Practical Hints to Dairy Farmers.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1902, 15 November 1886, Page 3

Practical Hints to Dairy Farmers.

(By W. ToLsrxcp),

At the present time, and with due regard to the future prosperity of the agricultural elaaeas ol New Zealand, it behoves our J****vs to look to an hitherto almost •eglestsd industry, one which is yet iu its hduaj here, but which baa at home and on the Continent attained considerable influence and become a large (actor in the predueii? power of the respective countries in which skilled labour and science an applied to it. It wae during the years 1870-72, while I wee etui at home, that it advanced by such leaps and bounds On the Continent each was •JP*«ully the eaee in the northern countries, Denmark and Sweden. The first-named dnuntry has in particular taken the lead in dairy produce owing no doubt in a large •ztent to the grazing qualities of that eouoa Sr, and the climate being singularly favour' le for the production of good exoort butter. Much good batter is undoubtedly produced both in England and Ireland, but not by far in such quantities ss could reasonably be expected from countries possessing excellent climate and pasture. The reasons (or this is to e certain extent following sBlrst. A large quantity of the whole milk is ■old to the milk venders in the large towns. Secondly. That with few exceptions the farmers pay but little attention to the various details connected with dairying. The seme has hitherto been the eaee in this colony, which from its many favourable points lor ensceeafal dairying ought to possess a large expvt trade in hotter, instead of which the farmers so far have bean content with taking a rosy oftan indifferent article to the local at ere keeper, receiving in return goods, the •♦“••keeper paying a vary nominal price for the butter sodas a rule charging a good price (or hie goads, (has obtaining a profit in two ways: (first), on (he article bought; (second), on the article sold. I have sometimes remonstrated with the storekeepers on the evident aafhimam of this, hot they invariably defend tiMßieetvas with the reply, that as a lot of mistier batter is brought to them and they have tbs trouble of re-working, packing, and •spurting the sum, they are entitled to all the profit obtainable. Such being tiie case it is tune the farmer* began retting about producing :a.hotterclassariiole, as that is the only legitimate way of obtaining n higher price, end I wiD therefore endeavour in other issues to point cot e lew serious defects in our gysbni of dairy farming as carried on generally at present.

FMdlng ud Shattering.—Pint ol all, and to which particular attention ie directed, is the sheltering and feeding of dairy stock. Most fanners in this country do not think it worth' while to give proper food and shelter to their sows during winter, using very often aa a reason for this, when spoken to on the ■objoet, “ that dairy produce is in such low pries it does not pay to go to much trouble.” They do not see tie fallacy ol such an argument. that just at the time, namely, winter, when batter usually is at the highest price, they eanoot possibly obtain any great quantity on aeeonnt of the semi-starvation state the cows ■re kept in, and that with judicious managemsnt and very littla extra trouble they could increase the producing powers of their stock •nd so nap the full benefit ol a good market Cows, to gin plenty cl rich and food milk during the winter months, should be kept in tbe shed all night and daring \he day too, if the weather is very boisterous, and led liberally, according to the milk-producing cm t>aeitiea of tbe different cows. The cost of doing so is trifling, for instance, the shed, to hold say ten cows, need not be a very large one and can be built, lean-to shape, where economy is absolutely necessary. Care should be taken in selecting the site for the shed ■ad stockyard that the ground is high and dry with a natural slope to carry all water away from it, also build tbe abed from east to west aa that the closed in portion is facing the quarter tbe prevailing cold wieds genenlly U«w from. Now aa a man with 10 oowe woald require milking stalls lor say three at s time, the additional timber and labour in building it sufficiently large to bold ten would not be gnat, when timber of the alese suitable for that purpose is easily obtained. and remember it ie only the ooe outlay tor which yon will receive compound interest every snouteding winter when your cows, instead ol being shivering on the lee aide ol s win tones, are comfortably housed in the riled. The outlay for tie ropes is alio am ill and the labour ol fixing them will give you employment on a wet day when no other work can be done. Of course if you possess the mesne it is a decided advantage to have a good stable built, closed at sides and er.ds, with proper entrance gates and hayloft above, boilt ao that the fodder can be left in each cow’s manger without much carrying about in tbe stable which all means waste of stuff. Tbe tie-ropes should be so fixed that the animal aan lay down and rise easily, hot not so kmg aa to allow bet to interfen with her n-s, -Iwai. The stall itself should be ■tightly inclined a littla higher at the head thaa where the hind feet stand, but only ■lightly io, or too much weight ie thrown on bar hind quarters, which is particularly injurious to cows close on calving. The floor of the stall should bo as near even as possible, and therefore sawn timber, or blocks, make good floors, bat where cost of auteiial * ol nae consideration, rough slabs will do if pot down evenly aod covered with either nwdnri or a litter ol straw. Behind the rialla a gutter ol good width bnt not deep ■bonU ran along in which excrements will drop and sen be collected. This should be riaaned out every day if possible, ss any bad odonnin the stable are highly injurious, and son to be absorbed by tbe milk during milking hours. If the shed contains a double row ol stalls two gotten will be necessary On no aeeonnt have the gntien, as I have eeen, in some cowsheds down tbe centre wily, is that necessitates an incline ol flooring towards the centre, which ie liable to cause the cattle to slip aod slide when entering and leaving ‘-heir stalls. To ensun the gnatest cleanliness and comfort to tbe cows whilst in the stable end doting milking is to floor the •bed with either bricks or cement-a floor mgde ol the latter material will-last any length ol time, and is far preferable to wooden flooring, as it is easier kept clean and can, where water ia easily available, be sluiced down with a hose by which tbe abed will be both cool and clean daring the summer. Too much importance cannot be attached to the general cleanlineee ol the •bed where the milking takes place, and •*ery abed should be provided with a small railed off space where the milk can stand until convenient to remove it to the dairy. The feeding of the cows should be regular and the quality good and sufficient, but never over feed a cow ; that is, if you notice a cow ia good health not able to consume tbe amonot of fodder given to her, reduce the quantify until you find she cleans out her box. The surplus fodder is generally allowed to remain in tbe box and the next feed put on top ol it. The natural consequence is that tbe cow when pulling her hay or straw |ria mom of the stale (odder among it, which •aosee her to lorn her feed over instead of eating it with relish. In feeding, always do •o regularly and ace that they have hail plenty of water previous to stabling them fur the night. In tkis colony where as yet little woo attention has been paid to artificial •pods, by such I mean cotton cake, raps cake, ” ■ 1 would strongly recommend d*irv far ri«s to give their stock a variety of food aod k*P continually feeding on dry hay or ***** foMsr. The change from very scant pm herbage daring the winter ig not euffif***t tor tbe animal to enable an otherwise food sow to yield a profit to bar owner. The only good t diet of hay alooa is eaoable of Conferring i«, that the cow keeps faVtolarflHy good condition, aid there lore ia sooner reriowd to her fall milking power when Mtiag Wives. When feeding on I v feed wo with green fodder such as gi «•> oato *“*■*■ **“• wlooy makes excel let. t fodder torarilkug stock, hut it shonll aiw.ys be fflnad with dry fodder with the exception psnaperf on very fine days,when it can be eut **■ without being sloppy and cold, fo tfvn a heari damp foddar on a wet and •oMdey naa jwaeiaaly the sgma effect on the Upalnefivttf yon a sold dinner on a like

! day when you return wet and cold from outside work. It may satisfy your hunger, but it adds nothing to vour comf rt beyond that. The best way of feeding is bv cuitkg the whole into coarse ehaff, the cattle then receive the most nutriment from it by digest ing it better. On small dairy farms, where only five or six cows are kept, it is not always possible to grow green fodder, or to cultivate ground for that purpose, but it is possible to grow one or half an acre of cabbage and those out up and given to the cows will be of immense bennefit, or else carrots, mangolds, or swede turnips. Ido not like the two last named much ; (first) because the mangold are exceedingly watery and contain but little nutriment, and no milk producing properties ; (second) the swede turnip is likely to add an unpleasant flavour to the butter. The gene, ral cry of farmers is, they give their cows plenty of good bay. are in good eondi* tion, and yet give no milk ; it will always be so unless more attention is paid to a variety of food, such as named before. Silage is no doubt tiie best snbstitnte for green fodder in winter, containing as it does all the properties of green food without being either cold or moist when given to the cattle.

Milking.—l will now devote a short space to the milking ol dairy cows. When the boy starts away to bring the cows home he generally carries a whip which he proudly asserts he knows how to nse and as a proof he points to the long welts on the flanks of the eowa, then he is smart in rashing the cows into the bails, shouting lustily the while to the cows. The milking then begins and the cow being dnly brought into a stats ol exeite ment by tbe foregoing treatment, is not standing so quietly as the milker wishes, so of eoarse he administers another cat or kick to sootiie it down and so mistake No S is committed. Now I have had some experience in New Zealand stockyards and tbo above manner of doing the work forms the tbe rule rather than the exception, and the natural result of such treatment it an indifferent return of milk ol an inferior qnality from the overheated and nervous state of the animal doting milking. The oows should be brought np without either hurry or punishment, end when in the, shed, shouting or anything tending to excite the oows should be avoided if possible. Bail the oows up quietly, treat them gently, and milk them quickly are tbe three golden rules to I o observed during milking honre. If yc u exeite or ill treat the oows yon cannot possibly expect the cow, from its nervous state, to give the proper quantity ol milk. (To be Continued).