FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 April 1920, Page 2

FARM AND DAIRY.

MTLLET-GROWING IN" TARANAKI. The cultivation of this fodden plant has been receiving some attention in laianaki of late vears, and recently an oilieer of the Agricultural Department visited the New Plymouth district to make enquiries as to the success of its- cultivation in that locality, In his report he says; "A good many farmers in the Xcw i. iymouth and Waitara district Imvc this season grown small areas of Japanese millet, and in most cases the crop': have given satisfactory results. "The first farm I visited was Mr. F. It. Smith's,' of Tarurutangi. He Ims eight acres under Japanese millet, sown the first week in November, and he started feeding oil" about the middle of January, when the crop was about 19 inches high. Forty-five cows were turned on, but for the first week were allowed to remain only half an hour each day. Tlus time was extended to threequarteis of an hour the second week after which and up to the time of my Visit on March lfi, the cows lmd the run of the paddock for three or four hours each day, and there is still g oo d feed on tie ground. The cows appear to relish the millet, and are continuing to do so well on it that Mr. Swiith has not yet started to feed out the soft turnip crop but more stock will now be put mi to tinish off and enable the ground to bo ploughed for sowing down with grass. Tile amount of seed sown per acre was 151b. This would appear to be too lHit as the crop was on the thin side." A further 101b of seed per acre would have been advantageous, and Mr. Smith says that in future he would not sow less than 301b per acre. The manure used was Smart Road Freezing Co.'s mixture at the rate of scwt per acre. Mr. 'Smith grew a few acres of millet last season, but with indifferent results. This sea-' son, owing probably "to more favorable climatic conditions, the crop has done well, and Mr. Smith regards it as a valuable crop for summer feeding, and expresses the. opinion that in the' New Plymouth district every farmer should grow a few acres.

"The next place visited was Mr. Herbert Sampson's, of Bell Block. Here the area was acres, sown tile last week in November after swedes, at the late of 251b to the acre. Manure* The same as in Mr. Smith's. The crop came away well, and by the end February was from 3ft Cin to 4ft high, and commencing to form seed. This crop from the first iViis intended for ensilajro. Outtin!? .was started on' March 1, and stacking was completed on the 12th. Mr. Sampson estimates the preen weight of material fa- ensilage at approximately 00 tons. Mr. Sampson tried growim* millet last year, but it was a failure! He is, however, well pleased with this year's results, and has decided to <n'ow move next season, °

Mi- D. K mickey, of Waifara, has rar several years been «iwin<v c,rnall areas of Japanese millet, and this season tried Partridge peas with it with a view to getting an improved material for ensilage. The area was 31 acres, sown in the first week of November in two plots One plot followed grass, the other turnips. and the first was much the heavier yield. The proportion of seed was isib of millet seed to one bushel of peas, put in with Borthwi?k's manure at the rate of 3cwt per, al-re. The- crop had been cut and stacked for ensilage a few (lavs prior to my visit. The peas did well with the. millet, and Mr. Kmickey claims to have stacked 32 tons green weight of] the first two acres, and an average of 14 tons per acre off the 3J acres." Reference has already been made to the experimental plots sown at the I Demonstration Farm at Manaia. Here several varieties' were tried, including Japanese, Chinese, two varieties of Hun" garian, Volda, Manchurian, Proso, Pearl and Sudan Grass. Of these the Japanese appeared to be about the best, a noticeable feature being the rapid Growth after cutting. Proso also threw a good bulk, but its succeeding growth was not pquftl to the Japanese. The Pearl is a larger variety, almost midway between millet and maize, but the whole stem appears to be very succulent, and should give very good feed under favorable conditions. The Sudan grass has done particularly well at Manaia, and grew at the rate of 13 tons to the acre in si* weeks, whilst at the present time—three weeks after cutting-there is again a splendid and vigorous growth. Farmers must, however, always remember that millet is naturally only a warm climate plant, and it is 'not safe to assume that it will do well here under all conditions. Apparently, if the season should be favorable, a very fine 1 odder crop could be expected from' some ot tile most suitable varieties, but if we experienced a cold season it is hard ta say what might happen.

Betails just to hand from America tedicate the very serious character of the mule record frauds in America. The president of the Holstein-Friesian Association of America, Mr! D. D. Aitken, in a statement sent to members, gives some details of the extraordinary frand which lt P Ttr tor ' t} '° P rpsoncc of members of the executive committee at a hid ""m ,T» ?n iC ? g °' 00nfesse <l that he had made 40 to .ijo-pound' butter records with Holstein-Friesian cows The confess!™ sworn to arid siened, j s m « fl , lsto d.y of the committee. He made cows "make" phenomenal recojds by introducing several pounds of cream into the pail at each milking It mnnHf"' » h ° Ca ' Tied th ° in n n ° , Cream ' dilut(,(l wiHl w ater, m a rubber hot-water bottle, which was rnrnfrl • ""1 sus P c,ldetl from a band round his neck, and concealed by a oose jumper. A rubber tube extended | tlo wator bottle down inside the wearers overalls, and, through a slit in the ciotch, was introduced into the pail A stopper m or clump near the end of , tu . be was removed at the right time 4111 P lace . the requisite quantity of cream ran into tlio milk pan vhrn'the latter was full or "foam-full." it was a simple trick.performed with considerable skill. Tne conditions surrounding tue pertormer were important. The stall required to be built or arranged fwJ' a T, W n t milked a cow it thfiie should be 110 room at her head or ai or at the left side for a supervisor o« S frnm n , T, '° su ' looking on from the only position which it was phySK.allv possible for him to take while see wh«t° r ? tbe C 0W ' cmM ,10t see what was done.