THE FARM.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 35, 12 June 1924, Page 4

THE FARM.

A GOOD AUTUMN. The autumn of the past dairy]nr; season has been as great for production as the spring* was poor, and what the farmers lost just after the sea.cn commenced was more than made up as a result of the favourable conditions which prevailed during* March, April and even right up to the end of May. The cows kept on milking, many giving large amounts of butterfat even during the month of May. Many of the farmers could still be milking a great number of their cows but they recognise that producing animals must be given a spell and the cows had to be dried off. The co’d weather at the beginning and at the middle of last week, however, was the cause of a sudden drop in the milk yields. It is stated that in many cases the butterfat production during May was almost equal to that of April, and as an instance a farmer with a herd of 08 (mostly heifers from Taranaki) stated that his April butterfat totalled: 23001 b and for May it was approximately 20001 b. STOCKYARD MANURE. Most farmers realise the value of stockyard manure to the pastures but many do not make use of it as too much hard work is entailed in taking* it out to the paddocks. During the present period of wet weather the mud is usually thick in the stockyards, and this mud, which is well mixed with droppings, makes an admirable topdressing, and the labour involved is well repaid with the results given. THE BEST FARMERS. “ We find that the best farmers are those who have taken up their land without any previous farming - experience/’ was a remark made by one who has recently had a great to do with soldier settlers and has been on many soldiers’ farms during the past few months. This gentleman considered that his was by no means a wild statement to make. Although the farm knowledge was tacking, hard toil, perseverance and system counted for so much, each attribute combining so well with the other, that these men were eventually making the best settlers, better even than those who took- up their sections with a sound knowledge of what is required of a 1 farmer. With these latter men a proper system of doing things was lacking, and this is where the former has scored. SHOW RING AND -JERSEYS. “ The show ring is spoiling* the Jerseys,” was the statement of a Morrinsville farmer, who stated that many breeders were now sacrificing production for type in order to produce good show animals. DISHORNING CATTLE. T-he advantages of dishorning cattle are well known amongst farmers in this country, especially those whose business leads them to send frequent consignments of cattle by rail and road. Hornless cattle, besides taking up less space in transit, are conveyed with far less danger of injury than are fully-horned cattle. The Canadian Government has estimated that the loss to Canadian farmers due to cattle bruising in transit is no less than 2i million dollars per annum. Hornless cattle are also more docile, are more easily managed and fatten better.

In the operation of dishorning the law requires that if it is performed after the animal is one month old, and anaesthetic shall be used. The following easily effected substitute for dishorning is recommended for adoption in the case of very young animals, though great care should be taken with the caustic potash mentioned, as it is poisonous and must be kept in a safe place:— Clip the hair from the top of the horn when the calf is from two to five days old. Slightly moisten the end of a stick of caustic potash with water (or moisten the top of the horn bud) and rub the tip of each horn firmly with the potash for about a quarter of a minute, or until a slight impression has been made on the centre of the horn. The horns should be treated in this way from two to four times at intervals of five minutes. If, during the interval of five minutes after one or more applications, a little blood appears in the centre of the horn, it will then only be necessary to give another very slight rubbing with the potash. The operation is best performed when the calf is under five days old and should not be attempted after the ninth day. Caustic potash can be obtained from any chemist in the form of a white stick. When not in use it should be kept in a stoppered' glass bottle in a dry place, as it rapidly deteriorates when exposed to the air. One man should hold the calf while an assistant uses the caustic. i A piece of tinfoil or brown paper should be rolled round the end of the

stick of caustic potash, which is held by the fingers, so as not to injure the hand of the operator. The stick should not be moistened too much, or the caustic may spread to the skin around the horn and destroy the flesh. For the same reason the calf should be kept from getting wet for some days after the operation. Care should be taken to rub on the centre of the horn, and not round the side of it. BIG CATTLE MARROWS. Some good crops of kumi-kumi (cattle marrows) have been obtained' in the Putaruru district during the past season. It is recognised that they are something* of a risky crop, but the method adopted on Mr. D. J. Cu mining’s farm, Ta Papa road, Putaruru, of which Mr. H. A. Worthington is manager, involves practically no expense, but can give big results. In sowing his swede crop on December 15 last Mr. Worthington included a couple of handfuls of cattle marrow seed sent by Mr. Cummings. These were drilled in with the swedes over a big* knoll measuring* perhaps three or four acres and ploughed out of rough, heavy turf for the swede crop. Both swedes and marrows germinated fairly well, and flourished together. The mar-

rows were particularly vigorous and provided auxiliary feed for the herd on the farm, numbering over 40 cows, for April and May. Some enormous kumi-lcumis were included, measuring over two feet six inches in length and over three feet in girth, and to all appearances being quite as big as those exhibited at the Waikato Winter Show. The manure used in sowing this dual crop of swedes and marrows was about three cwt of turnip mixture to the acre, and the swedes apparently suffered but little, if at all, from the admixture of the marrows, which therefore really cost only the price of the two handfuls of seed. Potatoes are another crop which at times give excellent yields, and Mr. Walter Johnson, of Wiltsdown, reports that from a sowing of a hundredweight of seed last spring he obtained 17 cwt of well-developed table potatoes and six cwt of seed potatoes. He sowed the crop really to obtain potatoes for his own household, but five cwt covers this requirement, so that he had some 18 cwt to sell.