FARMING NOTES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 128, 26 February 1940, Page 3

FARMING NOTES

SOME USEFUL HINTS DRENCHING OF CALVES The desirability of drenching calves for curing worm infestation is not so widely recognised as it deserves. That lambs require drench-, ing is taken for granted. Yet, the need of calves is still as great, throughout the country a majorH ity of calves enter winter reduced in vitality, size and condition, owing to the ravages of worms. The weaning time is now approaching, and a dosing at this

juncture, and a dosing at this or not calves appear in need, as a precautionary measure. A sound general purpose dose is made of Bozs of bluestone dissolved in 3 gallons of water; giving

calves to 4 months of age 3ozs of the solution; those to 6 months, 4' ozs, and to 9 months, (>ozs. It is well to realise that whether reared for own use. or for sale? good average weancr calves arc worth, in true value. £3 10s at this stage. That is their real cost of rearing, counting in from bobby calf value, plus milk fed and care given. Hot Weather Care. | Ordinary need for shed and plant cleanliness is strongly reinforced at this season of high temperatures. The writer once had an experience with what was regarded as an exemplary shed. Suddenly the cream grading dropped, and the factory was blamed. An Agricultural Dcnartment officer was called in. and he speedily pointed out the fault. The milk-pipe was not really clean: but this caused no trouble until the really hot weather came, as it was not a bad case.

The cooler now p'avs a big part in holding grade. The cooler one can bring the water to this the hotter: a task, especially at the afternoon milking. A strong flow is an aid to effective cooling. Some day i really efficient, small and cheap refrigerator for cream cooling may be produced. That would be a boon Since the season opened the milking plant has done a great deal of work. How are the rubbers? Cracked ones hold much milk deposit, and this is massed with bacteria: that is no good for quality or herd hygiene. Warn out rubbers need replacement. Then, too, v.-hat of the vacuum pressure? Ts the gauge right? Betto p have it tested and make sure. When the vacuum is checked, ob- j serv its movement on the gauge and see that the plant otherwise is in first-class order; there is still four months milking to be done. Keep Crops Clean. Winter roots, swedes, turnips and mangels are now in full growth, especially after the splendid rains. The amount of weight the crop gains from now to using will he largely determined by how much it is robbed by weeds. It pays to give a crop a clean-up now. They can then generally look after themselves for the balance of the season. Inter-cultivation is also valuable in holding soil moisture. The value of such attention to crops is so great that it Is worth considerable trouble or expense to achieve.

ON FOREST FRONTAGES Information received by the Forest and Bird Protection Society indicates that extensive damage is being done to native forests by careless fern-burning on the woodland frontages. In many cases the fire is not checked until it lias imposed sentence of death on the scorched outer rank of trees. When these have 'perished the lern re-establishes itself and prepares a deeper strip for the next burn. A letter received from Oropi, in •.he Tauranga District, tells a sad storv of the trail of desolation lelt by fern-burns. ''The blackened, roadsides attract no tourists," the writer states, "in this district once alive with tourists, the timber lorry or firewood truck are almost the only kind of vehicle that Lump over our tracks. The burnt roadsides are good nurfor rp.g'.vorl ar -- 1 odici no "' us weeds."

WARNING TO FARMERS AGRICULTURAL STATISTIC FORMS RETURNS NOW DUE

It is the responsibility of the local police officers about this time of the year to distribute and collect the annual agricultural and pastoral statistics from all fanners in the police district. It is compulsory by law to fill in the forms supplied and any farmer failing to do this and return same to the police officer within the specified time is liable to a line of not less than £">O.

As there are still many forms yet to be sent in, and as the expin date is now well past the local officers will be compelled to lake action unless offenders are prepared to comply with the law in the immediate lut lire. LOW GRADING WRONG FEEDING THE CAUSE Low grading was a sore point with us 30 years ago and with the knowledge I had gained from previous research, I realised the trouble was man-made so I killed quite a number of cows and heifers to satisfy myself on the point. T always found enough evidence to con vince myself that it was wrong feeding, wrong manuring and lack of the essential elements to allow the cow to reproduce and produce without drawing on her own blood

and hones. 1 looked on my cow as nothing more nor less than a factory to manufacture on the raw material 1 supplied her with. On good mixed pastures she would produce a super product: on ergotiscd rye-grass and clover pasture she produces a low grade product. What more can we expect from her? When I read the printed articles on this problem it convinces me we „ flllirc new school of thought, and a more practical outdoor education given to our science. My tutor in unorthodox veterinary'science stressed the importance of feeding to a healthy stomach, so I kept all rye-grass from going to the seed stage by mowing. I gave every cow and heifer loz calcium and loz rock lime in a bottle of water. I erected two or three feeders for hay by running a coil of wire netting along the fence here and there, and any time I was not receiving super, 1 put out good sweet hay sprinkled with molasses and water, and my grade came

super again. Keep carbonate of lime or pupated lime in the drinking water. I would like any farmer to try my successful methods if his grading is unsatisfactoij • fern-fire havoc A WAIRARAPA EXAMPLE A Wairarapa resident has furnished yet another example of the eompetcnce of New Zealand women on the land (writes H-A.a. in The Dominion). This is of a girl who can shear both with blades and machines, and did so at home for some years. She had learnt as a hobby, but took to it seriously one year when the bidibidi came early, before the shear ing gang was due. She shore 500 sheep that season. For the two following seasons she and her brother shore, with tallies as follows (the girl mentioned first): 500 to ()22 and (>U> to her tally for two seasons was 121;? sheepShe also took a full part in mustering and dagging and drafting (taking the gate). Additional to the shearing the brother and sistei milked 22 cows by hand each day in an open paddock. the days work was cer!ainlv long. And this was not so many years ago. On evidence such as the above there is no doubt that New Zealand women could, Avere the need lo iris.v form a women's land army as •JTec'ive as that in Great Britain 1 0-day.