326 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 May, 1911. 



top-dressed with nitrate of soda, it may be cut five or six times during the 

 season. It is an annual, but, on account of its heavy seeding propensities, 

 sheds enough seed yearly, if given a chance, to keep it going the following 

 season. It far surpasses Italian rye in the rapidity of its growth and 

 weight of herbage. I have grown it this season alongside several grasses, 

 including perennial rye, Italian rye, cocksfoot, prairie and cow grass and 

 it was out in ear and ready to cut before the others, under the same 

 conditions, were half grown. I have no doubt that it will prove to be a 

 valuable acquisition to our pasture fields. 



TRARALGON DAIRY FARM COMPETITION. 



/. .S. McFadzean, Dairy Supervisor. 



The Traralgon dairy farm competition was judged on the 6th and 7th 

 March. There were five competitors, viz. : — Messrs. J. Drane, A. L. 

 Cross, J. J. Dunbar, and G. Pentland, of Traralgon, and Mr. Moller, of 

 Glengarry. 



The first farm inspected was that of Mr. Drane, which contains 228 

 acres, subdivided into ten paddocks. Thirteen acres are carrying a fair 

 crop of maize, and 17 acres were cropped for hay. There is a permanent 

 supply of water pumped by windmill to the trough ; but the system has 

 not been extended further than the one paddock where the mill is, necessi- 

 tating the travelling of the stock from the other grazing paddocks. 



There are 50 cows in the dairy herd, 47 being in milk ; and for the 

 five months over which the competition extended, the cream returns for the 

 herd averaged 4s. 6d. per cow per week. It was one of the rules of the 

 competition that these returns be estimated from the butter factory cheques. 

 Only one of the competitors was able to supply a record of these accounts 

 when asked for at the time of inspection. The secretary of the butter 

 factory, however, kindly furnished them ; and they were subsequently 

 checked with the owners' accounts by Mr. Christensen, the secretary of the 

 Traralgon Agricultural Society, and came to hand in due time. 



Mr. Drane makes a speciality of pure Ayrshire cattle. His bull is of 

 very good quality, and there are some very fine looking dairy cows in the 

 herd. The small number of 13 heifer calves on the farm does not go far 

 towards testifying to the success of the year's breeding operations. There 

 were, however, 23 reared ; but 10 were sold in one line, the buyer taking 

 his choice from the lot. It is seldom we find a breeder parting with half 

 of his young stock in this way. As a rule, it is more profitable to sell 

 off some of the older stock ; for if bred on right lines, each year's heifers 

 should show an improvement in quality over some of the older cattle. 



The homesteading on this farm has recently undergone much alteration. 

 There has been a change of site; and a new dwelling built, as well as a 

 suDstantial milking shed of nine bails, with boiler-room and separator- room 

 adjoining it on the lower end. At a little distance below the latter are 

 the styes and ralf paddock. There is no barn or other fodder-.storage 

 accommodation adjacent to the milking shed, the cows not being stall-fed. 

 The maize grown is cut and fed to the stock in the grazing paddocks. 

 When it is finished the cows are dried off; and dairying is suspended 

 during the winter months. 



