FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1922, Page 12

FARM AND DAIRY.

HERD-TESTING. ELTHAM ASSOCIATION, t*7 - 4 Details of the result of the month’s .operations of the Eltham Hex'd Testing Association - are now available, and a brief study of them discloses some points of interest. The highest test for the month was ,8.4. and the lowest 2.1. The six beet individual yields were as follow:—'

A comparison of some of the figures shows that some really excellent herds are being tested by the Association. In once case, a herd of 20 cows—which is amongst the six best herd averages—is evidently a very even lot. The highest individual yield was 63.75 lb butter■fat and the lowest 48.95. The figures for the herd with the lowest average show that the yield of the best individual in the herd was 34.20 lb butter-fat and the lowest 22.56. The herd average for the 36 herds under test bv the Association was 1066 lb milk, 3.9 test, and 42.37 lb butter-fat. The total number of cows tested for the month was 976. AGRICULTURAL ITEMS. Freshly drawn milk contains a certain •amount ~of air and gas, therefore, it should he allowed to stand for an hour or so before being tested by the lactometer.

A good heap of compost always comes in useful. Path-cleanings, animal droppings, road-scrappings, lime and. stockyard debris should all be well mixed together. Burning is wasteful. ° Lucerne-growers should watch for dodder seed. Towards the end of summer little tufts of pinkish flowers are produced, from which the seeds are readily shaken out by the wind.

For butter-making cream is considered ripe when it contains 0.5 to 0.6 per cent, of acidity. Overripe cream imparts a sour flavour to the butter, and in some cases causes rancidity to develop. Bv ploughing five acres of ground in a nine hours day with a motor-tractor, Miss Frances Brown, of Cookham. Berkshire, has set up what is claimed as an English record. She holds the distinction of reaping 22 acres of corn in one day. , Further extensive irrigation works are projected in the Nile V alley. According to a London cable a contract of four million pounds has been let to build. a dam of two miles across the Blue Nile and construct 65 miles of canals. Increased accommodation for tne storage of wool has been provided in connection with the port of Hull, England. Eighteen sheds, each measuring 552 ft. by 49ft., and holding 13,000 bales, have been erected, and a further extensive accommodation is being provided at King George dock. A dairyman milking 50 mixed cows in the Moengawahine district has gone in for testing his herd, which to his surprise revealed the fact (states the Northern Advocate) that the herd averaged over a 4.2 test, though there are no pedigree cows among them, and the feed is bush burn. Potatoes should ’be lifted as soon as the tubers have finished growth. As to this, the haulm is not always a suffi- • cient guide, and consequently a few roots of each batch should he examined at intervals of a week or so. The potato is one of the first of roots to commence a second growth, and of this there is much danger from rains.

Zvlilk shoukkalways he tested for acidity before adding the rennet for cheesemaking. The acidity or ripeness of the m : lk has a great effect upon the curd obtained. Methods of testing for acidity are by., the soda test and the rennet test. If the rennet test is employed, a twenty-two second test denotes that the milk contains about. 0.22 per cent, of acidity. The largest wonl-consuming country rn the world is said to be the United States, which annually consumes between 600,000.000 and 700,000.0001 b, whilst the United Kingdom absorbs 580.000,000 to 080.000.000; Franco, 320.000,000 to 400090 OOOi-b.. and Germany, 300000.000 to 400.000.0001 b. To improve the native cattle of India, a trial shipment of Friesian hulls from South Africa has been ordered by the "Indian Government. The British India Steamship Company have quoted a special rate of £lO per head from Durban to Bombay for the first fiftv boasts, and have also offered to supply an attendant. Bariev and taros, or oats and fares, is a good mixture for winter feed. About three-quarters nf a bushel of barley and three-quarters of a bushel-of. tares are sown in the usual 7in. rows, and usually with levvt. superphosphate or other phosphate manure. After feeding off in spring the crop ia usually ploughed in, or may bp allowed to run till the oats are nearly ripe, when the mixture will ho cut for hay. Bv order of the British Ministry of Agriculture, weeds are being cut on 1000 of agricultural land at Barton Stacey. Hampshire. The land has become derelict and the weeds caused annoyance and. loss to the neighbouring

farmers as they harboured ground game and vermin. The weeds also were seeding and blowing on to the farms. About 900 acres have been cut, and the weeds are being raked together and bqrnt by women and boys. Water for scalding pigs should be at about 151 degrees F. The compost-heap will destroy weed seed and fungus growths. No man is going to live in clover who sows nothing but sand-burs. One of the greatest conveniences on the barm is a good water system. A crop of rape ie a splendid thing for pigs, and they are fond of it. Every new boar purchased ia an experiment in breeding. Study it well. There’s nothing like an application of phosphate' to make land productive. A ton of lucerne-hay is equal in value to a ton of bran as fed for dairy cows. Associations could be formed in rural communities for improvement in horsebreeding. Good milking develops the milksccreting organs; careless milking arrests this development. Clean water, pure air, and sunshine are all cheap; but should be used freely for all farm animals. In feeding dairy cows, maintain earlysummer conditions as nearly as possible through the year. When two years old the draught colt should be gradually accustomed to bit, harness, and month pressure. During farrowing the sow must be. kept quiet, and not approached, as she is extremely nervous and irritable at that time. If you are paying interest, it is certainly to your credit to put a stop to it as soon as possible. A bald spot on the top of your head isn’t half so bad as a barren spot on your farm. As for satisfaction the garden patch produces more of it to the square foot than any oilier acre on the farm. Japanese millet is ready to cut in from 60 to '9O days after sowing, and should usually be regarded purely as a catch crop. The seed-bed for crops should be so cultivated that it will gather and conserve sufficient moisture for the plant life to follow. Of the two evils it is better to breed from a filly than from a very old mare, as there is certain to be more vitality in the offspring of the former. The care of the legs of horses is of great importance. They are subjected to strains, caked with mud, soaked with water, or covered with dust all day. The 'Scottish Farmer says that cable, electric, and motor-cars are bad for farmers. “Hay, oats, and straw are cheap, while dung gets dearer.” An American Shorthorn breeded supplies the following information regarding the fecundity of one of his cows. He says:—She was calved November 16, 1908. She gave birth to a bull calf on April 30, 1910, at 1.7£ months. She dropped a heifer calf on August 10,1911, at 33 months. She dropped twin calves on December 10. 191*2. At the age of 49 months she has produced four calves, and all are living.

Upon the question as to the age at which a heifer should be set to breed, we have ascertained that there are breeders who favor their heifers coming in when 30 months old, but this is not approved of by others. One says:—“lf they are good growthy animals we try to have them calve when they are from 24 to 27 months of age.” Tn successful stock-breeding the animals must be bred true to type. It is waste of time and money to mate weedy mares with purebred sires. Both dam and sire should be equally of good quality, as only by this means can any degree of security be obtained with regard to the progeny. In the selection of mares also, age requires special consideration, as the young animal has the greater certainty of producing. According to U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, it costs 66 cents to prodi oe a bushel of wheat, the amount varying from 81 cents in Kentucky to 50 cents in Idaho. When purebred sires are used to improve farm live stock the offspring is more salea ble than that of non-purebred, sires, and brings nearly 50 per cent, greater return. Pedigree tells us what crosses have been made and when; how much inbreeding has been practised, and it lays before our eyes the whole family history of any individual animal. There is one precaution which it is necessary to take before a three-year-old gets heavy with her first foal, and that is to see that she learns to work, otherwise she may grow up to be a nonworker, or very difficult to manage. This applies to light as well as heavy fillies. Although in-breeding is undoubtedly an important factor in fixing any particular type or peculiarity, if'it is continued it will lead to degeneration Loss of size, loss of constitutional vigour and sterility are among the evils laid at its door, and there is possibly much truth in the assertion. If the breeder is very well up in his breed he may be able to tell from the pedigree from whence come the various desirable and undesirable characteristics in any particular horse, and he should be able to carry his knowledge further, and should avoid crossing animals whose pedigrees both contain the name of an animal known to be responsible for undesirable traits. An interesting experiment in the crossing of cattle is reported from Ontario, in Canada. Some years ago a Mr. E. M. Boyd, of that province, began a series of exneriments on the crossing of a Hereford and other breeds with the female buffalo and the bison. Of these crosses that with the Hereford Las turned out most satisfactory, and Hereford breeders in England are hoping for an increased export trade to Canada and the United -States. Mr. G. H. 8011, of Omaha, owner of the I Pinewood Jersey herd, has had rather a bad run of luck during the last fortnight His well-known gold medal cow. Sylvia of O.K. gave birth to a dead heifer calf a few days ago. Prior to this Mr. Bell had refused several offers of over 100 guineas for this cow’s calf. Since that he has lost another well-known cow. Pulehra’is Queen, which he bought at Mr. Hooper’s sale a few months ago for 150 guineas, the cause of death being blood-poisoning, and the samp day he lost a valuable bull calf a month old, which was sold to an Auckland buyer for 130 guineas, delivery at four months old; a heavy loss for a young breeder.

Milk, lb. Test. . Tat, lb. 1740 5.0 87.00 1650 4.3 70.95 1470 4 7 69.09 1560 4.4 68.64 810 8.4 68.04 1170 5.7 66.69 The six lowest individual yields were:— Milk, lb. Test. Fat, lb. 720 » 2 1 15.12 855 3.3 18.31 CTO S X 18.81 495 3.9 19.30 675 2.9 19.5'7 570 3.7 21.09 The six best herd averages were:—' No. of cows. Milk.lb. Test. Fat, lb. 4 1162 4.8 56.23 1305 4.2 55.94 20 11 * 5 4.8 55.84 16 1332 4.1 54.83 . 59 1412 3.7 52.74 40 1179 4.3 51.66 The six lowest herd averages were:— No. of cows. Milk,lb. Test. Fat, lb. 9 735 3.6 26.81 34 807 3.8 30.71 46 850 3.8 32.97 27 9S1 3-4 34.17 31 758 4.6 34.91 22 1039 3.4 36.12