AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3685, 1 September 1927, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

Let calves have all the fresh water they will drink. It is surprising the quantity even calves a few weeks old will take. » Inheritance of dairy qualities, as shown by milk records, does not appear to be nearly so strong as the inheritance of beef characteristics. When a man is seen struggling with a plough, it is generally because it is not set properly, and if not the plough should n tohavc been purchased. The farmer who is so short-sight-ed that he cannot plan his operations months and years in advance, is not apt to make even a moderate success of the purebred live stock business. 'The length of time a calf should be fed on skim-milk will depend somewhat on the amount available, but wherever possible it is wise to feed some on skim-milk until the calf is six months! old. It is probable that a cow requires between three and four gallons of water for every gallon of milk provided. It depends upon the quantity and quality of the succulents provided. iSueh manures as blood and bone mixture, bone meal, farmyard or other organic manures, are best applied during the winter months, if the full benefit is to be obtained the following season. It is best to plough the land as 'soon as one crop has 'been utilised, giving as long a period as possible before sowing the next. If necessary, a second ploughing will then be able to be given.

By scientific feeding the quantity of milk produced by an individual cow can be increased and in the majority of cases the cows can be fed much cheaper than when the rationing is done by guesswork. There are i. 40 million head of cattle in India. The United iStates has the second greatest quantity with 65 million,* and the Argentine comes next with a, total of 40 million. The use of purebred sires and the selection of brood sows that will produce and raise large litters and the building up of the herd by proper selection increase producing. The eyes of cattle are an infallible barometer of health, a study of which is often amply rewarded. Watery or dull eyes of calves and cattle in general are always a sign that the beast is “off colour,” and usually in danger of a chill, if nothin<r worse. Ophthalmia, or inflammation of the eyes, is easily detected by a copious flow of tears. Also the membranes become red ami inflamed, and eventually a film forms over the eye. This condition usually points to the presence ,of foreign bodies, such as hay seeds or oat chaff. Yellow membranes of the eyes probably indicate ,an attack of jaundice, and eyes which discharge a lot of thick matter may condemn their owner as a tubercular suspect. To the sympathetic, intuitive mind, says a writer in t ie Farm and Ranch Review, the twitching nerves in a beast’s eye are significant that the animal is sufterhm The eyes of a cow suffering from milk fever roll about a good deal at first, later to become fixed or staving, without focus, and in a bad case finally insensible to touch.