PRACTICAL FARMERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1922, Page 12

PRACTICAL FARMERS.

AN OBJECT LESSON AT OAKURA. The fanner who intends to improve his herd by the introduction or purebred stock should first take careful note of the lines upon which breeders in his vicinity are operating, for, later on. it will be found of great convenience if he can acquire a suitable mate of similar blood to consort with his heifers from a neighbouring farm, where he can continually keep in touch with breeding conditions, records, and progeny. He is then faced with a very important decision, namely, the selection of his foundation cows, which should. :be daughters of proved bulls out of certificated matrons, due attention being given to type and constitution. If the services of a good sire, bearing a family relationship, can be reasonably obtained it is not always necessary or advisable to go to the expense of providing such an animal, but as time goes on, and his stock increases, a herd sire becomes necessary. No mere bull with any pedigree will do.

The chosen animal should belong to the foundation family, and the records of his ancestors carefully searched, as recessive features not apparent in the bull himself may show strongly in his sons and daughters. Mr. G. Bell, of Oakura, has made a close study of this very interesting science of breeding, chiefly for butterfat qualities, and the records from his select herd of sixteen pure-blooded animals amply demonstrates the value of good sires. He has now an expensive true-to-type Jersey sire at the head of his herd. Viola’s Golden Laddfe, bred by Mr. E. Griffiths, is a proved butter-fat animal, and hag sired no fewer tfian four daughters, who have claimed championship honours last year. Two others were awarded reserve champions, and several of his heifers, as junior two year olds, have finished their lactation periods with records all over 5001bs. of fat. Prospective buyers at the forthcoming Jersey breeders sale should scrutinise the calendar for facts concerning the forebears of yearling offerings that as yet have not reached maturity. The figure at which youngsters change hands depends more upon the successes of their progenitors than upon an attractive appearance. A son of Silvia of 0.K., whose three nearest dams have an average semi official record of 6741b5. fat is out of a sister to the Son of Elza of 6.K., a silver medalist whose mother, grandmother. and great-grand-mother semi officially average 61 libs., fat. The third young bull is a son of Eaton’s Melva, a junior two year old by Central that returned a remarkable record. His foundation cow, Silvia of 0.K., has received two gold medals for the two occasions she has been under test.

Including a number of grades the herd of twenty cow«s, many of which are heifers, has an average of 3381b5. of fat, while last year the average per cow was only 307. The association average for last month was 461bs. of fat from 18 cows. Thus it will be seen that by a process of selection and brooding Mr. Bell is slowly but surely raising his standard of production. No matter how keen a fanner may be to acquire a herd of pedigree cows he must expect to receive numerous disappointments through the arrival of bull calves when heifers are hoped for. This necessitates a return to the same bull and a season lost.

CALVES AND LUCERNE. Registered calves are always a source of anxiety to their owner, and many ingenious sheds have been built for their shelter and feeding facilities. For many years prior to taking up fanning Mr. Bell was engaged in the building trade, and his conception of an adequate calfshed can be regarded as near to perfection. A gutter divides sleepirg from feeding quaiters. The latter, comprising eighteen bails with moveable gratings over a concrete floor, are prov- led with fresh bedding each day. while hay may be reached from a rick running the length of the shed. The other half is arranged in numerous head stalls, which teach the calf to be docile in a bail as well as allowing each infant its own particular ration. For ordinary healthy youngsters a handful of crushed oats mixed with bran is administered after milk. This is an excellent preventative for sucking, as it leaves the mouth dry and alleviates any irritation in the throat. Food is tendered individually in shallow’ buckets, and each calf has to eat just what is set before it. At tjie one end of the shed a rat-proof concrete store-house serves to contain all the requisites for calf feeding and doctoring. Many a farmer, who keeps his supplies at some distance from his feeding place, might be tempted to omit a daily ration now and then, but under his arrangement Mr. Bell has everything handy. The eastern side, i.e., the side fitted for feeding, is entirely open to the sun, while to ensure a elean, wholesome atmosphere. burnt lime is daily sprinkled beneath the gratings.

For demonstration purposes Mr. Bell has sown some two acres in lucerne. The first eight rows are the Grimm variety, a plant that tends to spread and stool out. The rows are 21 inches apart, but when growing strongly the lucerne covers all bare parts. Marlborough variety, planted in 21 and 14 inch rows, occupies half the area which is fenced off. The balance is being grazed (although the plants have not reached the cutting stage) to determine the advantage or otherwise of allowing cattle on the crop, also as a suggested means of checking weeds and assuring a clean hay crop. Part of this area was inoculated. part treated with farmogene, and the remaining third with nothing, while all were top-dressed with a phospha tic manure. Contrary io expectations, the un-inoculated section gave the heaviest first cutting, but now the treated strips are showing greener and thicker. Where stock had not interfered the growth of the Marlborough lucerne exceeded, in many instances, eighteen inches.

PLANTATIONS. The farm is watered by two creeks, which have naturally put for themselves rough water-courses. These are mid out. or are being laid out. in planta lions of pinus-insignus. belted by Murieatua, while a somewhat artistic touch has been added by the inclusion of gums, wattles, and tree-ferns. One plantation consisted wholly of assorted gums, and should present an agreeable aspect in a few years. On rough sidings Mr. Bell is a great believer in sowing a permanent mixture of suitable grasses along with his sweeds. As the sweed.crop goes in sometime in December it ma.v seem to many that this is too >arly for grass, but the results f arm dispel any

illusions. W-hgre a paddock showing the blackberry menace is to be sown Mr. Bell spreads his seed along with sbft turnips in the spring. Here again remarkable success also has attended his efforts. At the rear of the farm some rat-tail infected paddocks were being cultivated. One was assured that other splendid pastures had been broken in from such land by ploughing with a skim-coulter, so that when the furrow is turned no grass appears at the edges. After ploughing, the paddock is immediately rolled with a Cambridge roller, ans some time later disced and worked preparatary to sowing down. Here, as on other progressive farms, the haystacks were noticed built below a cutting in the pasture intended for hay. The stack was mounted on hoards over bluegum stringers so that a minimum of waste occurred. The home was pust such apleasant residence a«s one would expect from so careful a farmer. Perhaps Mr. Bell’s former training accounted for the building of a modern bungalow, hut in the garden one perceived the hand of a woman. Not only did Mrs. Bell appears to be a lover of beauty as shown by the array of gaily coloured spring (lowers, but also a careful house-wife who delighted in her vegetable patch. Mr. and Mrs. Bell have onliy been in residence seven or eight years, but during that time they have made for themselves a farm, a home and a herd which anyone interested in such matters would indeed be proud to uwa,