Farm and Garden

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 201, 21 October 1909, Page 3

Farm and Garden

BASIS OF SOUND FA KM INC. Fnrming is a business, a:rJ the successful farmer must In-, first of all, a business man, writes Professor Alfred Vivian in the introductory chapter of his manual on soil fertility. How muchit is a business and bow necessary it is, therefore, not only to prevent needless expenditure, but to secure the greatest possible returns, for tbe money and labour involved, will be better understood after a careful study of the succeeding chapters. Though written for American Students, tbe questions discussed concern the Australian agriculturist just as deeply as tbey do farmers on the other side of the world, for the principles upon which the science of agriculture is founded do not materially differ in cither country. "A few yearn since 'anyone could be a farmer'. It was only necessary to sow and reap, for Nature dealt lavishly with man, and gave to him freely of the fertility she had been storing up for countless ages. A system of extravagant and unbusinesslike farming, however, has so impoverished the soil in some parts of our country, that many farms are already abandoned, having ceased to be profitable; and that too in localities where the land once commanded high prices." This is the deliberate statement of a fact that has been repeatedly recorded by American scientists, and it sounds a warning note that, in younger countries, where there is still ample time to prevent the exhaustion of the soil, should not go unheeded.

BREED YOUR OWN COWS. No dairyman can buy such cows as he wants. The breeding and rearing of the best cows b a skilled art, and an apprenticeship Is required for facility in it. Consequently the best cows ate,sold at high prices, equivalent to the value of the services of the skilled persons who rear them, and the rarity of the animals. But there i 3 a great opportunity for those who arc able to breed and rear this class of cows to make a business of it. For there are few persons who keep cows for profit who can supply themselves and the many who are desirous of procuring them. And especially is there a demand for winter cows—that is, such as come in late in the year, so as to be available for the more profitable and convenient winter dairy. The great difficulty in starling such a dairy is to get the ordinary cows to come in at the right season, and to secure this unavoidable requirement of a winter dairy the cows must be bred for it, so that they may ccme in when two years old, at just the right time. Exj>erience has shown this to be the easiest and most certain way to succeed in starting a winter dairy. Thus there in an opening for the profitable rearing of cows to meet the sjiccial demand.

As o general principle it is unwise to breed from sir?s that are temporarily sick from any ailment that impairs r.ppetitr, vigour, or constitution. The bfitt results in br. eds'ng require perfect bodily and constitutional health, ar.d entire horses should be properly treated and perfectly recovered before mating is |H?rmittrd. Johnstone puts it in lib chapter on "Heredity as a force":-"It is the intensified inheritance of the purebred which triumphs over the diversified inheritance of the scrub,and thu t enables us to grade up our slock. Similarly it is the diversified inheritance of the grade which precludes his success as a sire, even though he apparently possesses the characteristics of the purebred. A warm bed is worth many pounds of feed during a spell of rough weather. Hundreds of chicks are Jo3teach year by careless feeding during the first month of their lives. The food of dairy cows should be the very best that can be bad, and free from aromatic substances. Cleanliness is the first fundamental requisite from the cow to the separator in the production of butter of extra quality. That maize stalks are the most valuable of all forage crop 3 for the food of milch cows is more clearly demonstarted with every passing year. Butter of extra quality is not to be produced by unbusinesslike, haphazard, shiftless methods. "Good enough" is an enemy to the best buttermaking. Cows should not be fed just previous to or during milking, as the dust arising from the feed will settle into the milk pail, carrying with it many impurities.

A field of sorghum is a great help when pastures arc short. All farm slock arc grcedj* for it when cut and fed green. It is especially good for dairy cows. Maize, both for stalks and grain, is pre-eminently the crop for the dairyman to use, and everyone who keep cows should grow a sufficient quantity to last till spring. Do not hit the cow with the milk stool if she kicks the pail over, nor try quieten her by loud talking or swearing. If you do, look for results in the next milk cheque. When young lucenre is quickly destroyed by weeds, and it must therefore. be sown on clean land and cultivated for the first year. When once established it can take care of itself. One of the greatest difficulties confronting the development of breed interests consists in the tendency to introduce and attempt to grow too many breeds in a given locality. At the cow testing competition at the Rutherglen, Victoria, show, in only one case out of seven entries did the test exceed 3.6, the minimum fixed by the Board of Health. Cows must not only have liberal rations, but the right proportioned combination of feed, to produce a normal flow of milk. The largest flow of milk is stimulated by succulent rations. Chicks should have access to fresh, cool water at al times. Small chickens drink a little at a time, and often. Therefore keep a supply of fresh water constantly within their reach.