What “Sundowner” Hears

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 26 November 1927, Page 12

What “Sundowner” Hears

It has been found that the administration of calcium salts to cows which may have failed to breed on a ration deficient in calcium was followed by the birth of healthy, vigorous calves. Large areas of our pastures are deficient tn lime and phosphates and unless these are supplied to young stock there must be stunted growth, weak bone, aud defect / a constitution. « n • If it pays to feed pigs on hay in th a States, there syems no reason why the plan should not bo successful here, and a series of experiments would at least be interesting and might produce profitable results. North: I think the United States ought to take charge of things in China. West: Is there that much oil There! Poor cows usually take as much feed, and take as much labour «o look after as the good cows. 80, consequently, one of the basic principles for profitable dairy farming it high-producing cows, • * • We know that al] improved breeds of the domestic animals that are tne result of man’s handiwork, have a tendency to revert to the inferior types from which they were originated, unless their environment tad mating be such that will favour «us perpetuation of the improved type. Cattle breeders rightly attach great importance to the shape and appearance of the heads in cattle in judging of their value and their breeding, and in the case of dairy cows the conformation of ths head is certainly of as much practical importance as it is in other cattle. Although farming is a complex business, in which there are probably more avenues through which profits can leak than in any other trade, yet it is notorious that only a small percentage take the trouble to keep books in order to learn the branches which help and those which do not. Do not consider breeding a hit-or-miss proposition—it is an art. We are trying to accelerate the process lof Nature and by the application of scientific facts we hope to effect an improvement. * * • With the increase in the fertility ,of a soil brought about bv topdressing the better grasses tend to increase to the exclusion of the less valuable ones. This is important. Moreover, length of the grazing season is increased by tnp-aressing. • * • Extensive experiments have conclusively proved that with the help ot a proved sire, even the most ordinary herd may, duru-g tho vourss of a few short years, be improved out of sight, and those who have failed to do so in the past should make a start with the present season to rear calves to replace some of the duds in the herd * • • The dense growth of suitable soiling crops suppresses weeds, and tho fertility ot the soil is not only imI proved by the nitrogen stored up in i the ground by plants like vetches and ’ beans, but tile land is well prepared lor a following corn crop. In the early days of accurate analytical chemistry much was expected from soil analysis; some people still cling to the belief in the value of chemical analysis of the soil, and speak of it as it it could be the means of solving all their agricultural problems.

Many more pedigree men to-day I may do much worse than turn their ’ attention quietly 0 commercial • breeding and even feeding, as an I adjunct to pedigree CommerI cial pig breeding and feeding wiil undoubtedly remain good for some time to come. • • ♦ A ton of farmyard manure is more expensive to handle that two or three cwt. of artificial, and this, of course, reduces its relative value; but Ou the other hand, farmyard manure has » beneficial influence on the crops just because it is a heavy bulky substance; so that these two considerations may be held roughly to balance or cancel each other. • • a • A golden rule in her management is that every animal should be kept thriving, and this calls tor watchful care. Thus each animal should have sufficient food, but none should be wfisted. Calfhood should be regarded as the most critical period iu the life of all cattle stock. * • • The turnip to the mortem {armor is now looked upon as one of the most important crops to be included in the rotation. This is especially s■■> on the medium and lighter classes of land, as on such classes of land the carrying capacity of pasture during the winter is far below that of spring and summer. »’ • • Always gather up pieces of rag. paper, twine, etc., in the calf pad dock. Young calves exhibit a mii chievous delight in picking tin foreigl substances of this description and ultimately swallowing them. Such indigestible things, obvioucK. are almost certain to set up dieestive troubles, and lead to the develop, ment, possibly of a serious form of gastro-enteritis. * • « Though silage has a strong char, acteristic smell, good silage may be fed during milking. Some silage with a strong colour is preferably fed after milking. As milk is peculiarly susceptible to the absorption of colours, care must be taken in feeding it t ( > milking animals to avoid every chance of this strong odour being absorbed bv the fresh milk, and milkers, if they have been working w-ith silage, should take care mat their hands and clothes are thoroughly freed from the smell before they commence milking.

No system of dairy herd improvement that does not provide for testing mid culling can be expected to produce the best results. It has been abundantly demonstrated that even good judges of cows fail in estimating the respective butter values of the members of a dairy herd. A cow with plenty of wax in he. ea«i large milk veins a capacious stomach, and a rich yellow skin mav not be paying ' her wav ns n member of n dairy herd. The cn-eful weighing unfi testing of her milk yield, nnd the setting nut of the results in pounds of butterfat for one whole period of lactation, will give her value as a member of the herd in an accurate and business, like way.