FARM AND DAIRY NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81914, 7 January 1907, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY NOTES.

liiiat lias gut into many of the oops of northern Turanaki this year. Senile of the crops will he hardly worth cutting. In South Taraiiaki, Lin- rust, which played so much havoc with the crops of the past three seasons, is hardly in evidence tliis sca-

"That the cow* lie groomed every morning and that the udders lie ■.ponged before each intiking," is the Uxl'o'f n direction issued hy tin- ShotHeld Hoard iK (iuardiii'is as to the working of their mode! farm. The 'closing vear has, in many respects, been a had one for Tasmaiiiau producers, owing to the par:ml failure of crops. Export, showed a eon sidcvnlile falling-oil, while imports in- [ creased bv nearly .tMOU.uOO.

Harvest is in full swing nil over the ISleiihciin district. The indications are that barley will be somewhat lighter in yield," though of excellent quality, dialling oats are good, and wheat is scarce, but good. A certain "fanner" makes a trip to the factory every day (says the Hawent Star) with his daily supply of milk attached to his bicycle. The "herd" consists of one cow, and last month's cheque came to X.I 3s.

The farmers of Canterbury have started a scheme of co-operation sale yards, which were opened a week or so ago, for the disposal of vegetables and farm produce generally direct by the farmers. There were no large entries on the opening day, but several farmers brought in loads of vegetables, etc., and sold them from their carts. The customers purchased everything that was offered, apparently pleased to fill the requirements at reasonable prices, without the medium of the Celestial.

Mr It. Ml, a dairy farmer at Te Kahu, four miles from Te Awamutu, has lost eight of his best milkers out of a herd of 45 cows. Mr Lyons, the Government veterinary surgeon, pronounced the cause of death to be indigestion causfctfi through eating iargu quantities of rank rye-grass, full of hard seed. MILKINU COWS CLEAN, It is well known that: the average milker gets less milk than he who does a thorough job, that incomplete milking means not only direct, but indirect loss, not only an immediate lessening of the fat yeild, but tends towards drying the cow. A Danish scientist has recently developed a special system of udder manipulation, a sort of massage of the mammary gland, as it were, which, it is claimed, augments the How. The liegeiund method, as it is called, involves three manipulations, each tin ice repeated or until no more milk is obtained. First, the pressure of the quailer on each side against each other thrice repented, followed by the removal of the lailk; second, the pressure of the glands together on each side, the forequarter being first manipulated and then the hindquarters, followed hy removal of the milk; and third, the forcquarters are pressed between hand and body, the hands holding the teats loosely, then the hindquarters also, followed by milking.

Trials of the scheme made at the Wisconsin and New York stations afforded a daily average increase per cow of a pound of milk and two ounces of butter; Tile after milk was very rich in fat. testing above HI per cent. This after milking does not exceed live minutes' time, often only two or three minutes. Tin: two ,unices of butter may be held at » low estimate to be worth two cents. nis would be fair, pay for five minutes' worK, 24 cents an hour and the skim-milk thrown in. Not only is more milk and butter made, but the secretion is stimulated and the lactation period prolonged. It. may be remarked, however, that the ililloiviic •- in milk and butter yields between tlii; method and careful stripping are not gieat. This Danish method emphasises more perhaps than has liitherti been none the aetua'l and potentin otscs due to incomplete milking.