FIRST CENTURY OF DAIRYING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 



erODS. Though crop-, require tlic-c thrc. Ittbftancef, tli'-v d / no: 



utilise them according to the same proportions, which -,how- Us that 



are not required to produce all plants. 



Xitrogen may be termed a hai former, ai it ha-, a -timn ating 

 on the growth of those plants which are valuable accordi.i ' to the 

 ' '-Hence of their leaves as food. Phosphoric aci-1 i considered a 

 more general food, a-, it -timulatcs the whole plant, particu arly Mich 

 as grasses and grain plants, acting directly on the growth <>i th" 

 run! woody fibre. Potash is a fruit, tuber, and gnin food. Potatoes 

 are stimulated to a great decree of penection by the u-c of potash, 



It i- by acting on the~<- -implc rules that mo-t of our be-t manures 

 have been arranged. Hut. -peaking generally, aniin il refuse and t% 

 crement when properly balanced and arranged go to make up the 

 nitrogen and phosphoric acid of some of our finest manures, and when 

 combined \\itli -fresh wood a-he- compo-.- a mo-t complete manure, 

 a fact which has not hitherto been sufficiently understood by many 

 of our coastal dairy larmers. The land- of Mlawarra and tin- Shoal- 

 haven valleys contained all these thn, Bttbstftncet in 'ufficieiit quan 

 titles naturally, but constant heifer raising and milk producing com 

 bined with bad systems of cultivation have been the mean- of robbing 

 the soil of its natural products. 



When a cow is giving milk, a large amount of food consumed 

 is used in its production. Fats and carbohydrates arc used in form- 

 ing the -f^it and sugar, and albuminoids for the casein. A lar^e amount 

 of mineral salts is also absorbed in milk production. In young cattle 

 the mineral salts obtained in the food are largely used in the produc- 

 tion of the bones. Those not used are remo\ed \>\ the kidney-. The 

 animal never digests all the food it consumes. The amount left un- 

 digested varies with the- kind of food and the animal. 



When the cow is giving milk, a portion of the nitrogen and ; 

 phoric acid will be removed in the milk, and the manure produced 

 will usually not contain more than from 50 to 7^ per cent. <>i 'he 

 amount of thos,- -ubstaix e- -implied in the food. When young 'Stock 

 arc growing rapidly a considerable portion of the nitrogen and pho- 

 phoric acid contained in the i.,o<l i- u-ed in production of bonfl and 

 muscle, and the manure contains a proportionately smaller amount oi 

 ubstances than the food. The fattening animal takes compara- 

 tively little valuable material from the food, as the greater part oi th 

 increase is fat, which contains no plant food. 



As milk contains (and the composition of milk gives the \<>-\ to the 



proper food for the cow) a large proportion of albuminoids and phos 

 phates, the food must contain enough of these substances to meet the 

 demands for milk in addition to what is required to repair the \\.iste 

 oi tissue. H the food does not contain enough of the-, substi 

 ihe tlow of milk will be diminished, or the cow must use her own 

 H- production. The f.,od should also pOSSCSfl SO me readily 

 digestible fat, as we have seen that this is contained in milk in con- 

 siderable quantity. If a 'food is deficient in albuminoids, the cow may 

 '1 all -he can eat. and yet be unable to yield a liberal supply of 

 milk. 



In the analysis of all given cow foods considerable I at all 



laid on the importance Oi ascertaining their nutritive ratio, es- 

 pecially with regard to the carbo hvdrate- and albuminoids in the 

 Food -upplied to young calve I and heifers. P.y nutritive ratio i- meant 

 the ratio of digestible albuminoid, to dig. tibl< ' ''"''" hydrates. The 

 carbo h\d, um. -ugar. &c. I'at or oil i .!<. .1 carbo 



hydrate, but it ifl e-innated a- having a licit producing and nutritive 



I as ordinar\ carbo hydrate- l:i Imdii. 



nutritive ratio OJ Food, thru, tin- di- lihle fat, multiplied bv J }. LI 

 added t<> the di-e-tiblc ca rbo h \ d ra t -. and tin- -i'in divided by the 

 digr-tibh albuminoids, |f \\ e take- the- following an.ik-i- of cow's 

 milk casein. i,j- tle-h former-, j.o^; butter. .vSo; milk -n^ar (food ..I 

 the respiration and fat). 4.55; Utltl Of .'-h or \\ ,I,T. 87.00 an rl ex- 



236. 



