Farm and Garden

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 182, 16 August 1909, Page 3

Farm and Garden

A NOV HI. n.AN FOP; HAIRY HERD IMPROVEME.VT.

In the mattrr of improving the ('airy herd, a practice now coming into vogue in parts of the United States is worthy of very serious consideration, by dairymen in this country. It is a most useful form of co-operation, and its extension must in time have a wonderfully beneficial effect, To start the ball rolling, a man who thoroughly knows what be is talking about is sent out as an emissary to talk about the advantages of weeding out poor cows, and breeding and grading up to a higher standard of production in milk and butter fat. There arc always plenty of dairy farmers who fully believe in breeding up and weeding out, but the trouble is they never get started off their own volition. The emissary's duty is to show them how to get started, with a minimum amount of trouble and expense to themselves. When the owners of forty or more cows are brought to agree to organise and abide by the rules of the association for at least six years, the initial work has bfen completed. The association is then divided into three sections or branch;*, and the members arc allowed to select their choice of breed of dairy sire to be used in their herds. Purebred bulls are, of course selected. For the first two years the three bulls used arc without any change, one bull being allotted for each of the three branches of the association. In the third year there is a general change by putting No. 1 bull in place of No. 2or 3 bull, as the case may be. By the end of *ix years all the herds in the association have had the use of these specially selected pure bulls at far less expense than would have otherwise been incurred, and the herds have been graded up to a high standard of purity and excellence. The practice has not been established long, but it is already evident that it will be continued indefinitely, as the grading up process shows such good financial results that there is no danger of a backslide amongst member* of the association. THE RABBIT PROBLEM. There is a great contention in the land about the best way to war against the rabbit curse. No one has anything to say against trapping, but quite a number draw the line at poisoning. "If we arc to use the rabbit for commercial purposes, wc cannot go on laying poison; and, besides that, the poisoned baits are playing great havoc with bird life, to the delight of insect pests." This is the case for one party. Another contends that the loss of bird life is very small; that their propagation is Mharpened by the occasional losses that the trapping does not reduce the IK'S I to anything like safe a minimom ; and that the professional trappers arc interested in the liberation of the kittens so as to supply a richer harvest later on. Most people realise that the greatest dangers He in the poisoning, mainly because bird life is no doubt greatly affected, and if the fiosioning is persisted in the trade with England will be jeopardised, rabbits which have died of phosphorous are not likely to be continued on the menu. Several of the stock boards are agitated regarding the problem. But pastoralists should be reasonable enough to take a view that bunny is here to stay, and if we can make a million a year out of him by exporting the carcasses, surely it would be better to do that, if we do not encourage multiplication in the process, than to lose even this compensation As to the liberation of the kittens, what is wrong with the run holders themselves | taking up the trapping industry so ■ thoroughly, and so vigorously, as to really make the campaign effective against the enemy? Then with wirenetting, there is hope of partial relief, ail the time making a profit from the export trade. BEES CANNOT PUNCTURE FRUIT. When once a lie gets a fair start it takes a long time for the truth to over- | take it. This is clearly exemplified in I two instances in connection with bee | culture About 25 years ago it was given out in America by some one that comb honey in section boxes was being manufactured artificially, that much of it bad not been near a bee, that the comb was made of a composition, and that this was filled with gloecose, and the cells sealed over by machinery. Notwithstanding that the whole thing was, on the face of it, a silly concoction, the daily Press throughout the United States published it, and for a long time it had a serious effect on the combhoney business. One .thousand dollars reward was offered by the A.I. Root Company to anyone who could produce one section of such I manufactured comb honey; needless to say it has not yet been claimed. But, stilt, after all this time, the lie has not yet been buried, as now and : again it crops up. The same applies to the falsehood about bees puncturing grapes and other soft fruits. The fallacy of this has been demonstrated time after time but has in some cases failed to convince fruitgrowers. However, the truth is gaining ground all the time, so that no great barm is likely to be done in the future, between beekeepers and fruitgrowers, who have come to better understand the mutual benefit they receive from each other's work.