FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 July 1916, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY.

*0» READY, AYE READY! ("Taki Herein"). Like most dairy factory companies, the Makotawa—or M.D.C., as it is generally known—is taking advantage of tin's slack part of the year to ''put its 'house in order" so as to be able to meet all the requirements of the coming season. The skim-milk tank and stand are being entirely rebuilt, the old one having been done away with as it was past repair. It was all timber. The new one, so far as the stand is concerned, will be wholly built of reinforced concrete. The directors of this company are rather strong on permanent work. The stand has nine piles, fin by Oin, each on a solid concrete foundation and each 7ft Sin high. On these will be built a lioor of concrete, reinforced with expanded steel, and Tin thick. A 4in floo:- of concrete beneath foi drainage purpose completes the stand. On this the house for the tank and weighing machine will be erected. Its measurements will give the same area as the stand, viz., 12ft CiD by 10ft, with 10ft studs. The skim-milk tank itself will bo on a trestle Gft high, which will give a free run into the weighing receiver. One advantage the new arrangement has over the old, besides its durability, is that the outlet tap will be 2ft higher, and so wire-embedded hr-se can be used for filling suppliers' cans instead of the old style of chrome hose. In this way a great saving .will be effected, as the old style of hose was constantly wearing through, as is wellknown to all who have used it. This work is being carried out by the manager (Mr. A. Johnston) and bis two assistants, under the direction of Mr. W. Corney, of Norfolk road, a director and supplier, so that the quality of the work may be said to lie guaranteed. Inside the factory the combined'churn and butter-worker lias been thoroughly renovated, the old gear-box and the heavy carrying casting having been replaced by new ones. This work lias been done by Messrs G. W. Taylor and T. Looney, of Inglewood. The rest of the plant of the factory is always so well looked after that it is pretty sure to be in first-class order, so that the shareholder-suppliers can look forward with confidence to the strong probability of next season': run going without a bitch.

TRUTHS ABOUT THE PIG, ETC. The boar counts for half and a big half. _ For a profitable sow lay more stress on good bone good constitution and big half. For a profitable sow lay more stress on good bone, good constitution and big litters than on a number in the herd book. Beware of the scrub thoroughbred. Blood without quality is worse than quality without blood. The best brjfcd is the one that will rear most pigs and make the most and best bacon on the cheapest food. Save tlie best sows for breeders. Do not breed young, immature sows. I>o not kill good breeding stock too early. Keep a record of the performance of each sow. Fatten the rattle-headed sow that lies ori her pigs. Try another. When pigs are low in price it is time to increase the number of breeders. Small pigs grow rapidly in a cold rain —that if, rapidly smaller. Avoid scours by keeping things clean about troughs and swill tubs. Aim for a daily gain of one and a-hali pounds pev pig. If you do not work for it you will probably not get it. A wet pen will make a lame hog. The hog is not responsible for a poor 'result. A pig does not merely eat to live. 'Study the difference between a growing ration and a fattening ration. Pigs consume two pounds of water with every pound of corn—if they can get the. water. It sounds contradictory, but ,H is good advice to fatten the pigs lean. Quickly-grown pigs are by any odds the most profitable. Fatten is a poor word. Grow is better. Be merciful even toward the pig about, to be killed. The pig is a machine for converting golden corn into .golden coin. Put the pigs on the platform scales occasionally. Yoi.' will learn something. Profit comes not in how little we can keep the pig on, but in how much we can get him to cat of a balanced ration. The younger the animal the more thoroughly it its food. Therefore. mature pigs early. The six months 2001b pig costs one-half .the 2001 bs eighteen-months pig. A larger increase of weight is obtained for the amount of food consumed in the early stages of fattening than in the later stages.

Reference was made in a farming case at the Ilawera S.M. Court last week to two-year heifers springing. The Magistrate expressed surprise that farmers should breed so early. Counsel said he did not know if that was considered good farming, but it was done. Later on the question cropped up again and a witness, who ihad been ' dealing with stock all his life, said that no sensible man would allow good heifers to be calved at two, years.