FARM AND GARDEN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 318, 7 December 1910, Page 6

FARM AND GARDEN.

EFFECT OF FEED UPON MILK. Feed has very little, if any, effect upon the quality of milk. By quality, we refer to the per cent, or amount of total solid matter in the milk. It is a well recognised fact that some feeds affect the flavour of the milk, and, possibly to a slight extent, its colour. Feeds rich in protein have a tendency to slightly increase the percentage of fat in the case of some cows; the same is said of feeds rich in fat. This increase is probably only temporary however, the milk gradually coming back to its normal composition. Animals very thin in flesh, and insufficiently fed, if brought into good condition by proper feed, will probably yield milk of better quality. The improvement in quality will not, as a rule, be very marked. The milkproducing function is, to a large extent, under the control of the nervous system. Any influence that disturbs the quiet or normal condition of the animal, be it rough usage, extremes of temperature, exposure to rain, etc., will have its effect upon the quality of the milk. On the other hand, plenty of good feed increases the quantity of the milk, until the animal reaches her maximum production. What has been said with regard to the influence of feed upon the quality of milk, is equally true relative to the amount of butter than can be made from a given quantity of milk. No method of feeding has as yet been discovered that so improves the quality of the milk as to make a given quantity of the milk produce more butter at one time than another. The quality of the milk varies during the different stages of lactation, but this is entirely independent of the influence of feed. The above statements are based on the teachings of carefully conducted experiments. They are contrary to the general belief that the better the animal is fed, the better the quality of the milk produced.—"Hoard's Dairyman."

POINTS FOR MILKERS. The udder should be well wiped with a cloth to remove all dirt. The hands and person of the milker should be clean, also the milking pail. The teats should be grasped firmly with the thumb and fingers of each hand, and the hands kept close up to the udder. Then, with a firm, squeezing pressure, the steady flow of milk is obtained. Practice makes perfect, and speed and style follow in the train of well deserved effort. Abundance of froth is a sign that a cow has been milked quickly—the fresher the cow. the more "froth" she will have on her milk. The udder should be emptied uniformly, and it is good form to milk crosswise, and a good milker will take care to draw out the last drop. This contains the greatest amount of fat, and is generally known as the "strippings." . Cows should be treated kindly during the milking process, as often, when they are badly used they will withhold their milk; and a cow has instinct enough to appreciate the "milk of human kindness."—Exchange. POULTRY HINTS. Over neglect, or too much fussy care will be found to spoil the most promising brood. The chick showing the slower development invariably becomes the largest bird in the flock. The chief cause of mortality during the early days of a chicken's life is that of bowel trouble.

Earth worms can he chopped up and fed to growing chicks every day in the week with advantage. The influence of sound feeding methods is discernible not only in regard to the birds in whose connection they are adopted, but also in successive generations. A scoenful of tincture of iron added to each quart of drinking water will be found extremely useful in cases of egg weakness resulting from too rapid growth of body. Chicks hatched from vigorous parents display a degree of energy far in excess of that possessed by their less fortunate relatives claiming debilitated specimens as their progenitors. Where both "heavy" and "light" breeds are kept, it will pay to provide separate enclosures for the progeny of each, as the varying conditions of development require different treatment. The following are some of the con-

tributory causes to infertility of eggs: The feeding of too stimulating a diet, cold weather, damp runs, unhealthiness in either male or female, want of exercise, lack of green stuff, £O,O many, or an insignificant number ,o£ i\eps /to.ori.e male, huge combs.