Farming Column

Hokitika Guardian, 29 July 1933, Page 8

Farming Column

JERSEY HEIFER RECORD ANIMAL IN AUSTRALIA A butter-fat record for Australia and New Zealand has been established by a junior two-year-old Jersey heifer, Richmond Honour, sired by the New Zea-land-bred bull Finvoy’s Golden Noble, according to advice received by Mr C. E. Robertson, of the Wellington office of Wright' Stephenson and Company, Limited. This heifer produced 632.671 b butter-fat in 240 da,vs, the previous record for the class having been 531.941 b. in 273 days. It was expected Richmond Honour would finish the nine months’ period with about 7001 b. butter-fat, after which the test would be continued until 365 days. The r-moid was established at HawkesNury Agricultural College, New South Wales, the sire having been selected by. Mr Robertson for the New South Wales Government to head the Jersey herd at the college. The bull was bred in the Manawatu herd of Mr J. Smith, jun., of Bunnythorpe, and won first prize in his class at the Sydney Royal Show after being exported to New South Wales.

HERD PRODUCTION RECORD

70 COWS AVERAGE 4GOLB. FAT

A New Zealand record has been established by a. herd of 70 high grade Jerseys, which for the season just ended returned the remarkable average production of 460.91 b. fat in 302 days. This great herd, which is the property of Mr C. Fell, Pakaraka, Bay of Islands, thus wrests the supremacy’ of the group herd testing movement from Mr A. Cunningham’s herd of 52 head, which three seasons hack averaged 4531 b. fat in the Morrinsvjlle district. Many years ago the country to which goes the honour of this sensational performance was considered cjuite unfit for dairying, and is still looked upon "by the. older school of settler as a poor area. Climatic conditions which make all-the-year-round' dairying possible, are in some measure responsible for the high average of Mr Fell’s herd. The consistent milker—the “sticker” receives every opportunity of showing her Worth in the Bay of Islands district, and the long., .lactation period naturally’ contributes to a high average. Mr Fell frankly admits that the longer season than that obtained in' most other districts is largely responsible for the performance. He has milked winter and summer continuously for 12 .seasons, and, incidently, the better winter price has been of great assistance. The record herd is milked in the same shed as Mr Fell’s other herd of 90 head, the two herds showing factoryreturns' of 51,000 lb. fat which js-with-

in 8} per cent of the herd test figures

The 150 cows representing the two herds have been grazed on approximately 300 acres of hilly end undulating second class land, a little steep in places, but for the most part easy and well' watered. The leading herd had the advantage in that it had the j pick of the paddocks, which had been topdressed with slag and super mixture for three years, at the rate of about Ocwt per acre. The pasture consists chiefly of clovers and paspalum. , The only supplementary food was a limited supply of bran in June and July,., which was given to the best producers only, as there was not enough t D go all round., The bran was greatly missed in August and September, but the low price of butterfat prohibited the purchase of any more. Eight acres of swedes and a stack of hay proved a considerable help over the JuneSpptember period. The eight acres used for the growing of the swedes were also utilised for Japanese millet. which was drawn upon in February and March, while a certain amount of ensilage was fed from January to April. Mr Fell considers that he could have • 'done even better with a supply of soft [ turnips for summer and autumn feeding. INFLUENCE OF PEDIGREE BULLS New Zealand’s record-breaking herd owes its development to the use of two pedigree Jersey bulls, both sons of Waipiko Masterpiece C. 8.8., and bred by Mr F. J. Sax by, of the Alfalfa stud, Hamilton. .Six years ago, Mr Fell purchased Alfalfa Grandmaster for the great price of 200 gns. Alfalfa Grandmaster, son of Waipiko Masterpiece C. 8.8., was from Twylish’s Darkie, C.O.R, 7141 b. fat, a sister to Twylish’s Daisy C.O.R. 705 1 lb. fat, both being daughters of Fancy’s Lord Twylish bull, Tiki’s Twylish. Incidentally, Mr Fell’s bull is 100 per cent full brother to Alfalfa. Supremacy, C.O.R. 650.37 lb. fat at one year 281 days, gold medallist and world’s, record for age. Alfalfa Grandmaster is also a. three quarter brother to Alfalfa Flying Fox, sire of . Alfalfa Jewel, the junior two-year-oUI gold medallist lor last y;ear with 727.91 b. fat.

The year following the purchase of Alfalfa Grandmaster, Mr Fell acquired another son of Waipiko Masterpiece, and where type was iairlv good and plenty of constitution evident, he was been using the two bulls on each other’s daughters. Through this procedure he has obtained remarkable success, junior two-year-old products of such mating going beyond the :5001b. fat mark.

Mr Fell is now following on with a son of Victor's Handsome Prince./imp). l, 'A factor which appeals to me as essential for my measure of success;” states Mr Fell; “it- the care -and

throughness of the milkers. Words cannot express my appreciation of their efforts to get the best out of the cows,”

“About half of the 160 cows,” continued Mr Fell, “were milked by hand over the greater part of the season, and then the job took 10 hours out of 24 each day. Each milker had his own cows, milking them iu regular rotation. Each month his performance was entered up from the herd test sheet, placed on the wall in separate lists, showing the cows of each milker in comparison. “By this method the greatest interest was sustained and besides ‘breed and feed’, which plays an all important part in production, the thoroughness and determination to get the utmost from these cows had its result. “Of a herd of 70 cows, a few, as is always is the case, by accident and misfortune, failed and went out with beroly 2001 b. fat for the season. The top performer gave 672 lb. fat. two others over 600 lb. fat, while 25 others gave over 500 lb. fat. One B class cow carried over from last season gave 425 lb. fat in 300 days (1024 lb. fat for two consecutive seasons,; one calving).”

Said Mr Fell in conclusion: “The credit goes to the breeder who gives us the sires to breed from, to the pioneers of manuring, who teach us what phosphates can do, and last, but not least, to the milkers who cheerfully, face 2.30 a.m. and very often 9p.m. with the determination to do their job well.”—N.Z. Farmer.

CHEAPNESS iOF MONEY.

RELATION WITH CONFIDENCE.

Cheap money! This desirable effect has of late taken on further impetus in New Zealand, and now, even though New Zealand set about reducing the price of money later than Australia, the process has increased more rapidly here. A further reduction of interest rates on fixed deposits with the banks, lias quite likely set the money market on its final stages of reduced costs to the user. Though the deposit rate reduction may appear only small it is of great importance lor, in company with lower returns offered by Government and local body investment in securities, the low rate should make investors seek more lucrative outlets. Stagnation lias existed and must be halted.'... In point of fact' the ‘tieing up’ of money can be gathered by the fact tliaf in the June quarter fixed deposits stood at £36.8 million,', almost double the sum oii free deposits.

Quotations a|re already arising and lessening,the yield to investors by the fact that deposit holders may ,seek a more, promising outlet on the, stock exchange. Loudon lias been reporting of late a steady trend towards recovery, indicating ‘further that investments are .running towards . industr al shares, which has resulted in fairly heavy •bay-. •ing over a wide field. As against this,. Government securities have been passed over to some extent, but this may lie. attrbuted to some extent to tlm fall in the dollar.

Confidence is our first stage to recovery, and faith arid all steps must, be taken to instil and keep this confidence. Monev and credit should become reasonably cheap and plentiful to stimulate confidence. In company with this trend in the money market, there has of late been more encourog'ng signs iri business, giving confidence by a outlook in primary products, particularly wool.

ON WEANING PIGS. Tf we are to get, two litters a year from our sows, {he age of weaning is important (sovs' a writer in the Farmer and Stockbreeder). Some breeders. T find, wean at eight weeks, some at nine, and some at ton or more. I believe that a definite plan is better, and I have proved bv experience over many years that the best time to mate the sow is exactly 9 weeks after she farrows. When I have let them go over this period I hove had a far greater percentage of failures'; at file iff lie weeks’ period failures are very few My pigs are always, except for some special reason, weaned at the age of eight'weeks and two days, and I generally trv to arrange so that the sows are served within 24 hours of. the 63rd day frmn. farrowing. Good management does not lie in woaiv'ng pigs when they are ready so much as getting them ready to wean at the right time. The cheapest gains are alwavs made iv!i»n the pigs are stiff on their darns. From three weeks old, mine nve fed in n “creep,” cnmmpncing with" separated milk and middlings, later on, a little barley meal and flaked" maim is added until at the eighth week'they are getting the mixture they will he carried on with. 1 have exom-imonted with two litters under conditions a« nearly equal as T on”Id ohm them. One litter was fed as described'from three weeks; the other was not fed ii"til the beginning of Hie e’ghtli week. At weaning, the first Utter averaged 31-fib, and the second ?31b. The extra weight of the first lot wm 7(Hlb (nine pies') gained for an expenditure nr If) gallons of separated milk, and 1501 hof meal, amounting to 13s or or 2d a lb live weight increase. CHAMPION CULL COMING TO N 1. ' VANCOUVER,' -TuTy Aboard the Golden Fagle, which sailed for Wellington to-day was the Canadian champion Shorthorn bull Browndnle Binder, winch was purchased for 3000 dollars by Mr I). Eueha.aan. of blaster top, ,<