THE DAIRY COW.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 2, Issue 116, 5 August 1913, Page 4

THE DAIRY COW.

About Her Winter FeedAnd General Treatment. Followirg up our article on "winter dairying" for this district we have been asked to reprint the following article, by Primrose McConnell, which appeared in a r;cert issue of the Journal of Agriculture:—

Ihe feeding of the dairy cow is of the greatest importjnee, End it is essential that every dairy-farmer give the matter cartful study in order tj determine the system which is most suitable for the locality in which he is fa*mirg—a system which should bj not merely with the object of producing the highest results regardless of co-t, but or.e which will produce the maximum of result at a minimum of ccst.

Pefora touching on thy food question I would just like to say a little on o .e or two other points which in my opi ion are of the utmost importarce in the sucessful management of the dairy herd. I consider the first question every dairy farmer should ask hims?lf is, "Do my cowa pay for all the too J lh-:y consuma £nd yield a little profit es well, er are some f.f 'hem mirely 'toarders'?"

Wten we take into consideration th« fact that in New Zealand the average butter-fat yield per ccw per annum 13 only about 1601b, it is e:sy to leilisa that a very large number of cows are being kepi at an absolutely dead loss to the farmer, and that in many instances the profit realised from cows of high milking-capacitv is completely wiped out by the loss incuried through keeping "boardeis." It is alio important to grasp the fact that no amount cr kird of extra feeding will make the "boardit" * pay—in fact, tte more she is fed the greater will be the lus3; while, on the other hand, the cow of great milking-capacity will give a good return for liberal treatment in the matter cf feeding. No, the only way which will enable t':e farmer to determine between the profitable and tha unjrofitable cow is by the use of the scales and the Babcock or other tester; and, depend upon it, the use of these will afford m<*ny a surprise, as it will be found that the co» or cows which previous to testing were considered to be the best may prove to be second-rate only —indsed, much inferior to others which may have been cet down as being the least profitable of the herd. Speaking from my own experience, I am also quite certain that as soon as testiag is commenced the interest in the herd increases; ard the same applies to employees, if they are worth their sale. The farmer will find himself more willing to carry out by every means within his rower that which will t.nd to produce a go:d all-round result; in fact, it will make dairyirg a much greater pleasure to him than it prevku-ly has be;n. As soon as the "boarders" have been detected, cull without mercy. Perhaps the farmer may plead that he cannot buy other cows to fill their places; but is he not better off with twenty cows, all of which give a pood profit, than with forty, twtnty of which are kept at a Ioes? and, as I previously stated, the loss on the one half may completely wipe out the profit on the other half,

Many farmers do r.ot know whether their cows are being worked profitably or not; many say that it is too much trouble to keep records, and that it do;s net pay for the time spent over it. On the other hand, every farmer who has tested his cows and culkd the unprofitable ones knows that it does pay and that it is very little trcuble. It is blind policy to simply total up the proceeds at the end of the season and, divide the result by the number of cows; it gives no idea whatever of the possibilities of a herd Perhaps one of the most important questions a dairymen can ask himself i\ "In the matter of breeding am I adopting the best means of building a high-class h.rd?" O.ie thing is very certain—you cannct afford to buy scrub bulls at so-manv shillings per leg. When you have made an independent fortune you can afford to indulge yourselves in that direction, but cot beftre, Whuther you have to big, borrow, or steal him, procure a high-bred sire from a wellkr.own milking strain, and you are

cn the direct rotd tu success. I am not advocating any special treed—that is for the farmer to decide; but 1 do advise, once a hreeel has been chosen, to stick to it thrcugh (hick and thin. No good permanent iesult has ever been obtained through crcssir.g ard recmsfing—it is t!.e direct roai to the Bankruptcy Court; and in my opinion it is much easier to improve a breed than to manufacture one. We are in no need of n:w breeds; nut we are in gieatneed of mure geed individuals of the existing breeds. It may be b°tter to have a go:d animal of unknown breeding than a common ped'gree arirosl, but it is a fact that in order to produce the best animals we must stick to some one bre:d ar.d use sires of the desired type of this particular breed continuously. When it has to be admitted that, even when exerc:si;g U.e greatest care in the choice of a sire, the results are sometimes disappointing, it can safely be concluded that to breed from an animal simply because it happens to bo of the male sex. or to buy animals in the open market siraply because they happen tn be of the female tex, can enly lesd to disaster. Proper feedirg and care of the young bull as well as the cow must not be overlooked, as it is of the utmost importance, and if bred for sale the half-starved animal will be only a scrub in the eves of the public.

There is yet another impoitant point which 1 must mention—namely, gentle treatment. The very be6t feeding, if accompanied by a kirk and a growl, will not induce a cow to yield to her utmost capacity. As a matter of fact, a cow that is abused in any shape or form will yield milk of less quantity and poorer quality than if she were treated with gentleness, and exhaustive experiments recently carried cut ii America proved this up to the hilt. The man who kicks or otherwise 111-treats » cow should be flogged without mercy. A reasonable amount of shelter is also necessary, otherwise some of the nerve force which would be spent in the production of milk is spent in maintainng the heat of the body. It will be generally agreed, I am convinced, that the above recommendations are inseparable frcm, ard matt, indeed, go hand-in-hand with, good feeding if the best results are to be obtained from dairy herds. It is a well known fact 'hat the milk and fcutter-Jat yielding capacity of breeds of cows and of individuals is hereditary, and that this natural function can be artificially developed only to a limited extent. This, of course, applies more 10 the butter-fat than to the milk yield for the quantity of th.e latter may undoubtedly be increased by certain systems of freeing; but ro system of feeding will appreciably increase the percentage of butter-fat. Liberal winter feeding the dairy cow is undoubtedly of the utmost importance acd it is a deplorable fact that a number of cows in New 2 aland die in winter through starvation. It is absolutely essential that th<3 cow should reach her period of lactation in fit and thiscamot bj accomplished on bare winter pasture alone. Having a arge stomach-capacity, the cow requires a bulky feed. This should be of two classes, a succulent feed and a dry ore. The combination may consist of rcots and hav mangels and lucerne for choice. The amount necessary for an in-calf cow will depend on the breed and size. The average cow will consume 101b of bay and from 201b to 301b of mangels. A good supply of mangels i 3 invaluabl. 1 , and no other food is more succes-ful in stimulating the milk-flow. For the best results a limited quantity should le catted to the erass paddock daily. To turn cows into a mangel-psddock, thereby wasting about as much as they consume, is, in my opinicn, the very worst policy. Even with a supply of good bay alone a herd of cows may fce very successfully brought thrjugh the winter; but something more succulent is required when the cows calve eatly, in order to stimulate the rc;lk flow. For this purpose nothing is betier than the mangel. In a repjrt on last year's mangel crop that appeared in the "Journal" I made some strong statements as tJ the vane of the crcp to this farm, and the results that 1 might expect form its use. It is satisfactory to be able to state that the results immediately obtained, and the results still being indirectly obtained, have more than justified every statement then made. In calculating the cost of any farm crop we ate too apt to look on the immediate results only, and forget that every farm operation we carry out affects cot only the present but must affect the future, and that It is a step either in the direction of Euccess or failure, apart from the bearing it may have on the present circumstances. For this reason it is always unwise to judge of the profit obtained through any farm operation by immediate results only. There is no doubt a3 to the value of quick returns, but if it is the farmer's intention (as it should be) to eettle down and permanently improve a farm, in every operation carried out lie should have an eye to the future. « (To be continued.)