ON THE LAND.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7940, 13 January 1906, Page 7

ON THE LAND.

HOW MILK IS PRODUCED. Mr F. J. Lloyd, F. consulting analytical chemist and dairy bacteriologist to the British Dairy farmers' Association, delivered an address on "The Production of Milk" afc Chelmsford recently, in ■connection with the market"day lectures for farmers. In describing the formation of milk, he said here was Urst a asoretiou of liquid and then a mixing with it of cellular tissue, which gave the milk its white opaqueness. The cellular tissue enriched 'the milk. The solid constituents ooming from broken-down cells it was remarkable that the constituents of milk were not always in the same proportion. Nor was the fat always the same. The difference was sometimes due to the fact that between the milkings there had not been sufficient time for the celullar tissue to be eomoletely built up. Of course, a great deal depended u v on the feeding of the cow, especially as the formation of milk was from two processes, and not one, viz., partly a seoretion and partly a growth. The quantity of milk a •cow was capable of produoing was determined by the capacity of the udder, and therefore it was necessary to see that the cow kept was the best, "machine" ootainable. The food consumed by the cow made blood which was necessary for the udder to perform its function and take from the blood what it required for the manufacture of milk./ For this reason it was impossible to fatten .and milk at the same time; and so a good milking cow was comparatively thin. The function of the odder was supreme when in aative use, and if the feeding were not proper, or during a drought, the cow would get the food required for its blood out of its own body and lose weight. The quality of milk would thus go down, and, before that milk could be improved by better feeding, the food would be first used by the cow to replenish its diminished body. Nitrogenous food was most important for milking cows. If cows were -fed as Nature intended they should be fed they would never hear of milk failing below the ntandard fixed by the Board of Agriculture. Another cause of difficulty in maintaining the quality of milk was excitement which immediately effeoted the seoretion in the udder. The absence of excitement, he believed, was the reafion why the Channel Island cattle gave such beautiful milk. They were tethered, and every care was taken that they led lives as quiet and peaceful as possible. Then ther* 1 was the time of milking; milk could not be taken at equal intervals. The difference in fat was 2 per cerit. for each hour of difference in the interval of milking. The milk first drawn was generally poor because tne cellular tissne had not yet got down into it, and hence the importance of mixing the milk. Much also depended upon the skill of the milker as to whether the cow gave down the ceils for the milk or not. WHEN SHOULD COWS BE FED. Some give their cows a bite before they begin to milk, others nothing until the milking is donw, and then a good feed, while others feed all first and milk after. As to which is the best opinion will be divided. To a considerable extent it is a matter of habit. If oows are fed before milling for a time they become accustomed to this, and take to it amicably, but if a change is suddenly made and no food given before milking they would be very restless and discontented till the new habit was acquired. It makes no difference to the quantity of the milk whether they are fed before or after milking, but with some foods it makes a considerable difference to the quality. Many have been annoyed to find swedes give a nasty flavour to both their milk and butter. There are ways of preparing them to avoid this, but all require considerable labour to rectify, \ and the most simple aid easy way out of bad flavours is never to give swedes to oows before milking in the morning or evening, but to supply them when milking is finished. In the North of England, where swedes are much more used than in the south, feeding after milking is thought to be of so much importance that in many of the milk •contracts it is stipulated that no swedes are to be given to the cows till after milking. With mangels, there is nothing of the sort to contend with, but that such things have to be taken into consideration shows that* the question whether cows should be fed before or after milking has influences which must be taken into account. Apart from any flavours milking before feeding is desirable! When'newly fed a cow prefers peace, and this is beneficial, but to begin and bustle about her milking, etc., as soon as she is satisfied with food cannot be regarded as good management. SUMMER PRUNING FOR FRUITS. This is on the whole the best time of the year to commence thinning and shortening the shoots of apples and pears which are not supplied with a sufficient quantity of wearing spurs; The warmer the climate the shorter the period required to make and ripen fruitful wood, as no two kinds of trees nor any two seasons are exactly the Same, it follows that no absolute time can be named nor amount of trimming decided on to serve all trees,''districts or seasons. To ensure suooess in the work first see that the tree has more leaves in •some parts than it can bring to perfection, or. that wads and masses may be screening other parts and 'thereby run bare. Thinning alone may be. sufficient for some trees, -while others, after they have been thinned, should have some of the shoots out baak to two or ; more leaves, according to their strength •and the opportunity existing iu the ■way of space. The stronger the tree the further apart its leaves should be arranged so as to;allow a fair amount of sunlight to play upon the heavy wood. All spurs must be given two or more leaves, otherwise they are liable to die

the having little or'no'power to draw up sap and furnish new growth. On the wiiole, thinning and stopping are best for apples, but pears make spurs freely after being well thinned towards the end of December and throughout January. $ In verj strong trees the weakest, or at least moderately weak and spreading shoots or spurs, should bo striven for, whilst trees of weaker ; growth need '•stouter and more upright growth to ensure freo fruiting, Once a tree has borne fruil it is an easy matter to discover what type of wood has borne moat freely, and this seen to summer work ia easy and sure, always providing that the resources of the season and 1 ] general condition of the trees can be accurately estimated. "'*3 ' '