ON THE LAND

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1931, Page 24 (Supplement)

ON THE LAND

TESTING IMPERATIVE A CANADIAN TESTIMONIAL. The world over it te being realised that to live thc farmer must test his cows, because it is the only way dairying can be placed on a business footing, and if it is not placed on a business footing then dairying cannot possibly pay in these days of agricultural depression. That people in other countries are viewing the matter in this light may be judged, from the following statement from a Canadian paper:— “The ultimate aim of a dairy-herd improvement is to develop herds to higher production with a corresponding increase in the economy of that production. 'Practically everyone is interested in increased prices but too few give consideration to reducing the cost. Increased production can be brought about ■by better feeding but first there must be better cows to make the best use of the feed. Hundreds of thousands of dollars .are lost annually through labour and feed being expended on cows and their progeny that are not paying their way. We do not find any industrial enterprise carrying a line that is not paying. We have read of large sums of money 'being spent in remodelling a factory or getting new models that will give better returns on the money invested. They sacrifice the old or inefficient for something that will return more revenue. It is sometimes hard to send a rather fine-looking cow to the block, possibly at cannei’ prices. The time has come wnen no dairyman can afford to keep a cow or any other animal that is not paying its way and leaving a reasonably good profit. In too many herds there are numerous animals just on the border line between paying and non-paying producers and far too many that are entirely on the wrong side of that line and definitely in the unprofitable category. The balance of the herd, far too few in proportion to the other two classes have to keep the remainder of the boarders in feed, and return a profit to the farmer which is ■practically an impossibility. Perhaps the most important fundamental principle of dairy herd, improvement is that of careful breeding. 'The sire is the most important individual in the herd. It has been stated that a good sire is half the herd and a poor sire is all the herd.’’ GRASSLAND IMPROVEMENT. COSTS OF PRODUCTION. Not many years have elapsed since the somewhat strange, and certainly novel, suggestion was made that greater attention be paid to the fertilisation of old and long-neglected pastures. It is remarkable how rapidly and intensely the idea has taken hold. Not only in Germany and England, but in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Eastern Canada and the United States farmers are buying fertilisers for their grassland, and experimental and demonstr.ational work proceeds apace. As over-production looms more and more as the overwhelming problem in agriculture, the cost of production becomes of increasing importance, for as prices fall it becomes more essential to produce at a low cost per unit, comments the Fertiliser and Foodstuffs Journal (London). 'Fro.m this point of view there is a great field of study and practical application in producing cheap feed at the right time from grassland all over the country. Nature, unaided by man, has carried the job of feeding her livestock for many months of the year. Fortunately Nature is to be relied upon and every spring produces feed for our farm stock. But if the farmer is. to compete successfully in the economic stress of the present time, it will pay him to assist Nature in extending the pasture season later into the summer when normally there te not much growth available. In fertilising pastures it Is not only the increase in feed that counts,, but the increased value of that feed in additional protein content and the availability for a longer feeding period. Probably there is no other project on the dairy and stock farm that offers such profitable possibilities to-day aa the right use of the right fertilisers in producing more feed on the farm. HOW TO PRESERVE HAY. SALT AND SULPHUR. Is It a good practice to use salt when stacking damp hay? Will the sprinkling of sulphur throughout a hay stack keep down the ravages of mice? Would the mixing of sulphur in the hay increase the danger of fire? The Deputy Director of Agriculture, South Australia (Mr. W. J. Spafford), answering these questions, says: “Salt added to damp hay tends to keep down fermentation, and so reduces the risk of over-heating, and also increases the palata'bility of such hay. * “Sulphur repels mice, and if a little is sprinkled on every layer of hay as it is put into the stack, less damage is done by this pest than is usual. The same result follows the spreading of fiulphur on wheat bags when, stacking the grain in barns. “There is no reason why the presence of sulphur should increase the chance of fixe, because the temperature of the ®'ass would have to be raised by some fither means to ignite the sulphur.” A NOTABLE SUCCESS. LONDON DAIRY -SHOW. Recent English files show that both the National Butter (hip and the National Milk Challenge Cup at the London Dairy 'Show were won by a Jersey cow, Lady Spotted Pearl, the property of Mr. R. IG. Berkeley, Worcester. Although Jerseys, aided by their higher testing milk, have won the big butter award in six out of the last seven years, they have not often been successful in the milking competition, where the greater size of their rivals gives them an advantage in actual weight of milk. For thc one animal to win both of the supreme awards is a feat that only once before has been accomplished. The performance of Lady Spotted 'Pearl is all the more remarkable by virtue of the fact that she is extremely small, even, for her 'breed, weighing barely 'Boolb. The great dual honour gained by this diminutive representative of Jerseydom is' of particular interest to New 'Zealanders, for her sire, the Island-bred bull Les Niemes Son, is closely related to two bulls that have been imported to the Dominion in Les Niemes Ruler and Les Niemes Emperor. The firstnamed bull, recently defunct, was sta-' tinned in the 'Waikato while Les Niemes] Emperor is at present at the head of a I well-known Manawatu stud. I

DEATH OF A GREAT JUDGE. PASSING OF MR. H. E. B. WATSON. A brief message from Wellington recently announcing the death on board the Ulimaroa cn route from Sydney to Wellington of Mr. H. Watson, “a prominent bowler,” did not perhaps convey his true identity to many people. The dairy world of New Zealand and Australia received a profound shock to learn that he was no other than Mr. H. E. B. Watson, recognised not only as the greatest Jersey judge of New Zealand but of the Southern Hemisphere. The late Mr. Watson, whose home was at Christchurch, was South Island representative on the council of the New Zealand Jersey Association last year, when he did not seek reelection. In recognition of his valued services to the breed he was some time ago placed on the very small and select list of life members of the association and, while he had refrained from accepting the position of New Zealand president, he had on several occasions acted as vice-president. For several years Mr. Watson was official demonstrator of the New Zealand Jersey Association, and farmers throughout the Dominion will have pleasant memories of lectures and demonstrations by a master authority of the breed. a breeder Mr. Watson achieved fame not confined to New Zealand, for his prefix and suffix, Meadowbrook, was a household word in Jersey circles. The introduction to New Zealand of the famous Twylish blood was one of the features of the late Mr. Watson’s activities as a breeder. Meadowbrook stock appear away back in the pedigrees of a big proportion of the leading cattle of the present day and such names as Ironmaster of Meadowbrook, Masterpiece of Meadowbrook and Remarkable of Meadowbrook are closely associated with the progress of the breed in New Zealand. Mr. Watson sold his great stud some years ago, since when he had been living in retirement at Riccarton. However, even then he could never be without one or two representatives of his beloved breed about him, and whenever he produced something at the Canterbury shows it was generally a case of sweeping victory. Only last year he forwarded to a North Island breeder a young cow, Hopeful’s Perfection, V.H.C., acclaimed by judges who have examined her as one of the “sweetest” representatives of Jerseydom that they have ever seen. But it was as a judge that the late Mr. Watson achieved his greatest fame, and he had conferred upon him the honour never before bestowed upon any adjudicator of being asked to judge in the one season at the four leading Australian shows, the Sydney Royal, the Melbourne Royal, the Brisbane Royal and the Adelaide Royal. In four out of the last five years, the late Mr. Watson placed the pedigree Jerseys at the Sydney Royal, an honour unique by virtue of the* fact that no other man has ever been asked to judge more than once at Australia’s greatest exhibition. For years past it has been one of the main endeavours of almost every leading A. and P. Association to secure his presence fbr its show, and he judged in almost every centre in New Zealand. In latter times ill-health prevented him from granting his services with anything like the freedom that his admirers could have wished. The Australasian in a special article recently described Mr. Watson as a model of everything that a judge should be. With a ring manner that was a pleasure as well as an education to watch, he made his awards with delightful precision born of a knowledge and appreciation of quality given to very few men.Thus has death removed, a colourful personality of the dairy world, and the Jersey breed te a great deal the poorer for his passing. His comparatively youthful appearance completely belied his age, and under his debonair aspect ill-health was bravely hidden. Jersey men had their last glimpse of him at a sale of imported Jerseys on Motuhui Island, Auckland, in May, when at the behest of several prominent breeders in Australia, where for health reasons, he had taken up his temporary abode, he made a special trip across to make selections for them. WHEY FOR PIG FEEDING. GREAT SUCCESS OBTAINED. The most serious wastage at the present time is the common failure to utilise whey for pig-feeding. Enormous quantities of this good food are being thrown away. Yet there are men who are feeding it to pigs with great success. It has surprised them to find that pigs will thrive and fatten on whey when only half a pound of meal a day '(costing |d) te added to the whey. The best results are obtained where the vessels in which the whey is stored are kept thoroughly clean as well as the troughs in which the pigs are fed, and these troughs should be provided with some means whereby the pigs cannot get their feet \and their bodies) into them. SWEET ENSILAGE UNDESIRABLE. DELETERIOUS TO CHEESE. According to a 'Swiss scientist sweet silage has an effect on milk which makes it unsuitabe for the making of high-quality cheese. The trouble is not noticeable until the cheese reaches the curing staged The reason advanced is that at high temperatures the desirable bacteria in the silage are destroyed by other organisms, which then obtain control, and it is these organisms which impart an undesirable flavour to the cheese. Apparently thc temperature of the silage should not go beyond 110 degrees. TRUE PERENNIAL RYE. AN IMPORTANT FACTOR. Those who are getting satisfactory results from rotational grazing and liberal manuring should examine their pastures and see if they contain perennial ryegrass. If the non-persistent type of ryegrass is present then the land should be re-seeded with certified seed, making sure that there is a Government certificate with the seed. Farmers in Taranaki have had great success with reseeding after discing the field both ways, harrowing, sowing the seed and finally rolling. Where, a roller is not available, crowding sheep on the area has a good effect in crushing in the seed. Some men in the Auckland province have had great results from the use of small fields grazed in rotation and completely manuring these, but it is only where true perennial ryegffiss te dominant in the seed.

SCIENCE OF CULTIVATION EXPERIMENTS AT ROTHAMSTED. The Physics Department of the Rothamsted Experimental station is endeavouring to work out a science of cultivation, and it is proceeding in two ways. Experiments are made in the field, to try to discover by dynamometer and other tests what cultivation does to the soil, and to see what other methods have the same effect. Other studies are made in the laboratory to explain the field measurements and observations, and to work out the physical properties of the soil, especially those related to cultivation such as stickiness, friction, placticity and permeability; to discover also what te meant by tilth and crumb structure The physical properties under investigation for the purpose of explaining tilth and crumb structure include the plasticity of the soil, the electrical conductivity and dielectric constants of soil suspensions, the specific gravity in the crumb and finely powdered states before and after pumping out all air. Cultivation with a rotary implement, which makes a seed-bed in one operation, has for the past five years been compared with the normal cultivation which requires two or three processes to do thc same thing. The implement has consistently given a better secd-bed, so that there has always been better germination and early growth; more plants and on wheat more tillers. This, however, has applied to the weeds as well as the sown crop, and the plots prepared with the implement have always been the more weedy. The final yields have been much the same as with the ordinary cultivation, the advantage of the early growth not having been maintained perhaps the result of the weed growth. The implement appears to be admirable for inducing germination of weeds and cleaning land. . The effect of sheep folding on light land has been studied at Woburn. The compacting of light soil obtained by sheep is different from that given by implements. It extends to a greatei depth and it lasts longer. _ The top three inches of the soil te mainly affected. It gives also a coarser tilth. In this year's tests it did not inciease the water-holding power of the soil; on the contrary, the trodden part was, if anything, somewhat the drier. A fuller investigation is being made. MINERALS IN PASTURES. FEEDING LICKS TO ANIMALS. “Although in some cases it may be necessary and more practicable to feed minerals in the form of licks to the animals, it must not be forgotten that such methods exercise but little influence on the carrying capacity of the land and cannot be expected to correct or improve the palatability, digestibility or nutritive value of grazing. All these factors are influenced by treatment of the soil. By this method the quantity factor is increased and at the same time the feeding value of the grass.”—'Rhodesian Agricultural Journal.