FARMING NOTES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 258, 22 December 1914, Page 1

FARMING NOTES.

The "Agricultural Gazette" of New South Wales considers the sweet potato to be a better crcp to grow for pigs on the North Coast than artichokes. While six to eight tons per acre would be considered a good crop of artichokes, yields of 22 tons per acre have been recorded of sweet potatoe, and the average may be set down at from 1C to 11 tons The vine of the «weet potatoe mav be fed to cows or pigs with perfect saftty, and when the crop is fed off the lops and tubers make a better balanced ration than the roots alone. The Bweet potato can also be stored much more satisfactorily than the artichoke. As far as actual food value of the roots is concerned the artichokes holds the first place; its albuminid ratio being 1.7, while that of the sweet potato is 1.17, and the ordinary potato 1.8.

Dressings of slag are always of advantage to clover, but to get the full benefit the slag should be applied ' to the grain crop in which the clover is sown. Although it will certainly do good and give a paying result to apply slag to clovers the same season a& that in which they are to be mown, it is much better to apply it the year in which the seeds are sown, either at or before sowing time, or soon after the corn harvest. By applying scwt. per acre to the com crop in which the clover is sown both crops get the benefit, so that two increases are obtained from the one dressing. Further, it may be noted that, although no cure for clover sickness haa yet been discovered, it is seldom seen in soils containing an abundance of phosphates and lime, both of which substances are supplied by basic slag.

More than sixty years ago this had been noticed by the late Sir John Lawes, and in one of his earliest papers on "Turnip Culture," in 1847, be wrote "whether or not superphosphate of lime owes much of its effect to its chemical action on the soil, it is certainly true that it causes a much enhanced development of the underground collective apparatus of the plant, especially of lateral and fabious root. To what extent this stimulus to root growth is brought about by other sources of phosphoric acid, and under diverse conditions of soil, has not yet been worked out, but there can be little doubt but that it explains why a pbusphatic manuring has such a valuable effect in establishing the plant, even if the gross yield is not ultimately much enhanced. . . . It may be noted that the two crops which must respond to phosphatic manuring, turnips and barley, are both possessed of shallow roots, confined to a comparatively limited layer of soil; whereas under ordinary farming conditions wheat responds very little to phogpnoric.acid and mangels hardly ac all, both being deep rooted plants.

In replying to a toast at a smoke concert at Manaia tbe other evening, Mr E. Long made some caustic criticisms ot some phases of the dairying business. There seemed to be a general idea, he said, that it a boy or young fellow was not fitted for anything else, he should be made a dairy farmer, but he would like to say that it took a clever. man to make a success of dairy farming nowadays at the present price of land. Then, as to the breeding of cows. He considered the method tbey had been following for some time, especially since the Jersey Berd Book had come into vogue, was the greatest of mistakes, and.that actually the cows, regarded from a milk-produc-ing point of view, were going back. Speaking more particularly of four or five years ago, what happened was this: A small farmer would go to a sale and buy a purebred Jersey. Perhaps he had not so mucb money •s some other man, but could pay £4O or £SO for a cow just because she had a pedigree. When he came to milk her he would fiud that she gave hardly enough to feed her calf, but, having paid so much for the cow, he could not afford to discard

her, eo the calf was reared and so.'d to someone else, ard bo the thmu went on continually, And the trouble was intensified in regard t > bull calves. Something should b; done to prevent this being continued, to the general injury of dairy herds.

IMPROVING THE DAIRY HERD -TESUNG INDIVIDUAL COWS

The question of testing individual cows is an important one, and i-n many countries, including New Zealand, its widespread benefits have already been clearly demonstrated. A farmer milking 30 cows, producing 250 gallons on a 4 per cent butter-lat average per annum, will secure 30001bs of butter-fat whereas if only 29 cows, each yielding 4000 gallons per annum, were kept, the herd on a 4 per cent butter-fat test, would produce 32001b* of butter-fat. Not only would less labour be required in milking and attending to the smaller number of cows, but better attention as regards feeding could be given them. The only reliable method to apply for the purpose of raising the standard of the average yield of our dairy stock is the testing of dairy cows. By the adoption of such a system it is easy to see that the farmer would be in a position tu know which cow of his herd it paid him best to keep.

Results in Denmark

It is interesting to note what testing in this way has done for the Danish dairy farmer; records of a fairly accurate nature being thus secured of the yields of milk and butter-fat. The information thus made available has proved exceedingly effective in inducing the dairy farmer to adopt improved methods of breeding, feeding and culling of dairy cows. At the time the first Test ing Association was formed, in 1895, the value ot the butter exported from Denmark was less than £3.000,000. In 1501, when over 300 of these associations had been established over the country, the value of the butter exported was nearly £6,000,000, or an increase of nearly 90 per cent in six years; and at present Denmark exports dairy produce to the value of £J1,000,000. This enormous increase, it is generally conceded, was for the greater part due to the work of the Testing Associations in weeding out the unprofitable cows, whereby the average production of the milking cows was increased. The cost of keeping the yearly records was shown by the reports of the testing societies to be from Is Sd to 28 6d per cow, while the increased return per cow as a result of the five years' testing was from 25a to £3 per annum. This rate of increase must be deemed to be eminently satisfactory, and the extraordinary increase in trie number of societies in Denmark proves how highly their work is appreciated. Bow The Test Is Made.

With proper arrangements, recording tbt weight and test require but very little time. With a milk sheet properly ruled, and with tbe names or number of tbe cows, together with the day of the month placed on it, a pencil hanging to a string, and a spring balance, all conveniently located in tbe bail where tbe milking is done, the milkers will be able to record the amount of milk at each milking in a few seconds. Each sheet could be made out for one month. At the end of the month tbe figures could be totalled, and at the end of tbe year one could tell the exact amount of milk and butter-fat each cow bad produced. Once or twice a month one day's rrorning's and evening's milk should be tested, as the test of the milk is liable to vary from time to time. But a test taken, say, two days in each month, and this taken as the average of the month, will approximate at the end of the year verv closely to tbe actua 1 amount ui butter-fat the cow produced during that period.

'Juesswork i 3 of co u?e in ascertaining the value of the dairy cow. Systematic recording of Hie weight of milk anl testing is the only true method of relieving the hrd cf the robber?, or toarders. When testing societies have been in force for two or time years, a pedigree bull of gocd milking etrain fcas been uted, and the heifers of the best cows kept, the improvement of the herd should be accelerated.

Any number of pedigree bulls, with a greater or less number of prizes to their credit, can be obtained, but to find a breeder who can give a complete dairy record of the dam and granddam is another matter; yet such a system is what is required if we are to build up herds with any degree of certainty. If certificates were issued to purebred cows producing 2501b of butier-fat and giving the kind of bull she was bred to, it would make it far easier for anyone desiring to improve his herd to kr.ow where to make his purchases. Not pnly c'oes the daily record of milk act as a guide to the treatment of the cows as regards feeding, etc, but it also enables the herdsman to immediately notice any irregularity in health etc. It is also the means of promoting healthy rivalry among the milkers, who become quite interested in the daily amount of milk each cow produces. In Denmark the testing has proved of such benefit to the dairy farmers that before awarding a prize at the show the yield of milk and butter-fat is taken into account.

Show testing, in my opinion, is ot do vital value, in so far as the yield of milk and butter-fat returns of a cow are concerned. Such cows are under test for a couple of days only, and the point which the dairy farmer desires to know is what the cow yields in milk and butler for the year; a sprint, as it were, gives no indication to the cow's yearly record. It would be far preferable tu give prizes for the best herds. Some dairymen have cows which they think are most profitable because they give a large amount of milk. This may be bo, but many a dairyman has found after using the scales and test that the cow which he thought best does not pay for her feed, or, at best, is not the moat ecnomical milker. The one he thought unprofitable is probably one of the best. Many dairymen will ask how to keep' systematic records. The only things necessary are the scales and record sheets. All milking buckets should be of the same weight and the spring balances set at zero; this will obviate the necessity of deducting the weight of the bucket each time a cow's milk is recorded. Increased Yield.

It is nut too mucb to say that by the establishment of testing societies the average yield of cur dairy cows will, within a period of four years, have bten increased from the present ion standard ot 260 gallons tu 400 gallons. There is no other method whereby the true value can be arrivtd at than by keeping records. All estimates and guesses miss the mark aid are absolutely unreliable. Such recording brings many surprises to tbe most experienced dairymen. The sottish Commissioners in their report state that scientific breeding and culling on milk record lines have enabled tbe farmer in Denmark to reduce the cost of produciig a pound of butter by 3d. len years' experience of it in Scotlacd has put hundreds of pounds into the pockets of those keeping records.

Among the results t the practice of keeping records are: (1) It enables one to know the profits obtained from each cow; (2) it aids in building up the herd; (3) it aids the buyer in selecting dairy stock; (4) it increases the selling value of the stock; (5) it adds to the value f the pedigree of an individual beast; (G) it is the means of encouraging more interest in the dairying business; (7) it stimulates instant inquiry if cows are not thoroughly milked out; (8) it is tbe means of frequently calling attention to impending Bickness; (9) it is the only way to lead to success in dairying. It will, of course, become necessary to reject a great number of stock after the first year's trial. These cows should be speyed, as this will obviate the danger of other dairymen buying them for the purpose of Luilding up their herds. This is the only fair method to employ, as otherwise these rejected animals would be submitted to auction, with the result that dairymen would possibly buy for their herds cows which have been proved worthless as milk and butter producers. Cow testing is distinctly and immediately of value to factory, for directly a dairyman begins testing cows individually he commences to take more interest in the herd, and is likely to supply not only" more but tar better quality milk or cream. Once the dairyman bestows the necessary and all-important attention to the raw product it will certainly be in the interests of managers to tollow this matter up and make it a point to interest every dairyman io cow testing.