FARM AND GARDEN

Waikato Times, Volume 95, Issue 14949, 20 May 1922, Page 13 (Supplement)

FARM AND GARDEN

AGRICULTURAL EVENTS FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 27.

MONDAY. Stock Sale at Cambridge. Clearing Sale at Waharoa. TUESDAY. Stock Sale at Hamilton. Clearing Sale at Hinuera. , WEDNESDAY. Stock Sale at Matamata. Clearing Sale at Te Aroha. / THURSDAY. Stock Sale at Waingaro. ' Stock Sale at Mornnsville. Stock Sale at Paeroa Clearing Sale at Te Awamutu. Clearing Sale at Otorohanga. FRIDat:. ‘ stock Sale at, Putaruru. Clearing Sale at Karamu. Clearing Sale at Roto-o-Rangi SATURDAY. ' Stock Sale'at Te Awamutu.

/ AILMENTS IN COWS.

LECTURE?BY MR HARDY.

' A series of lectures, arranged by the Farmers’ Go-operative Auctioneering v Co, were given in the Cambridge disS trict by Mr R. F. Hardy, consulting Veterinary for the Ring Co., during the latter paVt of last week. The lectures were given at the following places.— Thursday morning, Messrs Bros’, farm at Pukeroro; Thursday afternoon, Mr J. P. Robinson s Victoria Road; Friday morning, Patterson Bros’, Monavale; Friday afternoon,rMessrs Ireland Bros., Kara- ‘ The lectures were on “The treatment, of ailments in cows.” Before reading some extracts from an, American report, Mr Hardy said that one pleasing feature was that America, after nine years’ research work, had discarded . the old methods of treatment, and were now using the same methods of trea - ment as the lecturer proposed to dea with, and which are already being used in New Zealand . s In the American report of investigation of Bovine Infectious Abortion, the following paragraph is culled from under the heading of Modes of Dissemination'. —“The knowledge that abortion parasite lodges nowhere m the living bodies of cattle, but the udders and pregnant and recently pregnant uteruses of cows, the reproductive organs of bulls, and the digestive tracts and livers of newly-born calves, and the lymph glands more 01 ; less intimately associated 'with the nomed organs, at once calls attention to the channels through which it is expelled.” Mr Hardy explained that m the case of a cow having, an infected udder, the fact of the milk passing from mother to calf would be sufficient to infect the calf. Regarding the channels of infection, the report says:—“The community or association bull evidently is harmless sa far as infectious abortion is concerned, and he is so without elaborate and troublosome disinfection of bis genital organs, proricling the precautions already suggested a pen, service of neutral ground, etc., are observed.” Mr Hardy said the process of serving probably would not Infect, but wltii the filthy matter ■ dropping, and fouling the pasture, the "cows picking up the germ would be aborted in from eight. to ten weeks. He considers the bull pen as necessary. “The one mode of infection that gives positive results ;in the case of modes that require artificial practices)’’ further stales the report, “is Uhe ingestion of abortion bacilli. When a susceptible, pregnant cow is permitted to in- . gest abortion bacilli, either pure cultures or material from cases of abortion, she rarely fails to become a victim

of the disease.” Dealing with treatment and prevention, the report states: —“Unquestionably it is economical to give proper treatment to cows that have aborted, or that do not clean properly, or that are afflicted with other troubles of the reproductive organs and functions; ■.:> . but suoh treatment should not include attempts to disinfect the uterine and vaginal cavities by irrigating them with strong germicidal solutions, be- ' cause suoh attempts will prove futile, arid cannot be made without serious danger of doing harm. The modern and rational idea of wound treatment should be applied to the treatment of the injured or. the diseased uterus, and that means the removal of dead and foreign material on which saprophytic and faculative pathogenic micro-or-ganisms can feed and multiply, and not the further devitalization of injured and diseased tissues.” In making a few suggestions, the lecturer stated that owners .with valuable herds free from* abortion who contemplated adding to the herd should get cattle from six months of age to breeding age as, with such, there would be very little risk of bringing abortion on to the farm. All filthy matter from a herd should be buried or burned, and skim milk should be thrown down a drain. The reproductive organs should be cleansed by the use of aborloids. The speaker was thanked for his jiddress. / 7

\ BRITISH DAIRY HERDS.

SHORTHORNS PREDOMINATE

In the report regarding, the milking Capabilities of some of Great Britain’s best dairies it is interesting to notice that more than two-thirds of the aggregate are Shorthorns with 153 giving a thousand gallons or over. In point of quantity of milk the Shorthorn takes second place to -the British Friesian, the latter having y a splendid record of achievement on deep milking. Nine of the breed head the list, of notable individual records, with the famous cow, Hedges Moss Rose, first, with 1958 gallons or 19,5501 b in 265 days. The best Shorthorn record is 1375 gallons by Ruby, in 343 days. It should be noted that the yields are not for the lactation periods, but for the year October 1 to September 30, and hence the variations in the days in milk. In all 265' cows attained the thousand gallon level, and of these 155 gave over 1000 and less than 1100 gallons; G 3 gave over 1100 and less than 1200 gallons; 28 between 1200 and 1300 gallons; 13 between 1300 and

4400 gallons; and over 1400 gallons-

up to the great record of Mr J. 11. -Bean’s British Friesian cow, which headed the list in the preceding volume, also with 1570 gallons in 303 days.

rVVhile the better-known breeds are still prominent, they are not by any

ineans having things all their own way. Crossbreds are well in the running, as might be expected, bu\the inclusion of a Jersey, a Kerry, and a cow of the .White Park breed in the list of thou•sand gallon cows, as well as three

South Devons, is instructive and very

pleasing to the supporters of these valuable varieties. Two Ilerefords just

miss the thousand-gallon level, and are marked on the 900 gallon line, a credi-

tabic performance for a breed so famed for its beeving properties. The i Beed for increasing and cheapening production increases as wages >nd other costs advance, and the

principle of the milk recording system is one of the safest and most effective in surmounting the economic difficulties of the time.

JOTTINGS

The attendance at the farmers’ farm school at Ruakura during the week was fully up to the accommodation limits and, as 'the experience of* the past has shown, the numbers could very readily have been doubled or trebled. The farmers attended from all parts of the province, the North being once again very strongly represented. A unique feature of the school this was the fact that several ladies attended the lectures and demonstrations, and the interest these students evinced in the carrying through of the week’s curriculum was very marked. In his remarks at the opening of-the farm school at Ruakura this week, Mr .). L. Bruce, superintendent of Experimental Farms, directed the special attention of the farmers attending the school to the wonderful transformation that had been effected in the swamp lands of the farm, towards bringing them to the state of productivity in which these areas are to-day. The farmers very closely observed these initial injunctions and during the week were - very keen on finding out all there was to learn in regard to the swamp areas and the methods adopted in converting these former waste spaces to fertility. The offlcer-in-charge of the pig division of the Department of Agriculture expresses himself as well pleased by the results of- the educational propaganda he and his colleagues have been carrying on for some time past. “This propaganda,” he stated the other day, “has taken the shape of lectures to returned sokliers at the experimental farms, to the annual schools of farmers and on the farms in various districts. Look at the results. We have practically covered the North Island in our tour of lectures, and the result is shown by an increase in the number of swine in the last two years of 98,000 in the North, as compared with 16,000 in the South Island. Wc are now centring our efforts on the . South Island, and are confident of the same relative increase.” Probably the officer is claiming a little more credit for his divsion than really is its due, but there can be no doubt he and his colleagues have done very excellent work in directing the attention Of small farmers to an industry that is capable of very extensive development. “Woman is after all progressive, don’t forget,” remarked Mr E. Clifton, amid laughter, at Ruakura on Monday in expressing ids gratificaton at several lady students having enrolled for the school. Returning to serious vein on the subject, the speaker remarked upon the important part women were taking in Agriculture in many other countries. While abroad Mr Clifton had noted this feature and had heard some of the most useful and most practical lectures on agriculture given by members of the fair sex.

A speaker at the Farmers’ Farm School at Ruakura, in touching on the efficacy of such institutions, remarked, in effect, that the young were, in reality, the propagandists for. the spread of agricultural education in the future. It was incumbent on the rising generation of farmers to avail themselves of every opportunity to learn the best in the art of fanning. With the institution of an all-year-round' school at Ruakura farmers were being presented with a golden opportunity, and they would not be doing the best by themselves and by the country If they did not avail themselves of every chance to participate' in and benefit from the series of lectures and demonstrations'Which would be given by competent insti’uctoz’s associated with the schools.

A Manawatu farmer having written to tile Prime Minister asking for information as To the deterioration of wool by long storage, has received the following reply: “I have to acknowledge the)receipt of your letter in which you asked for an authoritative opinion, based upon experience, as 4.0 whether wool deteriorates by storage. I have referred your question to expert officers of the Department of Imperial Government Supplies, and, am advised that close examination of Imperial greasy crossbred wool which has been'stored in New Zealand in dry stores, well dunnaged underneath the stacks, for as long as four years, shows no deterioration whatever, and has been so reported upon from Bradford. Equally satisfactory results are shown for light-conditioned greasy merino wool; though merino wool very heavy in grease shows discolouration in scouring after long storage. There is no doubt that greasy locks, second and stained pieces would show serious discolouration on scouring ,after long storage, but none of these classes of wool have been held in the grease on behalf of the Imperial Government. Scoured wool and the bulk qualities of slipe wool have opened up very well indeed, though some reports state that eight tenderness of staple is apparent. It has not, however, been satisfactorily shown that this weakness is due to long storage, and it may have been an Inherent defect in the wool as short or felled. Low sorts of slipe wool are not suitable for long storage owing to particles of the materials used in sliping the skins remaining in the lowsorts.

“A poor, long-suffering creature is the cow,” commented Mr E. Clifton in touching on the necessity for studying the feed requirements of stock on*the farm, when speaking at the opening session of the Farmers’ Farm School at Ruakura this week. Increased production must come through feeding the animal along correct lines. New Zealand’s requirements in this respect were like those of other countries, and in every other land except New Zealand it was found necessary to feed concentrates to stock, lie exhorted farmers to give, these methods a trial, in a small way at lirst, and Lake careful cognisance of the results, as the great want in regard to dairying stock to-day was that they were not feeding the cow as appropriately as they should do.

“The stroll round the farm,” as it i s labelled in the syllabus, is one of the most-looked for sessions during the lime the Farmers’ Farm School is in progress at Ruakura. There is an unlimited fund of agricultural knowledge lo be gathered on these strolls. With the farm manager, Mr A. \V. Green, conducting the daily rounds, and giving information at every point reached on the farm, the students receive -firsthand information of what has been achieved at Ruakura, and the methods adopted in attaining the progressive ends. The general lay-out of the farm, the arrangement of its shelter bells, the propagation of pastures, many experimental trials and the purebred cattle, sheep and pigs it contains, are “heads” under which many profitable hours can be spent, while horticultural, poultry and apiary sections of,Ruakura add further lo the important avenue through which advancement is availab te-