496 journal of Agriculture. [10 Aug., 1908. 



room is fitted. To some this special fitting up of a large room for this 

 work may appear unwarranted ; but it must be remembered that this is a 

 farm beginning on a large scale with purchased stock, and intending to 

 milk 600 head when in full working order ; therefore preparation must be 

 made for the work of culling right from the first. No dairyman, 

 howe\'er small his business may be, can afford to keep unprofitable cows 

 in his herd, though many do .so; and though one such cow in a lot of 

 five is of far more importance to the owner than 100 will be to this large 

 concern, yet the man with the five cows is the more likely to overlook the 

 fact and suffer loss in proportion. This weakness the average farmer has 

 for bailing-up, feeding, and milking unprofitable cows is one great 

 breach in his general common-sense methods. His horses must be fit for 

 their work, or he will not keep them; he can estimate the profit on his 

 pigs almost to a shilling ; if his separator leaves a sugge.stion of cream 

 behind it the agent will hear from him next day ; but almost any cow that 

 will bring him a calf once a year is permitted to share his profits 

 unquestioned ; and the one that can fill a bucket with milk of any qualitv 

 for twelve weeks each spring, is a pensioner on the farm for life. That 

 kind of practice is all too common. It is, however, fully recognised on 

 Sparrovale Farm that among the heifers purchased there may be a 

 large percentage that will not prove profitable milkers, and if so, the sooner 

 they are out of the herd the better ; but the}" have first to be sorted out, 

 and by regularly weighing the quantity of milk given and testing its 

 quality penodicallv Mr. Eaird is going- the quickest and surest way to the 

 end he has in view, viz., the building of a dairy herd in which every cow is 

 a profit-earner. It is when reckoned up on such a large scale that the 

 necessity for this work stands out in its colossal significance. 



Tiie horse stock on the farm at present comprises 29 head — 19 farm 

 draughts and 10 for harness and hack work. Of the farm horses, 15 are 

 mares ; these are all on the \ oung side and ha\'e lieen selected with an eye 

 to future breeding operations. Amongst them are daughters of the famous 

 " Sir Percival ' and the more recent Clydesdale Champion " Lord Dun- 

 donald." They will be mated during the forthcoming season with the New 

 Zealand bred Clydesdale colt "Corporal" by "Chief Commander" ex 

 " Violone " by "Royal Conqueror." This colt had a successful show 

 season as a two year old in the North Island and was selected by Mr. S. 

 S. Cameron, Chief Veterinary Officer, during a recent visit to New Zea- 

 land ; so that, apart from his usefulness for home breeding, the introduc- 

 tion to the district of a sound, clean sire of Clydesdale type is guaranteed, 

 cind will doubtless be fullv appreciated b\ breeders in the neighbourhood. 



Of the buildings on the farm there remains now only the pig- 

 fattening pens to be mentioned. Those pens at present erected are in a 

 parallel line with the end fence of the furthest bull paddock. They are 

 m three sheds of twelve pens each, and at present contain about 140 pigs 

 of various sizes. It was proposed to build altogether five of these sheds, 

 with the object of using the separated milk for fattening ; but the recent 

 scarcity of fresh milk in Melbourne has resulted in this farm also becoming 

 a metropolitan supplier, and in all probability it will continue so; for 

 with its convenient situation, good water supply, and facilities for growing 

 and conserving fodder, this method (,f disposing of the produce has every- 

 thing in its favour from a commercial stand-point ; and as pig fattening is 

 an unnecessary adjunct to this branch of dairying it is likely that this 

 part of the scheme will be set aside for the present. 



