Farming Column

Hokitika Guardian, 14 May 1932, Page 8

Farming Column

THE FEEDING OF STOCK

PELLET AND LICK METHODS.

The advantages of supplementary feeding of sheep in the three months of winter, during which the animals are either ’stationary in growth or are losing weight, are too obvious to be stressed. On typical sheep-country the land is usually hundreds of feet above sealevel, often inland in situation and exposed to wind, snow, ail'd rain, the soii poor, and the short sweet pasture which is said be typical of the food requirement of sheep deficient, for, in winter, when growth practically ceases, tin sheep is forced to forage farther afield to obtain a ration deficient in quantity and quality, consisting of older growth. During this period the animal probably cannot obtain the three pounds of dry matter a day which is held to be the normal requirement of each fullgrown sheep, and much o! the foddei it is lucky enough to get then is deficient in mineral matter. It is then that the animal is compelled to live parti .> on the body reserves which have been stored up during th<j periods of plenty—spring, summer, and autumn—througl which it has passed. Several pounds ot live-weight are therefore lost in June July, and August in those sheep which continue on pasture without the aid of supplementary feeding (roots etc.; which on many runs it is not practicable to grow. The feeding of concentrated meal foods to sheep is quite possible, hut the large outlay in cash is a decided object in this period f) l low returns to the farmer.

Pellet-feeding is a method of feer, ing, automatically, both concentratei. meal foods and mineral foods to sheep in one operation, with the need fc-i special troughs or the necessity for rounding up the- sheep to feed them The meal foods —ground linseed, coco nut (copra) from which the excess of oil has been removed, and pea-men (and there is no reason why fish o: meat-meal should not also be used)ure primarily designed to make the min eral part of the supplement attractive to sheep so that when the animal has learnt to eat the pellets it may continue to do so, the attraction being maintained by th e nutrient meals ado ed. These contain energy and fat producing foods with a high degree of digestibility, and therefore in feedim mineral foods by this method the effect- of the, non-mineral concentrate' foods, or the possible effect of sudden ly stopping the use of such foods, ma\ he overlooked. A flock of sheep grazin in winter on malnutrition country, oi pasture to which ration is added a con centrated meal, may feel the stoppag of the supplement in the sprng when the growth s so dilfeut chemical ly from what they have been receiving Assuming that they are given prl lets which cost 31d per sheep weekly fo the 3 months of winter it would com 3/6 for each sheep, but this could hard ly be considered a practicable preceding in the light of the present price of woo The experience ill Scotland by thos l who use this method is that- pellets wliei properly made can he scattered on tin ground, and the sheep June acquiree such a liking for them that the attendant appears in sight the muster themselves from the surround ing hills in an endeavour to obtai; more than their share, but by scat tering pellets judiciously on the ground the average consumption may be equr for all members of the flock This experience has been duplicated in Nev ■Zealand. Tt has been found that, when ultimately, a- f ter ( some difficulty tin sheep have been induced to take tlv pellets they become quite greedy fathom and are willing to consume an.' amount that is put out at a given time There is hence no wastage through non consumption of mineral or meal foods The giving of salt licks to stock v an admirable method of feeding min orals The principal is that common salt, which is palatable and sought after by most grazing-stock, is a sub stance of undoubted value in maintain ing the thri tines,s or health of all veg cable-feeding animals, a fact which has foeejn known since the very ‘.earliest times. The other minerals required m

Apparently not so attractive as comm dish It, and aro not eaten to the same regular extent as the salt put before them, Tt has therefore become the prac tiee to mix any mineral required witl a largo quantity of coarse or fine ngri cultural salt and feed it as a powder lick or alternatively to put it out -

the paddocks after pressing flip ingro clients into a brick or block in order t ( < minimise the wastage by rain.

THE MARKET AT' HOME. Advi'-e received from London nier chants indicates that the reason foIJi ( » rrr.ndua-1 weakening in the New Zee land butter market during the past week or two. has been d'<e to t'e earl ior purchase of protective stocks r Great Britain. During the early part ot April, ant eipating shorter supplies in May. buy i*rs covered requirements ahead, follow jug the market up to l(J0s to 110. I' o ' lowing this the Continental market h'caine depressed, owing to increased fi”aiumd difficulties in Germany, and tieresult was that increased sbim-ents <' Continental were made to England. A slight ac< umulatiou <•'' v -w |»i,d sto'*ks took place, and Ini vers were less inclined to operate, preferring to work on their reserves. ie’>, as a r SUIb of their liaviim- ourebased prito"tive stocks, were rather larger H’cn usual. The cheese markcl lias e-'>sed a shilling or so in sympathy with butter.

PANAMA BUTTER TRADE

New Zealand has a small but accept able market for butter in Panama, both in the Canal Zone and in the 11. public of Panama itself. The trade ina-y, however, be affected by a general increase in the Panama tariff, which became cife'etive on April 1, according to .adviies .rom Panama City. The increase will he in the form < i new specific rates, which will be assessed in addition to the present cO valorem duty on some products, while the existing rates will he substantial.v increased on a number of other products. Substantial increases of import duty affect meats of all kinds, fish, butter and butter substitutes, milk edible oils and fats, rice, beans and fruits. ’

New Zealand butter exports to Panama for this season, August 1 to January 31, 1932, were 327 tons a gain.s' 293 tons for the corresponding portio of last- season. For the 12 months ended July 31 last, exports were 479 tons, an increase of 201 tons over 1929-30

AMERICAN CONDITIONS

PLIGHT OF SHEEPFARMERS

No improvement in the wool, market until the world conditions become better, is anticipated by Mr George Jt ffrey, former South Australian Go e-rn ment wool expert, who arrived in Wellington by the Monowai after having visited the United States.

Mr Jeffrey described the position as being “very difficult.”. Wool, be said, was tremendously low in price and, as far avS he could judge, could not show any improvement until there was nil improvement in world conditions, which would mean that there would be more buying power. Th' trouble to-day was want of buying power/

America’s domestic wool was selling much cheaper than foreign wool, and that was a factor that could not he overlooked, as when wool was a, good price in America., Australia could ex-' port wool and show a reasonable profit. To-day American woo] co'dri b bought for a price much lower than \nstralian, with the result that very little wool was required from Australis’. There was another factor that could not he overlook, said Mr Jeffrey, and that waik that sheepfarmers in Ame-rca were in such a bad’'way that many of them must go under, and in all prc-lvi--ility the production of wool in that •ountry would drop considerably in the lear future. Tliat would increase the market for Australia and New Z n al"nd Gving reasons for; his opinion that many American sheepfarmers would collapse, Mr Jeffrey said tha far tonmuch had been paid D>-- the land in ’lost oases, and the sheepfarmers were inaneed by local banks, many of which ’lid failed.

The sheepfarmer was in such a hopeless financial position thait nobody vould help him. Further, the price f wool was so low that there was no neentive for anybody to take up woolgrowing. The Western States produc'd the-hulk o'’ the wool, and all wool grown in America was used for home •onsumption. Of late the quality of wool 'reduced had been increased (which had tended to keep the price down), hut ‘•’rom now on the quantity produced vould tend to drop.

DECREASE IN BUTTER-FAT. A slight decrease in the average promotion of hutter-fat is shown by the eturiis o." the New Zealand Herd Testily Association for March, compared vit-h those for March, 1931 _ The assomciation tested 93,348 cows in March. 1.932, the average yield being 4401 li nilk and 21.461 b fat, with n. test of 1.88. The average production of the 14,366 cows tested by the association in the corresponding month last rear was 4501 b milk and 22.081 b fat with a. test of 4.90.

PAYING THE PENALTY. Argentina is' now paying the penalty vf its attempt to control meat prices tt a time when they should have be-’u oming down to a level at which the iroduct would sell freely. To a groat extent the republic lias dost its Condnental markets as a result of maintaining artificial prices for chilled beef steers when the value of all c-tlier commodities was ireceding. The cattle. producers and their.’ organisations prevailed on the meat works to go on ■laving more than the beasts were worth. For a time the extra, was [Kissed on, but not for long. Competition was too keen for that.

A SEVERE LESSON. One of the severest lessons taught by the world economic crisis is that practically evu-y attempt to control tli<> marketing of primary produels with a view to keeping their vT’e re an artificially high level has failed (declares the Sydney Mail). Wheat, ruld'er coffee, cotton alp] many > !' the smaller primaries have suffevod. For f’ni T each ease the producers gained an advantage in price, Imt iust as surely lur ■- they since lost both that gain and much more besides, because suhseqn»-| losses li,ave been greater in proportion f n Hie accumulation of Mirnluses and the loss of trade occasioned by the excessive prices.