The Cow Country Chronicle And Butterfat Beacontte

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 277, 28 February 1941, Page 3

The Cow Country Chronicle And Butterfat Beacontte

ITS DOWN —BUT NOT OUT ! GOOD NEWS FOR HUNGRY COWS "Coming Through the Rye,," is an old Scottish song, but "Coming Through the Rye Grass" is all that contented cows could wish for. Does a cow like ryegrass? You're telling me. Just watch those dairy maids when the gate is open and there is a paddock of ryegrass in front of them. The order of the day is (to misquote the Duke of Wellington) : "The Avhole herd will advance." Then you see these lucky cows "coming through the rye." Funny thing how the cows like "having a rye (not wry) time of it!" So there has been great jubilation among the dairy herds of the Bay of Plenty (Oh yes, the cows know all that appears in the BEACON— its cow-telepathy) since, Stephenson's advertised the good news that "the price of certified permanent pasture ryegrass has been reduced by 3d per lb." Farmers of Scottish descent will please note that 3d is equal to sax bawbees, and also that every ti/ie the firm sells albs of seed it can say "Bang goes saxpence." "Permanent pasture ryegrass" means that the grass keeps on growing until tlia cocky and his mortgage are no longer on the farm. No sir, it docs not mean that the leafy growth is "permanent." Those cows make sure it lias a short lile and a merry one. The 1 roots are permanent, but the leaf is temporary, and the cows lie down and chew their cuds contentedly. Meanwhile the cocky looks over the fence and jingles in his pocket the 3d bits lie has "saved on buying that grass soed — that is if some one else has not raided his pants pockets while he slept. So give the cows a treat. Shoiii them a new paddock of ryegrass for next season. Then sing "Coming Through the Rye" with accompaniment of loud marching (unheard of!) from the herd.

MILKING TO Ml} SIC RADIO SOOTHE THE BOVINEi BREAST ? There's a famous saying: "Music lias power to soothe the savage breast, to split up rocks—" and I forget the rest. Anyway that does not matter. What does matter is whether music in the milking shed really does make the oows fill the milk pail higher than usual. Some people' say it does. Now in these days of "more production, and si ill more production" it's worth while trying every little dodge to squeeze a bit more butterfat from Daisy, Strawberry, Spottie and the other gay girls in the"bails. So Ave won't be surprised if there is a craze for radio in the cowsheds. Why nc|? Radio is now in every home, in lots of shops and factories —in fact you can't get away from it. They sav that in some factories— not dairy factories—the 40-hour week worker works all the faster when there's music in the air. Hence the boss keeps the radio going while the men and girls roll out the goods. But in the cowshed ! Do eows appreciate music ? That is to say radio music ? And cvon if they do, tlicy might have their preferences for YA stations, ZB stations, short Avave sta~, tions —or none at all.

Edited by Esop Junr.

[ FIFTEEN HUNDRED HEAD NOT ALL FUN AT THE FAIR) Talk about "all the fun of the fair!" Rut that does not apply to the Whakatane autumn cattle fair—oh yes, you have read all about it on the front page of the REACON. Fifteen hundred head of cattle from the back country stations where men are men .and cattle are beef cattle (described in the sale advertisement as "H. and P.A.") None of your pampered flat country dair3 r breeds at the cattle fair ! No sir, these are red-blooded,, he-men cattle from the Wild West, the Wild Coast, or at least somewhere back, of beyond. Reef tastes better Avith mustard, according to Mr Coleman of mustard fame. Rut one can't have good beef without these H. and P.A. cattic from out-back, Avliere beef is boef. Fifteen hundred head of beef on the hoof—and penned at the' back door of Whakatane —or is it the front door. How many barking dogs does it take to pen up 1500 head of beef cattle? How many perspiring men and sweating horses ? You can go along in the morning of the sale and see for yourselves.

They sell dairy ca.ttle by ones or twos or threes. But 1500 head of H. and P.A'.'s are sold in lines, to suit purchasers, and by the time the afternoon is over the auctioneer and his- offsiders will be mighty hoarse and dry. Fortunately there is a river handj r to the saleyards. Entries are solicited-,, but don't take along your house oow. These H. and P.A. cattle from out-back would look down their noses at a beast whose role in life was that of producing milk.

At dairy clearing sales there is something of the fun of the fair because of the announcement "Luncheon Provided," and the sale* of "Sundries." But a cattle fair is a serious business. It's no joke to be a 3% to 4 3'ear steer with good prospects of being prime beef before Christmas. Fiftecti hundred head is truly "a fair number.™

HEADS AND TAILS HOT WEATHER AND FLY SWATTING Hot weather, flies and swishing tails are the order of the day in the Cow Country. A herd of cows these days is just a moving picture of tails, that make things lively for the flies while the herds are making short work of the long grass. For men must work, and cows must eat, there's cans to be filled and many to keep, though the flies are a blooming nuisance. Poor old horses' They don't appreciate the attention the flies give them. Where there are a couple of horses together they can form a partnership—heads and tails—and swish away merrily, one tail guarding the neighbourhood of each head. Where do the flies go in winter? That does not interest the cows and liorses. What they want to know is, why don't the flies darned well stay there. i

Fancy if Dad had to yell out from his milking stool: "Switch off the radio Tom, hare's old Daisy coining into the bail, and you know she's so highbrow!" Yes itcs not as easy as it looks. But anyAvay the BEACON fairly bristles with adverts of radio—each one worth mortgaging the bonus to buv.