY AIMED AT. Before the agricultural section of the Science Congress of the Royal Society Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf, director of the Wheat Research Institute, presented a paper in which he discussed some problems associated with wheat research work. The lecturer showed that ’New Zealand had an average yield of wheat of 32 bushels per acre, this being among the highest yields in the world. The present trend of wheat yields was distinctly upwards. A graph was displayed showing four periods in the' trend of yields. The first, from 1890 to 1900, showed a downward trend owing to depletion of the original soil fertility. The second showed a sharp upward trend from 1900 to 1910, due to the introduction of rotational farming consequent on the inception of the frozen meat trade. The third period revealed a downward trend from 1910 to 1920 as a result of the utilization of the best wheat lands for dairying. The last period was one of a long, slow, upward trend from 1920 to the present day, due to the use of manures, to deeper and earlier cultivation by tractors, and perhaps to the use of better seed. The prime need of New Zealand wheat was, therefore, not increased yield, but improved quality, and towards that end most of the activities of the institute were directed. Yield was, however, not being neglected, and one of the quickest and most hopeful methods of increasing it was probably the achievement of more even seeding. The effects on yield of ■ even and uneven seeding were described, as well as some machines intended to secure better results in this direction. The wheat industry, it was stated, badly needed the help of the agricultural engineer in this respect. Other researches in progress had to do with the quality of wheat from the milling and baking points of view, and the testing of very small quantities of wheat for breeding purposes. The effect of the inclusion of germ of wheat in flour was described from the point of view of both nutrition and the case of bread making. It was demonstrated that the usual methods of making bread combined the best practice from both points of view. PIG RECORDING In recent years there has been a marked advance in the practice of recording the litters of pigs in England. This policy is regarded as an essential aid to the conduct of breeding operations on the most successful and profitable lines. Hertfordshire reports an increase of 30 per cent, in litters recorded last year, the total number weighed having been 405. There were 126 litters of 10 or more pigs. All pigs were reared in 108 of these, and over 60 per cent, of all the litters showed 8 or more pigs reared. This indicates a high standard of management to which recording itself has contributed.

If 45 litters classified as “poor” had been eliminated, the average for all the other litters would have been 8.6. The average weight a pig at eight weeks old was 28.81 b., compared with the recognized standard of 251 b. “Creep” feeding is stated to be proving of great value in securing good weaning weights.

Wheat production in England and Wales in 1934 is estimated to have increased by 11 per cent as compared with that in 1933.

LESSON OF LOW PRICES DIVERSITY’S ADVANTAGES. SHEEP ON THE DAIRY FARM. The experience of low prices for one class of product and then for another has taught the farmer the value of having more than “one string to his bow. Seldom are all classes of farm products in the doldrums at the same time. I think the experience of the past few years should convince fanners of the necessity of combining the two main branches of pastoral production in New Zealand—sheep farming and dairy farming—as often as possible on the same property (states a writer ilf the New Zealand HerMd). Apart from the diversified production aspect, which tends to stabilize the farm income over a period of years, it has been, abundantly proved that these two species of herbivorous animals are the complement of another, and that where they are intelligently managed in combination there is less disease ana greater value of total production, with actually less labour or worry than where either is farmed separately? In the past many sheepmen appreciated the necessity for carrying one cattle-beast—usually of the beef type—to every four or five sheep which he grazed. On the North Island English grass pastures the feed could not be kept in suitable short condition for the sheep when this proportion was not maintained. Few men who realized the need for cattle “to keep the sheep feed in order” appreciated that the cattle were doing still more valuable service in destroying worms parasitic in sheep, encouraging variety in pasture grasses, and consolidating the soil. This has only been borne in upon us since, following the wide popularity of the fat lamb industry, we have increased breeding ewe flocks' and reduced the proportion of cattle on, at any rate, all the smaller grazing properties, when sickness among the sheep has become more and more prevalent. ■ As a result of their country becoming “sheep-sick,” and suffering a steady decline in the quality of the pasture, the more thoughtful sheepmen realized that they must return to their former practice of grazing a considerable number of cattle on their primarily sheep country. Many are combining dairying with their sheep-farming and carrying their < dry stock and young heifers among the ewes; others are purchasing “marked” weaner or yearling heifers and carrying these through until they come to profit, when a satisfactory price is usually secured. Both these methods have been found to increase and stabilize the farm income. Responsibilities in Fencing. The practice of carrying sheep on the dairy farm has not achieved the popularity it merits, chiefly because of the expense of making the dairy farm fences sheep-proof. Good fences are a necessity where the utmost use is to be made of sheep, and even in the present time of. depressed prices, the outlay to convert the usual subdivision fence for cattle into a good six-wire job is well warranted. Sheep on the dairy farm will do best, and will serve their most useful purpose in improving the health and production of the cows, if rotationally grazed behind them. They should never be run with the cattle, or they will undoubtedly reduce the cow-carrying capacity of the farm through selecting the shorter, succulent feed, and neglecting the coarser grasses. Grazed behind the cows, they eat off the tufts surrounding droppings, which, having been fertilized by their own manure, is distasteful to the cattle. Tliis is a provision of Nature which warns stock from pasture which is likely to be heavily infected with parasites of their own species. Sheep will eat this grass with relish, and serve the dual purpose of reducing worm infection for the cows and leaving the paddocks evenly grazed, thereby eliminating the necessity for topping with the mower.

The number and class of sheep which will give most satisfactory results on the dairy farm will necessarily vary with the class of country being farmed, and the amount of cultivation for special supplementary crops which is undertaken. Actually the sheep are required to deal with the grass country only after this has been first grazed by the dairy cows. It is therefore essential that there should be no overstocking with sheep, as this would defeat the purpose for which these are kept It is also advisable to cany dry sheep, such as hoggets, wethers, or empty ewes, as should it be found necessary to reduce the stocking at any time in consequence of an unforseen grass shortage, these can be more readily disposed of than can ewes in lamb.

Generally it will be found, on typical dairying country, that big-framed, heavy-skinned ewes of the Lincoln or Romney-Lincoln type will thrive better than the finer-woolled and smallerframed breeds. These coarser sheep have been evolved to deal with the most lush grasses found on the richer lands. Generally it will be found that two sheep to each dairy cow will be ample to keep the pastures in order, and it will probably be necessary to reduce this proportion toward the end of the winter, when a growth of fresh grass is wanted in readiness for the early-calving cows. At this time it should be possible to get away a number of the sheep as fats at a satisfactory figure. , WEEDS AND INSECTS BIOLOGICAL CONTROL. RESULTS TO DATE ANALYZED. Before the agricultural section of the Science Congress of the Royal Society a symposium on the biological control of noxious insects and weeds in New Zealand was presented by Dr. D. Miller and Mr L. J. Dumbleton, of the Cawthron Institute, and Mr A. F. Clark, of the State Forest Service. The general introduction was in the hands of Dr. Miller, who dealt also with the application of the biological method to the control of noxious weeds and insect pests of field crops and animals. The paper by Mr Clark dealt with insect pests of the forests and that of Mr Dumbleton with the insect pests of orchards. The papers constituted a review of the attempts to control insect pests and noxious weeds in New Zealand by the biological method. The work trader review has been carried out by the entomologists of the Cawthron Institute and the Department of Agriculture. The “biological control” method, it was stated, could be defined in a general way as the utilization of any organism, plant or animal to check the increase of any other organism. The method, however, had won its major successes in the control of insect pests, by their natural enemies and the control of noxious weeds by plant-feeding insects. It was not claimed by the practitioner that the method was of universal application and the difficulties and pitfalls that beset the subject were well illustrated by the speakers. It was shown that when the biological

control of noxious weeds was inaugurated in New Zealand in 1927 it was decided to deal with what were considered to be the four major weeds—blackberry, ragwort, piri piri and gorse —though the control of the last-named was to be confined only to the seeds, since gorse itself was of considerable value in parts of the country. Of these weeds, blackberry had been abandoned, while there was very great promise of success against ragwort, piri piri, and gorse, concrete results having been secured in the case of the seed control of the last-mentioned. Forest and Fruit Pests.

The biological control of forest insects was of great importance owing to the fact that cultural and chemical methods of control were not so readily applicable to forests as they were to agricultural crops. Attempts had been made to control a number of orchard pests, including codim moth, mealy bug, woolly aphis, earwig, pear midge, pear slug, leafroller, cottony cushion scale, etc. Altogether attempts had been made to introduce 37 insect parasites or predators to control about 12 pests. Twenty-four of the 37 had actually been liberated in New Zealand, and of these 11 were known to be established as a result of their introduction and liberation. The final issue with regard to several others could not be stated at present, as the work had only recently been performed. Of the 11 which were known to be established, two kept their hosts (woolly aphis and cottony cushion scale) under adequate control, and nine give partial control, varying in degree. In several cases the parasites were restricted in their distribution in New Zealand by climatic factors, and were known to be established only in the warmer parts of the North Island. Field Crop Pests. The earliest attempt to control a field crop pest in New Zealand by biological methods was in 1892, when parasites were introduced to control the Hessian Fly. This insect was not now a serious pest, though it was not known whether that was entirely to be attributed to the parasites. It was mentioned that in the case of several of the insects introduced in more recent years the attempts to establish the insect were neither on a sufficiently large scale nor were they repeated. Considering the less favourable conditions in New Zealand, the results of the work compared fovourably with those obtained in Hawaii, where, perhaps, 10 times as many insects were experimented with as were finally established. In connection with the work which was m progress and had not so far given promising results, it had to be stressed that there was no reliable criterion for determining in advance the result ot the introduction of any parasite. In spite of the accumulated knowledge of the last 30 or 40 years, the method ot biological control was in practice empirical. The only test was to introduce the parasite and observe its progress. SUBTERGRIM LUCERNE TRIALS IN DUNEDIN. VALUE OF PROTEIN CONTENT. Further evidence of the extraordinary growth and vigour of the Subtergrim strain of lucerne which Mr A. Macpheison, of Dunedin, has sponsored so strenuously for the past few years is contained in the experimental area which he has cultivated this summer for the production of plants. It is interesting to record that the strain is also being tested officially by the fields division of the Department of Agriculture at the Plant Research Station at Palmerston North. It is being grown, in conjunction with another variety which serves the purpose of a control, and results to date, although as yet inconclusive by reason of the shortness of the trials, have been very satisfactory. Hie area at pre”'nt under observation in Dunedin was uwn with Subtergrim lucerne seed at the rate of 41b lloz per acre, on December 29, 1934. The first crop, a matured one, was cut on March 21,1935, being 11 weeks and 5 days from date seed was sown, and it gave a yield in hay of 1.632 tons per acre. Another crop was cut in five to six weeks time from date of first cut.

Protein is the most valuable constituent in foods for man or beast, ana costs most to buy. Oats, in the cereal foods, contains the highest percentage of the valuable proteins, and is generally taken by world authorities as the basis on which to assess the value of other foods. A good quality of oats contains 2391 b protein per ton, and lucerne hay contains 2351 b protein . per ton. Therefore, when oats are selling at 2/6 per bushel, a ton (56 bushels), the relative of lucerne based on its protein content would be £6 17/8 per ton; when oats are selling at 3/- per bushel, £8 5/2 per ton, and when oats are selling at 3/6 per bushel, £9 12/8 per ton. The value of the 1.632 tons lucerne hay produced in 11 weeks and 5 days from the date the seed was sown would be £ll 4/8 per acre when oats are 2/6 per bushel; £l3 9/6 per acre when oats are 3/- per bushel, and £l5 4/5 when oats are 3/6 per bushel. From exhaustive tests carried out by world authorities, to a dairyman the 55481 b green lucerne from which the 1.632 tons lucerne hay was made would be sufficient food to produce 220 gallons milk; for the sheep fanner the 1.632 tons hay would be ample feed of a high quality to feed 1632 sheep for a day, or with water would alone be enough feed for 4.47 sheep for a year; to the poultry farmer, the 1.632 tons lucerne hay would make and mean in egg production 7104 whites and 5160 yolks.

THE CARE OF A LITTER BIRTH TO WEANING. The following article by Mr D. J. Case, which appeared in The Pig Breeders’ Gazette, should be of'lnterest to breeders:—

In introducing this article I may say “A litter well born is half reared!” So much depends upon strain, constitution and previous feeding and management of the sow. Again it is much easier to rear pigs in November and December than in May and June. I will deal with the June litter.

Every sow should have been treated for worms, washed and disinfected at least 10 days before farrowing and brought to her intended pen for farrowing; bran should then form 50% of her ration. Should there be easy access to a clean yard or healthy pasture, one hour for exercise each day will improve matters, but if there is risk of infestation confine her to the pen. This should be as light as possible with plenty of air space, free from draughts over and under, the floor should be dry, and made of material that does not strike cold.* Farrowing rails 9 to 10 inches above floor level should be provided in the sleeping part of the pen which should be bedded with short clean wheat straw litter. The attendant should spend a little time with the sow to get her accustomed to handling, then if necessary the piglings, when born can be dealt with without disturbing the sow.

Should she bear a litter of say, 14 pigs, tallow the first seven to feed then place them in a cosy deep basket or light tub with clean litter for their first sleep. By that time the other seven should have arrived and had theii* feed. In all probability the Sow will have got up at half time and laid over on the other side; this will allow the attendant to see that each teat is suckled. Do everything quietly, take the first seven pigs away out of hearing of the sow, nip off their eight sucker teeth level with the gums, dress the navel strings with tincture of iodine of 10% sulphate of copper, then take them back to the sow, pick up the other seven and do likewise, stay long enough to see that each pig settles down to a teat and falls asleep, in the meantime remove the afterbirth, replace any wet litter with soft warm dry material but not enough to smother the piglings. Don’t feed the sow, a gallon of water that has been boiled should be in the clean trough, this is all she needs for at least 12 hours, then she may have three small slops daily of half bran and half weatings for four to five days according to the condition of the sow. It is not generally realized that a well-grown sow in good condition is capable of giving sufficient milk to rear 20 pigs fdr the first ten days, and anxious breeders often overfeed the sow when she has a litter of say eight pigs. Consequently the piglings overfeed, fill their stomach with curd, make blood faster than their veins can expand, and thus lose appetite and fail to drain the milk from the sow. Then the trouble begins, scour sets in, the curd in the stomach will not break up and the sow’s milk day by day lessens, hence the reason for under rather than over feeding for the first ten days. There is no better guide for health than nature. Nature provides the dew on the leaves, maybe rain, and mother earth is at hand. Keep clean water in the pen in a small shallow trough also soil with grit in it, but see. that it is not contaminated with organic manure. Soil from arable land should be preferred.

An intelligent observer will have noticed the piglings at the tender age of three days sucking up the urine of the sow and nosing for all they are worth any rubbish on the floor. Give them a chance to drink clean water also some grit to chew and help pass off the indigestion pains. Should a pigling scour, give a teaspoonful of castor oil immediately and cure the first one and give the sow two ozs of Epsom salts every other day for six days. When the litter are ten days old commence to give the sow 10% balanced rations with her bran and weatings, decreasing and increasing the food 'accordingly. Do it gradually and by the time she has farrowed five weeks she should be on balanced rations.

The first thing the piglings like is a bit of green from the garden; don’t make too free with mangel in the pen, swedes are better in early season for the sow. A creep should be provided for the youngsters as soon as they attempt to feed from the trough. Rolled wheat is a good start for them, then a little bran in best Cod Liver oil, next a little extracted soyabean with a sprinkling of minerals. Don’t give the piglings slop feed until they are some five weeks old. If they get messy and shiver wtih the cold, give them warm skim milk if available but feed sparingly until they take it well. A little cod liver oil with the milk won’t hurt, but mix it well.

It is well to remember pigs naturally suckle 24 times per day therefore if the sow is turned out before her litter is 10 days old don’t let her stay out three hours, that’s two hours overtime. At five weeks old the sow and litter can have somewhat the same balanced ration but the pigs can be favoured with milk extra if available, and a run out now and again when the weather is kind.

As a safeguard against worms when the pigs are from three to four weeks old drench each one. Don’t wean pigs under eight weeks old.