FARMING WORLD

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20887, 19 August 1939, Page 26 (Supplement)

FARMING WORLD

BY “STOCKMAN"

Importance of Good Rams Reference to the importance of us--1115 nothing hut good rams if the best quality fat lambs were to be raised in the Waikato has been made previously in these columns and everyone connected with the trade will agree that the best way to improve the quality of our lambs is through the use of high standard rams. Increasing attention is being paid to this aspect of the trade in Australia. A report submitted to the Australian Meat Board by Mr J. Coleman, special sheep and wool instructor of the New South Wales Department of Agriculture, is of interest because of the reference in it to the great importance of quality in the sires. Referring to the quality of the rams in use in Australia, generally, the report said that the standard of the sires of the various breeds used for lamb production was not good, although there was a growing appreciation of the benefits to be derived from the use of sires of good type. Unfortunately, many grade rams were used in all the states, more particularly in Tasmania. Prominent breeders in many instances bred these half-breds and selected a small percentage of the best rams for use in their own flocks and sold the remainder, which invariably did not possess the desired characteristics for lamb production. Many Imported Rams At the same time, many rams had been imported from the United Kingdom and New Zealand in recent years, and these would do much to raise the standard of the sires available for lamb production. The report expressed the belief that the only way In which the standard would be raised was by legislative enactment being given to the licensing of all ram breeders of British breeds of sheep, thereby ensuring that sires from registered flocks only should be allowed for uso in the production of crossbred lambs. Commenting upon this proposal, another Australian authority said that legislation to prevent breeders buying cheap rams mitght, of course induce some men to resort to the practice of keeping ram lambs

from their own cross-bred drop. This would be an even more retrograde step than was the position created from the use of unregistered rams, and such a course would need to be strongly resisted. The registered stud was the lamb raiser’s only dependable source of supply. Being subject at all times to supervision, the stud breeder was obliged to pursue a definite line of breeding essential to the maintenance and improvement of quality. The history of his sheep was clearly shown in the Flock Book, and eacli animal in stud use could be traced back to certain accepted strains, each of which possessed certain virtues and had its own followPig Meat Exports Although there arc 300,000,000 pigs in the world, only 60,000,000 (or 20 per cent./ of these are within the British Empire, despite the fact that the main meat consumed in the world is pig meat. These remarkable figures were quoted by Mr G. A. W. Pope, general manager of the Government Produce Department of South Australia, in the course of a letter to the Australian Meat Board. Notwithstanding that the British consumer ate 441 b of pig meat per head per year, as against 301 b of mutton and lamb per head, Mr Pope said, Australia shipped only 233,000 cwt of pig meat to the United Kingdom as against 1,800,000 cwt of lamb and mutton. In times when there were rumours of war or even in times of peace, England, in keeping with its policy of being self-contained, was only too anxious to assist its Dominions in increasing the production of such a 1 necessitous food as pig meat. In other words, foreign supplies could be further reduced to make room for increased Dominion supplies. The object of the British Government’s present policy was to restrict imports to a level that would not depress the market prices below the cost of production to the British farmer Sheep or Cows? One not infrequently hears arguments as to whether there is more work in sheep dr in dairy cows. An ■ interesting letter in this connection, although it may not, in the viewpoint of many, have practical bearing on the question, recently appeared in the Livestock Bulletin, an Australian publication, the writer of the letter doubting whether there was any more work incurred in the running of a dairy farm of 20 to 30 cows than there was in running a small sheep property for fat lamb raising. “The great disadvantage of fat lamb breeding on small properties,” he said, “is that every few years the ewes must be replaced, so that a fairly heavy depreciation must be written off (and put in the bank) every year, while, with cows, it is much easier to rear a few heifers every year. 1 know that the depreciation must be written off the cows, but it is much easier to rear a few heifers every year, but it is more of a book entry ; they have a much longer life. Another point is that the cash comes in regularly from a dairy farm, though

the capital outlays is much the same as for a sheep farm. ‘‘ln comparing labour, 1 think the only comparison can be between farms on which there is good management. The feeding of the cows would not be much more than the work with the ewes. The cows have to be milked twice daily, it is true, but sheep have to be worked over at least two or three times a week from shearing until two weeks before lambir.g. For those two weeks at least once a day, and then from lambing until shearing at least twice a day. On top of that there is treatment for entero, worms, and sometimes footrot, apart from crutching, tailing and shearing. As far as I am concerned, you cannot ‘keep on terms’ with a flock of 400 ewes as you can with a herd of cows; some sheep have a biL of sense, but jolly little. ” Markets of the East “A lot of nonsense has been written about the markets of the East.” recently wrote a member of the staff of the .Melbourne Argus. People who look up the population statistics and talk about “400,000.000 customers" are dreaming pipe dreams of a distant future, he says. Go through the East and see these “customers” for yourself. They may be ploughing paddy Helds in Indo-China or sweeping streets in Bandoeng. Before ®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®(i

®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®S you even get to China you investigate the Javanese, Malays, Burmese, Siamese, Annamesc —the story is the same everywhere. There are millions of them, hut they live on a few cents a day. The Eastern market which Australia and New Zealand may hope to exploit consists of the Europeans who live there, a minority of the native populations in the upper-income bracket, and the well-to-do Chinese. Access to the great remainder depends on a general increase in purchasing power, which, in turn, depends on better, world prices for the goods which the natives produce and a rectification of the debt position of so many of the agriculturists. But there is a vast reservoir which the Dominions can never hope to touch, in this century at any rate. To establish a footing in the East, the article points , out, goods must not only be marketable at a fitting price and acceptable to Chinese middlemen, but must also outface intense competition from goods of established brands from other countries. The Australian Government Commissioner Is directing all his puns against the artificial nature of the competing products and extolling the natural healthgiving properties of Australian butter. “Boler is Beter” he chants in Dutch on hoardings, newspapers, and diningcar menus. And the Dutch, who take a keen interest in their health, pay heed. Protein For Dairy Cows It is apparent that the limiting factor of dairy rations is generally protein, which comprises more than 35 per cent of the dry matter of whole milk. This is quite apart from the considerable amount required for body maintenance. Although homegrown feed, such as silage, contains a certain amount of protein, 1 lie trouble with such is its fibrous bulky nature, and, as the capacity of the cow’s stomach is strictly limited, sufficient cannot he ingested to provide the total requirements of protein, or, incidentally, minerals. The important thing to remember is not so much what the cow eats, but rather what it digests and assimilates; therefore, on the general commercial farm it is necessary to hand-feed to some extent, and to provide in this part of the ration the requisite amount of protein in concentrated form. Although there are several such concentrates in general use that give satisfactory results, the value of the by-product of the meat industry is not always recognised. The meat packers manufacture meat meal and meajt and bone meal from fresh meat scraps, waste pieces and green bones in varying proportions. These materials are thoroughly cooked and sterilised at 300 de<g. Fahr. for several hours. After milling and screening, the resultant product is finally ground and free running. There is practically no odour, and on analysis a good sample shows about 60 per cent of protein and 15 per cent of mineral ash. Meat meal is very high in protein, ami a given ration can be balanced j very cheaply. Especially with heavy j producing cows, difficulty is some-

| proper amount of protein in concentrated form, and in this respect the use of meat meal makes the task very simple. The Slate Research Farm at W'erribce, Victoria, has shown that ‘lie additions of quantities of meat meal varying from 5 per cent to 15 per j cent by weight fed in winter, when i some pastures arc particularly bare, I balanced the ration of hay or silrire j and grain, and restored the flow of j milk to normal. Difficulty is sometimes experienced in inducing the cows to consume their allowance, but this is easily overcome by starting off with no more than a teaspoonful At a time and gradually increasing the amount until in 10 days the cows arc consuming their full portion. It seems that once the initial difficulties arc overcome, the cows acquire a taste for meat meal, and the daily ration is eagerly consumed. Multiplication of Pests Despite the fact that the fanner has been obtaining more and more assistance from science the number of insect pests with which he lias to contend with docs not seem to have materially lessened. True, science has contrived many artful ways of overcoming certain insect pests and her methods of attack include the introduction of natural enemies of the particular pests. However, as soon as one pest is eliminated another always appears ready to take its place. Although not a great deal of cropping is done in the Waikato as compared with other districts, still farmers in this district have to contend with insect pests, notably the white

®®®®®S®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®< i butterfly, which lias been creating - much havoc among the root crops i during recent years. One of the f greatest difficulties experienced in the i eradication of these insect pests is the very rapid manner in which they i multiply. An insect pest, which is t giving increasing concern in the i Brilish Isles is the “green fly” or ■ aphides. , The rapid multiplication of “green > fly” is one of the wonders of the ini sect world. Not only is reproduc- > lion rapid, but its method is unusual, i since living progeny may be produced i without the introduction of the male, i Five distinct forms can often be i found, or six, if the etgg stage is in- > eluded. Eggs are comparatively rarely found. They are produced, as a general rule, only at the end of the growing season when conditions are becoming unfavourable for the aphis. The egg is designed to carry the species over the winter months, but it often happens that the egg soon develops into a laqge wingless female which over-winters in sheltered | places. This large female aphis is I often called the “stem-mother.” It is she who starts the plague every year, giving rise to a number of “lice.” Each louse, in the early part of the season at any rate, is an unsexed female, possessing no wings. Later in the year the lice often are winged. The “louse” is an extraordinary animal, since it possesses no sexual organs as such, but is capable of giving birth to living progeny. Fertilisation by the male is not a necessary preliminary, as it is in the great majority of cases. This phenomenon is called Partheno-genesis (literally virgin ■ birth) and it explains the powers of rapid multiplication possessed by aphides. Each louse goes on producing more lice by parthenogenesis right through the season, with the result that the rate of increase takes the form of a geometrical progression and is correspondingly rapid. Towards the end of summer winged, unsexed females are produced. These often fly off to other plants. Finally, as conditions become more and more unfavourable to the lice, fully sexed females,

and males arrive upon the scene. J The female is wingless, the male may, ; or may not, have wings. As the re- I suit of the union of these two, fertile . eggs are laid, and these remain dor- I mant throughout the winter, to hatch | out into the “stem-mothers'’ in the Uniformity of Product One of the most important qualities that can be possessed by a commodity is uniformity. Unless the contents of a package are consistently similar, purchasers will not again seek the brand. Good advertising can place a brand on the market, but it takes consistently good and uniform quality of the article advertised to keep it there. This is as true of butter as of any other commodity, so that butter manufacturers seeking a particular market, must not only produce a high class article, but must maintain that good quality uniformly throughout the year. As butter is a perishable commodity, there is a good deal of technical skill involved in maintaining a uniform standard but if can be done. The manufacturer of butter must not regard it is the dairy produce salesman’s job only to sell the butter, the selling commences at the manufacturing end. If it is the intention to sell a high quality article on a particular market, only butter from specially selected cream should be sub- , mitted for selling. This cream should be manufactured under the most hygienic conditions so that the butter is not contaminated either chemically or bacteriologically, and thus lose its good keeping quality characteristics. It is imperative that butter should store well to enable it to maintain the desirable uniform quality as well as its freshness until it is consumed. If the factory man could only get an appreciation of the important part he plays in the actual, selling of butter, he would probably also get a new view point on the need for absolute uniformity as well as good quality in the butter he makes for market. It is important, even in the winter time, to make butter well so that it may be uniform the year round. Value of Scrubbing Dairy utensils cannot be cleaned by merely dipping and swilling in water, be it hot or cold. Some form o-f friction must be used to get through the greasy, sticky film formed by the milk or cream on the surface of anything with which it comes in contact. The casein, the chalky white portion of milk, is used extensively as a commercial glue, and therefore has value in this regard, but it is a decided money loser to the dairy farmer if he allows it to stick to his milking plant. The hard white Him so freouently seen on buckets and the sides of the separator vat is just the milk turned into glue by pouring very hot water on to it. This is the erason why the farmer is advised to wash milky utensils in cold water first. It saves a lot of scrubbing. Greasy Milk Milk is also greasy due to that valuable ingredient, butter-fat, it contains. But butterfat, like all other valuable things, can get out of place and then it becomes obnoxious. Particles of butterfat always remain on the milk jug, bucket or cream stirer, no matter for how short a time they have been used with it, and can only be removed by washing. To treat a greasy surface with cold water only makes it feel more greasy to treat it with hot water melts the fat and a film or scum of fat floats on to the furface of the water. This film adheres by its edges to the side of the utensil and almost invariably the hot water is poured out from under the film, leaving much of the fat remaining on the vessel. It is necessary, therefore, to use a fat solvent such as soap or washing soda—just a very little—to dissolve xthe fat. The character of the fat is thus changed, and it no longer floats to the surface hut is removed with the rest of the dirty water. By the way, whilst soap is used in the kitchen it is not generally recommended for the dairy, because, used carelessly, it is liable to leave a fatty film of its own. also an odour which taints the cream. Scrubbing must be resorted to so that soda and water may more readily attack the filth and fat which has depth as well as surface area. Remove this dirt and water by rinsing with clean boiling water. .Vote the order of washing.—Firstly remove the glue with cold water, then attack the fat with a weak washing soda and warm water solution, using a scrubbing brush to get to tlie bottom of the dirt film; finally rinse with boiling water to remove the drains of dirty water which cannot be tipped out. Boiling water also heat-dries tiic utensil.