FARM AND DAIRY

Hokitika Guardian, 23 October 1931, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY

NOTES OF THE WEEK. IMPORTANCE OF SHELTER. MORE PRODUCTION RECORDS There is a rapidly increasing appreciation 6f shelter. Many begrudge the setting aside of a ten foot, strip for a shelter belt, but those who do not mind utilising the land for this important purpose arid who treat their young trees well get Serviceable shelter in haif the time of those who merely plant the trees and trust to luck. One farmer the writer came across recently, not a New Zealander either, kept the ground on either side of the young trees well cultivated, using the land for growing turnips. His trees are twice the height of those of a neighbour planted at the same time but never attended to after planting. The best growth of any belt seen in . a neighbouring locality is where , the young trees were treated with nitrogen and the second best test was where the owner had made a trench and put a good dressing of cow manure at the bottom, filling in with soil in which he planted the young trees. WONDERFUL HERD AVERAGE. One of the best—if not actually the best —performances registered by dairy herds under group test throughout New Zealand during the past season is that put up by a herd of 71 pedigree Jerseys at Maungatapere, Wlmngarei. which produced on an average of 3851 b fat in well under 300 days. The previous season this splendid herd yielded the wonderful average of 4241 b fat in 275 days and although its figure this year, due to the unfortunate season, are somewha less, they are easily the best recorded for the last twelve months in the far north and are comparable with any feat yet recorded in connection with herd improvement work in New Zealand. In fact, considering the size of the herd, the number of days and the fact that twentynine heifers wore included, it is doubtful if any more notable performance lias ever been registered in the country This splendid herd, which is the property of Mr G. S. B. Morrison, is situated in the beautiful volcanic district of Maungatapere, where delightful clumps of native bush and neat stone walls —the material for which was hewed from the land to make the present luxuriant pastures possible—provides a pleasing setting. The farm, which of course, carried a great deal of stock, in addition to the milking herd consists of 150 acres, sub-divided into paddocks o 4 about ten acres each. The volcanic nature of the soil is most responsive to top-dressing and and of recent years it has been Mr Morrison’s custom to apply about 3cwt of superphosphate to the acre in addition to fairly liberal glinting. Befo e top-dressing -was seriously attempted the clover bad practically run put but now it is very conspicuous in an exec.lent pasture that has urquest onab'y been a vary important factor .n the great performance achieved. But the greatest influence of-all has been the use of well bred pedigree bulls of high butterfat backing. Many years ago, Mr Morrison had a very ordinary herd but by cu ling and grading up with good bulls he has steadily raised the average to its present'high standard. He has always bought the best butterfa bulls he could afford to buy. His first experience of pedigree Jersey bulls was a happy one, for the animr 1 of his selection, a son of Sweet William, immediately convinced him of the ability of a good sire to raise the tost of the heifers over that ol their dams. The next bull used, a son of Emminent’s Fontein fro ma daughter of Campanile’s Sultan, marked another very important step in the bur cl. ing up of the herd. A son of K.C.E. and then a son of Viola’s Golden Laddie—the latter the siro of most of the heifers now in the herd—were next introduced and both played a very important part in the still further development of the productive capacity ol the herd. Thus it will be seen that Mr Morrison has been fortunate in securing a chain of bulls from whose use, by all the laws of breeding, increased production could not he p but follow .

PROPER PIG MANAGEMENT. It would pay dairy companies to foster the pig industry, much more than they do. Properly managed pigs could make all the difference to many a farmer at the present' time. True, the way pigs are generally kept, failure to breed and depending on stores to use the skim milk and whey, do not leave much profit especially at ruling market rates. 'But why not arouse some interest in proper pig management and drive home to farmers the good money in the.fbusiness when it is properly conducted. -.Cleanliness is the chief consideration—e’ean draught-proof sties,) apd clean grass runs. There is hardly a piggery m the country where any attempt i made to keep the pigs out of theii drinking troughs, with?the result that in hot weather one pig may be laying in the food, and where this is not the case a number of the pigs will have their feet in the trough. \\ ntoi is never laid on to the piggery, and when the skim milk or whey supply falls off the pigs have not sufficient dtink. Tiie provision of water for pigs is ceitainlv a serious problem now that moveable pens are becoming'.popnlai. Trdeed, the day of the fixed pig pen is radiplv disappearing, and it is veil that it should he so. Where pigs are

given the run* nf a poor im generally the worst field they are put on— -the owuers have found to their surprise that in six or nine months time it has become the best rve-grass field on tfie:farm. This was the experience at Massey College where ■ the pigs were put on to two ve y poor pictures, on which hardly a plant of ryegrass was to bo found, and in six mctntJis time the fields were thick rye-grass pastures. This suggests that by pasturing pigs in small enclo,ures on different parts of the farm ryegrass fields can be automatically estab.islied without any expenditure on fertilisers. A PHENOMENAL HEIFER. To have produced 677.421 b butterfat in only 305 days as a junior two-year-old heifer is the feat of the pheno nienal American Jersey heifer, Observer’s Quebn, the latest addition to the ranks of world record lieifeis. Apart from the. outstanding merit of her remarkable performance, .Observer's Queen is of special interest to New Zealand breeders as much of the blood she carries is strongly represented by recent importations in this Dominion. Her sire is Primate of Oaklands, who is by Xenia’s Sultan from a daughter of Fern’s Oxford Noble. The dam of the world record breaker was Observer’s Rebel B<ride, who was sent at under five years of age to the butcher on account of an accident that ended her usefulness as a producer. She was sired by Observer, a son of that famous bull, Jersey Volunteer, while her dam.was a. daughter of Oxford Beau. ANOTHER GREAT RECORD. A Hawkusbury College Jersey lias estab ished a new Australian production record lor cows of all breeds under five years of age. She is May Queen of Richmond (four years and five months) and. with twice-a-dav milking and no special feeding, un !e official test 20,776.(16 butterfat in 307 days. This great return comprises very 'favourable with the wor.d S refold held by the American Jersey, Dijrling’s Jolly Lassie, who produced 1141.281 b butterfat. M Y STE PlO U S DISEASE. Several farmers in our district recently, complained that they had ost many of their cows; by a mysterious disease. Investigations disclosed the tact that the cow real.y died of bad manage-ment-—under-feeding with over-ripe hay made from poor quality pastures that had not been top-die-sed. It has been said that indigestion is the cause of half the ills that trouble catt e and when the indigestible food is barely sufficient to keep the art a alive disease and death are only to be expected. GREAT BREEDING COW. To have herself produced' 9681 b of butterfat, at that time a wor d’s re cord, and to have followed .up this remarkable feat by giving to the dairying world three wonderful producing daughters is the unique accomp.ishment of the Jersey cow, Sultan’s' Daisy now acclaimed as the greatest breeding cow New Zealand has ever proc.need. The average production ior one year of Sultan’s Daisy and her three i.lustrious daughters, based on the maturity equivalent basis is 9171 b fat. a world’s record not only for Jerseys but for all breeds. Su’tan Daisy, bred in Taranaki by Mr G. O’Sullivan, is a model of what all progressive breeders desire—a cow that is not only herself a great producer but able to pass on to succeeding generations her own abi ity to produce. FILLING SILOS. In the majority of silos a high per (•outage ol loss takes place owing to bad management in filling them. If a high crown is not maintained though all the surface, requiries treading, the silage in settling will sink in the centre. Thus it will come away from the sides, letting in the air, mould and heavy loss resulting. If the si’age is kept up well in the centre, when it settles, the material is forced into the sides and air is thus excluded. Maintaining a heaped up centre is a simple enough matter, but it is strange how often it is neglected.