10 Sept., 1919.] Urgent Needs of the Dairy Farm,er. 573 



Better Feeding. 



Side by side with tlie culling of the herd must come a more thorough 

 realization of the needs of the remaining or selected cows, A farmer 

 might have the finest herd in th* State, yet it would be of no use unless 

 proper feed and attention were given, for the cow is simply an animal- 

 machine for changing feed to milk and beef. 



How often do we find the milking cow treated worse than a vagrant? 

 She is put in the bail and milked, and is then driven to a bleak, bare 

 paddock to pick what scanty bits of grass she can. Her only remedy 

 is to hunger-strike and to refuse to give milk. 



One of the defects of present-day farming is the lack of sufficient 

 cultivation. The farmer trusts to nature too much. "When the natural 

 grass fails, he fails too. There are then two alternatives; either he 

 must sacrifice his herd, or purchase feed at ruinous prices from some 

 more favoured part of the State. The farmer then curses the elements 

 for being unkind; but the remedy was in his own hands all the time. 

 During the years of plenty, he neglected to establish a reserve fund. 

 He stocked his farm to the full, and when the lean years came he was 

 unready. During times of abundance, sufficient feed can be put by 

 to tide any dairy farmer over a possible bad year. If just a little 

 beyond probable requirements be cultivated each year, a reserve fund 

 of feed will soon be available for a bad season. 



Not only must sufficient feed be available, but it must be suitable. 

 The constitution of the cow calls for succulent feeding. If this be not 

 given, nature's law is interfered with, and the result is that the animal 

 becomes more or less unhealthy. Had proper feed been provided, 

 many a cow that has had to be dried off would probably have milked 

 through the season, trips to the chemist would have been saved, and 

 days of worry and anxiety avoided. Every Dairy Inspector can tell 

 of calls made on his time by owners of stock where a cow's yield of 

 milk has dropped and the animal has the appearance of being out of 

 sorts. In nearly every case, it is traceable to some feeding trouble 

 which has set up indigestion, impaction, or some kindred ailment. 



Better Shelter. 



A very necessary requirement on most dairy farms is the provision 

 of better shelter. It is heart-breaking to visit a dairy farm on a 

 piercing, cold, showery day and see the cows all lined up and backed 

 into a wire fence for protection. Farmers, particularly in timberless 

 districts, should plant clusters of suitable trees in circles. After a 

 while these can be " topped," and this will cause them to throw out a 

 thickening of branches which will ultimately provide shelter. Protec- 

 tion in cold, snappy weather is just as important as feed. 



There is one more essential which every dairy fanner should see to 

 — that is a hospital yard. On every dairy farm in the course of a year 

 there are cases calling for special attention and treatment. For these 

 a nice, snug, clean yard and shed, within reasonable distance of the 

 homestead, should be provided. It is impossible to give a sick beast 

 a fair chance out in the open paddock, and the loss of cattle, owing to 

 the want of suitable hospital yards, must be very heavy. 



