FARM NOTES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 702, 30 November 1933, Page 3

FARM NOTES

A FUNDAMENTAL WEAKNESS IN EARLY SUMMER FEEDING. OOM3PARATIVE FOOD VALUES. The most important and the most common weakness of the feeding dur- , ing early summer of "wet" stock, in- | cluding sows and ewes as well as dairy cows, arises not so much in the quantity as in the quality of the'feed (says the Agricultural Journal). It is not kept in mind enough ,that the • bulk or weight of some of the most important summer crops is not at all a reliable criterion of their nutritive ■ value, This applies especially to such crops as grass pastures, green lucerne, green maize, and green millet. I The general position may be indicated by considering the faets relative to pastures — the most important !of all crops. While a given quantity of green pasture growth consists prineipally of wa.ter, its feeding value is governed by the nature of th'e residue which is called the dry ma.tter, this being what would remain if all the water were removed. The naI ture of the dry matter of the pasture of any one field is not necessarily constant or fixed, but may vary greatly within a short period of time, and depends upon whether th'e grass is maintained in a relatively short leafy condition or allowed to become stemmy and productive of flower heads. The dry matter of lucerne, green maize, and similar leafy crops varies likewise. The suitability of stock feeds for any particular purpose depends mainly upon their content of mineral matter, which is required for bone and milk formation, their content of protein, which is required for flesh and milk production, and their digestibility. The Leafy Stage. The comparative feeding value of leafy crops and o'f stemmy crops at a stage of development corresponding to that at which pastures are commonly cut for hay is indicated by the following facts: (1) The dry matter to leafy pasture growth contains approximately twice as much phosphate and lime as the same amount of dry matter from corresponding herbage at the hay stage; (2) the dry matter of the pasture in the leafy stage contains approximately two and a half times as much prbtein as it would at the hay stages. (3) about 80 per ctnt. of the dry matter of leafy pasture is digestible, whereas only from, 40 to 50 per cent. of a similar pasture in the hay stage is digestible. The importance in feeding practice of these three facts lies in1 the further fact that the rations of wet stock frequently fall short of requirements in respect of their mineral content, their protein content, and their digestibility. The feeding value of typical leafy pasfture growth is indicated comparatively by the fact that its dry matter is practically identical with that of the valuable standard concentrate, linseed cake. Tt is to be noted that to say this is not the same as saying that 1001b of leafy pasture is practically equal in feeding value to 1001b of linseed cake. Although equal weights of the dry matter of these feeds are almost identical in feeding value, there is much more dry matter and much less water in 1001b of linseed cake than in the same weight of leafy grass, which is therefore of much smaller feeding value — ' about 51b of leafy grass equals 11b of linsbed cake. The essential nature of the nutritive properties of leafy grass may be expressed substantially from the practical viewpoint by saying that it is a dilute high-class concentrate of the type particularly suited to the needs of wet stock, and fitted in a general wia.y to function in our animal nutrition as linseed cake has done in other countries. At first sight the difference in bulkiness of these two feeds, in spite of the analogous nature of their dry matter, anight seem sufficient to necessitate radically different roles for them in stock feeding, but it has to be remembered that a dry food such as linseed has first of all to become thoroughly moistened in the stomach prior to digestion, and in this it will take up water and undergo swellingActual tests have shoiwn that in doing this linseed cake swells to more than three times its bulk when dry, and thereupon approximates leafy pasture growth bulk for bulk.These considerations assist in emph'asising the need for practising methods of crop utilisation which will result in leafy herbage high in essential nutritive substances and h:gh in •digestibility being fed to wet stock. Especially in respect to pastures is this matter of current moment, and for information about the means of securing and maintaining pastures in the desirable leafy condition, as far as is practicable, reference may be made to these notes in last month's number of th'e Journal. It is pro'bable that more care would be .taken in the summer feeding of wet stock were it fully realised how the feed requirements of stock producing large quantities of milk differ in points of practical importance from the feed requirements of stone or of fiattening stock. The store animal is" less exacting in respect to protein and mineral content and to digestibility than the milking animal, and while the fattening animal calls for digestibility its daily utilisation of nutriment is les sextensive and its protein and mineral requirements are much smaller. In brief, successful handling of wet stock necessitates a high'er class of feed than that of other' iypes of stock — feed bettcr than is often provided. And in summer the key to high* quality in most of our feed is leafiress. ..... The Place of Hay and Silage. Much unsound opinion is current about the place to be given hay and silage. For instance, hay is at times preferred to silage on the score of the relatively heavy waste that necessarily oecurs in ensilage. This opinion arises primarily because much of the loss which occurs in ensilage ^^jmi^irominenU

curs in haym'aking, such as that due ' to leaching by rain, is largely invisible. As accurate comparative measurements of the losseS have not been made in New 'Zealand it is necessary to rely on overseas comparisons, Which are instruetive. For instance, in German investigations the following lQsses of yield were noted: H'ay dried on ground, 23.6 per cent.; hay^ dried on frames, 11.6 per cent.; silage well made, 7.4 per cent. That the losses in hay in these investigations were not abnormal seems to be indicated by the fact that in other invesitigations losses of from 20 to 5-2 per cent. were noted. At times greater losses than specified above undoubtedly take place in ensilage, but even so it would seem that ensilage compares more favourably with haymaking in respect to wastage than the readily visible losses would suggeSt. It is seldom advisable that ensilage should wholly replace haymaking. One reasori for this is that on most farms special crops such as mangels, swedes, etc., should find a place, and hay of good quality is normally a better complementary feed to crops -of this class than is silage. But ensilage warrahts greater attention than many give it because (1) it enables pastures and other suitable growth to be saved in good condition with the minimum of waste, irrespective of weather conditions; (2) it enables cutting of these crops to take place at the stage which is best in •respect to the quality of the silage and the future development of the crop — a fact which is of great practical importance because the betet stage of cutting frequently is reaehed when weather conditions may be expected to be unfavoura'ble for haymaking. Cutting as early as possible, consistent with proper curing, reacts favourably in two distinct ways upon the quality of the silage — Firstly, the green material right from the start is more digestible and better balanced in its supply of nutritive material; and, secondly, the less mature material is less likely to develop in curing the high temperatures that are deleterious to quality. In overseas investigations a very he-avy loss of digestible protein oc~ curred in silage in which a temperature of 158 degrees F. occurred in the stack. While this temperature is unusually high the consequenees of it serve to indicate the downward trend in quality associated with high temperatures. There is some evidence that excellent results ;are obtained at temperatures in the vicinity of 100 degrees F., at which a silage greenish and in texture little changed from the original green material is obtained. The very high loss of digestible protein that was associated with the high temperature mentioned would be markedly serious in silage fed to wet stock of high production, which especially need heavy supplies of digestible protein. The leafy aftermath that develops relatively quickly on early-mown fields, and that becomes available at a season when leafy feed is lik;ely to be needed, and that becomes available at a eason when leafy feed is likely to be needed acutely, is a weighty consideration in favour of silage from material mown early. Apart from excessively high temperatures, two of the most serious •and common causes of loss of nutriment in silage are insufficient consolidation iof green material in pits and trenches, and covering of the store d material with less weight than is needed to reduce the air in the material suffxciently. Haymaking. Primarily because of the occurrence of unfavourable weather at the time when herbage is at the best stage for mowdng much' of the hay saved each year is of inferior quality, being too mature and woody. Late morwing is also disadvantageous, because it tends to lead to weakening and opening up of the sward, and militates against a satisfactory aftermath at ithe time when it is most greatly needed. Because so many advantages attach to cutting ha.y at the proper stage, it is advisable to consider fully all measures which will enable this to be done. One of these measures is cocking. lOver much of the. Dominion it is doubtful if a heavy hay crop can be well saved at the right stage without cocking. Cocking, which proves particurly valuable in the sa.ving of good quality lucerne and clover hay, is to be looked upon as the ideal method when the weather is not altogether reliable. In stacking much can be done towards securing good quality hay. The site should be well drained and not unduly shaded in a way which will ' remove the drying influence of winds. There should be an ample supply of suitable material — such as posts, rails, or branches of trees — to form a stack bottom. So that the noof will be small in proportion to the amount ' of hay a high stack is desirable, provided it is not m?de so high as to lead to unduly heavy work in its final stages. Pvelativdy long narrow stacks are often to bs preferred, 'because they faciltate drying and eooling of the material. Workers should not stand for long on one place on the stack, for this would . cause uneven settling'. If broken weather occurs just after an ar-ea has been mown, it should, within reason, be left undisturbed until good weather has returned.^ Handling of mown material makes it more ■subject to the washing out of ^ nutritive matter by subsequent rain. If bad weather seems likely, cocking should be hastened— Jthe amount of leaching- is governed by the amount of rain which washes the herbage, and the amount of rain which falls on the area occupied by the coclcs_ is necessarily much less than that which falls on the area occupied by the swathes.