TURNIPS OR NOT?

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1916, Page 3

TURNIPS OR NOT?

THE FEEDING OF COWS. DAIRY FARMERS' CONFERE^C'Ii. The conference convened by the A. and I'. Society for yesterday morning, at the Good Templar Hall, of dairy factory managers and directors, suppliers, and others interested in the business was very largely attended. Mr. A. Morton, chairman of the National Dairy Association, presided, and the following dairy companies were officially represented:Uruti, White Cliffs, North Taranaki, Tikorangi, Waitara road, Lepperton, Moa Farmers, Maketawa, Midhirst, Stratford, Kaponga, Bell Block, Mangorei, Tarurutangi, Frankley Road, Patua, Okatol'uniho, Oxford, Warea, Raliotn, and Cape Kgmont. Mr. .). S, Connett, president of the Taranaki A, and I'. Society, in opening the meeting, said that lie was pleased to see such a good response to the invitation, and lie hoped that the result of it Would be satisfactory to dairy factory managers and suppliers generally. Thei'„ had been a lot of complaint about "feedy" flavor in milk, and his Association had felt that the matter should he discussed. The question was'one of gree.n feeding and turnip feeding, and as to how tin; quality of the product could be benefited. H was a question more for butter factories than cheese factories.

Mr. Morton congratulated the Society on the good step they had taken. Hitherto there had been little attempt to bring the farmers together. He and Sir. Connett had conferred, and had decided to hold a conference in connection with the Winter Show, and he hoped such an arrangemcnti would ie continued. In a dairying district like Taranaki the importance of artificial feeding was paramount. There had' been nmeli discussion in the past on winter feeding, and especially about turnip feeding, and dairy factory managers had complained that they could not make show entries on account of milk being tainted by turnips. It was not, he thought, the use of turnips, but the abuse of them that wa3 the trouble.

AN EXPERTS* VIEWS. Mr. Fulton, Government dairy ex-, pert, after expressing his pleasure at being present, said that it was quite time a conference of this nature was held in Taranaki, and this one cliould be the forerunner of similar annual gatherings. He went on to say:— The subject before the meeting to-day, viz:—''The Feeding of Turnips to Milking Cows" is one that should evoke a, comprehensive and discussion and investigation, for the very important reason that the practice appears to have grown to such an extent in Taranaki that repeated complaints are being made by almost every cheese and butter factory jnanager in the province, of the harmful effects, following excessive turnip feeding, on the milk-supply nnd the consequent- deterioration of the finished article.

It is probably a forgone conclusion that turnip feeding, like the use of the milking machines, has come to stay, and it is believed that if turnips are fed jv.rtiicously, in limited quantity, and at the right time, no very harmful result will hi; manifest in milk at the time it is delivered at the factory receiving-stage, or later on in the cheese and butter. There is abundant evidence, however, to show that, while many dairy farmers take most effective precautions to ensure a minimum of evil results from turnip, feeding, there, are. unfortunately, many others who ilo not seem to realise the need for such precautions, or if they do, they are too careless to care about it. And again in other cases, the pastures and fodder supplies are sn limited at certain times of the year that the cows are depending solely on the bit of turnips for food. 1 The arguments in favor of and against turnip feeding in Taranaki as a fodder crop for dairy stock are too extensive to be adequately dealt with in such a brief address as this. Most of our dairy farmers will submit positively that the turnip is a fodder that cannot now be done without, and they will give good reasons in support of such statement. On the other hand it can be pointed out that of all the instructive papers that have been read at the Palmerston North Winter Dairy Conferences, and other very able articles published in the Journal of Agriculture on "Fodder Crops for Dairy Cows,'" not one of the writers has included the turnip, while they have gone to some length in describing the superior merits of such crops as lucerne, maize, sorghum, green oats and peas, barley and tares for summer food, and ensilage, earrots, mangolds and good hay lor winter and early spring food. In some of the articles referred to, very favorable, mention has also been made of chow mollier, kohl rabi, thousandheaded, and Buda kale. With this significant fact in view might it not be said that perhaps too much value is being placed on turnipfc? Indeed, it has been suggested that the feeding of turnips to cows in milk should be prohibited by dairy companies, by laws, seeing that it is a practical impossibility to prevent the abuse of this practice. No person present to-day will question the great value of turnips as a supplementary food for wintering practically all farm live stock, but a point of much greater importance to this meeting is the question of whether ti-o sood name of our New Zealand dairy produce shall maintain its fairly high standard of quality and further improve on that standard as the seasons go by; or whether the very high prices ruling for such produce, owing to the abnormal circumstances coupled with the shortage of labor shall be an excuse for producers generally to allow a serious deterioration of the product of our valuable dairy industry. Since the advent of the milkpasteuriser and the continuation of abnormally high prices for dairy produce, there is a decided tendency to carelessness in regard to the soundness of their milk supply by very many dairy farmers, while others are doing their utmost to maintain and improve on the good quality of the raw material. The calling of this meeting is a practical admifsion in support of that fact. It phould therefore be noted that the pasteuriser will not eliminate the strong flavor from turnipy milk. And at the same time it might pertinently he asked how many farnurs are now using water-coolers for their milk, and how many are even going to the trouble of using an aerator. Feed flavors, o*!ier than that of turnips, have to be contended against in most parts ol Taranaki, especially in the spring and early summer months;" and while I'l'-ious fodder crops are coming more and more into use, to say nothing of the rank growth of pastures on the rich lands of South Taranaki, it is surely to be regretted that the producers generally are laying aside a very serviceable and cheap means of minimising these undesirable flavors in the form of good water coolers which act as aerators as wel^

The annual reports of the dairy produce division of the Department of Agriculture are unceasing in their note * of warning regarding faults found in some of file New Zealand dairy produce as it opens out on the Home markets, and extracts from these reports might be quoted if time would permit. F.vcry person engaged on the producing side of the dairy industry is oertainlyi alive to the need for supplementary 'food for dairy cows, so it is desired that this meeting, while taking into consideration the quantity of extra milk that can be obtained by the use of turnips, shall also consider the probable superior merits of other fodders or a proportion of other fodders to go with turnips, and it is specially desired that emphasis lie laid en the harmful effects of feeding turnips alone. Tt must be remembered also, that the much worn remedy of "Why do not the managers reject tainted milk?" is not altogether a practical one, for reasons that can be fully gone into when a discussion' takes place later on.

While it has been thought unnecessary in this address to go into details regarding the respective merits and the composition of the various fodder crops already mentioned, there is plenty if data to hand in that connection. ' Special mention might very well be made, however, to the wonderful results obtained bv feeding green luerene to dn'iry cows and other stock during the dry summer fit 11)15, details of which have already been published in the ''Journals of Agriculture" dated February, March and April of that, year. In conclusion it might at least be susgested tlmt'turnips as h Aidder crop for milking cows are over-estimated, principally for the reasons that:—First, they are considered a reliable and easy crop to grow; second, they produce a big '.rop as a rule; third, they do not usually require weeding and thiijning out as do carrots and mangolds; r.nd fourth, the> can be fed off in the fields if desired with a minimum of waste and so do away with the labor of pulling"and carrvin'" out. ' °

Mr. Fill ton went on to snv that in the latest Journal of Agriculture tlie Wererou Farm report showed tliat the turnip taint was right through the milk. While not advocating against turnips he would like to see mom lmy used and he thought that, although Taranaki's l'linfall was a heavy one, more hay eould ho saved. Members of the Live' Stock Division Committee had said that much of the illness in cattle was due to turrips. .Since lie had been in New Ply. mouth, he had been told that the turnip flavor was very prevalent in most show exhibits. Water-coolers and aerntors were apparently very seldom used mow, but be advocated their use. Anything in the dairy product could sell now, but where would suppliers be when the market fails? Dairying countries like Canada, and Denmark had found hay useful; it was a great fodder and cows responded wonderfully to it. Quality of milk was what was wanted.

A USEFUL DISCUSSION' Mr. T. Cuthbert (Midhirst) proposed that it be a recommendation to all dairy factory managers and staffs in the Taranaki district not to take in any milk that is tainted by turnips or feed flavors. In speaking to his motion, Mr, Cuthbert said the district had made splendid progress, but where once cocksfoot grew six feet high it. now only grew about six inches On both sides of the railway from Stratford there was good land tired. He thought this was due to ignorance. "What is the good of experts?" lu> asked. No man could feed cows 011 turnips and get good milk. If (he flavor did not taste in New Zealand it would taste in England. Mr. Dingle (Stratford) seconded the motion, pro forma. It was already' an instruction to his managers to reject all tainted 'milk. What was wanted was quality and quantity. He was probably the oldest factory man present; for l'fl years he had fed 011 turnips, and all knew that Stratford butter had a higli reputation. He had tried carrots and mangolds, but they [.roved, too great a labor on a small farm. He had also tried maize, but that came 011 all at once. He found that soft turnips, fed from the end of March, judiciously, would .not aft cot the milk. Lucerne grew in six weeks and then would disappear. His company had sent a. little note to suppliers tri feed their cattle more judiciously. The turnips had come to stay. Mr. Burgess (Warea) said that the only thing to do was to instruct managers to reject tainted milk. He thought he had tried more fodders than anyone present, and had found turnips the best. He favored the growing of lucerne, which would probably be the coming feed ill Taranaki. The cheap cost of producing turnips was one thing in their favor. Mr. Todd (Inglewood) remarked that it would be a great hardship to stop tlie feeding of cows 011 turnips. I Mr. .T. Brown (Makettuva) said (lint Mr. Fulton had struck tlie right note. Quality should be the first consideration, in view of later markets. He did not want to speak against turnips, hut the rub was the ''judicious use" of them. The flavor appeared in the butter after it was sent away. How could a manager detect a taint when the milk came in? The factories should come to an agreement, whereby they could keep up the quality of their products; otherwise 1 hey would get a had name.

Mr. Frocth (Whiteolill's) was strongly in favor of turnips as food, and since lie had fed them his cows had been much more productive. Mr. Honeyfield (Pntua) said that for 20 years lie had been feeding with turnips, which was the only good winter fodder. The manager on the south coast had remarked that lie did not care what amount of "lurtiipy" milk lie got so long as it was sweet. Mr. C!i111n (liiglewnnl) was of opinion that turnips affected flutter more than cheese. Experts should be sent out to sliow farmers how to feed in the season. Since farmers in his district had been feeding cows on soft turnips the grade had gone up. Mr. Blackball said farmers must supplement grasses with roots. The most practical food, lie found, was soft turnips (green globe) and maize, which he carted out to the field. He had tried most of the "up-to-date stuffs/' but the former was the best. He agreed with the resolution in so far that tainted milk should be refused. Air. Gibson (Hahotu) said their manager had had no complaint to make for the "past two or three seasons, except in the spring when no turnips were to be had. At Home farmers always fed cows after milking. All roots became mellow after being pulled up and stalled for a few weeks, especially mangels. There were never any had results if the cattle vvere not fed longer than two hours, turnips stood on their own as an evervday crop. There was very griv.it need to do more about outside contamination from dirty yards than with feed flavors. Tlie chairman said the resolution rea ll went for nothing, but uo harm would be done in passing it. Factories had illready been instructed to refuse tainted milk. Several of those present remarked that they had come to listen to a discussion on the merits and demerits of turnip.

feeding, and they were getting no "forrarder." -Mr Burgess then moved an amendment "That ,in the opinion of this meeting the feeding of milking cows with turnips, provided proper care, is taken and judicious methods are observed, is not necessarily prejudicial to the production of a good quality of milk, no)' the manufacture of n high quality o* 1 utter or cheese; but is of opinion that everything should be done to prevent the abuse of turnips." Mr. Blackball seconded the amendment. Air. Bennie (Okato-Puniho) said that as an old factory manager he had a set on turnips, but for some years lie : had tried them, and had never had trouble. He turned iu his cows for two hours a day. White and red clover that grew rank caused taint. •Mr. Fulton wished to point out the abuse of turnips. Milk might not be tainted at first, but the evil effects would come out afterwards. The whole position was the abuse of this foddei\ and the meeting had wandered from the question, Lucerne could be. cut four times a year, and they could not always be sure of tifniips. If farmers fed cows, on turnips they should give them to the cows in the evening, when milking was done, and the paunch was full. Pasteurisation would not take out strong turnip flavor, and su?h milk was not good for that most delicate of human instruments, the baby, (food cooling, even, would not eliminate the flavor, but this was a good practice to follow.

Messrs Olson (Mangorei) and Herbert (Urenui) spoke in favor of turnip feeding. After Mr. Cuthbert had briefly replied to some of the speakers, the chairman put the amendment, which was carried almost unanimously on the voices. Mr. Morton returned thanks to those present for attending, and he hoped that the Society would be able to arrange for a better meeting licvt year. A vote of thanks to the chairman, carried by acclamation, concluded an interesting meeting.