PART IV. 



PRACTICAL ADVICE TO DAIRYMEN. 



CHAPTER I. 

 ON FEEDING CATTLE. 



The future of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven districts will very pro- 

 bably be that of the Jersey Isles, inasmuch as they will soon become 

 the main sources of the vegetable and milk supply of Sydney. Sydney 

 and its suburbs, with their ever-extending industries and constant in- 

 creasing populations, must soon -fall back on these centres for their 

 supply of vegetables and milk. The dairy cow being an almost arti- 

 ficial creature, must soon command a place among the family. The 

 capacious udder of the improved cow, the long period of lactation, 

 her wedge shape, caused by the broadening of her hips to make room 

 for her great laboratory to work up raw material into milk, the 

 stomach, her great rotundity and fullness of -frame all these repre- 

 senting the design of breeders to improve and develop the producing 

 capacity of the animal, will be better supported in the future under 

 the newer system brought about by the excess of energy that will be 

 thrown into the efforts to supply the growing demands of the country. 



We have learned that milk is a very complex fluid, containing all 

 the component elements of the animal body. The food required, there- 

 fore, to produce it should be rich in those elements necessary for the 

 supply of milk and the sustenance of the cow. The great error too 

 frequently committed by dairymen is in supplying a ration from one 

 kind of tedder instead of using a variety. Natural pastures contain 

 a wide variety of grasses, hence their great value as cattle food. 



While population is gradually on the increase, and the live stock 

 of the country is constantly multiplying, the capacity of our farms 

 to carry stock must soon be regarded as a measure of value, and that 

 even in a grain r^ion rhis mrsi soon be considered, for grain is an 

 assistance and not an obstacle to stock keeping ; and, on the other 

 hand, stock feeding is an assistance to grain raising. The older coun- 

 tries of Europe have taught us that lesson, inasmuch as they have 

 been able to raise more stock and grain during past years than they 

 did in the previous century. 



These countries pasture very little, keeping their fields in crop, 

 and constantly hand-feeding their stock. The manural value of their 

 stock throughout the year may be roughly estimated when it is stated 

 on reliable evidence that the horse produces i2,ooolb. of to.ids ind 

 400olb. of liquids annually ; the cow produces 2O,ooolb. of solid:; and 

 Sooolb. of liquids ; the sheep produces 76olb. of solids and 38olb. of 

 liquids ; the pig produces iSoolb. of solids and i2Oolb. of liquids. 



It is well known to all farmers that under favourable conditions an 

 acre of land can be made to keep a cow in good producing form 

 during the year. In making this statement it is to be understood that 

 mixed foods and grass are required to make a complete ration for a 

 cow. The cow needs less exercise than almost any other domestic 

 animal, and getting the fresh grass and fodder fed to her in a stall 

 she produces more and richer milk than when she has to hustle for 

 her living. This goes to show that much will depend in future on 

 the system to be adopted by our dairy farmers, and that those nearer 

 the markets must benefit most. It will therefore be wise in our far- 

 mers to look carefully after the value of the home-made fertiliser; and 

 as the above estimate has been arrived at from careful experiments, 

 they are worthy of serious consideration. These solid and liquid 

 cow excrements contain large quantities of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, 

 and potash, which are of considerable commercial value in raising 



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