FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1929, Page 19

FARM AND DAIRY

BUTTER-FAT PAYMENTS.

BASIS IN WINTER MONTHS.

CRITICISM OF REGULATIONS.

Hamilton, July 22

A protest against the action of the Department of Agriculture in adopting regulation providing for the payments for butter-fat supplied to dairy companies during the winter months to be based on first and second grades only, was made by Mr. C. J. Harkness at a meeting of the Auckland executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union in Hamilton to-day. Mr. Harkness said many farmers were capable of producing superfine cream in the winter months, and these men were being penalised, on account of the regulations which were framed on representations made by the dairy companies. Mr. Harkness moved that the executive support the Franklin sub-executive in its protest against the regulations. Mr. W. H. Allen, who seconded the motion pro forma, said the conditions on the farms in the winter were not conducive to the proportion of good cream. It. was almost impossible to produce superfine cream in the winter, said Mr. Allen. The Government had only acted on the advice of those who were most competent to judge —the dairy companies. Mr. R. D. Dnxfield described the position as “monstrous.” Some jof the conditions referred to by Mr. Allen obtained at Christmas. He considered the regulations were only a further attempt to take more from the farmer.

Mr. Harkness replied that the regulations placed a premium on dishonesty and encouraged farmers to adopt improper methods to compensate themselves.

An amendment that the matter be referred to the National Dairy Association was carried.

At a later stage Messrs. Duxfield and Allen were authorised to interview- the National Dairy Association on the matI er.

AVOIDING ABORTION. AMERICAN SUGGESTIONS. Here are 24 recommendations from the Pennsylvania State Bureau of Animal Industry on tho subject of control of abortion: — 1. Breed and raise your own animals. 2. Make improvements in bloodlines as much as possible by careful selection from with the herd. 3. Every cow in every herd should be handled with as much precaution as though she were known to be infected. 4. There should be provided on every farm a separate stall or stable, known as a maternity barn, for cows at calving time. This stable should bo so constructed that it can be easily disinfected, or, fumigated with formaldehyde. On farms containing a large number of cows it should have sufficient number of completely separated to accommodate the number of cows that would be calving at one time. 5. Every cow should be removed from the herd at calving time and placed in tho maternity stable. 6. Every’ cow showing symptoms of abortion should be placed in the maternity stable. 7. Every cow placed in the maternity stable should be kept there until all discharge has ceased and tho uterus has been properly treated and has been determined clean by examination. 8. All afterbirth and aborted or dead calves should be well buried or burned immediately. 9. The maternity stall'should be well cleaned and effectively disinfected, or preferably, fumigated, before another cow goes into it. The manure and litter should not be placed in the exercise or feed yards. 10. Every pregnant cow, either in pasture or stable, should be seen by the herdsman every day. Any showing symptoms of abortion or nearing normal calving time should be removed to the maternity barn. 11. If purchases are to be made, the history of the herd from which he wishes to purchase and the individual animal history should be determined by the purchaser, and if either is doubtful the purchase should not be made until the animal’s health is definitely determined, and even then it is safer to purchase from healthy herds. 12. All newly - purchased animals should be isolated for a period. All known reliable tests for the determination of their health should be applied.

13. Bulls and unbred heifers are the safest animals to buy, but these should be isolated for a period, and should have passed the blood test for bovine infectious abortion before they are incorporated into the main herd. 14. Pregnant animals should not be purchased unless they are isolated until they have given birth to a normal calf, have passed a satisfactory blood test not within two weeks after having given birth to the normal calf, the uterus has been properly treated and has been determined clean by examination. 15. Any cow’s that have ever left the farm should be returned only under the same conditions as newly-purchased animals. 16. Herd bulls should not be used for service to neighbours’ cows.

17. In case an abortion has occurred in the stable, the cow should immediately be isolated, the foetus and membranes buried or burned, and the stable well cleaned and disinfected. An abortion oecuring in the pasture field should be handled in the same way. The earth at the point should be covered with three or four inches of lime or a strong disinfectant or both. 18. Consider every case of abortion infectious until otherwise determined. 19. See that the herd is given good clean feed and water. 20. Feed should be obtained from such sources and should be so stored that it will be insured against contamination with disease-producing organisms. 21. Do not allow calves to tramp over feed for the cows. Suckling calves from infected mothers are considered spreaders of bovine infectious abortion. 22. Do not feed unsterilised milk from herds where abortion exists, or from creameries, to cows or sows. Sows are susceptible to infection with bacterium abortus bang. 23. Manure piles should not be in the exercise or feed yards. 24. No cow should have access to manure piles at any time, A MILK FEVER DRENCH. The following drench for cows is ' recommended by a member of

the New Zealand Friesian Association, one who has had over 30 years practical experience among cattle: — From one to two gallons milk, according to the size of the cow, from one to two tablespoonsful" of ginger, 61b molasses. ' '*'■ This is an excellent drench for a coav that is “off colour,” is specially good for a cow just after an attack of milk fever. If it is feared that a cow will . get milk fever, the drench should be given about 24 hours before calving. If Colostrum (beestings) is used, the drench is made more effective. COWS’ DEMAND FOR MINERALS Milk contains 0.213 p.c. of phosphoric acid, and 0.13 p.c. of lime salts, 0.176 p.c. of potash salts, 0.087 p.c. sodium salts and 0.105 p.c. of potassium chloride. If a cow’ gives 20,0001 b milk (2000 gallons) in a year, that milk will have contained 42.61 b phosphoric acid, 26.01 b lime salts, 35.21 b potash salts, 17.41 b sodium salts, 21.01 b potassium chloride. DAIRY BY-PRODUCTS. The utilisation of the by-products in the dairy is a most important direction in which small dairies can effect economy. These products vary according to tho object of the dairy, whether it be butter-making, cheese-making, or both. They include skim —and separated milk's if a separator is in use—buttermilk and whey. Among the various uses to which some of these by-products can be put none can exceed in variety those of skim or separated milk. This useful material can be utilised for calfrearing purposes, for bakery, biscuit, and confectionery purposes, and when sw’eet i is of great value for household consumption, either raw or for preparing puddings, etc. In butter-making dairies about 75 per cent, of the possible returns will be through the butter, and 25 per cent through the by-products.