DAIRYING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 2, 15 February 1913, Page 151

DAIRYING.

WINTER FEEDING AND, INCIDENTALLY, SOME REMARKS ON THE GENERAL TREATMENT OF THE DAIRY COW.

Primrose McConnell.

The feeding of the dairy cow is of the greatest importance, and it is essential that every dairy-farmer give the matter careful study in order to determine the system which is most suitable for the locality in which he is farming—a system which should be designed not merely with the object of producing the highest results regardless of cost, but one which will produce the maximum of result at a minimum of cost. Before touching on the food question I would just like to say a little on one or two other points which in my opinion are of the utmost importance in the successful management of the dairy herd. I consider the first question . every dairy-farmer should ask himself is, “ Do my cows pay for all the food they consume and yield a little profit as well, or are some of them merely ‘ boarders ’ ? ” . When we take into consideration the fact that in New Zealand the average butter-fat yield per cow per annum is only about 1601 b., it is easy to realize that a very large number of cows are being kept at an absolutely dead loss to the farmer, and that in many instances the profit realized from cows of high. milking-capacity is completely wiped out. by the loss incurred through keeping “ boarders.” It is also important to grasp the fact that no amount or kind of extra feeding will make the “ boarder ” pay in fact, the more she is fed the greater will be the loss; while, on the other hand, the cow of great milking-capacity will give a good return for liberal treatment in the matter of feeding. Now, the only way which will enable the farmer to determine between the profitable and the unprofitable' cow is by the use of the scales and the Babcock or other tester; and, depend upon it, the use of these will afford many a surprise, as it will be found that the cow or cows which previous to testing were considered to be the best may prove to be second-rate only —indeed, much inferior to others which may have been set down as being the least profitable of the herd. Speaking from my . own experience, I am also quite certain that as soon as testing is commenced the interest in the herd increases ; and the same applies to employees, if they are worth their salt. The farmer will then find himself more

willing to carry out by every means within his power'.that which will tend to produce a good all-round result; in fact, it will , make dairying a much greater pleasure to him than it previously has been. As soon as the “ boarders ” have been detected, cull without mercy. Perhaps the farmer may plead that he cannot buy other cows to fill their places ; but is he not better off with twenty cows, all of which give a good profit, than with. forty, twenty of which are kept at a loss ? and, as I previously stated, the loss on the one half may completely wipe out the profit on the other half. Many farmers do not know whether their cows are being worked profitably or not ; many say that it is too much trouble to keep records, and that it does not pay for the time spent over it. On the other hand, every farmer who has tested his cows and culled the unprofitable ones knows that it does pay and that it is very little trouble. It is blind policy to simply total up the proceeds at the end of the season and divide the result by the number of cows; it gives no idea whatever of the possibilities of a herd. Perhaps one of the most important questions a dairyman can ask himself is, “ In the matter of breeding am I adopting the best means of building a high-class herd ? ” One thing is very certainyou cannot afford to . buy scrub bulls at so-many shillings per leg. When you have made an independent fortune you can afford to indulge yourselves in that direction, but not before. Whether you have to beg, borrow, or steal him, procure a high-bred sire from a well-known milking strain, and you are on the direct road to success. I am not advocating any special breed — is for the farmer to decide; but I do advise, once a breed has been chosen, to stick to it through thick and thin. No good permanent result has ever been obtained through crossing and recrossingit is the direct road to the Bankruptcy. Court; and in my opinion it is much easier to improve a breed than to manufacture one. We are in no need of new breeds ; but we are in great need of more good individuals of the existing breeds. It may be better to have a good animal of unknown breeding than a common pedigree animal, but it is a fact that in order to produce the best animals we must stick to some one breed and use sires of the desired type of this particular breed continuously. When it has .to be admitted that, even when exercising the greatest care in the choice of a sire, the results are some-times-disappointing, it can safely be concluded that to breed from an animal simply because it happens to be of the male sex, or to buy animals in the open market simply because they happen to be of the female sex, can only lead to disaster.

Proper feeding and care of the young bull as well as the cow must not be overlooked, as it is of the utmost importance, and if bred for

sale the -starved animal will be only a scrub in the eyes of the public.

There is yet another important point which I must mention —namely, gentle treatment. The very best feeding, if accompanied by a kick and a growl, will not induce a cow to yield to her utmost capacity. As a matter of fact, a cow that is abused in any shape or form will yield milk of less quantity and poorer quality than if she were treated with gentleness, and exhaustive experiments recently carried out in America prove this up to the hilt. The man who kicks or otherwise ill-treats a cow should be flogged without mercy. A reasonable amount of shelter is also necessary, otherwise some of the nerve force which would be spent in the production of milk is spent in maintaining the heat of the body.

It will be generally agreed, I am convinced, that the above recommendations are inseparable from, and must, indeed, go hand-in-hand with, good feeding if the best results are to be obtained from dairy herds. It is now a well-known fact that milk and butter-fat yielding capacity of breeds of cows and of individuals is hereditary, and that this natural function can be artificially developed only to a limited extent. This, of course, applies more to the butter-fat than to the milk yield, for the quantity of the latter may undoubtedly be increased by certain systems of feeding; but no system of feeding will appreciably increase the percentage of butter-fat.

Liberal winter feeding of the dairy cow is undoubtedly of the utmost importance, and it is a deplorable fact that a number of cows in New Zealand die in winter through starvation. It is absolutely essential that the cow should reach her period of lactation in fit condition, and this cannot be accomplished on bare winter pasture alone. Having a large stomach-capacity, the cow requires a bulky feed. This should be of two classes, a succulent feed and a dry one. The combination may consist of roots and mangels and lucerne for choice. The amount necessary for an in-calf cow will depend on the breed and size. The average cow will consume 10 lb. of hay and from 20 lb. to 30 lb. of mangels. A good supply of mangels is invaluable, and no other food is more successful in stimulating the milk-flow. For the best results a limited quantity should be carted to the grass paddocks daily. To turn cows into a mangel-paddock, thereby wasting about as much as .'they consume, is, in my opinion, the very worst policy.. _ Even .with a supply of good hay alone a herd of cows , may be very j successfully brought through the winter ; . but something more succulent is required when the cows calve early, in.order to stimulate the milk-flow. Ji .For this purpose nothing is better than the mangel. In a report on last . year’s mangel crop that appeared in the Journal I made some strong::statements' as to

the value of the crop to this farm, and the results that I might expect from its use. It is satisfactory to be able to state that the results immediately obtained, and the results still being indirectly obtained, have more than justified every statement then made.. In calculating the cost of any farm crop we are too apt to look on the immediate results only, and forget that every farm operation we carry out affects not only the present but must affect the future, and that it is a step either in the direction of success or failure, apart from the bearing it may have on the present circumstances. For this reason it is always unwise to judge of the profit obtained through any farm operation by immediate results only. There is no doubt as to the value of quick returns, but if it is the farmer’s intention (as it should be) to settle down and permanently improve a farm, in every operation carried out he should have an eye to the future. It is true that the growing of a mangel crop costs money, and, as a matter of fact, a poor crop of mangels can be grown only at a dead loss. On the other • hand, no crop gives a more handsome return for liberal treatment. It is astonishing the amount of feed that may be obtained from one acre only. I am aware of the difficulties of the labour question, and the area cultivated must be determined by the labour available to cultivate that area thoroughly ; but I am quite certain that the key to success in dairy-farming lies in the reduction of the areas of many of the farms and the adoption of a more intensive system of cultivation. A small farm well cultivated and carrying- a small herd of high-class cows will pay handsomely and will be a pleasure to the owner, while a large area badly farmed and carrying scrub cattle is nothing but a continual worry and loss to all concerned. At the present ■ moment there are farmers in New Zealand farming as little as 50 acres and who are making more profit . than many who are farming 500. In advocating the value of a root crop I am not overlooking the value of ensilage, but my own opinion is that in New Zealand ensilage is more valuable as a summer feed than as a winter feed, particularly in periods of drought. Apart from the root crop or ensilage, it is quite possible to grow green feed all the year round. For winter and early spring use no feed of this class can, in my opinion, surpass tares and oats. If sown at intervals from March .until July there will be a succession of crops of the highest feeding-value from the dairyman’s standpoint, and no feed will produce a . higher quality of butter and cheese. The growing of a legume and a non-legume together not only produces better feed for the cows, but also keeps the land in better condition. This is a very important point. Tares are also a fine weed-smotherer. 'We have

winter tares at Ruakura sown on the 10th May which are over 8 ft. in height; and we have one plot of 3 acres sown on the 18th October which has made phenomenal growth and is now almost ready for cutting for green feed. I am quite aware that the New Zealand dairyman is looking for a crop suitable for turning his cows on to without the trouble of cutting and leading off, but on small areas intensively cultivated this system can find no place ; and the time is fast approaching when the soiling system will take the place of the present more wasteful one. Hay made from millet is highly spoken of, and, if cut just when coming into flower, makes a nice soft hay which is relished by all stock. It also grows a very great weight per acre. The great objection to all annual fodder crops is the labour year after year of ploughing, sowing, and reaping. On the other hand, lucerne, once well established, lasts for years; and when all other fodder crops are a failure through drought the lucerne paddock will be green and flourishing, and the farmer can “ cut and come again ” as often as he chooses. For winter use hay made from this plant has no equal; in fact, it is the greatest gift ever bestowed on the dairyman. It may not be possible to grow lucerne on all soils, but the experience at Ruakura points to it succeeding over a great area of New Zealand. I would advise the dairy-farmer to make every effort to establish this plant almost regardless .of cost, for in it he will find a stock-food that will satisfy nearly all his requirements.

. The dairy herd at Ruakura Farm of Instruction is. now receiving chou moellier as a supplementary fodder to the rather dried-up pastures. The work of the four main experimental farms of the Department was investigated by 712 farmers and others last month. The visitors to the different farms were as follows: Ruakura, 497; Weraroa, 95 ; Waerenga, 60 ; Moumahaki, 50. “At the cattle show in Guernsey,” writes F. G. McKay, “the dam of any bull exhibited on the island —has to be shown at the same time. The dam of a bull having been tested for milk and butter-fat production, a certificate of such test is taken into consideration in awarding prizes.”

The last London. Dairy Show brought out a very fine type of the nonpedigree milking Shorthorn— Maid'. She gave, under the show-yard conditions, 16| gallons of milk in two days. The percentage of butter-fat ranged from 2 - 93 to 451.