ON THE LAND

Taranaki Daily News, 28 August 1930, Page 19

ON THE LAND

DISHORNING BENEFITS.

LESSONS FROM ELSEWHERE.

The agitation so much in evidence a few years ago in New Zealand, in regard to the dehorning or "dishorning” of cattle, seems to have completely died down, but the reform is not being lost sight of in a number of other countries. In one of the serieo of "Talks to Producers,” the Ministry for Agriculture for Northern Ireland impresses on farmers the fact that hornless store cattle bring the best prices; and they advise the dishorning of all horned calves at an early age. We reproduce the leaflet in full:—

"Useless or unprofitable adornments are at the best of times 'luxuries, but when their presence actually reduces the selling value of a commodity they are luxuries of an expensive kind. Horns on store cattle are useless adornments. They lower the selling value of the animals they adorn, and accordingly they are 1 the means of lowering the profits of the farmer. . They may’,! therefore, b'e justly described as expensive luxuries. The average breeder and rearer of store cattle cannot afford such luxuries, and even if he could, a luxury which ‘would help, rather than hinder, industry, should be selected. "The purchasers of store cattle want hornless beasts, and if they cannot get them from Northern Ireland they will look for them elsewhere. Accordingly, unlefs : this demand is met by breeders our valuable export trade in store cattle will be seriously endangered. Since the prices purchasers 'are ‘prepared to ‘pay for hornless cittle' are ftt least £1 per--head' more than' for horned beasts of) similar quality,' the ' removal' of ! thehorns is a very ' profitable operation. Not only are hornless stores a national' necessity, but they bring a higher price, and so leave a greater profit' to tne breeder and rearer.

"The dishorning of cattle is a simple and inexpensive operation if done at the right time, which is before the calves are ten days old. A slight rnbbiii" of the horns with caustic potash at this' stage prevents further growth, and calves so treated will be hornless throughout life. The cost •of dishorning by this method, including labour, is- not more than bne penny per calf. One stick of caustic potash, costing a few pence, will dishorn several calves. No skill is required in using it, but Jo not forget that the treatment must De carried out before the calf is ten days old.

“Think of the small cost of dishorning and then of the increased value of the hornless animal. The cost is one penny, and the extra value is one pound—a certain 240 to 1 winner! Are you backing it?” ENGLISH FARMING. WEALTH FROM STOCK. Sir William S. Haldane broadcast an address, says the British Agricultural Journal recently, in which he pointed out that the - prosperity of farming m England depended, for marketable produce, to a much greater degree upon stock than upon crops. The revised census of farm production shows that in 1927-28 the value of the produce sold off farms in Great Britain as live stock or its products was £183,700,000, compared with only £57,800,000 for all the farm crops put together. The decrease of tillage leads Sir William to believe that live stock returns are now probably at least four times those from farm crops. Again, live stock must be regarded as mechanism for converting crops into marketable form and money, because it is increasingly difficult io sell the crops direct at a profit. The kind of crops grown on almost any farm will therefore depend mainly on what live stock will consume them.

Sir William is of opinion that because corn s carried cheapest of all forms of foodstuffs, and this country is accessible by cheap sea transport, it is immutably established that our bread; stuffs- , shall. mainly ■be • supplied from abroad, and the practice of feeding, home-grown cereals on the farm is the best and most: profitable -way of disposing of them. He dealt mainly with cattle and beef production, and did not neglect to consider the competition of chflled. beef of. high quality. • The homo market demands quality in almost every product, and is prepared to pay for it, and, apart from initial cost, production and finish of well-bred cattle and sheep is. relatively cheaper than in the case of lower quality animals. There are still far too many scrub bulls used, although there are plenty of wood type bulls to be had at moderate cost-. Sir William therefore' considers that we should follow the example of Ireland in discarding the scrub bull, when we should be rewarded by higher prices such as that country is now obtaining for good quality store cattle. He ended his talk on a' hopeful note by saying that, to- enable British agriculture' once more to pay its way, the production- of ’ cattle'- of' .good ' beef type is-a prime'necessity, as the efficient machinery for converting our main crops intb' the’ product of best value. Of like necessity is the growing of these crops, so' that meat' production, s'ummer and winter, may be' spread evenly throughout the ■ year in an economic manner.

MANURING ONIONS.

SUITABLE FERTILISERS.

A writer in the Fertiliser Journal sayfi; —“It does not pay to be niggardly with fertilisers used for onions. A slight increase in the size of each bulb makes a material difference to the crop and, as the onion is a vegetable which responds admirably to suitable feeding, it always pays to go to some trouble to supply the best fertilisers. "If the soil has been heavily manured for a previous crop, a dressing of dme will usually be of the greatest benefit to the soil when this is being prepared. Land which has not been heavily manured previously should receive a good dressing of farmyard manure whenever it is procurable. For light soils, cow manure will answer best while-for soils.; of a heavier nature, horse manure will j prove most suitable. In addition to the ’ cow -or horse manure, a dressing of a mixture of bone meal and soot will prove very beneficial; or, -in place of .iMtj!'’ . -’‘/ I ( ’.j.

this, six pounds of superphosphate and half that quantity of kainit may -be mixed with a peck of soot and applied to each square rod of land. If the soil is very light, a dressing during the early stages of growth of agricultural salt at the Tate of one ounce per square yard, will usually be found to do a great deal of good. "Sulphate, of ammonia is a useful fertiliser for the onion crop -while the onions are quite young. It should be used at the rate of one pound per rod. Another useful fertiliser to use in conjunction with this, and at about, double the amount or a little more, is steamed bone flour. In addition, sulphate of potash may also be used with advantage at the rate of one pound per rod. common parasites. CAUSE OF UNTHRIFTTNKSS.Lice and worms are the most common parasites found in pigs. The fact -that the former is so’prevalent in many shows how little the farmer is alive to the danger of ' these parasites. Their presence on the pig (writes an .officer of the New South Wales Department of Agricultitrb) causes .unthriftiness and slbw fattening, and the constant irritation of the skin and falling-off in condition are sources of continual loss. Often, owing to the scratching and rubbing, inflammatory and necrotic processes set up, and, it is stated, on good authority, such infectious diseases ;as swine fever may-.be transferred by < these insects. ; -.■'.The lice may fee-easily-killed by tjie application of; a 2 per-cent, solution of any commomn.eoaLtar disinfectant, such as- l.ysoT or ; creosol. < Eafc ! and kerosene (one 1 part- of kenos&neotto 15 parts -fa-t) isi-also effective; and good results dre obtained from kerosene emulsion made up ef kerosene : (2 gallons), hard soap (11b.), and water (8 gal.). One gallon of this solution should be added to. 9 gallons of water for dipping. ( Treatment - should be carried out at seven-day intervals for three dippings to be effective, and the pigs should not be exposed to the sun after treatment, or scalding may result. The houses and posts where the pig has been rubbing should , also be sprayed with a 5 per cent, solution of disinfectant to kill the lice which have left the pig after feed-

mg. Parasitic worms may be found in the stomach and intestines, or in the fat surrounding the kidney. The former may be responsible for diarrhoea, unthriftiness, some forms of pneumonia, and even more serious conditions, sometimes resulting in the animal’s death, while to the latter are ascribed many of the cases of paralysis of the hindquarters which are by no means uncommon. Medicinal treatment, comprising the use of such drugs as- sulphate of iron, oil of turpentine and areca nut is often beneficial, and may cause the expulsion of the parasites, but it is far more profitable to prevent infection than to cure it. The eggs of most worms are passed out in the excreta,, and must be swallowed by the animal before they can develop to the mature form. Hence attention to cleanliness in feeding, the prevention of the soiling of the food troughs and the draining and filling in of muddy pools in the pig yards, will in a large measure control the spread of parasitic troubles. SEED FOR OATS. GUARDING AGAINST SMUT. If..the oat crop is. sown for green feed, treatment of the seed is unnecessary; but if it is intended for hay or grain the seed should always be treated>-. or there will be a risk of smut appearing in the crop. Some farmers will argue that a little smut in the hay is of no consequence, but smutty heads always detract from the appearance, reduce the value from a feeding point of view’ and, if the infection is serious, lower the prices obtained on the market. Cases have been reported where stock have actually refused to. cat hay that has been badly smutted. ... „• .. t The same .remarks apply to the grain. Large quantities of oats are, purchased b? feed racehorses and animals doing fast work, and trainers and agents authorised ■'to buy will not; touch- grain that, contains smut in ..any quantity. Methods of prevention must ( .be. employed if a clean crop is to be harvested and top market prices obtained. Seed treatment with copper carbonate, is not completely effective in the .control of oat smut, apparently because some.of the spores are.protected by the enclosing husks of. .the . oa't . grain, says Dalgety’s. Review. The. formalin treatment is more .effective'.And should be used. whenever seed is , obtained from a somewhat smutty crop.., The procedure is as .follows: — . - Place the grain, on. a tarpaulin or on a clean floor, and while shovelling sprinkle with formalin (lib. formalin tc 40. gallon's water) until the grain is .uniformly, but not excessively, moistened. A little less than a gallon of solution will be required per bushel of seed. The grain should then bo covered for four or five .honrs, with wet bags or canvas to retain the gas. If the right amount of solution has been added, the grain will absorb the moisture, arid, though swollen,- should run freely through the

drill. The grain should bo' bagged in clean bags to prevent reinfection, and sown as soon as possible after treatment. The grain may also be dipped in formalin solution and covered' with bags, as described above, but in this case it is difficult to dry the grain sufficiently prior to planting. . Treatment with copjier carbonate dust at the rate of 2oz. to '3oz. per bushel is satisfactory only when seqd has been obtained from lightly-diseased crops. CONTROLLING ABORTION. HOW THE DISEASE SPREADS. Contagious abortion is not difficult to control, Dr. Robert Graham stated recently at the . meeting of the Indiana Dairymen’s Association at Purdue. Be- ■ fore attempting to carry out eradication ; plans,. the .dairymen should learn how I the disease .is spread. Correct understanding of the nature of the disease, the importance of the .abortion tost, segregation of the infected animals, ahd : (tJO'fll RiufiiJtd i ‘,'l 'ildru: <;.idc I

clean stables and clean yards are necessary in control of the disease. If the manager or owner of the herd is not aware of the value .of these sanitary measures, it is next to impossible for him to carry out a good programme. The local veterinarian assisted by the laboratory is able to give the dairymen assistance that will get results. Beautiful words describing maybe cures are understood by veterinarians as of no value. They know that the surest methods of solution are-testing and carrying out a good system of sanitation in the herd. The veterinarians also know' that st me cows- that calve normally may be spreaders of the disease.