FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 221, 12 January 1911, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY

FARMING DEVELOPMENT. "LABOR-SAVING AND PROFIT ABLE."

Not many years ago it would have been a wild notion to picture an electrical farm. Yet electrical farms are realities to-day in Germany. The new use of the power is described as a most striking recent development in the electrical sphere. An oversea agricultural paper, in an article on the subject, gives particulars concerning the farm of Professor Backhaus, near Quednun, in Eastern Prussia. The farm covers 450 acres, and its dairy handles <IOOO gallons of milk daily. Every part of the farm is lighted by electricity, and is in telephonic communication with every other part. The dairy has an. electrical churn; the barn contains eleetric-aiiy-operated feed and carrot-cutting machines; and even the grindstone is turned by a small belt from the shaft connected with the barn motor. The water-puuip-ing apparatus is run by electricity; all the buildings are lighted by incandescent lamps, and there is an electrical pipelighter at the doors of all the houses! This farm has also its own threshing and grist mill, the machinery of which is turned by a. current from the miniature central station; and, finally, there is a small sawmill, which gets its power from the same station. On the farm are all kinds of electrical agricultural machines, including an automobile plough, all run by batteries charged from sub-stations in the fields.

The power for all these various operations lighting, heating, telephones, churning, cutting, grinding, pumping, threshing and sawing comes from a aU-horsc-power stationary engine, moving two dynamos.

From this station the power is distributed to the parts of the farm, and the switchboard is so plainly marked that the commonest farm-hand can regulate the supply to fit the need.

At Crottorf a number of small farms have grouped to support ono station, and to have their work done by it, ami Professor Backhaul farm is not by any means the only one having a whole plant and complete system. The writer of the article claims that such plants as these do more than merely lighten labor. Fewer workmen, he says, are needed, and greater profits are possible, and the whole business of fanning is made more attractive. The yard is lighted by aii are light; night work in the fields is possible when it is necessary; the stables are warmed in winter and ventilated in summer by the turning of a switch; indeed, the entire farm runs like a machine at the call of the electric current.

A FREAK HEIFER. A 10 TEST. An Australian writer is responsible for the following: "Not long ago it was stated that a nine months' old heifer, whose milk flow had been induced by other calves sucking her, was now a contributor to the Dungog (New South Wales) factory. Many people doubted the .statement, but it was afterwards verified by the manager of the butter factory there. But a much more remarkable aspect of the phenomenon has been demonstrated. The milk appeared to be exceedingly rich and samples were submitted to the dairy expert of the Agricultural Department, with the following result:—Solids, 20.S!); fat, 10.00; solids not fat. 9.89. The 10 per cent, of fat is surelv a world's record.

"Recently a Bega cow which produced milk registering 11 per cent, of fat was declared to be a record-breaker, but this freak heifer beats that hollow. She is » Jersey, and yields 2 1 /. quarts of this rich milk per day. It is understood that Winconsin had a calf which developed into a milk-producer without calving, and it would be interesting to know if there are any other cases."

CENTRAL. The cereal crops in the Ashley district, Canterbury, are maturing satisfactorily. The rain of last week was helpful to the growth. Caterpillars have made their appearance in the Cast and Fernside districts, and have done some damage to the grass seed crops. Springing heifers fetch a high prices in Marlborough, quite from £2 to £3 a head higher than they were a couple of years ago. Female calves that used to be killed at birth are now saleable at £1 each, or more, if fairly well bred. Dairying is making headway throughout Marlborough. The area of land held in lease-in-por-petuity in New Zealand on March 31 last was 1,483,312 acres, and under the land for settlements system 003,304 acms.