<go Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [lo Feb., 1911. 



MALDON DAIRY HERD COMPETITION. 



y. .S. McFadzean, Dairy Sufervisor. 



The prize offered by the Maldoii Agricultural and Pastoral Society for 

 the best managed dairy herd brought forward only two competitors, viz., 

 Messrs. James Duff and George Gregg ; and their farms were inspected 

 -on the 7 th and 8th November respectively for the purpose of awarding 

 the prize. 



Mr. Duff's farm contains 286 acres, fronting the Loddon ; and a 

 portion of it is rich flat land, which can be irrigated from that river by 

 pumping. Altogether, there are 48 acres of the farm under crops, viz. : 

 — Wheat, 15, and oats, 15, on the higher land; and lucerne, 6; potatoes, 

 1 ; maize, 8; and John.son grass, 3, on the river flat. A 17 H.P. 

 oil engine and 7-inch C.F. pump are used in irrigating the crops on the 

 latter section. 



There has been a good growing season here this winter and spring. 

 The grass and weeds have almost outgrown the lucerne; but, as 

 the provision for feeding the stock on the farm includes the making of 

 silage, none of this luxuriant growth of either fodder will be wasted. 

 The Johnson grass is grazed, and the cows seem very partial to it. A 

 few tons of lucerne hay are still on hand from last season, indicating 

 that there has been no scarcity of fodder here for some time past. 



The silo is of the wood and iron overground or ' ' tub ' ' pattern ; and 

 is situated handy to the barn and milking shed. There is also a well 

 ■built dairy ; but the milking shed and separator room are capable of much 

 improvement as legards situation and construction in order to facilitate 

 the work done there. 



The stock are made up of 30 cows in milk, 3 dry cows, i bull, 9 

 young heifers, and 5 calves. The milk is separated and the cream sent 

 to the factory ; the skim milk is used principally in pig-fattening, 

 only a few heifer calves being raised each year. These are supposed 

 to be from the best milking cows ; but, as there is nO' system practised 

 whereby these can be definitelv determined, their quality is a matter of 

 speculation. 



The cows are mostly Jersey- Shorthorn and grade Jersey stock; and 

 an Ayrshire bull of good class is now being used with these. 



The other competing farm, Mr. Gregg's, • is of 70 ceres, subdivided 

 into 12 paddocks, 27 acres being in oats. Six acres have been sown 

 with cocksfoot and rye-grass for grazing, i acre is in lucerne, while i\ 

 acres were in barley and are now being sown with maize. The soil on 

 this farm is poor ; and, consequently, cultivation and manuring greatly 

 increase its productiveness. As yet, lucerne has not been successfully 

 grown; that paddock having been sown twice in four years without 

 getting a good stand. 



A dam above the paddocks where the lucerne and maize are sown has 

 a pipe laid from it to irrigate with ; but the water storage is as vet 

 limited, although there is scope for increased conservation, both at this 

 dam and another higher up the gully. Resides the dams, and under- 

 ground tank at the homestead, the farm has the advantage of the Maldon 

 water service to insure it against scarcity in this respect. 



The cattle are in very good condition, 10 of the 12 cows being in 

 milk. They are principally grade Jersey stock, of good milking quality ; 

 but two Ayrshires are included with them, one being a very fine-bodied 



