On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 20 November 1913, Page 59

On the Land

GENERAL. . There was no sale at Addington last week. When a farm animal is feverish stop feeding. As a rule a horse or a cow will not take food when in that condition, but sometimes folks urge them to do it. It only adds fuel to the fire. Wait; let nature work.

- A flock of sheep at Raukura Farm of Instruction is being grazed on a cow pasture (to equalise the growth of grass), half of which had been dressed with guano and the other half with basic slag. It is noticeable that the sheep are eating the latter portion much more closely than the former.

Dairy factory suppliers are concerned about the strike (says the Wyndham Herald). If the cheese cannot be got away, the monthly payment may be withheld. What this means to a district may be guaged by the fact that the Wyndham factory’s payments to suppliers on Saturday totalled £I3OO.

Brisk business is being done at the Ashburton butter factory, the amount treated for the month of October being 22001 b in excess of that for the corresponding month last year, and as great as that for December of 1912. The increase is due to the growing popularity of dairying (says the Ashburton Mail), the number of suppliers being considerably in advance of the number for 1912.

Don’t feed dirty grain to your horses. The dust, weed seeds, and other foreign matter in the grain is disagreeable to the animals and is injurious. Use a sieve to measure the grain, and give it a few shakes to allow the dirt and seeds to fall out before feeding. Some pour water over the grain in the sieve or dip the sieve of grain in a bucket or tub of water a few times. This is a good plan, as it removes all dust and smut.

A Taranaki farmer sold his farm for £BO an acre, and later on held a sale of his dairy herd. The dairy herd comprised just the ordinary good typical Taranaki dairy cows, of no special breed, with the exception of one Holstein, and no pedigree stock, but several had calved, which enhanced their value. The Holstein cow sold for £23 10s, one of the others brought £l9, three reached £l7 each, four £ls each, and five £l4 each. The average for the whole 45 was £l4.

The average cow of the ten best herds of one of the Department’s illustration cow-testing associations produced last year 2711 b of butter-fat, while the average cow of the association produced only 2011 b (says the Journal of Agriculture). The difference iff value, at Is a pound for butter-fat, equals £3 10s per head. The census for the year 1911 credits New Zealand with 633,733 cows. Could each of these be increased in productive capacity by the difference recorded above, the value of the increased yield would exceed the value ( of our annual export of either butter or cheese.

A dry summer was predicted this year for South Canterbury (writes the Timaru correspondent of the Tress), but up to the present the weather prophets have been hopelessly out of it The season so far has a ! wet one. There was a 4 sudden change again yesterday, from brilliant sunshine in the morning to a driving rain in the aftentoon. During the past fortnight the weather has been very erratic. The grass and crops are making rapid growth; feed is very plentiful, and stock is looking well. The recent rains will give the root crops a good start. Shearing is now in full swing, but the frequent rains are causing delays at the shearing sheds. Generally speaking, lambing percentages are high, one hundred per cent, being not at all uncommon, while in some, fairly large flocks up to 135 per cent. lias been recorded.

At Burnside last week there was a large yarding of fat cattle and fat lambs, and only a medium entry of fat sheep. Pigs were in fair supply, and sold at late rates. Fat cattle: There was a large yarding, 248 being penned, comprising for the most part good quality

bullocks, with a few pens of medium to good heifers. In consequence of the large yarding prices were from 10s to 15s per head easier than previous week’s quotations. Prime heavy bullocks, £l3 10s to £ls; extra, to £l9 2s‘6d; medium, £l2 to £l3; light, £9 to £lO 10s; medium, £8 10s to £9; light and unfinished, £6 10s to £B. Fat sheep: There was a medium yarding, 2190 being penned. In consequence of the small yarding the previous week, butchers’ stocks were low, and there was a buoyant sale for all classes. The sale opened with prices at about Is per head less than previous week’s quotations, and this drop continued throughout the auction, the decline in medium quality ewes and wethers being more than this in some instances towards the close of the sale. Best wethers brought from 29s to 335; extra, to 36s 6d; medium to good, 25s to 28s; others, 23s 6d to 24s 6d; extra ewes, to 35s 3d; medium, 245; light and unfinished, 21s; shorn wethers, 20s to 23s 3d ; extra, to 265. Fat lambs: 170 yarded. In consequence of the large yarding, prices were from Is to 2s easier than previous week’s quotations. Best lambs brought from 15s 6d to 17s 6d; extra, to 20s 3d; medium and unfinished, 14s.

LUCERNE IN MARLBOROUGH. * The repeated advocacy of the cultivation of lucerne in the these columns (says the Journal of Agriculture) may possibly be considered by some who have not seen this fodder crop to be wearisome and needlessthat it is a fad, and that the value of the crop is exaggerated. Now, let me say again that it is impossible to exceed in the most active advocacy the use of this plant to the uttermost to the farmers of New Zealand. The usual acceptance of lucerne is that there should be a small plot as an auxiliary—something to look at, something to be cared for very specially, something of which the utility has yet to be tested; something, in fact, set down to the theorist. A visit to Marlborough would at once dispel such ideas, and, if seeing is believing, it is recommended to all progressive farmers to visit Marlborough and inspect its lucerne-farms. These are not single fields; they are simply farms of lucerne. They are a revelation even to those who have observed lucerne in other parts of the Dominion. The Department realises to the greatest extent how desirable it is that the farmer, and especially the dairyfarmer, should avail himself of lucerne. As notified in prevous issues of the Journal, the Department is again offering to a limited number of farmers sufficient seed, lime, and inoculated soil to test one acre. Those who are progressive should avail themselves of this offer. And the advice is again repeated—' See the lucerne fields of Marlborough!'

MILCH COWS AT SHOWS. The establishment of tests spread over a full lactation period for ascertaining the milk and butter-fat yields of dairy cows bids fair to wipe out the ' in-milk classes from the principal shows. If so, a large amount of relief from actual cruelty will be afforded many of these faithful producers of wealth (says the Australasian). Everyone interested must notice the practice of leaving the cows unmilked so as to make a great show of udder for judging and sale purposes. A regulation at the ' Royals stipulates that all cows shall be milked dry at 5 p.m. on the first day, and judged first on the second day; but, as judging does not start until long after the regular milking time, an amendment is necessary. Cows should be milked morning and evening, and judged in the afternoon. Previous to sales, no safeguard for the animals is provided, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals might well have an inspector at hand. This practice often results in congestion or inflammation of the udder, when milking becomes difficult, the milk clotted, and sometimes streaked with blood. Congestion often takes place in heavy milkers just before calving or. just after. This will usually disappear after a day or two. The treatment is the same in both cases. Hot fomentations should be applied, the udder well, but gently, massaged with the hands two or three times a day, and camphorated ointment applied.