IMPROVED FARM METHODS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 25, 19 June 1914, Page 3

IMPROVED FARM METHODS.

INTERESTING ADDRESS,

AT TEE NATIONAL DAIRY SHOW.

(By our Special Reporter.)

The value of the National Dairy Show from an educational standpoint was illustrated by the large attendances in the lecture hall on Tuesday to hear interesting and intsructivc. papers read on various subjects of interest to farmers. The papers were listened to with the greatest attention and the illustrations were followed carefully. DAiIRYING PAST, PRESENT ANDFUTURE.

A paper on this subject was read by Mr Mason, the assistant of the writer, Mr J. Drysdale. It was pointed out that land having become dear and in comparatively old ' pastures the enormous stores of potash had .been exhausted it was necessary that greater • care should be taken in the breeding and the care of the herd in order to render the industry a profitable one. The chief point for consideration insisted on .by | the writer was the selection of the bull'; for. lie remarked, the old laying that the bull is half the herd, contains a good deal of truth. It was true, lie admitted, that crossbreeds often gave good results, but they were more likely to give unsatisfactory results than pure breds K and therefore his advice was to select "pure breds for milkers and bulls, always taking care to ascertain that they came from good milking strains. '.Mere show ' points were of no value to dairying, lie was unable to recommend any particular breed, for it depended upon the soil and climate and the quality of land as to which was preferable under particular circumstances. The other points to which attention wan drawn were kindness, good feeding and testing. No cow, he said, would give milk -willingly if it was dogged to the cowbail and beaten, especially the stripping, so important in raisin;; the iest. It ira.; e.vry important to keep up the condition of the cows after the milking season so as to carry them through the winter, and lie recommended the sowing of some varieties of millet, barley and tares, silver beet, prairie grass, maize and Russian barley. The effect would be seen in an increased yield of milk. In order to prevent the continued breeding form unsuitable cows 'he would make it compulsory that all rejects from herds should be speyed. A listener remarked that his rejects | were better than the average milking I cow.

The effect of feeding on barley anil tares was mentioned by one speaker, ivlio remarked that after doing so, lie had received a complaint that his milk had a disagreeable flavor. Another speaker suggested that possibly they had been fed entirely on these fodders. He. bad given bis cows bay in addition to turnips without anv bad effect whatever and the yield bad been tip to 240 lbs. o? butter-fat, while cows he had known to have been fed on turnips alone died of starvation. Mixing Cape barley with oats was said to be an excellent preventive to red water. .

CROP IMPROVEMENTS,

' Professor Helgendorf, of Lincoln College, gave an interesting illustrated lecture on the question of crop improvements. The lecturer said that his coming from the place where soil and climate were so different precluded him from discussing any matter of farming practice, and so ho had to deal with a matter of general application which lie felt sure would be favorably received by a meeting representing advanced fanners. He then drew attention to the importance of the last few bushels of wheat in a crop or the last few pounds of milk from n cow, and took as his example the case of wheat which in Lincoln requires a yield of 36 bushels per acre to cover expenses, A 37 bushel crop then yields a profit, and a 38 bushel crop yields a 100 per cent more profit. Actual examples were shown, worked out, demonstrating that an increase of 4 bushels per acre on the. average production on the best wheat growing land in New Zealand would lead to double tho present profit.

| North Island farmers are more iaterj ested in grasses than in wheat, and the i lecturer showed several slides representI ing improved selections of timothy, cocksfoot, and prairie grass, referring esj. pecially to the work done by Mr Hill at Moumahaki, and by Mr Green at Ruakura. Bo detailed the method by which these selections were made, and showed the very great Hklihood of their being permanent value. While commending these selections to the favorable, notice of the farmers present, he concluded by warning them 1 to be cautions in accepting all so-called improved varieties without their having been well tested by scientific methods and tried in their own districts.