FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 1, 20 May 1914, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY.

SELECTING: THE HEIFERS. POINTS TO BEAR IN MIND. There is ;ui old saying that a cow cannot prudu.-e b;ith "milk and beef." It may, [i. .■: certain extent, be correct, although tht-ri! are many animals scat'tered abunl On- country that come very near to upsetting ihe truth of that saying. In seh ding the heifers we are generally on the look-out for what we hope will eventually become a 'general purpose" cow. To the man who holds the opinion thai if a cow milks well during her life it matters not what her end, thijse remarks will,not apply, as tihe majority of farmers do not hold that opinion. What is required is an animal that will give a good account of herself all through her life, and will finisH up BomiolJiing more than a bag of bones; also Ave rc<,n,ire an animal that will breed a good calf, which will pay if kept for rearing, or will readily sell for that purpose. In selecting the animals, perhaps the chief point to obtain is a good constitution, and herein a breeder has a distinct advantage over a buyer who does not know the parentage of the animals, he selects. There, are certain points which indicate robustness or otherwise.

TO JUDGE A HEIFER correctly the siciild be seen a few days after calving when flier udder is at its best, and sb-'ws its capabilities, for as milk is her principal product, the size and shape of this is naturally important. I It should be huge, square, and well set. The teats, whi-h should be moderately | long enough t<> aUow full-handed milking, shonhl be s,t well apart, though it should be remembered tlisit the teats get bigger by nsimr. and therefore smaller teats are to I>< preferred to very hvrge ones in a heifer. They should be set square on the udder, and should be of even thickness; thick or thin-necked teats should be avoided. Whilst lying well forward under the Wily, it is of equal importune that the udder should show well behind, (illiiig up between the thighs and extending upwards. There ought to be plenty ctf loose skin at the back part; I his is an indication of greater possibilities in the future. The milk veins, which run on each side of the Ih'llv to ■•urply blood to the udder, eliould be moderately developed, and not too thick; the best milkers by no means have the most prominent veins. The udder s-lmnhl be covered with fine, soft hair, not tno ihiek or coarse, a-- Ihis, whilst showing robustness, often indi- j cates coarseness.

; 'OEXKHAIi APPEARANCE. ! First, a hcil'er should certainly be feminine-looking, with a broad 'head across the <yes :nul forehead, eyes proniincnt and mild in expression. Beware of an animal that has a very wild, Beared look, fine muzzle, and horns medium tlihkncs.s, line, and tapering. A masculine headed tow is not advised, as they are not always to he relied upon as being vigular breeders, and very' randy gi\.> /r,.a.l ,sati-fnclion in the milk pail. T:ic n. i.v should be fairly long, and should L'licr I'rnm the shoulders, running in a illm-t line down tlie back find carrying the head level and linn. The shoulders -.hullld be well-built and sloping, rathe.r narrower at flic top, but with plenty of width below, forelegs well apart, showing an expansive cheat. Narrow-chested, weak animals should not be kept; well-sprung ril>s and a capacious stomach to digest plenty of food, and supply the other parts of the body with nutriment. The hack long and straight, with strong loins, liind legs well set apart so as to leave plenty of room for the udder, and the skin .should be fairly thick, soft, and loose, and should feel mellow to the touch, with plenty of line silky hair covering it. Beware of thin, hard skins, they usually denote a bad constitution. The tail should be fairly long and tapering, with plenty cf li'i'ii' at the end. One great point to remember when buying heifers is that if one wishes to purchase good «lock one must not expect to go into the [ siileyard and purchase all that are ' wanted right away. Plenty of patienee is required, and one must be prepared to wait some time, and when the opportunity occurs, with careful selection and paying a good price, one is usually able i to purchase a good animal for this pur- : pose. This is far better than buying unsuitable, animals at a smaller price, ' just because they happen to be there ■ and seem cheaper. The difference in . produce mill make up the extra, cost, and ; you will find yourself possessed of a herd of cows suitable for any purpose. — ] Fanner and Stockbreeder.

CiliXEliAi; XKW3. , Mr. AY. Kilpatriek, manager of tlie Kairanga Dairy Company's factory' at l'/Oiigbuni. has received advice tliat the comjmny's butter has been awarded the highest average points at the Government Grading Stores during tho past season for the Wellington province. Mr. Kilpatriek has now established something in the way of a retard among dairy factory managers, having; previously topped Hi!' average in the Taranaki province for two years durinj the time lie was acting as manager for the Mskatu and the Tikurangi Dairy Companies. Considering the lateness nf the season, the milk supply in tile. L'ilinorston district has lupt up very well and is belter than the supply tliia time last year. The prices paid bv factories is about tilic same. There is ill present a huge quantity of butter stored in .the Dominion awaiting export, the toitial number of boxes anioiinl ing to 87,000, | Against 04.000 boxes last year. The in- ! irease. is mainly due to the slump on the j Home markets experienced earlier in , the yciir. j A well-known South t'anltrbury far--1 nier, in conversation on Saturday witili ( n Timiiru Herald reporter, expressed 'his I lirm belief that bread will ho n penny a j loaf dearer next winter than it is at present. Asked how he arrived at this eonI elusion, the farmer said' it was inevitable I because the .high price of farm labor, and | the dillieuily of getting it at any price, | would cause very lit tie wheat to be i grown next season, and tlie price of 1 wheat and Hour would go up accordingly. I New season's Hot Water Bottles— Davies' Pharmacy.