BY THE WAYSIDE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 211, 22 September 1937, Page 13

BY THE WAYSIDE

News of Interest To H.B. FARMERS | SEAWEED MANURES | Not evexy farm is in suffieiently close proximity to the coast to avail itself of the large quantities of natural manure flung up by th© sea, so to speak, on the farm doorstep. Landowners who have the good fortune to have such supplies at their disposal will do well to put them to full possible use, for seaweed is a valuable soil, enricher, well worth the time and lahour spent in earting ,even by those whose holding are distant from the seaboarcl, but who still have reasonably qonvenient aceess. For seaweed is rich in potash, with soda compounds also among its chief constituents, and confains in most varieties silica, phosphoric aoid, lime, soda, magnesium, sulphurie acid and lihlqride of sodium. LHnerals for Figs. Since horses aud cattle eat large quantities of hay, whieh is relatively rich in calcium (lime) their rations pr, dinarily ^ eontain plenty of mineral nutrieut. Figs, howqvcr, are not fitted to conspmo mucli roughage, and are fed chiefly on the cereal grains, which are iow ih calcium. There is, therefore, much more danger that their rations may not eontain sufficient calcium for thrifty growth of the skeleton and body tissues. Figs on such pasture as lueerne, clover, rape, and those fed skim milk or meat meaj as suppliments to maize or other grains, will ordinarily receive sufficient calcium, When fed in a yard or sty* on cereal' grains and their by-products they should be given additional calcium in the form of ground limestone, bone ash or gfhand rock phosphate, An • abundant supply of calcium is espeeially necessary for young pigs and brood sows. Ten Years' Milking. A registereU Jersey cow in Missouri, U.S.A., Majesty Premier's Frincoss, luis milked for 10 years on her pnly calving. Ske was purchased by her preseut owner in August 1926, as a bred heii'or, says the Jersey" Bulletin. In February, 1927, she gavo birth to a fino bull calf, wliich is her only ynqi last calf. fcfiie is still milking and paying-'her board auf keep. Bhe began by giving 401b. of 4.5 per cent. niilk daily up to April, 1927, when the great ilood oecurred, and it was impossible to get any of the cows in the herd milked for abgut a week. Hqr calf was lost on tfie leveo during the higli water. After conditions again became normal, Princess gavo up to 251b. milk a day. For the last seven years sho has yieldod about 171b. millc daily in the spring and summer and 121b, daily in the winter. Her milk tests daily in tho spring and sumDuring the first two years after she freshened she was mated several times without any results, and now her owner does not bother about breeding her any more, The geueral belief that "a ring on the koru of each calf is born out by Princess also. The one ring on her born kept getting wider as time wpnl on, and linally her horns became so long and weak at the base that shp broke them off standing in her stanehion. Oombating T.B. As the first step in clealing with the prohlem of xuberculosis in dairy cattle the various Australian State Governments are to be asked to make a preliminary survey as to the incidence of infection in the whole milk supplying areas and the probable cost of'its control. A decision to this effeet was made at the recent meeting of the Australian Agricultural Council in Brisbane, iand the recommendations of the State authorities will t>e made to the next meeting of the council. Friesians at Home. The British Government's Annual Itegister of Dairy Gattle has been pub lished, Friesians again provided almost half of. the cowq recorded as yielding not less than 4000 gallons of milk in Sti consecutive months. Actually there were 30 of them. The Friesian breed's characteristie predominance in milk production was even greater than might be thought, for 15 of the 30 gave over' 500Q gallons ip. three years. The leading cow in the complete voluine was also a Friesian— Eversley Charmistice 3rd — with 63,98ib. of milk. Her lifetime production now tocals 70 J toiis of milk. Hecjge|#gs and Disease, Hedgehogs are carriers oi i'opt and mouth disease. Definite'proof that the duHuso occuis in hedgehogs and can pe trai.,* n it-teci tq pattje is contaiued in tlie latest report of tl)e reseavch comniittee whieh ha-s been investigiating the tlisease for past thirteen years in Britain. Scientists discovered foot and mouth virus in a hedgehog which showed no visihle signs of disease, although it was found on an infected Somerset farm. Two healthy calves were inoculated with the hedgehog virus. Healthy hedgehogs placed in contaet with the infected calves died ivitliin fonr or five days. Transmission from hedgehogs to cattle was proved when a healthy cow contracted tlie disease after being placed in a stalJ with four infected. hedgehogs. The virus recovered from the first hedgehog was oi' tlie same type as that obtained from alfeoted cattle on tlie farm where it ivas found. The investigjatoi-s state that it seems probable that this bodgohog- acquired tlie disease l'roni Ihe cottle.