FARM NOTES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13662, 28 March 1908, Page 8

FARM NOTES.

THE MILK OF NEWLY. CALVED

COWS.

AT \VHAT ; PERIOD IS IT FIT FOR USE?'

Nowadays one hears manj r theories put forward as to when milk from newly calved cows is fit for use. Experiments Kaado last summer at Offerton Hall, -the l>airy Htesearck station for County Durham, which is controlled by Armstrong College? " Newcastle-on Tyne, have, according to Professor Douglas A. • Gilchrist,' M.Sc, demonstrated that "the milk of newly-calved cows may be used for all ordinary purposes at the end of three complete days from calving, provided the milk is then froe from blood and is apparently normal." The main object of the experiments, which were undertaken at the request of the Board of Agriculture, was "to ascertain the period after calving at which the milk of newly-calved cows may be sold as ■normal milk*" ' The question arose 'out of a prosecution for milk adulterfation, the point being whether the liquid known as colostrum could properly be sold as; milk. i-v Professor, Gilchrist reviews tho experiments in the Journal of the 'Board of Agriculture for December. Inter alia, he says: "Colostrum and 'biestings' are • tho names usually given to the milk of newly-calved cows. Colostrum ljad a rich yellow colour and is considerably more viscid fthan ordinary milk.' It is easily coagulateS by.'hea|t, *owsng to the large amount of albumen it contains. Only a small amount ot albumen is present in milk. Occassionflly the colostrum j is reddish i» colour owing to the pre-! sence of blood. .. "On the average, normal milk contains about the 'following:— Water, 8/ per cent.; casein, 8 per cent.; albumen, .4 per cent.; milk sugar, 4.75 per cent. ; fat, 8.6 per cent. ; and asn .75 per cent. The average specific gravity of milk is 1.032" In the case ;of.. five newly-calved cows from wiiidb. milk samples were collected, the analytical results showed that "in the' fir&t milk taken after calving, the percentage of albumen! and casern varies from about 15 to] about 23 per cent., by far the larger, amount of this -being albumen. These soon become reduced in quantity. On the fourth day they are, on tho average, only a fifctte under 1 per cent, over the' seventh day. Another constituent—milk svgar — was present in the first of -all 1 the milkmgs to less than half tho normal amount, being; considerably under 2 per cent. Ihe milk increased to 'the normal, however, in all casfes but one after the third day. The specific gravity was in all cases abnormally high i" trie first milkings,' but by the end of tn© third day this comes within the limits of normal milk. The ash constituents vary considerably at first, but they also soon becomo normal." In addition to recording- hi 3 opinion as already quoted, that "the milk of ttowly-calved cows may be used for all. ordinary purposes at tho end. of three eomplcto days from calving." Professor Gilchrist adcte: "Tho popular opinion that ; 'colostrum' or 'biestings' is unwholesome is quit© an erroneous one. „' -Excellent biestings cheeses have "been for , long and are still made in'«ftme.of Our rural districts, th* simp^.htating of. this milk being sufficients^ coagulate it into a [cheesy condition: These cheeses will keep for a sliort a tinie only. These, as 'well as tfatiofaf puddings prepared from this milk, fere nutritious and palatable. It should not be so used, however, if -tlie milk is, at all tinged witb /blood."

The Leader states,.th.a3b the efforts of the Victorian oairy fuj&ervisors towards increasing the Urea' put under maize by dairy farmers during the summer months arc having' a good effect. A report ,fopm^ one ; of thp supervisors states that the* majority of the dairymen in his district .were feeding green maize to their cows, and there were some fine crops of from 8 to lOft^Jiigh. The crops sown in drills ana mqed between the rows sdb green and fuwiisli succulent fodder, while those sown broadcast are withering for want of moisture.

North Island froa^n lamb is said to be gradually overtaking Canterbury in popularity. At the^ annual meeting of the Britiali-Sfew Zealand Meat Coy. the Chairman said'Hho term ?>l 3 rin»o Canterbury" did not carry the weight that it formerly carried.' He was not prepared to say that the lambs were not of the safbie qualit/ as' ftrfrilerly,- but he was inclined to think that North Island breeders were rapidly approaching the Canterbury standard of quality, and that unless mere careful attention fwasj; 1 given* to|br«?dhig in; Canterbury they woujd dporive the province of the newmc upon wStch it hrn so long traded.

All world's records for a year's production qi milk have been broken by a Wisconsiu-bred.vttojstoin cow, according to k> . ■ semiofficial tost c ;rducLpd by the aaripultujal experiujewt station at the Uiiivjftrsity' of "Wisconsin, under the direction o^JVof. ,F. W.. Woll, a noted/ authorits'j-ih the dairy world. According to a 'statement recently issued, this cow, known ua Colafithu Ai\\\ Joha^nah, hat: prpduced during the pant ycar^T^&.o l^u^cls of milk uud 008.23 pounds oX" buttei»'£at.' This 'amount of butter-fat, it is reported^ is over 1G per cent, higher than any previous record for annuar ! pp r fddiiction of buttorfat.

A Japanese" 3 $f|icial ; recently visitedj the United States to purchase daily' cattle on behalf of bis Government. Ho visited the bei^t .Jhjcrds in the States/ and consequently' obtained a insight into the dairy methods of that country.' On lifli* return to Japan he made a renort and concluded with the following excellent opinion: — "I bolievc Amerieun dairies require more care in regard to clearness in milking, more attention to fctjanijiing ojjttt tubereuloßi.s, and, lastly, few&eiv Nmirebrcd dairy siros." • '•'Witly iwj^iAes^ ideas ahead of them the Japat*Se ; should establish milk production on sound lines. . A^yoiing Walrar^pa fannfer -,ivli<J \r^g milkuu;; i : our cows uo till a fo»v weeks ago told the JPdatherston representative of tho Nowp^at ho • was ? taking an averauce of 168 M. of milk from them, while' another nfon «ailkiiifi eleven cowh was • only gefcting -3 761bs. — hi other words 811)3. raW; ' Thti proHt on these fo\ir, cows .railed from £6 to £7 month, an iiiaico-tiou that there's monoy^in cows \$ they are treated propo'rljv 1 . AcfiQtio&n/j ta our; informant, the c&ro' Djivnn" the animals accounted for the subafcftntjial icturn. TJliorij' nas Ofeen un early and unfortunately widespread appearance of potato blight in Ireland.