FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 October 1917, Page 8

FARM AND DAIRY.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. A fine Government semi-official record of 6871bs of butter-fat lias just been completed' by Mr. E. O'Sullivan's five--year-old pedigree Jersey cow, Sultan's Dairy. This is the third highest record for mature cows of her T>'reed, and the second highest of her age in New Zealand. The performance is all the more creditable as she calved again eleven (lays after completing test. Not only is she a producer, sho lias proven herself a good dam, for in La Preference she claims a daughter with a semi-official record at three years old of 4301bs of fat in 11 months, also a two-year-told daughter now under test which bids fair to uphold the reputation of her relatives. It may be mentioned that Mr. O'Sullivan's farm is situated fully 1800 feet above sea level at Cardiff.

An appellant before the Military Service Board in Hamilton stated that more was made out of an acre of bee farm than from 30 or 40 cows. Last year his relatives took £560 from their bees, which meant a profit of £.IOO. There have been considerable losses in dairy stock in the district during the present season (says the Waimate Witness). Some experiences in this respect were related at the meeting of the Manaia Farmers' Union on Saturday last. One member stated he had to cut the throat of a cow worth £2O a few nights ago and another said he had to shoot a cow he-valued at £IOO The members of the Manaia Farmers' lUnion place only a limited value on the services of women as workers on a dairy farm. There were some references to the subject at the meeting of the Uuion or. Saturday, and while members were ready to admit tiiat women were useful ■as milkers, they would be as helpless as children in dealing with affairs on the farm during calving time. It was stated that it took men of resource and experience all their time to deal with the problems that arose, and a woman—well, the meeting was pretty unanimous that woman's limit on the farm was the milking pail.—Witness. Mr. Pierce, of Denbigh road, near Hawera, has had some remarkably good results from some permanent pastures, that he put down last autumn (says the Star). One paddock was sown in April last followed a crop of oats, sown with lewt. of basic super, preceded by a crop of swedes sown with 4c\vt root manure. o4lbs to the acre was sown here, composed of 201bs of English rye, 151bs Italian rye, olbs cowgrass, Wilis cocksfoot, 21bs white clover, and 21bs alsike. 3cwt of basic super was sown with this, and the snv.wt;. whs so good that it was fed off four Hints up to September, and there was a good growth each feeding. At the present moment the pasture is very thick and the growth luxuriant, with ryegrass predominating. The other paddock was sown down in April also, on a piece of land that had been in crops continipusly for four years. Basic super was used here also, and 301bs of Italian rye and lOlbs of cowgrass to the acre sown. Mr. Pierce iwas able to start feeding off this padidoek in June, and hj» Mjrg tu»t it ha»

produced enormous quantities of feed ever since. Mr. Pierce is also farming on sound, economical lines, so far as his dairy herd is concerned. He is not bothering about pedigree females, but is building up a very fine and profitable type of grade Jersey. At present lie 'is milking 14 mature cows, nine second carvers and six heifers, and has reached as high as 0981bs of milk in the day on an average 4 test. His average for butterfat for the ?0-day period was 411bs per day, so that it can' readily be understood that a good type of grade cow, well fed, can be made a payable proposition, even o,n a small holding of 50 acres. Most of his eows have the Yankee Sweet strain in them, and all of these are proving ,to be good milkers. [Yankee Sweet was bred by G. H. Sweet, of New York, and imported by Mr. A. E. AVatkin in 1906.] He has now got a Silver Coin —Sunflower bull that -has considerate promise. Mr. Pierce's theory that the small farmer should buy the very best bull he can afford, provided he comes from a good milking strain, in preference to expending too much money on high-priced pedigree niivt, is sound, provided prnnnr enr" '•■ '-'-->•! hi the selec-

(ion, testing, and culling of the grade cows.

The Christehureh Press says hoggets both in the North and South Island are in keen demand and for the time being ewes and lambs are not in much request as wether mutton will have the first call for export. Exporters consider that with I the increased storage accommodation that is being provided at the freezing [•works there is not likely to be a block until about May next.

The tilling of the soil, from being an incidental employment to eke out existence, has become the reliance of all civilised and half-civiliaod people, and an industrial era has been born which involves entire transformation of old methods.

The nitrogen in humus must be changed into ammonia and nitrates before it becomes available to crops. Fresh vegetable residues have been found to undergo this change more readily than old humus substance. Lime assists in hastening the change. The greatest economic and social problem ever presented to man is the proper fertilisation of the Boil Necessities are multiplying beyond the dreams of those who lived a century ago. The consumption of cereals is extending, ahd is becoming a predominant part in the feeding of tlie peoples of all countries. The quality of the seed which a farmer sows on his land is a good indication of the carefulness, the progress, and the thrift of the man. If good crops are to be obtained, it is of the utmost importance to sow large plump, sound, vital, well-matured, pure seed, free from disease and of the very best varieties.