Farm Topics

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18533, 15 July 1922, Page 10

Farm Topics

CULLED FROM ALL SOURCES

TWO WAYS OF KEEPING THE j HERD SIRE. While visiting several dairy herds* the other day, the writer saw two bulls in different herds, both of the same breed, one a two-year-old, the other a fully matured animal. Both were fine individuals of good quality and well bred and from present appearances the two-year-old when be reaches maturity should make a fine an individual as the other bull, he has ail the indications but we doubt I if he will do so. The older bull has a clean box stall to himself and from one corner of it to the outside corner of the barn runs a wire •cable about 50 feet long and with more than three-quarters of its ; length outside. A door in the wall permits the bull to go out and in almost at will and he gets plenty of exercise with no loss of time to his owner. The latter informed us that for two-'thirds of the time on tine days last winter The bull was i outside. Contrast this treatment with that of the younger bull. As a j two-year-old the latter is just at that > .stage of development where he needs liberal feeding and plenty of exericise. If he gets sufficient feed to develop him properly but without exercise he will very likely be soft, •over-fat and may, even develop half. Without the feeds, whether he gets exercise or not, he will more than likely take on the appearance of a long, lanky greyhound for he is a ‘rangy animal, but with a strong top. good quarters and strength of con-

I stitution that right handling will till lout into a splendid mature herd sire (worthy anywhere from 200 to 300 ‘‘dollars. We found him in. a dirty stall, damp from a leaky watering bowl, with very little light and according to the present plans of bis owner due to stay there with his head in the stanchion day after day ihroughoui the summer. Fifteen dollars would rig up a cable for him in a shady spot outside. Kept in his present quarters for a year and •he may easily be worth 100 dol. less than he is to-day.

TEST OF SOUR AND SWEET CREAM. Thick cream can be tested as accurately as thin cream when the samples are weighed. Sweet and sour cream tests alike. For example, if you take a sample of sweet cream from a can weighing 4 0 lbs. jand test it and find that you have a I test of 30 per cent., there will be ' 12 pounds of butterfat in the can. i If you cover the can tightly and keep, it a few days at a warm temperature you will have a can of very sour cream. but it will still weigh 40 pounds. It will still test 30 per cent. Suppose some one would argue that it would test 35 per cent. If it did, then the can would contain 14 instead of 12 pounds of butterfat; but the question would arise where did the extra two pounds of butterfat come from? If any one could

discover a means of ■producing butterfat except in the udder of a coty, his....fortune would be assured. It can not be done by letting cream sour.

The idea that sour cream tests more than sweet cream is a most mistaken one and we can not understand how it originated unless by some centralizer who was laying his trap to bait farmers from following the rule that should be laid down by all co-operative creameries, namely —Deliver Sweet Cream.

PREVENTION OF GOITRE. A circular issued by the Veterinary Director General of the Dominion conveys information of the way to prevent goitre in lambs, calves, and other animals and hairlessness in pigs. Goitre in young animals is caused by a deficiency in iodine. The winter feed of animaJs contain less iodine than is necessary for healthy growth. It is noticeable that hairless pigs are rarer in summer or fall litters then they are in winter or spring litters. The remedy prescribed is the giving of a t.ablespoonful (or half a fluid ounce} of a solution made of one ounce of iodine of potassium in two quarts of water once a day mixed in the feed of every six females of the smaller breeds, ewes and sows, and a larger dose to cows, one or two teaspoontuls going to each animal according to size. Treatment is advisable soon after breeding and continuance until birth of the young.

Director of Publicity, Dominion Department of Agriculture, Ottawa. TAKE CARE OF THE FEET. Breeders of pure-bred beef cattle bury the feet and legs of their beasts in deep straw when they have their portraits taken. That is done to accentuate the deep, blocky body of the animal. It looks as well again taken that way. Where the feet and legs show the body does not appear to have nearly so much inas-

siveness as under the other plan of presentation. It will be a pity indeed if this camouflaging of the un-der-pinning leads to insufficient attention being paid to shape, strength, and soundness of the feet and legs. Breeders of dairy cattle, on the contrary, show the feet and legs to help emphasize the “three wedges” of dairy form. It is highly important that both beef and dairy cattle have sound feet and well formed joints and legs. It is not only the horse that suffers from curby formed hocks. Such sickle hocks are weak and liable to break down under stress and strain They are highly objectionable in a big, heavy herd bull and we have often seen those animals affected in that way. We have also seen one ram with well developed curbs; but he was used in a tread-power to operate a churn. And speaking of the tread-power we saw a miserable bull in great danger- of contracting curbs or straining his hocks on one farm. The tread-power he was operating was attached to a windmill and the farmer had forgotten to throw it out of gear, the day being calm, but a big wind had come up and the mill was running to beat the band -and the bull trying to keep up with the procession. It is much more common, however, to find bulls, cows, and steers affected with foot trouble induced by filth. Many dairymen seem to think such a condition of the feet is of little matter provided the animals do not evidently suffer much as indicated by severe lameness. That is a wrong impression, for pain in the feet and inability to walk comfortably always mean more or less unthriftiness in growing and fattening animals, inefficiency in bulls, and failure in cows to produce the maximum amount of milk possible from the ration fed. Apart from humanity to animals, which never should be forgotten, care should always be taken to prevent “fouls” in We feet and care intelligently for any cases that happen to occur.

It is considered good practice to pick tip each foot of a horse in turn at least, once daily and clear away all lodged bodies that possibly might prove injurious. Many a nail is gotten rid of in that way before it has p'unetured the foot and possibly caused lameness or fatal lockjaw, it is wise to now and then cleanse the feet of cattle that go out iu yards where they pick up pieces of cornstalk, corncob, masses of manure, or grit and dirt that tend to cause fouls. It is a very poor plan, however, to pull a rope back and forth between the toes of the feet. That adds insult to injury. It aggravates or causes inflammation and gives filth germs such as the bacillus necrophorus, a chance to invade and injure the feet. It is also necessary to keep the feel trimmed to love! condition and normal proportions and shape. Allowed to grow at will the toes tend to become too long, or lap over or turn up and discomfort and even pain result. Attention to the feet pays.

SCOTTISH VIEW ON THE TRACTOR AND HORSE QUESTION.

The rivalry of the horse and the tractor has passed through some lively stages in this country and a final decision has by no means been reached. During the war years when horses and horse feed were both high priced there were strong arguments tor the tractor as a means of ploughing and cultivating a field in limited time. Now when horses are cheapei- the claims of economy are not so apparent. Over in Scotland the farm journals have taken up the question in earnest and are giving a liberal amount of space to reports of public demonstrations. A writer in the Scottish Farmer, a paper devoted to live stock and more particularly horse interest sees a future for tractors even in that country of small fields. Having watched a tractor turn over its two furrows quickly and smoothly this observer remarks that the impression left on his mind is not one of great possibility but great accomplishment.' The question of immediate cost is a most important factor in the case, and perhaps a rather difficult one to settle with accuracy. As time goes on and the various necessary adaptations are made, the cost of this kind of traction may become lighter i£ it does not already favourably compare with the other. As to the effect on horse breeding and the Clydesdale this writer thinks that the draught horse will not be out of the running for some time.. Anything showing effort at -advance in agricultural practice deserves it. In the past there have been abortive attempts at progress of this kind—such as the heavy steamtackle, which had a short vogue, or no real vogue at -all—but the tractor commends itself from many sides and the outlook must be forward not backward.

FEEDING WORK HORSES. A safe rule to follow in feeding horses that work regularly every day is to allow them 11b. of grain and 11b of roughage daily for each 100 lbs of live weight. If your horses weigh 1,400 lbs., allow them 14 lbs grain and 14lbs of Timothy hay daily. Naturally, as the intensity of the work increases, it is well to increase the amount, of grain and dectease proportionately the amount of roughage. Conversely, if the horses are idle or irregularly worked, one should reduce the grain ration by half, but continue with perhaps slight additions the amount of roughage that they are consuming. As to combinations of grain, a ration consisting of five parts of Oats and three parts of bran makes a good mixture with one or two parts of corn if desired. It is desirable to feed the bulk of the grain during the middle of the day, and to urge tile horses to consume the bulk of the roughage at night. This seems to simplify the procedure and to bring about the most efficient digestion of the various ingredients. It is well to reduce the grain ration on idle days aud to continue approximately the same amount of roughage, regardless of whether the horses are idle or working.

Make sure that the horses are not suffering from internal parasites, and that their teeth are in a condition to enable them to masticate their food. When whole grains are passed through the system undigested-, it is evident that the teeth need attention, and a veterifprian should be employed to romedf this eonditioa.