FARM AND GARDEN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 351, 8 April 1911, Page 6

FARM AND GARDEN.

DANISH PUTTER IN DISFAVOUR The Aberdeen Free Press, in dealing with a statement by an Irish paper that Danish butter was getting into disfavour, and that, therefore, there was an opportunity for Ireland to step into some of its markets, says:- - "Daj' sh butter to-day is selling at a higher price than before the end of last year. It seems to be the case, however, that the quality of the Danish product during the past season has not been up to the former standard. As ;..; what is the cause of this there does not seem to be any clear explanation, but it may have, been due to an indifferent grazing season. It is, of course, well known that; fruit last year was not nearly so good as the Continent usually produced, and here may be some reasonable explanation of the fact that the recent, quality of Danish butter has not been up to the mark, and has had a more restricted demand in this country in consequence." The Free Press proceeds to criticise Ireland's chance of ousting Denmark. The sum of its discourse is that it considers the Irish butter to be of excellent quality, but of slovenly getup. The paper continues: "Asked as to what was coming in to take the place of the Danish butter, at present in less popular favour, a well known Aberdeen wholesale merchant states that it is neither Irish nor French butter, but New Zealand and Australian butter. The New Zealand butter in particular is said to be of first-rate quality, not showing, perhaps, the absolute freshness of flavour that one finds in the more recently made Danish butter, but beautiful in texture and taste, and on its present standard of quality likely to make make headway in the Home markets. It is also important to one that the price of colonal butter is decidedly less than that of Danish butter. While the latter would be making say, 115s per cwt, the colonial commodity would be purchased for, say, 108s to 110s per cwt."

FEEDING SKIM-MILK

The successful feeding of skim-milk necessitates many precautions being taken, and, as the result of experiments a large number of stations in North America, a bulletin has been issued, in which it is laid down that the following rules should be observed: 1. Skimmed milk should be fed warm at about a temperature of from 85 to 100 degrees F., especially before the calf is two or three months old. Scouring of the calf is often caused by feeding cold milk or skimmed milk. 2. Milk or skimmed milk should be fed sweet, especially when the calf is very young. If, however, a calf becomes older, sour skimmed milk may be fed, provided that the souring is normal —normal lactic fermentation —and provided, further, that, after once started feeding with sour skimmed milk, it is continued. Digestion disorders are sure to take place in a calf if it is fed one day with aweet milk and next day with sour milk. It is always advisable to feed skimmed milk aweet. If milk gets sour it is very hard to tell whether abnormal fermentatiaon took place or not. Abnormal fermented skimmed milk is very dangerous to the health of a calf.

3. It is very hard for inexperienced feeders to keep themselves from overfeeding a calf with milk or skimmed milk. Nothing can be gained from over-feeding. But in turn overfeeding causes more trouble in raising a calf than anything else. It is better to let a calf feel hungry after being fed with skioimed milk. If hungry it will eat hay to which it has access. 4. The time of feeding should be regular. A calf soon learns its meal hours, and when those times come, and the feeder is not there, it f6els uneasy, and calls for him. Thus it expends unnecessary energy in worry and toil, so does not do well. Unnecessary expenditure of energy is a waste of energy; a waste of energy is a waste of feed; and a wase of feed is waste of money. 5. Utensils in which milk or skimmed milk is fed must be clean, and be washed and scalded each time after feeding so as to avoid any possible infection by disease germs. 6. Scouring of calves may be successfully remedied by adding a tablespoonful or two of meal to the skimmed milk. It is advisable to add a teaspoonful of meal to the skimmed milk at each feeding, to prevent this disorder in the digestive organs. 7. Hirajns should never be mixed with the skimped milk. They should be fed dry. 8. Calves should be tjed in stanchions during the feeding of skimmed mlik and grain, and be left tied until their noses an.- dry, so as xo prevent the temptation of the calves sucking each other's ears, etc. It. It should be remembered that alfalfa hay is not the idea! hay for skimmed milk calves. Skimmed milkis very rich in protein, but it is deficient in carbohydrates ami fat, and less protein than alfalfa hay, is desirable. For this reason the experiment proved that mixed grain or timothy hay is belter than alfalfa hay.

Al>lf.Cjt,C,\N MKAT POSITION

INSTRUCTIVE t'IUHI'ES. Statistics include;' in the report of the American Department of Agriculture for December show that a great decline of live and dead animal exports from the United States took place in P.MiD-IU, as compared with those of the preceding financial year. The total value of live animals in dollars fell from L!°,t;4D,4:jS to 17,■1477,:!;"">; that of packing-house products, including all kinds of meat, Jvd, animal oils, hides, and skins, from l',lf!,IU!.;,()?(; to IJjS.TILVJofi; and that of dairy produce, from 3,DU0,-K 1 13

to 2,250,421. Eggs increased from 1,199,522 to I,2GiVIBG. Exports of grain and Hour fell from 160,076,479 to Ioo,o2o(t,41S clols., and those of fruit increased from 1(3,079,227 to 18,504,591 dols. A table of exports of bacon, hams and pork from the United States for over forty years shows that the shipments of 1909-10, amounting in round figures to 344, 000,0001b, were smaller than i'or any year since 1875. As long ago as 1879 the total exceeded 810,000,0001b, arid after great fluctuations they reached the maximum of 970,000,0001b in 1898-9. Since 19050 they have not reached 640,000,0001b. Evidence all round indicates that the food surplus of the country has passed its climax, and will continue, of coure with fluctuations, to decline. The American population increases much more rapidly than the production of food in the United States. Canada does not promise to cover the declina of meat exports from the United States. The number of cattle in Ontario returned for July Ist last is 2,567,128— nearly 400,000 less than there were in 1906; that of sheep is 1,0651,01, or over 250,000 less than for 1906, and over 700,000 less than for 1900; while pigs, numbering 1,561,042, have also fallen off greatly. For Quebec the latest figures show slight increase in cattle and pigs, with a decline in sheep. Of the new provinces, Alberta alone is a great one for live stock, and there cattle, sheep and pigs alike have increased steadily, so that on the whole the Dominion totals of cattle and pigs have advanced considerably, while sheep have fluctuated. On the whole, the meat production seem 3 to have done no more than keen pace with the increased home consumption, if so much, in recent years.