The First Calf.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 106, 5 November 1908, Page 3

The First Calf.

Among dairymen, as among other classes of men, run certain traditions and notions. Some are sonud and some, we believe, are essentially unsound. Among the unsound ones is the notion that the first caif, whether male or female, is not apt to be up to grade with those that conic after. We could never see any sense or reason in this idea. A cow breeds from her inherent nature that which she has inherited from her ancestry. If she has a strong inherited quality, why should she not impart it to her calf? If she has not inherited such quality, will she ever impart it? It is of a good deal more moment to us to know that the heifer gives evidence of a strong dairy inheritance than anything else. One of the finest bulls we ever owned was the first calf of a heifer. He was usually prepotent, and produced for us some very fine cows. We are now keeping for use in our herds the first calf, a bull, of a heifer that promises to make four hundred pounds or over of butter fat in her first 12 months of milk-giving. On of the most important things to accomplish in dairy breeding is to unite male and female in a way that shall enlarge the dairy capacity in the resulting progeny. Then comes the careful rearing of the young animals, so that whatever good quality they may have inherited from this wise breeding shall be stimulated and developed to its full bent. We have a great abundance of unwise breeding and a still greater abundance of unwise breeding of the calf to a breeding age. But to go back to our first thought. We would say that, so far as our own experience goes, as well as the careful observation of others, there is no foundation for the belief that the first calf of a heifer

will not make as g:>o 1 an animal for breeding purposes as any subsequent progeny. Jleard's Dairyman." Breaking in a h.-:i<n- is always a more oc loss troublesome cxpem nee. No violence ir.nrfc en any account be U£i.>,l: she ni'.i.-t !• ' mastered by K'lidnoss, controlled by :;r;n:iess. No man should attempt the job who ennnot control hie anger. Where the calves are few they can lie accustomed to having their teats handled on before the time arrives for them to yield up their milk. But where heifers are unused to being bailed up and touched the treatment resolves itself into a hat.tie of patience between man and beast. With the head placed well against" the flank, take a firm hold of the right hind teat with the left hand. If she tries to kick, stand firm, stiffen the neck, and hold on to the teats with a bull-dog grip. If the hold is maintained she can kick but little, and cannot hit an}body or anything. The length of the struggle depends upon the disposition of the animal.

Where prairie grass is grazed the paddocks should be small, and the stock changed frequently from one to another, otherwise the plants may be eaten not.

The failings of the average farmer are nowhere more noticeable than in the want of care and attention he evinces in the treatment of his farming implements. Wool grown upon red soils always scours an excellent colour, but wool grown upon black land always handles more soft and silk-like than wool grown on red soil. It is a fact liable to be overlooked that just as we can improve pastures by proper treatment, so we can impoverish them by an improper system of grazing. Cow peas make a excellent food for dairy cow, when combined with other grain and fodder in proper proportions. They are highly concentrated and nitrogenous. Grass will always be the mainstay, and should be grazed systematically by being subdivided. There is more in svstematc grazing than most farmers will acknowledge. Cows require a different kind of feeding in some respects to that of beef animals, and Dr. Roberts, the Winconsin state veterinarian, says the dairy feed for a 1,000 pound cow is 40 pounds of silage 7 pounds clover hay, and 8 pounds of grain. Are hop-pickers doomed? In America hops are being picked by machines. Five machines Jt is said, can do the work of 250 pickers.