CO-OPERATIVE DAIRYING.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 172, 1 August 1901, Page 3

CO-OPERATIVE DAIRYING.

AND ITS ATTENDANT ADVANTAGES

[By W. Douglas Lysnar.] PART. IV.

GENERAL REMARKS ON THE DAIRY HERDS. In comparing the dairy herds of this district with the Taranaki district, I do not think their herds are of any special quality. If anything this district has a better all round class of cattle than Taranaki, for it is very noticeable to see the weedylooking cows in some of the herds there, and the reason of this is readily understood when you see the mongrel bulls they have been using in the past. The general small farmer there not valuing his calves for his own use, goes into the sale-yard and will buy any kind of bull for a few pounds, or perhaps keep an indifferent bull calf of his own breeding. His sole object is to see his cows are in calf. He does not study what kind of calf it is. He only looks to the milk, and conse-

quently the herds are very mixed and can best be described as mongrels. There are of course exceptions in this respect, particularly so with the larger farmers who will milk say 100 to 200 cows. These men you will find pay more attention to heir bulls, and it was only from these larger men that I could get much information regarding the best class to breed

for milking and even then you could hardly get two men’s opinions to agree exactly. I put the question regarding the breed to a gentleman who is regarded as tho king of the dairy factories over there, and is reported to be one of three or (four men who have the largest individual interest in tlie industry over there, and his reply was this: The mongrel breed is best. I would advise keeping to shorthorns. Big cattle are bad. By keeping well into

shorthorns, if a cow becomes unprofitable to milk for any reason, you can soil her to better advantage for beef, besides they as a rule are very good average milkers. Any cow that does not give move than 3.2 in her milk is not worth keeping unless she is nil exceptionally good milker. Th is minimum of 3.2 for milk is very low, and I understand is much below the minimum here which tends to show that our cows here are of a higher standard. Another farmer who had a good milking herd told me he kept two classes of bulls, one shorthorn and another jersey, and worked the jersey cross with the shorthorn. The jersey, he said, gave good cream. Tliis man said he had tried the Holstein breed (which was commended and used a good deal over there), but be did not believe in it, because it did not givo cream but plenty of milk. This man had a very nice, compact private factory of his own.

[ obtained a plan of his factory in case I ,ranted to use it, and should anybody like letails of it I will be pleased to let them lave it, and in this respect I would strongly urge anybody milking, say 70 •ows or over, especially if they are isolated rom a factory, to go in for such a factory is this, ft would pay them well. There is i very large number of private factories scattered all over tlie Taranaki district. A

great many of these are run by water power. I visited two such private factories. One mail was only milking 40 cows, yet he said it paid him well, and although

lore was a creamery near him, he said, s ho had the water power, it paid him

ist to work his own. In writing what I have about the caress wav tliev breed in the Taranaki dis-

trict, T do not wish it thought that I commend that style of breeding to the farmers here; but on tlie contrary, I would strongly urge them to put good money into their bulls : get tlie very best of whatever sort the farmer fancies. The farmers over the other side are seeing the folly of their ways, and it would be well for tire farmers here to guard themselves against such a condition of tilings. When a man does not intend to keep iiis calves it is a iittlc tempting to follow in the footsteps of the majority of the Taranaki people, but if you have a good calf, and consequently you can get more for it in tlie open market as a weaner, and when in time the farmer wants to buy back some of his own heifers when they come into profit, he will have no difficulty in getting a good class of cow ; and after all it is to tlie interest of every farmer to keep the general breed of cattle up as much as possibic, especially so in a young district like this, as the dairy farmers themselves will want every heifer that can be got in profit for a number of years to come before tho industry can bo fully established here. I found that in the bestregulated herds the bulls were not let run with tlie cows, but a bulling pen was kept, and after service the cow was left in the pen from 8 to 10 hours until she wont off. Personally, I should favor the Shorthorn, with a first cross of the Jersey, ns the best milking strain. I ail} told tbqt tho Shorthorn, with a first cross of the Ayrshire, is coining more into favor in Taranaki. The latter is considered hotter for beef purposes than tho Jersey, while its milk is good. I think the Alderney cross is very objectionable, which is very prevalent here, and the farmers, I am sure, would be better to keep away from tliis breed, and keep either to the pure Shorthorn, which after all is the best all-round class of cattle, and if a cross is desired, go for one cross of the Jersey or Ayrshire, which every farmer may favor.

REGARDING PIGS.

The pig. as I have already stated, is a most essential gentleman to have in connection with a dairy farm, and if worked properly should givo an additional profit of per cent, to all other profits ; but to get tho full benefit of him a bacon factory must bo established in this district.

The best way the Taranaki people had of managing this important part of the business was, so far as I could learn, the following :—They have what thoy call a breeding pen made on two sledges. This would be lift, x 14ft., divided into three equal-sized pens ; 6ft. of the lift, was roofed over, tho roof being raised to a convenient height, and (he sides and back tightly boarded, so that no wind can get in. Each pen has a door at the back, so as to clean the bed, This being on sledges, can be moved ahont with a horse as required, and taken from place to place, which is handier for working, and does not make a nuisance in any one place. In each of these apartments a sow is placed just before pigging. The sow with her litter arc kept absolutely, confined, and fed with milk only until they are four to six weeks old. Then, when the litter are four to six weeks old, tho sow is taken from them and put into the breeding paddock with the boar. This padded-; is -as a rule a seouvely fenced padddek a good bit back in the farm, where they have to merely live on the grass. No extra food is given the sows in this paddock. The young pigs are put into a grass paddock, and led o.n and milk only until they are fit to top off at six to eight months old.

To top off, the pigs are confined and fed fqr about from three to six weeks with grain, barley, sharps, crushed peas, potatoes boiled with a little corn ; pumpkins are recommended (but not pumpkins that are going bad), and milk. Thpy do not recommend using main (unless boiled and in small'‘ quantities), mangolds, beans, turnips, nor' potatoos (unless boiled). 1 am informed locally that sugar-beet is good feed for pigs. The pigs are then sold to the bacon factory, at 3Jd per lb

dead weight, including head. The manager of the Stratford Bason Factory informed me that they take pigs up to lepiff,' and pay |d less for pigs over IGOlb arid up to '2oolb. Over 2-OOlb. they will not contract for, but only kill by arrangement. The younger the pigs are the better, but they should not be over ten months. He did not recommend the Yorkshire breed, but the Berkshire boar with a half-bred l)eri;shire,Essex sow ; but have a good boar. He said, “Go for black pigs; the climate is too hot for white.” He had tried the Tamworth breed, and found it- a failure. Another farmer recommended a cross between a Berkshire boar and a Prince Albert sow. He claimed that it matures early, and can be got off at six to seven months.

Another recommended Berkshire crossed with a Yorkshire as good. Regarding the Tamworth breed, it was acknowledged by T nearly qll to make the best bacon, being so long and slabby, but it was too slow in maturing and took too much feed to fatten, so consequently did not pay to keep. Quick and early maturing pigs are what they aim for over there, and .the same should be aimed for here.

It was stated that if the weather was too hot to cure, and there was no properly equipped bacon factory, with freezing plant, tho pigs could be frozen at the freezing works, and kept until the weather was sufficiently cool to cure them into bacon, arid no injury would arise by the freezing.