“FARM AND DAIRY

Hokitika Guardian, 31 October 1931, Page 6

“FARM AND DAIRY

NOTES OF THE WEEK. WORLD’S RECORD BROKEN. CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING. There lias just met in Auckland, the leading figures in the co-operative marketing movement of Australia and New Zealand, the directors of Empire Dairies. The leading Australian was Mr C. E. D. Meares, of Sydney, chairman of the Australian Dairy Council and General Manager of the Producers’ Co-operative Distributing Society of New South Wales, said to be the largest marketing organisation in the Commonwealth. He has been described as the Father of Co-operation in New South Wales, and it is principally through his efforts that New South Wales is leading other States in cooperative production and marketing. Thje Victorian director, Air W. A. Wilson, is chairman of directors of the big Gippsland and Northern co-opera-tive Company. The Queensland director, Mr P. Daley, is the leading figure in co-operative dairying circles in his State.. The New Zealand directors of Empire Dairies are Messrs W. M. Goodfellow, Dynes Fuiton (chairman) and C. J. Parlano.

RUAKffRA EXPERIMENTAL FARM

Mr J. F. Shepherd, Director Instructor in Agriculture, and formerly manager of the Te Kauwhata and Weraroa Experimental Farms, has been appointed temporary manager of the Ruakura Experimental Fairm, Hamilton, ifi place of the late Mr Hugh Munro whose death has Yecently occurred. WINTER DAIRYING. Farmers in the Auckland Province a/re gradually working into winter dairying, seeing that each year a higher percentage of cows are coming in, in July. Proof of this is contained in the fact that over 25,000 calves were killed for export at the Horotiu freezing works by th e end of July. There is an increasing tendency to bring in heifers in March or April.

SIZE OF DAIRY COWS. The question of size in relation to production in our farm animals is one deserving of fuller scientific investi gation. There are not only marked, differences between animals of different breeds in this respect, but also within a breed or cross. In the cas e of the dairy herd there are mixed opinions, some farmers of.' the writer’s acquaintance having a decided preference for a large, or, as it is sometimes described, a wealthy-looking cow. A great many more, however, favour the smaller or less weighty type for apart from the question of economical production, the belief is well founded that lighter cattle do less injury to heavy land by hoof pressure. Pugging of the pasture especially in wet weather is naturally more common with heavy cattle than with lighter ones.

1 The question has been dismissed from many angles, and in this connection 1 it is interesting to recall the experiment conducted at St. Louis ' (U.S.A.) to determine the: comparative profits over cost of food returned by animals of a heavy breed and by those of a light breed. For the purpose of the experiment, the production of the cows was expressed in pounds of cheese and it was found that the heavier breed consumed 17 per cent, more feed for the same amount of cheese than did the lighter breed, a much higher testing one. While it was also discovered that the heavier cattle produced 12.7 per cent, more cheese than the lighter t3’pe, this increase was more than compensated for by the fact that it consumed 31.7 per cent, more food than its smaller rival. Thus the higher testing, lighter breed had a 14.5 per cent, better utilisation of food than the lower testing, heavier breed. The experiment further indicated that the carrying capacity of a given area of equal quality all equally managed land was in the ratio of 6.5 animals of the lighter breed to 5 animals of th e heavier breed. Expressed in. another way, the same area with lighter cattle would produce 73251 b cheese as against 63501 b. cheese produced with the use of th e heavier, but lower testing breed.

MAMMITIS. New Zealand veterinary authorities are in agreement with the leading veterinary research workers at Home that the surest means of controlling manunitis is the biological method, that is examining th e milk of each cow- for the presence of bacteria and milking any cows whose milk is found to contain bacteria after the cows giving germ-free milk. The Live Stock Division of the Department of Agriculture is inviting farmers to send to the veterinary laboratories a sample of each cow’s milk for examination. Then they will know which cows to watch and which cows to milk last, preferably by hand. It is much easier to successfully - v treat mammitis when it is taken in the very early stages than when it has fully developed.

HEIFER’S SENSATIONAL YIELD. Recent American files give particu. lai's of the world’s record for a three-year-old heifer, recently established by the young Oregon Jersey, Rinda’s Rosaire Tessie, who returned the sensational yield for her age of 1042.81 lb. fat. Only a few months previously, another American throe-year-old Jersey had shattered the then existing world's record with 1030.791 b. fat anu for this remarkable yield to have been

eclipsed the same year is an event probably unprecedented in the realms of testing. It certainly demonstrates very convincingly the extent to which the production of dairy cattle can be raised.

The new world’s record three-year-old is particularly striking in appearance. Not that she is a “show” cow, but her tremendous feeding capacity and her very apparent dairy temperament attract and hold th e attention of all that view her. Never once did she falter throughout her test period, although she was handled and milked by different herdsmen at various times, a condition necessary because of her owner’s extensive farming operations. The sire of the new champion was Rinda’s Pogis, a full brother to Lad’s Lady Ann, who has a record of 947 lb. of fat and who is the dam of St. Mawes Lad’s Lady, world’s champion senior yearling with 829 lb. of fat. Another; full sister to Rinda’s Pogis is Lad’s Little Pauline, Modal of Merit cow and American national champion in 1921 with 941 lb of iat.

INDUSTRIES FOR UNEMPLOYED

A suggetion has boom made that members of the unemployed should he encouraged to take up the smaller industries of the soil—fruitgrowing, pig-keeping and poultry-keeping. Such a scheme would be bound to tail, c\ eopt in the case of men having special aptitude for work of this nature. Fruitgrowing demands special knowledge, and it is only very exceptional men who can make pig-keeping and poultry-keeping pay except ils s ' c l (> - 1 ines to dairying, and even then special aptitude is necessary if money is to he made from them. Money can be lost more rapidly at undertakings like these by people of inexperience than at probably..any., other undertaking. S FMI-0 FFI CIAI j TKST I NCI. The most noteworthy pclrform[anco of the l month as disclosed in the latest Merit List for IVdigress Jerseys under test throughout New Zealand is that of the Otago junior two-year-old heifer, Frisky’s Favourite, who produced 58.8611) fat, thus increasing her total for the 310 clays she has been under test to 615.92 lb. fat. Ibis should give her a total for the full 365 days of over 700 II). fat. which for a junior two-year-old will he a record for the South Island. Frisky s Favourite, although bred in the Waikato, is owned and tested by Mr P. J. Hellyer, North East Valley, Dunedin, and her great yield completely explodes tin 1 theory sometimes advanced that tile Jersey brood not adapted to the colder parts of the Dominion. Actually she was under two years of age when she started test, and everything considered, her performance when finalised should rank as one ol the most noteworthy yet registered in the Dominion.

By heading the senior two-year-old class with 62.82 lb. fat. Summer Lea also I ''the"’property of 'M'f HJellyer, brings' the other hall of a dual distinction to Otago, 'lliis heifer, who has just started test, is a granddaughter of two well-known sires in Usurper (imp.) and Hawkesbury Nobleman. and incidentally, another grand-daughter of the last mentioned bull beaded all classes the previous month. He himself was destroyed by reason of old age only last week. Haw_ kesburv Nobleman was a son of that famous cow, Sonmise Duchess, and carried a close up concentration oi the blood of the famous AI a.j sty family, of which he had been described as the greatest living representative. At the time of his death, Hawkesbury Nobleman was in service in Mr C. Barker’s' stud at Hairini, Te Awairuitu, where he left a number of very promising young cattle. The highest actual monthly return is that credited to the Waikato four-year-old, Mr J. R. Colson’s (Waihou) Muskapeer’s Queenie, which produced 71.13 11). fat. She is by Blonde’s Golden Sultan (imp. in utero), a buH carrying some of the world’s greatest blood.

RE A L CO-OP E.R AT I ON. A member of the Southland Herd Testing Association is evidently embued with the true spirit of co-oper-ation. He has one of the leading herds of the Association. He has offered to give two pedigree bulls to the owners of the lowest-testing herds, the indentity of which owners being (of course; unknown to him. Another member lias offered some marked calves to owners of the lowest-testing herds.

WONDEREUL Oil) COWS. First prize for longevity is awarded to an old Jersey cow, “Old Katie”, who at 25 years of age recently produced her twenty-third calf and is giving. four gallons of mild daily. She is the property of a Californian farmer and when he moved from Holtville to Chino in 1929 she walked nine miles to the railway station for shipment with the other cows. Her owner es-

imates his net profit from her in 14 ears has been over £4OO.

Another example of Jersey longevtv is provided by the case of a pedi-

gree cow who recently died at tire age of 26. She has the following official records to her credit in her declining days—-at 20 years and 5 months 434.22 lbs. fat: at 21 years 6

months, 535.61 lb. fat, and at 23 years 1 month, 403.19 lb. tat. I lie three tests after she. was 20 years old is a record that will probably stand for some time. —Dairyfarmer (U.S.A.)