STARVING THE STOCK.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1918, Page 2

STARVING THE STOCK.

To the Editor. Sir, —I read in your newspaper some time back of the poor condition of stock r in the district. Well, I think it 19 time ' fannei's came to their senses and stocked lighter. Overstocking never pays.- It the cause of a lot of poor constitution-' ed animal?. 'Die calves in the district tell the tale what most farmers are: they are too mean to give the calves a month's start on new milk. They say tt I doesn't pay, yet every other animal gets more than a month, even the scavenger the pig. Calves are dying by the dozens everywhere. Where there is new cheese factories they expect the calves to live on whey. It is sickening to go round the farms and sen the poor little things scouring and so miserable looking, walking skeletons, yet from which the coming dairy cows are to be picked. They will be expected to milk and give, a good test, liow can they do, it on a, week's 1:--/ milk? We expect nine years milking from a dairy cow 1 at least. Well, she should get six weeks' : hew milk as a calf. A neighbour of urlrie 1 g'a'i'e liis calves four days' l'r-.'.'iiilk.'tfrifl'-thenput them on to factory skim'.' He thought they were doing well, but in the whiter nine died out of the fifteen'. The rest '-weren't much. 1 think a lot of people should be "'had l up - ' for cruelty., to finimals. Nearly everywhere calves are "fed in troughs, like pigs,"with people standing oyer thembedim?. t'hem on- the head with ..sticks;, when they think they am full.to .driye them back. Their heads must b'el'bru.ised. New Zealand will be full of diseased animals Soon if.the. stock inspector does not: condemn all the miserable "calves at imioculation time. It would teach peo-, ple-.to treat them better. This la.boeom-,' ing a serious thing in. Ta.r'anaki and wants remedying. Animals"; need..to' lie .well done to lie out in storm'find frost in cold wintry weather. Sonic have no shelter—only wire fences. —I am, etc., •