10 Dec, 1918.] Dairying on a Small Area. 711 



him if it were used only to run the one cow required to supply sufficient 

 milk for family use. Consequently, a milking shed was built, more cows 

 purchased, and Mr. Horn was soon again amongst the wholesale dairy 

 farmers. 



From previous experience he knew the advisableness of commencing 

 with good stock, and, therefore, his selection of cows for his 10-acre farm 

 Was most carefully made. Mr. Horn has always believed in feeding 

 cattle properly, and when stocking his smaller establishment determined 

 to purchase only large-framed cows, from which he would be able to 

 turn off big fat cows for slaughtering purposes when their milking 

 term was finished, should it not be desirable to hold them over for 

 another season. Big cows and big milkers have, therefore, been his 

 special fancy, and the^ heavy robust cattle have given splendid returns 

 on the three feeds per day, which is tiieir regular allowance. For 

 some time past, thirteen cows have been kept in milk on the farm, and 

 the daily ration for these is about 2 cwt. oaten chaff, 50 lbs. bran, and 

 20 lbs. of pollard; this, with 4 cwt. greenstuff, being equivalent to a 



Mr. Horn's Dairy Herd. 



total of approximately 58 lbs. of food per cow per day. A photograpb. 

 of the herd on this page will be sufficient to show the condition of 

 the cattle on this ration at the date of inspection (25th June last), and 

 this excellent condition is maintained throughout the year. The herd 

 is always under Mr. Horn's personal supervision, for he and his son 

 carry out all the work of the farm between them. That they still have 

 time for other work is shown by the surroundings of the home, for the 

 vegetable and flower gardens are also both well kept. 



The greenstuff, which forms the major portion of the ration already 

 referred to, is wholly grown on the farm ; in fact, two-thirds of the 

 10 acres is always under a succession of crops of oats, barley, and maize, 

 and half an acre is permanently laid down in lucerne. Strange as it 

 may appear, it is nevertheless a fact that, although there are manv 

 acres of first class lucerne land in the Whittlesea Shire, Mr. Horn is 

 one of the very few who have made practical use of this valuable 

 fodder. The cropping is carried out very systematically, the land beine 

 kept in good heart by the liberal use of farmyard manure. A good 



