The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1903. TAKING CARE OF THE COWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 205, 25 September 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1903. TAKING CARE OF THE COWS.

i —; « The most important and valuable animal in Taranaki is the cow, The cow is tbe main factor in the great butter and cheese production for which Taranaki is so famous, The cow is the source of all our wealth and prosperity. In this district of Taranaki there are 224,970 bead of cattle, no lees than 929,000 being dairy cows. This is a larger number than in any other district exaapt in Wellington, where the number is rather larger, the' actual figures given in the last official returns being; Taranaki 91,656, Wellington 92,611, Auckland comes next with 85,328, and OSago 73,254, none of the others reaching 50,000. Under these circumstances anything pertain ing to the cow is of great interest. On this subject Mr Gilruth, Chief "Veterinarian, made sjme very pertinent remarks during the course of an address before Pahiatua settlers on the 12th instant, to which it behove* farmers to pay soma attention as affecting their interest very materially, In pointing out the considerations which affect the health of cows he enumerated them as follows; The people who look after them, climate, shelter, water supply etc. Clows that are reared on separator milk are possessed of very poor constitutions, and consequently they are unable to resist diseases that are prevalent. It is inadvisable to depend upon Nature for the food supply because it was far too precarious. In the summer the food was luxuriant, and the cattle got fat, while in the winter there was a scarcity of food, and in a number of cases little or no artificial food was provided. During the winter the cows required a good deal more nourishment. He had noticed some oows on the West Coast in very poor condition at this season of the year, and he saw absolutely no reason why such a state of things should prevail. There shou'd be no difficulty experienced at all in providing stocks of mingolds, cabbage, or ensilage, but the majority of f irmers neglected provide winter fee*?, with the result that the cows c-ma on to calve when in a low condition and a number die of starvation. Sueb a state of affairs is deplorable. Mr Gilruth went on to deal with the qu:stion of providing adequate shelter for stock, and he recomm:Ld«d the erection of sheds closed on one side and at the ends and cpjn in front. He impressed upon farmers the necessity of furnishing shelter, acd instanced a ct3e in which a cow's temperature was reduced four degrees through exposure for one night, which was unnatural. Oows became distressed for want of shelter. He also condemned the milking sheds and yards usfd by many farmers as a disgrace to the country. As an illustration of the prevailing c >nditiocs he mentioned that he had st' o h boy who was compelled to ride through the slush of a yard to get to the bails, and cows were driven through this filth with their bags trailing in it, and yet the milk was used for human consumption. Settlers, he said, could afford to pay between XlSaud JS3Q per acre for land, and yet they protpattd that they were not in a sufficiently strong financial position to erect proper milking sheds, Mr Gilruth also had something to say in regard to the water supply. A running stream wa», in his opinion, most| essential. In a large number of cases I tbe cows have access only to watt r inj swamp?, and this was deleteriouF, ae practically without exception it contained either manure or other filth. Running 'water was as essential as nourishing acd clean food. Swamp water predisposed to diseaso. In regard to abortion in cows Mr Gilruth said Condy's fluid was not a thorough disinfectant, He estimated that five per cent of dairy cows aborted, representing an annual loss to the colony of £90,000.