For the Man on the Land

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3420, 15 February 1936, Page 7

For the Man on the Land

DANISH BACON TRADE MAINTAINING THE QUALITY That the quality of bacon depends largely upon the breed and type of pig, its feeding, and the construction of the pig-house, is realised by Danish breeders, who have covered these important factors fairly extensively. Their methods, which are described below from information contained in the Denmark Year Book for 1934, will be of interest to district breeders. v A good bacon pig should be fine in the bone, the hams well developed, the forequarters not too heavy, and the colour white. A good side should not contain too much fat. Other factors in quality are consistence, aroma and flavour. The aim in Denmark has been to establish, a healthy, hardy and goodsized breed, a prolific breed, and also a breed which has relative proportions of meat and fat. Since 1890 a Government advisor, assisted by the Assoeiation of the Danish Co-operative Bacon Factories directed the 1 breeding. Valuable prizes at shows have encouraged breeders. For the purpose of controlling points not purely exterior, four progeny of various sires and sows are tested. Their food is controlled until killing time, and exhaustive tests are made after the animal is killed. Beports of tests are sent to all breeders who thus gain much valuable information. Feeding The food of the Danish pig consists mostly of cereals and a small proportion of maize, the'one to give white flesh, and the other to make it soft. Skim milk as a supplement, gives much better bacon than the addition of meat and bone meal, which tends towards oiliness of the flesh.

Other foods are used by some farmers, their benefits being ascertained from the hereditary disposition of the animal. Sty Arrangements

The sty has much to do with the quality of the bacon. Under too cold conditions the fat will be softer than

in a warmer sty. The health of the pig depends upon sty conditions, and the quality of bacon depends upon the health of the pig. A NEW CURE? MILK FEVER IN DAIRY COWS The Moredun Research Institute ef the Animal Diseases Research Association, Edinburgh, Scotland, has published particulars of successful investigations of a method of controlling milk fever other than by udder inflation, which has definite' disadvantages. The alternative method, which has been worked out by the Director of the Institute, Dr J. Russell Greig, in collaboration with Dr Rryerre, is based on the fact that the curative action of udder inflation in milk fever is due to its effect in 'rapidly raising the concentration of calcium in the blood. This led to the suggestion that the injection of calcium in a convenient form might achieve similar objects. The first group of experiments proved that cases of milk fever made a rapid, even a spectacular, curative response to an adequate injection of calcium gluconate, given either intravenously or subcutaneously.

Further careful investigation was carried out, as a result of which the authors claim that a specific curative treatment for milk fever and its allied conditions, which is at once safe, rational, and reliable, has now been evolved. The treatment consists in the parenteral injection of a solution of "calcium borogluconate." It must be carried out by a veterinary practitioner. In highly susceptible cases in which milk fever makes its appearance at several successive parturitions the attack can be effectively prevented by the injection of 1 to 2 ounces of calcium borogluconate immediately after calving and preferably repeated after an interval of 20 hours. The parenteral injection of this solution can also be applied with specific curative effect in certain other cases of similar origin, for ex-

ample, lambing sickness, transmit tetany in the mare and ewe, and the parturient eclampsias of the sow and bitch.

SODIUM CHLORATE DANGERS

How dangerous it is to treat sodium chlorate carelessly is exemplified in the case of a young farmer in the To Awamutu district who has just been discharged from hospital as the result of severe burns. It had been his practice, as should be.with all good farmers, to carry some sodium with him in a tin, so that when he saw a ragwort plant growing he could apply a little of the crystal and kill it. This scheme was a great success; but apparently some of the sodium had got into his pocket, unnoticed, and one evening while he was in the house the pocket brushed against a piece of furniture, causing friction, and in a flash "the man's clothing was ablaze. The outbreak was not quenched until it had inflicted very painful superficial burns that necessitated hospital treatment. Fortunately the sufferer, has made a good recovery, and though he has not lost his faith in the efficacy of sodium for killing ragwort he is determined to treat it with much greater respect than formerly.

"Old books, old wines, old times, old friends!" quoted a well-known Auckland clubman, the other night, in the smoke-room, "and I would add, gentlemen, an old pipe!" Here he produced a short, thick stemmed and massive briar with blackened bowl. "This venerable pipe," he continued, "is a tried and trusty friend. Thousands of miles has it journeyed with me by land and sea and many a brand of baccy has it known —but none to compare with Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), to my mind the king of all tobaccos!" Here he stuffed the old pipe with his favourite blend, and lighting up, leant back in his chair at peace, with all the world! Cut .Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), it is scarcely necessary to add is one of the five beautiful toasted tobaccos so popular with smokers. The others are: Navy Cut No. 3 (Bulldog), Cavendish, Riverhead Gold and Desert Gold. These famous brands are not only delicious, but quite harmless. The "bite" has been eliminated by toasting! They are imitated—but never equalled! Never even approached!*