FARMING TOPICS

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 22682, 9 August 1945, Page 9

FARMING TOPICS

IMPRESSIONS IN BRITAIN DUAL PURPOSE BREEDS Australians and New Zealanders cannot learn much from us about commercial dairy farming, writes the agricultural correspondent of the London Times. They are interested, he says, in the best of our pedigree dairy herds, but we are only now applying in ordinary commercial herds the measures such as milk recording and quality testing which they have long held to be essentials to success in the business of milk production. In the words of one New Zealander who runs Jerseys himself, “a farmer gropes like a blind man in breeding and management unless he has records to go on.” He found no virtues in our dualpurpose breeds, continues the British correspondent. The Friesian, the Ayrshire, the Guernsey as well as the Jersey he could appreciate. He admired, too, the Scottish Shorthorns, Aberdeen-Angus, Devons and Herefords as outstanding beef types, but how, he asked, can the British farmer apply scientific methods in dairying when he works with animals that at the best can only be half true to the ideal? He was advised to visit, if he could find time, one or two successful herds of Dairy Shorthorns and Red Polls before he went off to New Zealand with the idea that dual-purpose herds have no place in economical production in Britain. Wool-classing Pays Tangible proof that careful classing of wool gives a handsome return to the grower is provided by the appraisal returns from three well-known Wairarapa clips, one of which had not been classed for the previous five years. In each case, the fleece wool was worth over £IOOO in its unclassed state, and the added value through classing was of up to £l5O, or 13 per cent. The estimates of profit, on a very conservative basis, were made by Mr R. A. Weber, senior instructor in wool and woolclassing at Massey Agricultural College. Mr Weber carried out the classing of the three clips during last shearing. Increase in Lambing New-born lambs have made their appearance in considerable numbers on some Waikato farms, particularly in the Rukuhia district. The fioekmasters report indications for a good lambing season. One farmer stated yesterday that already he had more twin lambs for the current season than was the case at the end of August last year. However, he thought they were smaller than usual for early lambs. Another farmer said his flock appeared to be destined for a high percentage of lambs this season, and he could not subscribe to any idea that they were lighter in weight this year. With the premiums for early lambs eliminated, there is not the same interest taken in very early lambs as was the case previously when financial consideration was an encouragement for early lambing. More Herd Testers A further 72 herd-recorders are now available for service with district herd improvement associations

in New Zealand with the termination of this year’s 10-days course of training at Massey Agricultural College. Of this total nearly 30 are young men, in contrast to the previous five years of war, during whicn the enrolments were almost exclusively confined to women. This year’s trainees, most of whom have already been allotted to districts, bring to 852 the total trained at the college since the inception of the New Zealand Dairy Boat’s scheme in 1928. Salt for Livestock The use of salt for livestock is so old that it is taken for granted by everyone. The wise use of salt for each kind and condition of livestock has not kept pace with modern feeding practices. Salt, like the lubricating oil in an efficiently operating engine, must be supplied consistently and in proper amounts to avoid trouble. Not all animal requirements are the same, due to differences in the animals themselves, the products, and the work done. Salt is continually given off by the animal body. Horses, for instance, put two grains of salt into every pound of perspiration. Cows put a grain of salt into every pint of milk, while hens put salt into their eggs and sheep salt into their fleece. Cows in milk, calves, and rapidly growing heifers and pregnant animals all have high salt requirements. The best answer as to the amount is to allow all the salt they want. Different Requirements Plenty of salt is needed for beef stock. The amount of salt needed increases as the proportion of roughage in the feed increases. Of all classes of livestock, pigs suffer the most from lack of salt. Their rapid growth and the less frequent use of pasture in many cases are two outstanding reasons for this. American tests made with pigs receiving 2£ per cent of salt showed 20 per cent more gain than on a check group receiving only 1 per cent of salt. Sheep and lambs have the highest salt requirement per pound of body weight of any warm animal. The reason for this is the larger amount of roughage eaten and the salt lost in perspiration. Due to the fact that horses are used for work purposes which vary greatly, their salt requirements in consequence vary greatly.