lo July, 1909.] T/ic Future of Dairy Farming i)i Victoria. 421 



Roughly speaking, half of the food value of the maize crop is in the inside 

 of the stem and the other half is in the cob. For dairy cows the stalks 

 should be chaffed; and when a farmer has a silo in proper working order 

 his object should be to make chaffed maize his main standbv for at least 

 six months in the vear. 



It will be seen that in the above scheme the succulent food for the herd 

 is provided for in the mixed green fodder, the mangolds and the maize. 

 The dry portion of the cow's ration is secured by the hay. If a liberal 

 proportion of peas and beans is provided satisfactory results will be 

 secured without recourse to bran or grains of any kind. Here, again, I do 

 not wish to be misunderstood. In the case of a good herd of cows, each 

 of which is paying her way and showing a substantial profit on the year's 

 operations, it' will undoubtedly be a good investment to buy bran, crushed 

 oats or lucerne hay to add to the above food materials. What I want to 

 show is that by proper cultivation methods it is practicable to get satisfac- 

 tory returns from the herd without spending money outside the farm. 

 When a farmer has attained this position he will probably be quite ready 

 to increase the profits bv purchasing additional food from outside sources. 



B. — Utilization of the Manure. 



The ideal system of dairy farming, whether for milk production or 

 butter, is undoubtedly to house the cows under a properly constructed byre 

 during the cold nights in the winter. It is probably unfortunate for us 

 that our climate is just what it is. It is too mild to make this plan an 

 absolute necessity, while cold enough to entail a very considerable loss by 

 the neglect of proper housing. The chief objection to housinir. namely, the 

 dirt which accumulates on the flanks of the cows, may be overcome bv 

 proper methods of construction. In the Journal for February, 1907, 

 details are given of the construction of a proper floor on which the cows 

 are milked and subsequently sleep on a platform raised from 6 to 9 inches 

 above the level of the roadway down the centre of the shed. Provided 

 this platform is the proper length fore and aft the majority of the cow's 

 keep themselves absolutely clean. The variations in temperature during 

 the winter months are reflected immediately by the returns to the butter 

 factories and the general supply of milk. The simple scientific explana- 

 tion is that in cold weather the bod\ fat which would otherwise be utilized 

 for turning into milk is simply consumed by the tissues of the animal in 

 order to keep her bodv at the right degree of temperature. 



The utilization of the manure is a simple thing once it is collected every 

 morning as a routine portion of the daily work. Messrs. Swan Brothers, 

 near Wangaratta, keep their fine herd of dairy cows to a very large extent 

 with the object of providing manure for their equally fine orchard. Manv 

 other examples may be cited in which the mutual dependence of the fer- 

 tility of the land and the manure from the live stock is recognised. On 

 the average, i ton of farmyard manure contains 11 lbs. each of nitrogen 

 and potash and 6 lbs. of phosphoric acid. At current market prices this 

 amounts, at a moderate valuation, to about ros. per ton. The value of the 

 manure when buried in the ground is, however, infinitelv greater than this, 

 for it transfers to the soil countless myriads of active micro-organisms 

 which can be obtained from no other source, and it is the incessant activity 

 of these micro-organisms which sets free the latent plant food of the soil. 

 Where the farmer thinks that housing his cows is too revolutionary a 

 method a small paddock should be provided handy to the homestead. If 

 the land is not too valuable it may be two acres in extent. The cows are 

 turned into this at night after their evening meal. If the western fence 

 is a hedge or of palings, or if there is a belt of trees in this direction. 



