FACTS FOR FARMERS. PATENT CATTLE FEEDER.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 113, 25 January 1873, Page 2

FACTS FOR FARMERS. PATENT CATTLE FEEDER.

A fetf miles- fiMDi Preston, 1 on l'ic southern side of the iiNer Ril>ble, ("here is an excellent farm known bv the name of Hutton Cirange." ;Tt uab nit 2'M aero in "extent, and fa rind' under* thc_ Milicriiilendenee of Mr It. Will.ic\, of Penworthan Priori-, uc.ir Proton. 1 Living he.ird some-rtiin#"-of Hutton (J range, jjnrticnfarlr of the feeding ma(hiii'?m in operation at it, we 'recently nude an infection of the place, and were eveeedingh plea-ed with both the general and special l'ositnirc«>nC thc*rfarrui> The litiul, v\4iich ' we found to> he all in gra^s, h is undergone- mueli pr.ictie.il improvement during tlie past ten jear* It is a pleasure tfl pass tltroujh.'Hie meadows nnd" pastures of [fntton Orange; sin ill, awkwardly formed fields ha\e, M the renun, il of fenOes,, been "transformed into large, well-propor-tioned emMolures ; comparative waste*, into which hdal water once "flowed along,' du«p wiuTllng 'channels have, bv levelling, banking. * and ' n, untiring, been turned into "smiling me.iih" '"We xMUntod' 23 heart of rattle, besides s-heep, nil (ating amid plenty in a 21nere pasture. Tin's would have hecn seriously m OT-stooking in some quartern; but here it meant tlrriCing and contentment, with an excellent pr.)sj)eot for somt time ni' those tavo Terv superior articles for cattle and sheep" ' P/ike-thc»lnnd nndithe stock, the farm hu fid ings at IJutton Grange- have*-- been subjected much to extension' ■ artjd ->in v pr«hement, but there is notliinjj costly, nothing of tlic expensively - eliboratc kind about -any- of - them. The transformation fr«nn tIW old to the now order of things has been done on nu easy principle of development, and at a iv'athe cheap raft'; and the problem has been, solved by Mr WHfiicy. Aloi.g thd southern side of the 'quadrangle there is a single shipron for 40 Vows, intercepted by a carnage w.n ; on the western side— converted out of an i>M b.irn — there is a double ohippon for between 80 and 90 head of cattle, over which is a lofl for the storing of implements ; on the northern side are the boxes and shedding for yoiui" and «ptvial e.ittle, intercepted In .i lurgobwrrvformerlv used for otrtrmjf Corn, nnfi nd<» «et"apart for- haj- ; .<trt the eastern j end then- are stables containing, when we made our vivt, ! .some choice and powerful agricultural horses. In the centre of the quadrangle there ii the watering-trough of the cattle, occupying an indeuted position, and fed from a good-sized "pft" outnide the building. The manure heap, accumulate I fn»n the shippon-, occupies a portion of the quadrangle area. On the western -side o( th»» farm buildings there is a fine stnekjtord, winch we f'Mind to be* Mot without numerous slacks after the heavy feeding ofwiutor, hSd passed, anil when c^en new crops were well nigh ready for cutting. Indeed the place m its cntiretV had a decidedly model appearance, and yet, us wo«lmve slated* much of it has lieen fabricated out of old material.* The chief attraction at Ilutton Orange n not, liowcver, either it« fields, or farm buildings, or tine *tock ; the prime curiosity and object of interest at this farm is the patent cattlo feeding apparatus, invented bj Mr Willae\ , and in full working order and daily use on the premises". The rapidity and completeness of the 'proeeM a!*e very interesting. Atout seven years ago, Mr Willftcy iiiveatod, patented, wul began to use tho feeding i appai-atus wVJ ' have' referred to. It is a machine intendedr moreibr Targe l than for \ery farmer*, but to those"pos*esMiig even 50 or fiO head of housed stock or a corresponding number of sheep, its advantages are immense. There can bo no possible doubt about this, nnd the facts we shall enumerato will pro\e it Alonjj three sides of the quadrangle of farm building-, referred to theie runs in a range over the centre of the tloor what maybe tenuecl' a small sized tramway that Mr "WiNaci's patent cattle feeder traverses. On one side in certain parts and on' both sides in others, there nre cuttle UtiiU "V it h« troughs- (forrtumj pnrfc of the patent) slightly sunk into tb" fit -or in fn,nt. The troughs have an angular hnsc/wifh a moiable driioion, whieA' may be opened out or I narrowed in to any eTtcul <;o as to suit the requirements of I e'aeh animal to be fed. The angular indentation tends to keep tie food together, prevents it from spreading out upon the floor ami netting amongst the feet of tho animals, whilst the mowible drt ision »hin lateral extension or concentration to •the tniantity of food admitted. Upon the trnmwai spoken of thcro runs a cnVria«»e — siinclliini; analogous to a J)l'ltclaver'n "bogie," if <we ma\ >im« n plain 'illustrat ion— and in tin's carriage the food to l>e used is pi iced, whilst e\cr\ conis gnen 1m it for either manual or mechanical distribution The e.irringe is propelled upon the tramway"b\ moans of a handle at the loar, wiiu-h "serves both to mo\o the wheels and crush or rut the food given out; by an arrangement of gradient" the Carnage is made to more along itself, nnd thus becomes, in *ome respects, and over certain lengths of rail*, self-i>etiiHT The carriage rmv= clo^c in front of tin* feeding troughs, and when hay or similar fodder has to be scried, all that is requited is that, during the propnlsion, tho* man nhnll throw down as rapidly as possible into each trough a ccilain quantity; whilst if cake- onroots arc icquired thc\ arc aiin^ily put into a grinder or •cutter, and the disti ibutioii »oes on in" regulated quantitic«i being deliveicd at the side directly to the cuttle as the carnage moves over the tramway. The feeder may be so arranged as to distribute food on cither one or both bides.- -The vory same mechanism i xyhich woiks for single stalls would supply double ones if literally fked ; tho only additifm.il thing required being a duplicate of the side mills, .md di.stiibution gearing. *Mi | 'Wfllacv mainly riistiibutisr.u' one side ; hut we noticed in i the huildinir a double sided fcoder made in accordance with ' his patent for a gentleman in the neighbourhood.. Dininir* 1 our stay \ve saw the cittlc feeder put into operation, and | it dul its work most effectually and cxpeditimisly. Only onofiide of the feeder was M'oikvil, to that in taking into ciocouut what was achieved we must lecollect that if both '

kail beertwsud — and both can, on the very same principle, and ty mcjrciifeiilgthefgnuHeiit-i-f-jiffit double the Amount of wntifa ttou)ibl»v« -bdehi pcpfni'inc I. In less tJun throe ininutaHww man'cut turnip* for and fed 42. head of cattle with tkftm f iTlic same, i man af towards cr.&shed oilcake * for 1 and fed '-the • same • mimbcr of chttlc. with ifJn ' much" less 1 than a minute. 'i The foddering 'of the f4Pty with hay was done vith> samLir rapillity. During the past winter there v, ere as- Many .as 137 head of cvttle in the shrppons at one 'mid "the same time, andtlieiiuan in charge of > them - tAld us tthab lie hud , fo.X this number— one pass— in .about l.r .niihiites ! lf In about h.vlf on hour," he said, " w e i could ifeed 1 thetta entirely"-- thuti ill with . eMeryfchinsr thoy -waaited. Any one adquaintedi with cattle will have >some! idcai o£ the' value of &h) apparatus which can feed/ one mhuud.' nearly" IMI beasts in fifteen minutes, and compjoio^he. work throughput , to about ,10. The man whose tcsbimouv 1 we b.irc c|uotcl further said, " A peroon would bu lu/r\ wlio d«rn"t do it, in, !«>.' Lhc cwdonco •fcthii man, \vko tested tlu> \.iluqo( ' the appamtm by that test of all standards ",e\pi>nenco '.' - seemed camplsto. LVrtamly the results wo saw wove nun,, velloiH. What a diflorencc in feeding tlwe annnila. n. tlie •low, old-fiMhionod w aj, wa,tin; Tood in earrvnig it about , wasting ti'mo-in i)rapnrivig ; nimbvm<: animals' m dUtnbut- • nig it slowly (some having .finished before others ha\ t bt'gun), and feeding them on thw new, and us we m.v term ll simultaneous plan— a plan which sates an iniinei'i-ilv of labour, presents innrh waste, economises a trenicndou^ amount of time, takes from- the shoulders of shfppon mci™ and others much responsibdity, execuiing by all the regu- - laritv of mechanical laws duties often done unevenly or fitfully, , and qires infinitely- more satisfitrtion to the animal fed. .(The labour in feeding on thepnnciple here mentioned . is ea-\v ; the raptdifcv of the operation is not obtained tlirougli . the sacrifice of much physical strengtli ; the labour is com- 1 parati\ely light. Referring to the turnip cutting and feeding, the nwm in cliarge of tlie apparatus distinctly told \\i that.«i»onc need find f.vult with tlie work on account of ili hai'ducd*.

I The following guide to the se'c'tiou of a good milch cow jis from tho able pen of Mr Alderman .Mechi:--, Among practical dairymen there h w lone: existed a number of^j rules by which t!io milking proportion of a cow arc judged ; and as these rules aro the result-? of long experience tram- - mittetl from- one generation to another,, they.atmtam, when collected together, the sum of »U that hi formation which is known by the name af practical knowledge. The points to be. attemdetl to indulging of a good milch cow .lie, by universal consent, considered to be shape nnl s ze of the owimnj, both as a whole and in detail ; ,tcxtuco of the skin r.nd hair, dcrclopment of the lactiferous parts ; temperament - or habit of body nnd disposition ; and, finally, strength or enduranec of constitution*:. jA nmiamm development of; these points marks out a first-class cow o£< the breed to which she belongs; but the milking properties differ . in cneHess variety, not .merely as these points aic prominent, or the reTersc, outr aW in proportion to the cir-^p cumstanco »0-elimnte, soil, and treatment. The escutcheon* test-of- 1L Guenon is a new clement in the question ; anil when fully established and better understood will probablyoccupy the first rank among the c\ternal signs which indicate, the imtnr.il milking properties of the cow; but as yet it is rarely recognised in Untain ; and there are few farmers, even in the best dairy, counties, that have ever heard of such atcst. Shape: Whatever may be the broecl to which a cow. belongs, there arc certain points of configuration which are considered essenbirtl-as regards her milking properties There . may bexmd are frequently. -great discrepancies between the one and -the other ;«/bnt still, generally speaking, the rulo holds good .that, all things being alike, the cowwhich npproac"hes nearest to a certain standard will bc^ the best milker. The head must he rather lengthy/ .especially froin-thaeye io.tlw point of. the no>e ? the noW and nui 7.710 shorld" be cleanly cut, and free frem thick. skin or flesh lumps, the check bones thin, and, m like manner, devoid of thick skin and flesh, not thick chapped,. eye prominent, of a placid and ' benfignant expression, w ith little of tho white exposed to view. If horned, tho horns should taper gradually to a point, and have* a clean j surface, free from rugosities; the breed will determine 1 the shape and set of the horns.- The neck should, bo, long,, thiri, -and "free fvehn loose sin. A good ii.ilk co\s may be deer or cwe-nerked, but never bull-necked, Thechest and breast should be deep rather than broad, and thohriskbt should project forwards and dow awards, and whether largo or othorwisc should bo round, well-shaped, and with' loose folds of skin depending from it. The girth, behind the shoulders, moderate-; ami arising more from depth and. bceodth of <>host ; shoulders rather < narrow at top . backbone on a. lino with tho shouldor-top libs arched, and well homclo the haunch-bone-, which should bo wide apart and, firm a straight line across, neither depressed ift the centre, at tile lumber vortobrtc nor drooping at the extremities ; liiud-quartcrs lengthy, and the rump, or tail-top, nearh in a line with the backbone ; tbigha. rather thin, but broad, well d spread, mid giving plenty of room it r tjiu udder ; bell\ pio-- ™ jeefong outwards* rather than ddWnWards, v-ith pleiit> of room for food ; the udder should be large in "a lineal direc-< tion. that is well backward as we'll as upward, between tho liiud iogK and iorward on the belly; also broad in front r filling up the space between the lower flanks, but rather short vertically, n deep hanging udder*, from its swinging motion, being alwms a cause of great fatigite tp the animal when walking; tlie te"ats shoiiTd be moderately long and. straight, and equal in thickness from the udder to the point, and n No af con-mlcrahlc and equal distances from each other ; tho two front teats especially should be well ap,art and thetKrectidn of all'mur should bo dow nward. When full of milk the udder should b"e greatly«mlargcd in size, and when nearly, emptied shrink m a corresponding degree, And tlie skin gather {flto soft cre.i-e* To judge ncrutMtel-t of a gooil milker, tlie udder should be seen before and after milking. % Tho mammilary glands, rHiining on each side of the bellj, large throughout their whole course, and swelling into large pull-, at or near their junction with the nddcr; thigh voiih also large and easih felt bv the hand. Of all these shapos the most important are the long, finely formed head; lone; thin neck; rump nearly ou a».HiU!.wifchithe back- bone; broad quarter" long udders, from b.'ujc tv front r and large veins uiidernc.irth the belly, ?md downwards from the loins and thigh to the udder. When seen in front, the appearance of a good milch row should present the appearance of a blunted wedge, the apex of which is the breast and shoulder. Sceij. from behind she should present a square well-bred shape. Seen sideways, she should be lengthy, but not lanky. The following direction* for tanning sheep, calf, or other small skins w ill be found useful to farmers, and other* iv 'coraitrv districts --If the nkiiis arc dry, soak them two or ihrcc (i.us; thon break fdicm— »-tlia( is, rub them on the flesh side -wifli tho back of a fio3hing-knife until they are perfectly soft. Remove the hair by immersing .them in lime- water. Thon steep them a week or ten days in a, foanenting mixture of bran, "say two pounds of -v.lnmt bran t© every gnllon of water. Then scrape and clean tdiem and put them into what is called the ' % white bath," composod, tor one hundred sheep skins, of a boiling solutioiv-of-.hvelu» to eighteen pounds of alum to twelve galkms of water, to whioh add two and a half pounds of salt. Pass the skins separately tluvugh the bath, and then immerse the whole together for ten minute*. A paste. is then- made, by gradually adding, during careful, stirring, first fifteen pounds of wheat flour to the above alum , bath, gently heated, and subsequcntlv the yolks of fifty egg"b Mid then incorporating the whole thoroughly. Tho skins, after being pasied through this paste singly, are then transferred t* it in bulk and loft for twenty-four jiours. They »rw then stretched on potato dry, when they a-\) rubbed oveffe shovel or any kind»of lound iron to stretch them and develop whitoncss. They will be white as snow and- soft u velvet. All sliarfrsoC brown and black can be imparted to the leather, with a little coprjeras and salts of tartar.

A "Wvterv Graye — Some curious facts arc related in connection with .Lake Tabor, California, by a con espondent writing from there to the Situ I rand wo Bulletin. It appears that several persons have been drowned in the lake dining tlve »last fen years, but none of their bodies had ever been discovered, i This fact gave rise to the supcrititious belief that some meu&ter dwelt in the waters, and that all the bodies were 'consumed by.it. The true explanation of the mysterious non-appearance of the bodies -U said to bb due to three.gieat causes. .The first is-fcbc great pmity of the -water, and its consequent la<?k of buovawcy. The ' second and main cause is due to tl«2 great coldness of tho water. Even at this, tljc warmest season, tfve surfaco is as cold as tno di inker desires it to be, .but >h is warm there compared with its tempciaturc at the depth of 100 to 200 feet. When a body sinks in the lake to the <ldpth reqniied, it is frozen stiff. The process, of course, pi*serves it so that the gas which originates in the body, from decay in other water is prevented,' and (Intention checked. The body is thus kept in a state of greater specific gra\ ity. tlmn the -water in which it is suspended, and theieby prevented from rising to the surface The third cause lies u\ thro grea-t pressure* of pure water -on -anything which is sunk to a great ilepth in it. Corks placed on deep-sea nets arcpicbsed down in a week to half~the bize, and one of. tire oldest residents of'thc Inke expresses the belief that, by the tnrfe'a man's body h.vs beoh suspended for a week at a depth of "200 feet (it ft not likely that it ever peaches the cavernous and almost fathbmlcss bottom of the gieat lake), ■the compression of the water has reduced its si/c to that of a child's. Doubtless the idea of imcoffined suspensions iivsueh a--' * world of water" is not a pleasant one to contemplate, bnt-to be pressed into a solidinass and suspended j| m a liquid coffin of ice temperature may he quite as pleasant as interment and mouldering iv the mound. — Skinnnw Gazftte, October 24, 1872. .. Women may gradually find, thetr »ny >intq tfyi^publie service by proving theip fitness for +he performnnqfrff duties hitherto considered the exclusive occupation of the siron/jor hex. At Tumhorunibn, Xow South Wale*., durni? tlio long lilnc.* of tlie Mining "KogiMrar, n helpful wife fulfilM the duties for him. nnrl did this so much to the sntisfuetum of the local mining comniunitv tint n petition \v;js ft'iif ,|o the linv'tt-r rrqnp«-l nice that clip might Up allowed to ntair. the oflice, which petition has been granted.