On the Land.

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 648, 27 April 1929, Page 30

On the Land.

Concrete in Fencing EXPERIENCE IN AUSTRALIA Gives Length of Service IX many parts of the Dominion to-day increasing difficulty is being experienced in obtaining fencing timber. In most parts it is expensive and, generally, not the quality of the timber available in the earlier days of settlement. Farmers to-day, therefore, are more and more inclined to look to new methods of fencing to provide greater economy and length of serviee. Thus, in many parts, concrete fencing posts are being viewed with greater favour.

CONCRETE fencing posts have verymany advantages. They are permanent and are not damaged by the most severe bush or grass tire; they are easy to handle, and they eliminate much of the labour necessary with wooden posts; they resist white ants and in a completed fence they make a good job which is pleasing to see. Perhaps their greatest advantage is that they are comparatively easy to make, and they are inexpensive. Concrete fencing posts have been generally adopted by farmers in South Australia, and the February issue of l he “Journal of Agriculture’’ of that State contains much helpful advice. For their manufacture it is first necessary to construct wooden moulds of the shape and size desired for the posts. The materials used are cement, sand, screenings, water, and reinforcements. Strong cement-con-crete work is produced only when the best cement is used, and, as the fencing posts should be made as light as possible, it is important that materials giving strength be used. Only fresh cement of high quality should be used for the work. Sharp sand binds better than sand w hich is water-worn and rounded, and care should be taken to see that it is free from clay, silt, or any organic matter which retards the proper setting. The screenings or crushed stone should contain no large pieces, because these will interfere with the placing of the reinforcements. The screenings should consist of crushed Pieces of really hard stone, such as quartzite, granite, or hard limestone. Only clean water which is free from clay or organic matter should be used. The presence of salt in the water injuriously affects the lasting qualities of the concrete. Because of its lack of tensile strength, concrete work needs reinforcing, and for this purpose iron is the most suitable material to use. The iron used should be stout enough to be rigid, and it must have no tendency to spring or stretch. To be fully effective it should have a rough surfaee, so that the cement may get a firm grip on it. Unless the tendency of the reinforcement to slip is overcome much of its value is lost. The mixture for the cement-concrete which has proved satisfactory for fencing posts made by the Department of Agriculture in South AuS-

tralia consists of two parts of lin crushed hardstone, two parts of tin to Jin crushed hardstone, two parts of clean sharp sand, which is not too fine, and one part of cement. The measured amount of crushed stone is spread in a ring on the mixing floor, and made wet with water, and then the mixture of sand and cement, which should previously have been mixed together in a dry state, is evenly distributed over it. The whole mass should then be thoroughly mixed together,.while water from a can or a hose with a fine spray is applied in sufficient quantity to bring it to the right consistency. No more material should be mixed at one time than can be used within half an hour. Concrete posts have not been

largely used in this Dominion, but there is no doubt that they could be utilised to great advantage for many farm requirements. It is all a question of cost, certainly, but it seems that they would make a considerably better substitute than many of the brands of iron standards at present on the market, and there can be little question that, for those prepared to take a long view, they will work out cheaper than much of the fencing timber now coming on the market.

BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS It has beeu known for quite a time that cert ain factors are transmitted crosswise—e.g., the milk-yielding capacity of a cow is transmitted through her male offspring to their female offspring, states an exchange. Something perhaps still more remarkable has been discovered regarding milk production. It has been found that: 1. In-breeding to a female relationship tends to decrease the quality and especially the quantity of milk produced. 2. In-breeding to male relationship tends to increase the quality and quantity of milk produced. This has been found to be true in about 80 per cent, of cases. Chance-breeding has been found to decrease the milk yield in even more than 80 per cent, of the cases. By malely-related in-breeding we mean the mating of a bull with a cow so related to him that their first common ancester was a bull —that is, one or more bulls must be repeated iu the pedigrees of both the cow and the bull. These repeated cow's or bulls may for obvious reasons be called links. Full relationships are made when the same bull and cow give -rise to the animals, through which the link is carried on. Here it may he stated that it has been found that breeding to the full relationship maintains the dam’s record in her female calves. These striking occurrences have*

been announced by Elizabeth Robertson in the Journal of Genetics, and notwithstanding the fact that more work is required firmly to establish them as facts, it is thought that the work done by Elizabeth Robertson is of such a nature that we can in the meanwhile rely on her results and breed for improvement of our herds on the lines advised by her. It does not require a prophet to foresee the great practical value of these announcements if they are proved to hold true under all circumstances — something which seems highly probable; and the sooner our breeders will make us,e of the available knowledge on this point, the sooner will our dairy cattle probably start on their way of improvement to the goal which has been so nearly reached by the beef breeders. MORE MANURES GREATER OUTPUT FROM NAURU Additions and extensions are being made to the phosphates plant at Nauru and Ocean Island to permit a further increase of output in the near future. According to the annual report of the British Phosphates Commission, tabled in the House of Representatives on March 22, the total output for the year ended June 30 wa£ 501,908 tons, of which 377,456 tons, or 75.20 per cent., were shipped to Australia and the remainder to New Zealand. The production showed a reduction of 93,000 tons on the previous year. In addition, the commissioners purchased and distributed in Australia 104,917 tons. Sales of phosphate amounted to £666,991, and the f.o.b. cost of £659,122 included £224,053 for interest at 6 per cent, upon the purchase price paid for the business by the British, Australian and New Zealand Governments, and the contribution toward a sinking fund for the redemption of capital in 50 years. AN IMPORTANT POINT THE LEG OF MUTTON In spite of all the fancy breed points that may be studied in sheep breeding, there is one outstanding fact that must never be forgotten, and that is the leg of mutton. Without a well let down leg of mutton no sheep is of much value to the butcher, for it is the leg that makes the best price and yields the best, profit. Some of our flockmasters are watching this point with great care, and are using rams that should sire lambs good in their docks and legs of mutton, for unlfess a sheep is well docVed it will never show that leg of mutton all butchers like to handle and all sheep breeders like to see. On the other hand, there are breeders that have grown just a wee bit careless as to this feature, and by getting the legs too long they have provided butcher and customer with too much waste, and, therefore, with joints that will not be in favour. At all costs the long legs should be eliminated, for it is the sheep that is close to the ground that makes money every time.—" Live Stock Journal.’’

Mr- mu REARING CALVES POSSIBILITIES OF MILK POWDER TESTS IN U.S.A. Tests recently made at tlie Pennsylvania agricultural experiment station in feeding 35 Friesian calves on skim milk powder revealed that this ration, while not quite as desirable as an abundance of skim milk fresh from the separator, nevertheless offers real possibilities to the dairy farmer who sells whole milk at good prices, and raises heifers from his own cows for replacement purposes. For the first two weeks the calves received milk from their respective dams. - Then the amount of whole milk was cut down gradually, and replaced with “reconstituted" skim milk made by mixing lib of dry milk powder with 91b of warm water, the amount of which in turn was reduced while the calf was fed increasing amounts of a dry grain ration, including milk powder. Up to four months of age, when the use of milk powder was discontinued entirely, the proportion of this ingredient was reduced, so that the animals received more and more of their nourishment from grain—an important point in the economy of the plan. Mixed hay of good quality was allowed the calves at all times, and a small amount of silage was fed after four months. Pure lucerne or clover hay showed a tendency to produce scours. One group of 12 calves made average daily gains of 1.361 b, and were

96.7 per cent, normal in size at six months of age. At one year, when they had been off grain, and on pasture for six months, their average weight was above normal. They received dry skim milk until 115 days old, when they had consumed 1951 b of the powder and 1201 b of whole milk. Ten calves in a second group received' 641 b of milk powder until 146 days old, when their average daily gain was I.llb, as compared with 1.41 b normal. At 327 days old they were only 94 per cent, normal in weight, but their failure to “make the grade" was attributed partly to the presence of pneumonia. They received only 561 b of milk powder up to 111 days of age, and weighed only 3811 b, as compared with 5041 b normal when 303 days old. It was concluded that 751 b of milk powder will raise a satisfactory calf at reasonable cost, ‘though pure breeders probably would prefer to feed more. Success of the plau depends, however, on minimum feeding. The mixture recommended for starting on a dry mixture is 55 parts of yellow maize meal, 35 of milk powder, and 10 of bran. Too much milk powder makes the ration gummy when masticated, but the amount should be varied, and the change from liquid ration to dry should be adjusted to meet the response of individual animals. It was found desirable to give warm water at feeding time for two or three weeks after the reconstituted skim milk was abandoned, and to supply water for consumption while eating the mixture of grain and dry powder. One advantage of feeding dry skim milk powder is that several days’ supply of the mixture may be mixed at once, thus saving labour. It is more convenient to handle than skim milk, and requires fewer utensils.

DEVELOPING TYPES BREEDING UNCERTAINTIES In tlie actual business of stockbreeding, the inconsistencies that are experienced are greater than the imagination can readily conceive or understand (states an English exchange). The common idea is that if animals be mated with knowledge and intelligence, the result can be computed with reasonable assurance. In practice the measure of warrantable asumption is limited, yet the study of pedigree, in conjunction with utility achievement, is the safest guide available for the breeder of farm animals. Mr. Godfrey Corbett was instructive on this point at a recent meeting at Paisley. He stated that he had iu his herd of Ayrshire cattle two full-sisters, one of which gave half as much milk again as the other. This experience is probably not exceptional in respect to dairy or other breeds, although it is not so easy to determine the variances in other forms of usefulness. But the point is worthy of careful consideration, since it illustrates iu the clearest way the uncertainties that dominate the efforts of farmers to standardise their results and improve their methods of production. Of course, lineage is the only fundamental guide for those aiming at particular objects in animal or plant production, ' but even this loute to the end in view is neither straight nor infallible. The fact that the numerous pitfalls have been so succesfully avoided or surmounted in the past is high testimony to the skill of our great breed impwivers.

PUREBRED SIRES . € C AMERICAN CONTENTION ( 1 Only 25 per cent, of the bulls at the ’ head of dairy herds in the United i States are purebred, yet thousands of '• purebred bull calves are slaughtered * for veal every year because there is no demand for them as breeders. Un- i doubtedly some of the calves are in- j ! £ erior and ought to be slaughtered. | ! says W. E. Wintermeyer, dairy hus- ] I bandman of the United States Depart- 1 I ment of Agriculture, but most of them I are far superior to the grade and i scrub sires that are now being used ' j in many dairy herds. - Many dairymen with small and i medium-sized herds, which often con-, tain poor cows, say they cannot afford r purebred dairy bull because i of the high original cost. In reality savs Mr. Wintermeyer, these men can’ | least afford to own an inferior bull, in a publication issued by the Bureau ”* ry JL ndustry - “Purebred Dairy i Sires, Mr. W intermeyer quotes 1 figures Obtained from the records of herd improvement associations! in all parts of the United States that show how rapidly a good dairy sire can increase the production of a herd ot average cows. Cows in these herds ! n?Vcf-it U ? verase yearly production ot 4,S9alb of milk and 1791 b of buttertat a year and mated to purebred S 1 Produced daughters that average 7 6 °,1b of milk and 3001 b of but,a{•’ a sain in one generation of a’cow b ™ nk aDd 1211 b of butter-fat M( l hi * '” rrea f® iu butter-fat produc- j vion, at -s a lb, is worth about £l2. j

—a Allowing about 25 per cent, for the extra feed required for the higher production, the value of the net gs-in a daughter due to the purebred sire would be about £9. A purebred hull would need to sire only a few such daughters to pay for himself, and the yearly income would be increased b> an amount equal to £9 multiplied by the number of his producing daughters Mr. George Clark, a farmer in in* New Byth district of has a ewe which he claims has estau lished a record in regard to prolificac•. It has presented him with eight fin* lambs in rather less than a year four on December 29. 1927. and f° n more on December 27 of last ye? The winter lambs are thriving-