FARM AND DAIRY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 25, 22 September 1931, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY

NOTES FOR THE FRQDUCER. Better Farming. The great support being accorded to herd-testing is having the splendid effeet of eneoqraging fariners to makei better provision of food for their cattle. And with cows coming in earlier every year, winter and early spring food is becoming more important. In South Auckland, good milkproducing grass at these seasons of the years is being provided by means of nitrogen. But many are finding out that nitrogen is not a miracleworker, in fact it is a waste of money using it unless the pasture is good and the land is well supplied with phos- ■ phote and lime. Those who are obtaining good results-from nitrogen have fairly good soil carrying a pasture which contains a high percentage of perennial ryegrass and who are liberal users of lime and phosphate. Some who have found that their results from nitrogen are not equal to those of their neighbours, and, realising it is because they have not the right ryegrass, are either ploughing up their pastures or heavily discing them and seeding with certified perennial ryegrass. Under rotational and close grazing, the ordinary ryegrass has no opportunity to reseed itself and so goes out. Thus under the intensive system the pasture may actually decline in value unless the ryegrass of the pasture is of a leafy persistent strain.

Pig Recording. It is stated that a grant from the Meat Control Board has made possible a continuation of pig-recording work in South Auckland. This is decidedly good news as it is only when litters are actually weighed and reeorded from month to month that definite knowledge can be secured on which to base successful producing methods. Already pig-recording work has shown that by means of the creep system (giving some food to the litter which the sow cannot reach) and decent management, litters averaging 401b weight can be produced at eight weeks, and that at 16 weeks these pigs can be depended upon to weigh two and a half times as much, or about 1001b. In other words, with good parents, good management, and the creep system ideal porkers can be produced with either skim-milk or whey and 11b concentrates (costing ld) a day — meat meal and pollard. Important work in front of pig recording is the discovery of the desirable strains of the different breeds. At present the Large White, the most desirable boar, is not being taken up as it should be because of the many bad strains of the breed in this eountry. The Royal Show. The Auckland people are very indignant at the decision of the Royal Agricultural Society to hold its nl'xt show at Palmerston North. Certainly from a dairy cattle viewpoint Auckland has big claims to another Royal. When the Royal was held at Auckland in 1926 the entries of pedigree dairy cattle numbered 444. The next best entry in this section was at Invercargill in 1929, when there were 365 entries. At the Palmerston North Royal of 1924 there were 295 entries, and in 1928, when the Royal was again held at Palmerston North, the entries were 238. Christchurch had 278 entries in 1925 and 249 in 1927. Last year, when the Royal was held at Hastings, there were only 162 entries of pedigree dairy cattle. A Dominion Record. The extent to which the productive standard of New Zealand dairy cattle is being raised is strikingly exemplified by the yields of three junior two-year-old Jersey heifers which have all in the one season broken a Dominion record that has stood for several years. With the steady improvement in the butterfat ability of our cattle, it is only natural that fresh records should be from time to time created, but for one record to be broken in three different places in the same season is a happening absolutely unique. A short time ago the Auckland owned J ersey heif er, Coniston Goldie, the property of Mr. R. Waterhouse, Papakura,, gained a great dual success by capturing the New Zealand championship of her breed for a junior two-year-old and the premiere of all breeds with the remarkables return of 7421b fat. No sooner had the Papakura owned heif er completed her splendid record than along came. two other youngsters that, while just failing to reach her figures, both exceeded the record of 7311b fat that for many years has stood as the New Zealand record. The first of this pair was Ashton Olive's Pet, the property of Mr. R. L. Parkin, of Bell Block, Taranaki, which produced no less than 7371b fat. Actually this heifer yielded more than her Auckland rival, who, however, had an advantage in test. To have actually exceeded the previous New Zealand record by approximately 61b fat and then to have to take only second place among the heifers of the year was certainly hard luck for the Bell Block breeder. Unlucky also is Mr. A. L. Hooper, of Waitara, whose splendid little heifer, Bridgeview Jersey Queen, also smashed the old record by giving 734 Jb fat, to take only third place among the great junior two-year-olds of the year. With the exception of the last four of five weeks, Coniston Goldie was milked only twice a day, but the records of Ashton Olive's Pet and Bridgeview Jersey Queen are even more creditable by virtue of the fact that they were milked only twice a day right through the period of their respective tests.

North of England Markets. • One of the most important developments in the dairy industry of recent years is the direct supply of our butter and cheese to North of England markets through the Manchester Ship Canal. Practically the. whole of our produce has been going to London, and the Danes have had a monopoly of northern markets. Now at last our produce is being actively introdnced to the great manufaeturing cities. This must help us considerably in the disposal of our increasing output.