BY THE WAYSIDE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 89, 1 May 1937, Page 19

BY THE WAYSIDE

News of Interest To H.B. Farmers HERD-TEST FIGURES Following stFe the Soutbern Hatvke's Bay Herd Testjng Association's yesults for April : — Gioup average: 2563 cows, 474-OJb. fat, 5,1 test, 25.71b. fat, Herds of up to 20 oows : Highest herd, 19 cows, 054,21b. inilk, 6.3 test. 354 lb. fat. Herds of 20 to 50 cows • 24 eows, 636.21b, nljlk, 6.7 test, 42.91b. fat. Herds of over 50 cows — Highest herd: 79 cows, 654.31b. milk, 5-2 test, 34.61b. fat. Hirhest individual yield in grpup: 12001b, milk, 6-0. test, 721b. fat. Queensland's Wool. Tb© valne of Queensland'g wool production in 1935-36 was more than £8,000,000 compared with £7,500,000 in the previons season, according to a bulletin issued by the State Statician (IVlr. J. B, Brigden). Preliminary figures show that the State' s clip for th© year ended June 30 last was 136,893,6361b. of greasy wool, compared with 166,452,800 lb. for the previous year, a decrease of 18 per cent. jE'aking account of dead .wool colieeted, wool fellmongered from skiiis, and wcol exported on skins, the total production was about 146,000,0001b., compared Vith 174,000,0001b. in 1934-35. The decrease was alniost entirely due to the sraaller nurnber of sbeep shorn —T8, 764, 397 in 1935-36, compared with 22,609,717 in 1934r35. The averagie fleece produced by eaeh sheep shorn was 7.31b. Rii8ti«98 Whent. After eeveral years of exactirig rosfiarch work, the . Canadian Government Hepaftment of Agriculture, is now makjng its first large-scale distribution of a, rust-resistant wheat variety to farmers in the rust-affected areas of the prairie provinces. Farmers to whom geed wheat of the new variety is heing sent are advised that: "It should be understood that the seed under consideration does not possess any special etanding ' other than that of belonging to a new variety capable df resisting rust." The farmers are asked to give. the eeed a fair trial, and to report to tbe Government next autumn as to' how it compares with other varieties grown near hy. Herefords Sell Well. At the annual hull show and sale of the Hereford Herd Book Society in England, 65 purehred bulls of thiS breed wero gold for £,306, averaging abput £66 5/-. y The highest price reached was 420 guineas, paid hy Mr. 1 R. L. P. Duncan, of Pitpointie, for Burton Magnet, a yearling entered by Mr. J, Parr, of Bfurton, Herefordshire, and intended for export. Mr. Percy Bradstock giave the next highest figure of 320 guineas for Town ObsOrver a yearling which gained second prize for Mr. W, E. Lock, of Castle Ffoome, near Ledbury. Two animals ehanged hands at 200 guineas apiece. One was Messrs. J. W. Jones and Sons' Atok Emmence, and the other was Percy Bradstock's Free Town Eclipse. Other prices included 150 guineas, 130 guineas and 160 guineas. Pedigree Stock. Aocording to an authority oh breeding all owners of pedigree stock are not pure stock breeders. The majority may be described more correctly as multipliers of live stock. XJnless the owner sets np a high standard artd eiiminates all stock failing to reach this standard, he falls short of being a breeder. To establish a herd hy purehasing pedigree cattle ahd then to register all the progjeny over a period of years without regard to individual merit is not in the best interegts of the live stock indtistry. and is siinply multiplying animals of doubtful value. Cow's Mineraf Needs. The following table gives some idea of the . enprmous atoount of mineral elements removed from the spil by grazing. The milk of 20 cows, yielding 1,000 gallons eaeh annually, contams the equivalent of approximately: — 1,120 lbs. nitrogen; 3801b. phosphoric acid equals 1,9001b. superphosphate; 3401b. potash equals 1,7001b. potash fertiliser; 2,0001b. lime. O'f a cow's entire weight, 4i per cent. consists of mineral matter. A newly bem calf weighing 80 lb. contains appi'oximately 3£lz. of vital minerals, all of which come from its dam. An ordinary cow pfoduces 800 gallons of cnilk per annum and this contins 561b. of mineral matter which is more than is found in the entire f raine of a 1,200 lb. bullock that has taken three or four years to grow, yet the -dairy cow produces this yearly in additxon to what goes to rnake her calf, as before mentioned. Eaeh 10 gajlons of normal milk contains |lb. of the most valuable ' form of. bone-build-ing mineral matter — which cnakes it so, valuable for children and young animals generally. Buring heavy milk production it is impossible for the cow to get Sufficient mineral matter from untreated pastures. Thus, if the animal is not fed a large amount of rich mineral concentrates, she is compelled to draw on her body reserves, calling first upon that in the bone, and then upon the minefals in the blood. In the first instance this leads to a spongy, weak bone, and if this continues leng the animal soon beeomes unthrifty and a prey to various forms of disease due to a 1 ower«d xeeistance capacity. Disease

is the extreme efifect of mineral • de- : fieieney ,and it is probable that there are degrees of deficieney which cause a serious decrease of production as far as dairying is eoncerned.