THE WAIKATO FARMER

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19887, 16 May 1936, Page 27 (Supplement)

THE WAIKATO FARMER

:dited by o. e. cuminq.

A page devoted to ass use oj the great natural most prosperous jarmi Trad, op Sentiment. There are not wanting indications that considerations can be more powerful than sentiment. There Is the case of Britain and Denmark. A Danish delegation went to London to discuss the proposal of Britain to levy a duty of 2d a pound on foreign bacon, and the Danes opposed the idea. The result Is that Britain is sending a special trade mission to Denmark to investigate conditions in that country. Later the Danish Ministry of Agriculture will send a similar mission to Britain. This consideration for a Continental country which practically depends on Britain for its existence and yet buys more of its requirements from other countries is remarkable. It certainly indicates that Imperial senti-

ment is not as strong a tie as many people believe it to be. They’re All Doing It. After April 1 of this year the Irish Free State was to give a subsidy on all butter exports averaging for the season 27s and 2is per cwt. respectively for drat and second grade. And Irish butter is a strong competitor with New Zealand butter on British markets. There is a bounty on calf skins exported of 10s a skin. There is also a substantial bounty on all pig products. Potatoes exported to Britain get a bounty of 5s a ton and potatoes exported to other countries 25s a ton. For poultry exported there is a bounty of 4d a pound. British Columbia has lust made amendments to its Natural Products Marketing Act which provide for the

listing the Waikato farmer to me iL advantages of the Waikato and ing community in the world. regulation and .control of the marketing of natural products within the province and the fixing of prices at which the primary products may be sold. Artificial Fertilisers. In order to ascertain whether the use of artificial fertilisers can produce changes in the composition of food stuffs which, although not detectable by chemical methods, may influence the health of those consuming them nutritional experiments on rats over a period embracing -six generations have been conducted in Germany. The result is given in a work edited by Professor Dr. Eckstein, a copy of which has reachedMhe writer by this week’s mail.

The experimental ration was 'designed to correspond in composition to ordinary human food and was composed of cereals, vegetables, milk and meat. Both groups of animals received the same diet, tho only difference being that in the case of one group the foodstuffs had been grown with the help of artificial fertilisers, whereas in the case of the other group the food was grown on soils which had either received no manuring or had been treated with farmyard manure only. No difference was observed In the growth or fertility of the first generation up to the age of'tS years, but the result of the fifth mating showed certain differences in favour of the commercial fertiliser group. The latter animals were somewhat longer lived and better capable of resisting disease than the “no fertiliser” anl-

ke the fullest possible to thereby develop the mals. The final result of the experiments showed that the animals fed on food grown with commercial fertilisers were superior as regards longevity, fertility and the average number of young per litter to • those fed on fodder grown without fertilisers. No significant differences were observed in respect to growth or to the total number of young produced. To the fundamental question as to whether the health of the animals was impaired in any way by the continued consumption of food grown with commercial fertilisers, the answer given by the above results is clearly in the negative. On the contrary there are indications that such fodder has a definitely beneficial effect on the vitality of tlie animals fed on it.

Stingless Bees. Beekeepers in Britain are looking forward to the time when their bees will be all stingless. In South Africa there are bees which are definitely ■stingless. The London Zoological Society has made arrangements to transport two swarms of these South African bees from Rhodesia, and many societies and private beekeepers are arranging with the society to secure some of the bees to cross with the ordinary English bee in the belief that they will be thus able to breed a stingless type of bee which will yet be a valuable honey producer. * * m The Friesian Breed. British breeders of Friesian cattle have again secured permission lo Import cattle from Holland, a country, by

the way, which is badly troubled with foot and mouth disease, and a condi-

tion in connection with the importation of the cattle was that nothin’s had to be bought that was not high in butter-fat. Finally In connection with every animal seoured there was not one where the three nearest dams had produced milk that contained less than four per cent of fat. Of course the cattle were all of the old Dutch type, similar to the original Longbeach Importation, broad, low-set but fine boned animals. If the Friesian Society of this country had taken a stand from the first not to register very low-testing strains the breed would be very much more popular than it is at the present time, and if they had followed the example of the Friesian Society of Holland and had refused registration to cattle that were narrow at the tail head there would be a much sounder type of the breed in this country. Undoubtedly the best type of Dutch Friesian is a remarkably fine dairy beast.

Constitution in Cattle. Strength of constitution primarily depends upon the amount of pure, fresh air that enters the body, and upon the manner In which it is utilised by the lungs in purifying the blood. If the nostrils, the trachea or windpipe, and other chambers through which the air travels on its way to the lungs are large, open and well distended, the volume of air entering the body will be large, and thus far the indications will point to healthfulness. Oxygen alone purifies the blood, and fresh air is the only medium by which it can be conveyed to the blood. Every particle of air that reaches the lungs and comes In contact with the blood passes first through the nostrils and later through the windpipe. If these channels are small one or two things happen; either a small volume of air enters or the cow must more rapidly than the cow with a large nostril. Observation teaches, 'however, that the respiration of one cow

is not perceptibly more rapid than that of another. Therefore, the conclusion may properly be drawn that the cow with the small nostril does not take into her lungs the great amount of air that the cow with the large, open and dilated nostrils and windpipe does.

Of course what applies to a cow also applies to a bull. Therefore, in buying either a bull or a oow the most important thing is to see that the animal has a big nostril. The first thing to make sure of is the proved productive capacity, indicated in the case of the bull by the test figures of the dam, but even with satisfactory proof of productive blood‘the big nostril is still most desirable, especially in the case of the bull. The best Judge of a cow the writer ever knew, and this was some years ago, attached prime importance to the head but particularly to the mouth and nostril. He proved by experience the value of the good head but of course could not explain the reason for it. A critic once remarked, and very many now take the same view, that a cow does not milk through her head. Of course they consider the udder is everything. But there is nothing more deceptive in judging a cow from the productive viewpoint than the udder. In this, as in many other things, it is quality more than shape that matters. The Danes have for very many years been evolving a dairy cow from a dualpurpose type of animal, and their sole guide has been productive capacity. They have succeeded in a remarkable degree in developing productive capacity, and this without losing constitutional vigour. They have not in the process developed nice shapely udders, but they have developed what matters mere, quality udders that milk away to a rag, and from which the milk flows at the first touch. * * * * Compulsory Testing. Germany’s traditional efficiency is now being extended to embrace the dairying Industry. Reoently compulsory testing was introduced by Government decree. Although details are not available the aim would appear to be clear. Cows with insufficient yield are to be eliminated and replaced by cows best capable of utilising to advantage existing fodder supplies. The main factor behind the movement seems to be official regret that very large quantities of good fodder are to-day being wasted upon animals with insufficient yields to Justify such feeding. The output of a million of the 10 million cows in Germany Is already under control. The quantity and the quality of the milk produced is being tested and the unsatisfactory producers eliminated, not, however, being sent lo the public saleyards for other dairy farmers to buy but sent to the meat-killing works. Hand in hand with the control free advice is given concerning feeding, selection for breeding purposes etc. The matter of compulsory testing has been suggested in this country, but the leaders of the herd-testing movement do not favour the idea. Their argument is that the man who is compelled to test will not benefit from the work, as it is only when the lessons of the year’s work are applied that the testing campaign is really effective. Even under the voluntary system there are men who &o on testing year after year and still continue to milk and breed from their poor producers. Of course these cases are exceptional. What the movement needs and the industry needs is that everyone concerned in the industry, especially those financially interested, should realise its vital Importance. If Government lending departments and financial institutions insisted that every client Joined the herd-testing movement, as they should insist., their securities would be strengthened and there would be some hope of the farmer improving his position. Dairy companies should also lake up this attitude. The Department of Agriculture could also do more for the

movement. There is a tendency for officers of the department to leave herd-testing propaganda to the HerdTesting Federation, whereas, considering the importance of herd-testing, and its value as a means of encouraging farmers to adopt improved methods, it should be boosted by every field officer of the Government service. * * * • The Ryeland. The purchase of 50 Ryeland ewes, representing the entire stud of ewes of a Hawke’s Bay breeder, to a Southland buyer is directing attention to the fact that Ryelands are becoming more popular. The Ryeland was introduced some 30 years ago for the purpose of producing fat-lamb sires, but it has ■ been used for some years past to im- I prove the wool in some Romney flocks, j Many a Ryeland ram has come to the North Island and has not been heard of again, for the simple reason that it has ended its existence after being used once in some pedigree Romney Hock, and rumour has it that a dash of Ryeland blood has been introduced into some of the most noted Hocks of the Wellington province. It has been a short cut in Heece Improve- i ment. The Ryeland lias an excellent | Heece and the quality is well carried out to the extremities, and it is here where a dash of the blood is so useful with some Romney flocks. Having a good million carcase the Ryeland is ‘ undoubtedly an excellent general pur- j * * * • Rationing Good Grass. in the rationing of good grass, expensively produced for winter feeding by means ot nitrogen and complete manuring, an excellent idea is to economise in the feeding of this by only giving the grazing of it to the

higher producers. Of course this I meaus dividing the herd in two, but jit obviously pays to give the good grass to the cows that really want it, I while it is practically wasting it to give it to the lower producers. In this rationing of specially produced winter grass it would probably pay to use temporary fencing, in order to utilise the grass to the best advantage, and to keep it in its most palatable condition. A Jersey Reoord. Another member of the Jersey herd of Hawkesbury College, New South Wales, has put up a record. This is a Junior member of the herd, Richmond Honour. Before reaching five years of age she produced 2,691 lb. of fat. As a junior two-year-old she gave 15,477 lb. of milk and 888 lb. of fat, as a Junior three-year-old she gave 16,026 'lb. of milk and 950 lb. of fat, and as a senior four-year-old she gave 13,807 lb. of milk and 853 lb. of fat. The third test was only of 300 days’ duration; in order to give her a spell.

Over the first six months of the last lactation very little rain fell and there was practically no grazing. In view of this and the 'heifer’s high production it is interesting to have the artificial food supplied. Her daily ration was: Silage, 20 lb.: chaff, 10 lb. (either oaten, wheaten, lucerne, or a mixture of these) ; 3 lb. a day of concentrate No. 1, consisting of 'bran 100 lb., linseed meal 50 lb., and bonemeal 31b., and 2 lb. for each gallon of milk produced of concentrate no. 2, comprising bran 100 lb., maize meal 80 lb., -crushed oats 30 lb., and linseed meal 20 lb. » * * * White Clover. The dominance of white clover in a pasture, which is such a menace to clean flavoured milk and such a prolific cause of bloating, is mainly a matter of pasture management. It has been demonstrated time and again that hard grazing of rye and clover pastures in the winter and spring encourages the olover, because with the clover plants thereby getting all the light they need they naturally flourish, while on the contrary with the ryegrass lightly grazed and thereby shielding the clover, excluding the light from it, the clover growth Is checked. Professor R. G. Stapledon, the greatest grass authority, bears this out. In advocating a. system of grazing that will encourage clover he says:

“ Clover ratio is influenced to a marked degree by the intensity of the grazing. To allow pastures to go into the autumn with excess of tall and burned herbage 'handicaps clover development; to graze on too long a rotation Is also to handicap the clover. If the treatment In one year has been greatly to handicap the white clover the grazing In the next year should be designed to favour the clover at the expense of the grass, that is to say, the grazing should be more heavy.”