COLUMN.

Waipukurau Press, 2 July 1908, Page 6

COLUMN.

rife on sale of the Southland effort is being made to sWwhome the crime. The official figures show that the South Australian r wheat crop is beyond all expectations, reaching a total of 19,098,000 bushels, an average ,of 11.08 bushels an acre.

A pooily-fed sow when her pigs come is restless, out of sorts, and deficient in milk. It is far better to have come to what is always a critical time in good physical condition and with plenty of milk. With a view to testing the New South Wales market, Mr W. Lovelock, the well-known Romney Marsh sheep-breeder, of Fitzherbert, is arranging to ship fifty Romney rams to the Sydney sales. A really good brood sow ranks as one of the valuable assets on the live stock farm, and it is well worth while to look properly after her, and accord her such treatment as will ensure her doing well and profitably for her owner. Throughout the Waikato a growth of feed keeps up that is rarely witnessed at this time of the year, and on many farms there is more pasturage than at any time during the past season. Owing to this,the turnip crops will last much longer than was anticipated. A visitor from Hawera says the dairy farmers in that district have had a splendid year, and nearly all the factories axe still running. The drought last summer did not have a very appreciable effect on feed, and as soon as rain came the grass revived rapidly.

The “ Ashburton Mail ” says that a Southern merchant, who is largely interested in the matter, informed a reported of that papci that he was firmly of opinion that prices fox’ sheep will harden considerably in the course of a few weeks. He does not think, however, that lambs will improve much in price.

Too many pigs should not be left in the one pen unless the space is large and there are plenty of troughs. Troughs should be on the proper height, with partitions to prevent the pigs crowding each other from the trough and this also keeps the food clean.

Thiity-four purebred registered Holstein-Frisian cattle left San Francisco for Japan last month on the Pacific mail liner Mongolia. The cattle (says a San Francisco paper) were shipped to a Japanese firm at Yokohama, and will be the first thoroughbred cattle to arrive in Japan. The cattle are all Holsteins of the famous De KoT'and Barthene-Agnes Netherland families,\hat hold practically all the for the Holstein breed of cattle. They will be used as the nucleus of a herd that is to be started in Japan. The cattle came from the herd of Miner and Thornton at Fresno and from San Rafael.

In connection with Mr E. Short’s valuable donation of his Southdown flock to the States, it is understood that Mr Short intends to confine himself to the breeding of stud Romneys. From (this flock Mr Short annually turns out 1000 stud rams, none of which are sold under 20gs. ; and 3000 'flock rams, which last season averaged four and a half guineas, yet he is unable to cope with the demand. During his visit to England, Mr. Short purchased twenty Romneys from leading English breeders, including the ram Pride of Kent, the champion ram at the Royal Show. This ram was shown in Auckland- last year, when he was defeated by a flock mate of Mr Short’s own breeding. This success of the Parorangi flock (says the “ Waikato Argus ”) will be the minds of many of our to show the

uTmrmg to sistency, and apply mannei’ as quickly as possible. This dries in a very short time, and by the action of light is converted into a perfectly insoluble waterproof substance, which does not wash off, even with hot water, and, at the same time, does not give rise to mould growth, as whitewash made up with green does. It may be coloured to any desired shade by the use of a “ trace ” of any aniline dye or powdered colouring matter and once applied will last for years ; while, by the addition of a small proportion of calcic sulphate, its antiseptic power is much increased. This whitewash will also be found excellent for the poultry-house and its appurtenances.

The characteristics of the Ayrshire cow, says an exchange, are great beauty, breeding true to type, subsisting and doing well on rough and scanty herbage, making use of such coarse feed as Guernseys and Jerseys would not do well on, giving a large flow of milk in a year, with a fair percentage of fat, holding well to her milk, and giving a milk which carries well. This breed can be used to advantage in grading up herds where the pasture is scant, where the feed produced on the farm is of a rough chai’acter, where the country is mountainous, where a large quantity of milk with a fair percentage of fat is in demand, or fox cheese-making. The Ayrshire will not produce a pound of milk quite as cheaply as the Holstein, but at less cost than the Jersey or the Guernsey. These latter will, however, make a pound of cheese cheaper than the Ayrshire.

CARE OF NEWLY-CALVED COWS.

Many a good cow has been lost by ignorance or lack of care at freshening time. Having had a sad and costly experience of this kind when I first began dairying (writes a dairyman in the “American Agriculturist”), I now watch my cows closely for signs of trouble and take prompt measures to check any tendency to fever. There is seldom any trouble with cows at pasture. The green feed keeps the bowels free and conditions are natural and right. But with well-fed cows in winter there is a liability to milk-fever. The symptons arc not very noticeable at first. The first thing noticed is that the cow is not eating her feed. She picks at her hay, tosses it about, making a little lowing sound, often mistaken for her call to her calf. This occurs within the first twenty-four hours after calving, usually within twelve hours. Upon examination, her hoi ns are found to be cold, her nose hot and dry, she does not eat iior chew her cud. The uneasiness increases, and in a few hours, eight or ten at most, often less, she goes down in a kind of stupor. Death ensues in about twelve hours after this.

Prevention is much better than cure, and to this end I feed no grain for the last month before freshening. Shorts are laxative and vegetables are cooling. These are good feeds. I do not wish my cows to be fat at this time. After calving, if they do not take hold of their hay briskly, I give a tablespoonful of cayenne in warm milk. If this does not start the appetite a veterinarian should if possible be called. The oxygen treatment is very successful, but all veterinarians do not rely on that alone, but give medicine to reduce the fever through the stomach. One of the principal points in the prevention of this disease is to see that the bowels and kidneys are freely active previous to coming in, and to guard against taking cold afterward. Milk fever is always fata] when allowed to run its course unchecked.

POINTS OF A BACON PIG. The chief point about the pig is his capacity to pay : yet few assets on a colonial farm receive 1 essconsideration than our four-footed friend. “Dalgetyfs Review” of a well

it grows and fattens rapidly, anc obtains a good price in the market. But where pigs are kept it is often in the most haphazard way. No proper sanitary arrangements for cleanliness or for exercise or systematic feeding ! The points of a baconer are that a very long or a very short head should be avoided, as the former, except in Tamworths generally means a narrow head anc a weak constitution, with rather too much bone, while the latter is very apt to run to too much weight in”the fore end—a thick neck and heavy shoulders. Al. the same, a thick neck is a better formation than a long snout and thin forequarters; for a pig of this kind is of a roving turn, and lacks the contented mind that puts on fat and hastens baconwards. A full flank is of importance in a pig whose destiny is bacon, the hams being better developed when the flank is good and accompaniedby short legs. Long legs mean a flat ham. More important still is a thick loin. A good loin goes with a good rib and good constitution, in spite of which how often are flat-ribbed pigs, narrow through the heart, seen. The hair should be fine, since fineness of hair, bone, and skin all indicate good quality of flesh.