FARM NOTES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3811, 21 September 1936, Page 3

FARM NOTES

VALUE OF TOP-DRESSING. AN IMPORTANT OFFICIAL STATEMENT.' In his presidential address at the N.Z. Grasslands Association’s Conference, held at Massey College recently, Mr. A. H. Cockayne, DirectorGeneral of Agriculture, made some very significant observations in connection with the use of fertilisers, indicating that New Zealand should be top-dressing three times the area now treated. The following is extracted from Mr. Cockayne’s address : “This year, so far as the use of fertiliser is concerned, has regained the position of 1929-30, which was that for the greatest employment of fertiliser, the tonnage being put down at 350,000 to 400,000. In that year I made the rash prediction that in a decade 1.000,000 tons would be used. That was not fulfilled. The greatest single factor in the improvement of grassland lies along topdressing, and here one feels that many of our problems of 1929 and prior to it still remain to-day. I would like to see some of them really cleaned up, particularly the controversy of acid, and non-acid fertiliser, which is as keen to-day as it was ten years ago, just as the economies of top-dressing are as nebulous as they were then. Standardisation of fertiliser practice, based on the economies of top dressed grassland management, is, to my thinking, basal to the whole consideration of grassland progress. For that reason one feels that the soil survey work of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, translated into land utilisation, could easily be the basis on which our standardisation practices should be built. An Urgent Need. “It is felt, however, that something quicker than the soil survey and exact survey method is necessary to speed up our use of phosphate and lime, and later potash and nitrogen,” Mr. Cockayne added. “What is wanted is a fertiliser response map as soon as it can be done. I feel that the sum total of our experiments and experiences is sufficient to get this map out in a month. Why delay? We are all fearful of the query whether it will pay. Certainly accurate economies would be good, but one thinks that the premise that where ' there is a top dressing response top dressing will pay should be the fundamental standpoint to adopt. We are using 350,000 tons of top dressing, costing under £1,000,000. Probably half our butter-fat, £10,000,000 in value, rests in top dressing expenditure of £1,200,000. We top dress two million acres a year. I say that we should be top dressing six million acres. It is a rather short-sighted policy which we are at present pursuing in grassland management. The case for an expansion of top dressing the pastures of the Dominion has never been stated more strongly. At present only 15 per cent of the sown grasslands of New Zealand are top dressed. It is hoped that farmers will extend their annual top dressing programme and so reap the rewards indicated by Mr. Cockayne. PIG HYGIENE. Profits from pigs depend in a large measure on the ability of the farmer to keep the animals in a healthy and thrifty condition. It is heartening to reflect, however, that practically all the ailments that eat up the profits of the pig breeder are preventable, or can, if recognised early enough, be nipped in the bud and the losses kept down to a minimum. Swine fever is, of course, a terrible scourge that may be introduced with fresh, purchases, but by care and foresight, and by making it a matter of routine to isolate all fresh comers for 80 days after their arrival, it need not be allowed to spread any further. Isolation should also be applied to all pigs returned from shows, markets and stud farms. Another infectious disease that must be guarded against is swine erysipelas. If, however, the, above precautions arc taken it should not spread further than the animals in the quarantine pens; the remainder of the herd can be effectively protected against it by inoculation. On infected farms swine erysipelas may break out year after year with great regularity, and practically at the same time of year. These outbreaks may be forestalled by timely innoculation, which is the best insurance against this disease. Although much research work remains to be done as regards pig diseases, a great deal has been accomplished. We know that dead, weakly and deformed pigs are largely due to demineralisation of the sow during her gestation period and previous lactation. It therefore becomes a simple matter to prevent those losses by the correct feeding of pregnant and milking sows. The effects of proper feeding of the sow in milk are even further reaching. Softening of her pelvic bones will be prevented, and eases of sows going down and being unable to rise will become rarer. Her pigs, too, given suitable housing conditions, fresh air and sunlight, will be less liable to develop rickets 1 and other deficiency diseases. Both

intestinal and lung worms are great profit eaters. No effort is too great to prevent young pigs from becoming infected. We start with the infarrow sow by dosing her for worms once or twice just before she is taken in to farrow, and by giving her a bath of soap and water before she is placed in the cleaned and disinfected course, pigs are more liable to befarrowing pen. On free range, of come infested with parasites than in sties, and this is one of the great disadvantages of the open-air system. Once land has become thoroughly infested it is impossible to keep pigs free from parasites or to treat them satisfactorily. Consequently, unless such land can be well rested profits are eaten up. EFFECT OF FEED ON WOOL. It is known by all sheep farmers that there is a co-relationship between feed and wool of sheep as there is between the feeding and fattening of sheep. When anything happens to retard the feed available for the sheep, there is a noticeable effect in the quantity and quality of the wool. By feeding sheep a special fattening diet, it is reported, a Californian expert has produced a superior wool, twice as strong as the ordinary variety, promising clothing and fabrics that will wear far longer than those of to-day. Groups of sheep, kept in pens at the University of California Agricultural College, were fed upon a scientifically planned ration that caused them to gain weight and improve in health. At the end of six years they were shorn. Then their diet was changed to the ordinary ration of sheep on the range, and they were shorn again after another six months had passed. Tests of the two types of wool made in the air-conditioned laboratory of a wool techniologist, showed the breaking strength of wool from the specially fed sheep to be more than twice as high as that of the other samples. In addition, the yield of wool was 343 per cent, greater. TROUBLESOME TEATS. Nothing is more tiresome in the dairy shed than the hindrance to smooth milking and management that is caused by cows with troublesome. teats. The wart growths constantly under discussion are a source of annoyance that should be removed rather than be put up with as is too often the case in sheds where time and temper are wasted to the good neither of the milker nor of the offending cow, says the Australasian. What is not always borne in mind is that the period when the cows are dry is the best time to deal with the trouble. Instead, cows are turned out, and left largely to their own devices, and the golden opportunity for correcting such minor ills is lost, and a return to previously experienced shed handicap merely postponed. When the cow is not in full milk it is far easier to remove the warts by the expedient of putting a ligature around the base of the larger ones and retying again after three days, for at such a time • the cow, now being- in commission, does not hold up the milker by resenting being handled owing to areas of soreness after the removal of the warts. Among the various methods of dealing with warts of lesser size employed by herd managers is that of painting them with a mixture of salicylic acid and collodion, and this is found to be so effective that care must be taken to see to it that the application is made only on the wart itself. Where crops of quite small dry warts have to be dealt with, it is frequently found sufficient to thoroughly rub in castor- oil three times a week, while, as pointed out previously, vigorous rubbing with castor oil and salt is preferred in some quarters as a dependable remedy. COOKED FOODS. Opinions differ ' regarding the merit of feeding hay chaff to dairy cows in dry state or after damping or steaming. Good results are obtained either way, and generally it is necessary to take into consideration special conditions. If feeding a small quantity in the bails at milking time steaming is expedient, because the chaff is more readily consumed. On the other hand, if the total ration fed is steamed it would greatly add to the cost of feeding, and any food left over after treatment rapidly ferments, becoming useless. Similar considerations apply to the feeding of crushed grain to pigs. When fattening- pigs some prefer to cook the grain but this is' not necessary. Indeed the cooking of sound fodostuffs is not to be recommended as the digestibility is reduced, and there is' no compensating gain; the cost of feeding is also increased. An exception must be made in the case of potatoes, which, if fed in any quantities, should be steamed. Hard grains may be soaked for 24 hours before using if fed whole. When ground, soaking- is not necessary, but the crushed grain may be fed with milk or mixed in water before feeding. However, pigs do very well on crushed fjrains ' when fed in a self-feeder. When the animals are running on pasture the selffeeder offers the most economical method of feeding, as if allowed to exercise their own discretion pigs will take the bulk of the roughage from the pasture, and top off with sufficient grain to satisfy the appetite. Indeed they will balance their own ration finally, although at first they may consume more largely of one feed which is more appetising, or for which they possess greater partiality.