ON THE LAND.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1104, 3 June 1913, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

AMERICAN-DAIRY COWS.

In 1896 Frank Kingsley, of McGregor, lowa, took a cow census of 100 herds in three’ of the north-eastern countries of lon a. One thousand and two were the number of cows Mr Kingsley studied together with the 100 owners. The facts he brought out and their deductions would prove a very profitable study for those low a • farmers who are considering what should ho done in carrying on a dairy farm. Wc will enumerate some of those facts and gondii-

stons. There were 17 herds of dairy type, cows and 83 • dual-purpose cows. What had the type of cow to do with results? The dairy type, cows averaged 2111bs per cow of but-ter-fat; the dual-purpose 1431 he. Tho return for each dollar’s worth of feed were, for dairy typo. 1.17 dollars; dual-purpose, 1.10 dollars. The net profit of tho dairy type eows averaged 20.91 dollars; dual-pur-pose 5.19 dollars. Fifty of the owners read dairy paper*, mainly Hoard’s Dairyman; 46 did not. read dairy papers. What difference did that make? The figures are significant. The cows of those who read produced an average of 1751bs of butter 'per cow, those who did not read produced 1211bs per cow. The cost of keeping per cow in both cases was practically tho same. The net profit per cow over tho cost of keeping for those who read was 13.45 dollars; for those who did not read twenty-seven cents. Of the 83 herds (890 cows) of tho dual-pur-pose type, .mainly .Shorthorn grades, 30 per cent did not pay "for the cost of their keeping, but the owners being men who could not afford to take a dairy paper, did not know it. Of the 17 herds (172 cows) of the dairy type only six per cent did not pay for their feed. The best single herd was one of fourteen JBteeys, registered, line bred for twelve years, fresh in the fall, fed silage; had an "excellent stable, and owner read a dairy paper. The poorest single herd was one of six Shorthorn grades, fresh in the fall, fed on silage, hud a good stable; owner did no dairy reading. The silage-fed cows consumed 1.21 dollars more feed, but made 18.37 more net profit returned 61 cents more for each dollar ‘pent in feed, and reduced the food cost of butter-fat b cents per lb as 'compared with average of whale group. Now here is an array of facts of great value for any dairy farmer to build a judgment upon. Three points are considered: the man himself and what he does for himself, the breeding of his cows, find what tho silo does.

Tlio final summaries of that lowa cow census applied to the whole state with its then cow population of 1,600,000 cows, would warrant, us in saying that ;if all the cows .were of dairy type, the net gains to tho state would be 88,000,000 pounds of butter-fat valued at 20.000 dollars, If all the cows were fed on silage the gain would be 132,000,0001bs fat. or 28,000,000 dollars. CULLING COWS. The only profitable course to take where tho dairy docs not yield a tair profit is to find out whether the cows are inherently, and consequently hopelessly, interior, or whether their low rate of production is, duo to, the conditions under which they arc kept. If the conditions are not favourable the first: thing to do is to improve them to produce large quantities of amt are contented with their surroundings but still tail to be productive, careful experiments in changing their food should be made. The present, ration may keep them in good Health, yet may not enable them to produce large quantities of milk. Or the kind of feed may he right, but the quantity may not be sufficient to maintain the cow and leave a surplus from which milk can be made. It is from liberal feeding that a large part of (he profit of the dairy comes. It one has rows that arc only paying their way, or perhaps not quite doing that, it will be well to try all that can be done, and it may bo found that in most oases the capacity for production is much greater than has been supposed. Cows that have been regarded as hardly up to the average may develop into superior animals, and the apparently poorest one may prove to be well worth keeping, llut this will not be the universal experience'. Some cows cannot respond to even the best directed efforts to make them more productive. They are lacking in capacity to such an extent that they are hopeless subjects for a profitable dairy. The sooner they are ready for the butcher the better the interests of their owners will bo served, WEEDS. Weeds arc a crop that- never seem to fail. They do not come as a boon and a blessing to mankind; they appear !o plant themselves spontaneously in a field and feed lustily on the. valuable nitrogen and other plant foods which are intended for the nourishment of the cultivated crops; they will sometimes consume as much nitrogen as the farmer applies to thy field in the form of an expensive fertiliser. It is therefore the duty of the farmer to wage war on them. APPLE AND PEAR SCAB. The apple and pear scab is caused by closely related parasitic tnngi. In fact, ordinary methods ot observation cannot distinguish any difference in the appearance of these diseases. Both cause black or dark brown sulty spots on the foliage and fruit. These spots consist of great numbers of sum mor spores, produced liy the fungus which is growing under the fruit rind or leaf epidermis. Tne spots usually appear on the leaves first, but may also develop on tho very young fruit, or even the blossoms. When the early scab attacks the- blossoms these quickly blacken and fall; the young foliage may also be killed. When this condition is general the tree has a badly blighted appearance and the crop is destroyed, if tne young fruit escapes the early attack of the scab it mav later become infected by the spores produced on the foliage. Such later infections seldom cause the dropping of the fruit, Out (lie scab spots become, sunken and cracked, while the general growth is retarded, resulting in a runted arm worthless product. The scab fungus winters over on the trees, and also on the fallen leaves. During this period the fungus goes through a special stage in its development and looks quite unlike the summer disease. In fact, the winter form was long thought to he another species. When the spring opens some of the scab spores which are blown about by the wind find lodgment on the expanding foliage. Should a rain come at this time and keep these spores wet for ten © r twenty-four hours they will germinate, and tho germ lubes will penetrate into the leaves and young fruit. Once within tho tissue the growth of the fungus continues oven should the weather become drv. This growth goes on lor several days, and Ihe fungus plant spreads through ah ami of fiss« e varying in si/e from that of a ton cent piece to hall a dollar or more. At this point the growth suddenly ceases and the production, of spores commences. Short Stocks arc forced through the epidermis and on those, develop numerous dark-coloured spores, winch collectively form the sutty -pot commonly observed. These summer spores are blown about by tho wind and find lodgment on the foliage, and fruit. If favourable weather conditions follow a second infection takes place, and ibis process continues as long as conditions are tavoureffective treatment, for scab consists in the application of some material that wilt prevent spore germination. Necessarily, (lie application must bo made before infection takes place, and is of a preventive rather than a curative nature. Copper and sulphur are poisonous to fungi, and if either of these subs!slices are present op the foliage in sufficient quantities, the same water which would produce spore germination also dissolves enough of the fungicide to kill the spores. Early scab while the trees are in bloom or just before the blossoms open. I*or tne full-bloom application the Bordeaux mixture is the best, but lime-sulphur solution may bo used on the bursting buds with equally good effect.' Attacks can only be prevented by spraying while tho trees arc an bloom or jnst before the blossoms open, her the full-bloom-application the Bordeaux mixture is best hut lime-sulphur solution may be used on'the bursting buds with equally good MAKING PEARS FRUIT.

.Mr If. (.’alders. Wanganui, write*: “Thai old adage “Plant . pears lor jour heirs, which I saw mentioned m, an article, can ha nil v he applied to up-to-date pear culture. The "following treatment, of a young pc.u tree, if carefully carried out, mil insure.a crop as nearly as early as an apple. Irani tlio pear on the same principle us an apple, but instead of cutting out the lateral growth or shortening them as in pruning me apple, select those growths of the eurren.. season which are either weak' or hare a horizontal tendency and bend them so us to form (semicircles, tying the ends to the mam branch, any surplus or strong upright growing Intends cut clean away. The primer needs to shorten the terminal growths ot me brandies sufficiently so as to 'Ua goodie number of weak laterals hunting next season. This treatment is continued for a season or two, when it will ne found that, the tree will bear of its own accord. The tving of the laterals causes a stop in Hie circulation of the sap at. each head °f ll,l growth, consequently causing a hud to nuist. When the spur is formed from this bn. cut the lateral back to that spur. .Should the growths be too brittle to bend as described, two laterals, one from each neigl - hour mg •brunch, niay.be bent low aids one. another and the ends tied together, binging the bark. etc.,, of young pear frees to make them baar quicker is as ridiculous as it .s harmful.