NOTES AND COMMENTS

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20281, 25 August 1937, Page 13

NOTES AND COMMENTS

Pig Husbandry. Waikato pig producers will weloome the Information that Mr H. M. Pelrson has been appointed extension officer In pig husbandry at the Ruakura Farm of InstrucUon for they are acquainted with Mr Pelrson’s enthusiastic interest in the Industry. As recording officer of the old Waikato Pig Recording Club and recently as information offioer of the New Zealand Pig Marketing Association, the new extension offioer is well known to producers and there Is no doubt that he will prove a valuable acquisition to the Ruakura Farm staff. t Reoord Prloe Paid. It is reported from Bueno* Aires that an imported B'rltlsh Shorthorn bull, • Gruggleton Captlvator, bred at Stranrear, Sootland, was sold yesterday for 95,000 pesos, or about £5900. This Is a reoord price for the Argentine. Oambridge Saleyards. The action of the 'Cambridge Borough Counoil In notifying the associated auctioneers that they Intended to re-enter Into possession of the saleyards draws attention to the crying need for new yards in the Cambridge district. The present yards suffer very muoh In comparison with the modern yards at Frankton and Morrlnsville and other centres, but the

Cambridge yards are among the oldest In the Waikato. The Increasing aotiJvity of other yards In surrounding districts has lessened the Importance of the Cambridge yards and those in j charge of the yards have naturally been loath to make extentlve altera- ’ tions. i Shearing of Sheep. Shorn sheep have already been on 1 offer at Waikato yards and it Is re- 1 ported that a Ranglriri wool grower ; has alreadv sent wool to the store In

nas already sent wool to the store in Auokland. It Is stated that quite a number of shorn sheep are to be seen 1 In the King Country and In view of the cold and wet conditions that are usually oommon to thl* area during the next two months it seems that suoh early shearing must represent a grave handioap to the sheep. Use of Tractors, The very many uses to which the modern tractor can be put was strikingly demonstrated In ftn Instructive talking film shown by a machinery company to a large attendance of members of the Matangi Young Farmers’ Club on Saturday. Either hauling huge logs from bush land or doing the 101 odd Jobs around the farm, the tractor was shown to be 100 per cent efficient. Another Instructive film that held considerable interest for club members was one dealing , with the building of the great Boulder Dam In America, the biggest dam in the world. The films were also shown at the Ruakura Farm and at Gordonton this week. Feeding Young Btook. The milk of its dam Is the complete food for the young animal at the beginning of Its life. It should be noted ttfht the smaller the animal, the more rapidly will it reach maturity and the richer will be the milk of the female in fat, minerals and solids. Hence in feeding young animals on milk of another species the milk might require modifying. For Instance, a foal being fed on cow’s milk, should receive the milk after it has been diluted with a little water. Sugar can he added if the cow’s milk is low in fat and solids when feeding to calves and even lambs. Scours In Calves. Scours in young calves may be due to dirty conditions. Infection and Indigestion set up by faulty feeding methods, the feeding of too much milk or the feeding of milk that Is too strong. Where the nature of the curd Is possibly “tough,” benefit can be derived by diluting the milk with lime water. Scours can be controlled , by stopping the milk allowance and giving only boiled milk for 24 hours. ; A small dose comprising two ounces | of raw linseed oil, a teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of turpentine , can be given. As the calves grow | older they should be put out on grass, , but It Is necessary to remember that shelter Is essential and that clean ac-

commodatlon should be provided at night.

Rabbit-proof Fencing. The cost of rabbit-proof fences on pastoral properties In Australia Is a considerable Item. A reasonable estimate of the cost of netting properties In Victoria is between £llO to £l3O a mile. Where the work has to be done on stony mountainous country, it might oost up to £3OO a mile. Australia is one of the largest users of rabbit-proof netting in the world. Keeping Dip Olean. One of the commonest causes of “strike” by maggot fly is dipping sheep In a solution badly contaminated by dung and urine. Scottish flockmasters have stated that the first sheep through the dip remain free for a long time, but those put through after three hundred or so have been dipped are apt to be struck a few days afterwards. This difficulty is reduced by using a small hand balh which may be cleared out after every 150 sheep or so, discarding the drainage. The alternative is to wash before dipping, but this requires much extra labour. Experiments are being carried out by Aberdeen University with a spraying apparatus with which each sheep is treated with a olenn dip. 'Half a gallon of olean dipping solution can be sprayed on to the sheep in twenty seconds. Tills Is said to give better protection against “strike” than dipping. Number of Litters. The number of titters per year Is dependent upon geographical situation, age of sows, and the quantity of byproducts available at the periods, of say, weaners. slips, porkers or baooners. Therefore the number of litters is really a matter for the farmer himself. who must plan out his programme beforehand. He must avoid above all the coming In of all the sows at a period of little feed. In New Zealand, particularly In the Waikato, there is no reason why a sow should not produce two litters per year, the first in June and the second in late November or early December. As the gestation period of a sow is 112 days it will ho seen, therefore, that, for a sow to farrow during these months mating will have to he done during February and August. The Waikato Recording Association proved that one sow to seven cows was quite possible where management. was thn guiding factor. A survey was completed on 10 of tho farms where pig recording was carried out. The farms comprised StO acres ’ on which 400 cows were milked, one sow being carried to every 7 cows. Fifty-six pounds of pork were produced per acre compared with the Dominion average of 121 b per acre.