FARM NOTES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13498, 13 August 1907, Page 8

FARM NOTES.

HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN COWS.

Holstein-Friesian cows are producing very good results at Ontario College. One of them is reckoned a recordbreaker. Boutsje 11. dropped a calf on October 26th, 1906, at which time she was not four years old. She gave during the month of November 25221 b of milk in thirty days. Her composite sample for the month tested 3.5 per cent. fat. The total pounds of milk-fat for the month were 88.27, which is equal to about 1031 b butter. This record is all the more remarkable in view of the fact that "the average yield of milk in Ontario and Quebec is not much over 30001 bof milk per cow per annum," In one month of thirty days this cow gave nearly as much milk as the estimated yearly yield of average cows in the province of Ontario and Quebec. The best seven days' record of Boutsje 11. was 6431 b milk. Her best record for one day was 961 b, on November 21st. The day before her large daily record was made she was fed 551 b mangels, 251 b corn silage, 151 b clover hay, 12£lb bran, 71b ground oats, 31b corn meal, 31b oilcake, and lib gluten feed. She drank during the day about 2001 b water. The cost of her feed for one month was, approximately, 18s. The value of her milk at 2d per quart would be about £8. The value of her butter for the month at Is per lb would be about £5. From December 15th. 1905, to November 30th, 1906, this cow gave 11,0251 b milk and 396.691 b milk fat. The cost of her feed was, approximately, £8 10s. Recent information from the Argentine indicates that the past season was a most unsatisfactory one from an agric\iltural and pastoral point of view. Drought, combined with a plague of locusts, has caused a serious shortage in the yield of crops, while live stock have suffered severely owing to the lack of feed. Large numbers have died, while many of those that have survived have gone oft badly in condition. It is considered probable that the deaths among cattle will be found to total up to more than 1,900,000 head, reducing the total number of cattle to but little over 15,000,000, and that the mortality among sheep will amount to no less than 5,000,000 head. It was thought, says an Exchange, when the milking machine came into practical use, that the race-shed, so popular in some parts of Taranaki, would be doonied. But the contrary would appear to be the case. A raceshed has now been modelled to suit machine milkers which possesses many distinct advantages. The dhed itself is much the same as that at present in vogue, the main difference being that the races are divided in the centre — leaviqg an even < number of stalls at either end — which allows for entrances at either side, one for a passage-way to the cooler, and the other for giving access to the engine-room. By this arrangement the milk is taken from the shed at * point well removed from yards, -• and may be cooled in the most sanitary position. When the Government issues its plans of cowsheds, probably this up-to-date r^ace-shed will be included., The N.Z. Dairyman, discussing the relative prospects of butter-making and cheese-making for the coming season*, 'writes : "We still contend that those factories that have made up their minds to make the change have made a wise choice, while some of those factories that have refused to listen to the voice of the charmer are equally to be commended, A factory like the Taieri ,and , Peninsula, the N.Z. Farmers' Dairy Union, or the N.Z. Dairy Association, is very differently circumstanced from those factories whose operations are confined to a limited area, like, for instance, Eltham and Kaponga. In the case of the latter two instances, the outlay is limited to building half a dozen making rooms only, but in the different circumstances of the other three companies instanced the cost would be enormous, while the difficulty of supervision would be immensely increased." Mr Joll (writes our Uruti oorrespondent) is getting rid of a lot of his shorthorn cross cows and replacing them with Jerseys, as he finds these more profitable, and — except the very finely bred animals — quite as hardy.