Life Sciences Commons^™

Back Flushing On Milking Machine Teat Cups, G W R Scott, K. Needham

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE possibility of replacing the dipping of teat cups between cows with a system of back flushing with water has been investigated for some time by different workers.

Well Designed Cattle Yards, W J O Wilkie

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

GOOD yards are those in which cattle can be handled quietly, safely and efficiently.

The manner of handling is as important as the design of the yards.

Too much dog or whip can make cattle difficult, in even the best of yards.

Udder Preparation For Milking, W G. Robinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

REGULAR routine methods of preparing the udder for milking hare long been recognised as essential for good "let down" of milk.

The biggest problem so far has been to combat the spread of disease, in particular mastitis from udder to udder by the milker's hands or the udder washing cloths.

Some Advances In Milking Shed Installations And Techniques, G W. Scott

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TklG improvements in milk quality and increases in the level of production have occurred in recent years.

This has been largely due to improved dairy premises, technical advances in machine milking and better shed husbandry.

A Core Sampler For Silage, A L. Hamilton

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FOR five years now the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture has conducted a silage competition on behalf of the Australian Dairy Produce Board Pasture Improvement Committee.

The competition is for farmers in the Southwest dairying districts and has attracted an increasing number of entries each year.

The Importance Of Rapid And Complete Milking, K Needham, W. G. Robinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

COMPLETE withdrawal of milk from the udder as quickly as possible after the process of "let-down" has started, is an essential in good milking; management.

The Effects Of Tillage Implements On Cereal Yields, H M. Fisher

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Careful soil preparation is essential for cereal crops grown without fallow on clover ley land.

Crops give better yields where the land is broken up with a mouldboard or disc plough rather than a scarifier or similar machine.

The implements differ appreciably in their capacity to control weed growth and this is largely responsible for variations in cereal yields. "Takeall" disease is reduced by efficient weed control.

Check Your Milking Machine, T Pavy

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

MILKING machine efficiency testing carried out by officers of the Department of Agriculture's Dairying Division have shown that many machines are not up to standard.

One reason for this is that farmers do not check their machines regularly.

Water Cooling Towers : For Cooling Milk On The Dairy Farm, K Needham

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Experience on dairy farms where water cooling towers have been installed has shown that the quality and grading of milk and cream has been improved and maintained, particularly during the summer.

MOST defects in the quality of dairy produce can be attributed to the activity of micro-organisms which cause spoilage.

Orchard Planting Systems, K T. Whitely

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

HAVING decided on the location of the orchard and the types of fruit trees to be planted, the grower is still faced with the problem of layout of the trees in the new orchard.

A Modified Copper Hot Water System, F J. Fielder

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A good supply of hot and boiling water for cleansing and sterilising utensils is essential for hygienic milk production.

Dairy Instructor F. Fielder, M.D.D., describes an efficient and economical modification of a copper hot water system for this purpose.

SINGLE copper units of 14 or 16 gallon capacity to supply hot and boiling water for the dairy are no longer good enough for most dairy farms.

Irrigating Dry Season Crops In The Ord Valley : How To Prepare Land For Sowing, D F. Beech

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE best way to grow dry season crops of safflower, linseed and rapeseed under irrigation in the Ord Valley is by sowing on to broad flat ridges, separated by small furrows 3 ft. 6 in. apart.

This system of sowing is called the "corrugation" method.

Weed Control In Cereals : Aerial Spraying Trials, G R W Meadly

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SPRAYING cereal crops for weed control is now standard farming practice in Western Australia. Almost 500,000 acres of cereal crops, mainly wheat, are sprayed each year, and approximately three-quarters of this area is treated by aircraft.

Recent trials have shown that aerial application of 'extra low" volumes of hormone-like herbicides, with oil or water solvents, does not damage cereals if spraying is done at the right stage of growth.

Local Control Of Crows By Trapping, C J. Woodbury

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE common crow seen frequently around farms in the South-West is the raven (Corvus coronoides) whilst the pest of pastoral areas is the true Australian crow (Corvus cecilae).

Farmers and pastoralists, although recognising the importance of these birds as scavengers and destroyers of insects, particularly grasshoppers, sometimes for one reason or another, wish to reduce their numbers over a localised area.

Baiting with phosphorus has been used in the past, but the purpose of this article is to describe and illustrate a type of trap which has become universally known as the "Australian Crow Trap."

A Crush For Tuberculin Testing Of Cattle, A L. Ripper

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ALWAYS a useful asset on any farm where livestock are kept, a strongly-constructed crush is essential where tuberculin testing makes it necessary to deal with dry stock, bulls and young animals that have not been previously handled.

The crush described in this article was specially designed for tuberculin testing, but will serve equally well for vaccinating, branding, de-horning or any operation where restraint is necessary.

Potatoes Sprinkler Irrigated From The Collie River, John W. Lewis

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE highly productive soils of the flats along the Collie River at Roelands are an important source of many of our summer grown potatoes in this State.

Large areas are planted year after year, the record being held by Mr. Clarry Cox of Roelands, who has planted potatoes on the same seven acres every season since 1922.

Automatic Waterers For Day Old Chickens, P Smetana, W. Ward

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the most tedious and time consuming tasks on a poultry farm is the provision of water to chicks from day old up to the age of three or four weeks.

Most poultry farmers use half-gallon glass fonts with metal bases for the first few weeks, until the chicks are old enough to use the automatic watering system usually situated along one wall of the brooder house.

This cumbersome glass font system can be replaced by the cheap and easily installed automatic watering system described below. This system has already been adopted by several local poultry farmers.

Plan For Quality In Silage, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SILAGE making time is fast approaching in the South-West.

Last minute preparations before harvesting will help avoid delays at the time of making this valuable fodder, thereby reducing the amount of costly spoilage caused by hold-ups.

A New Type Of Seed Bed Cover For The Market Garden, R R. Bell, M. Hardie

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ALL market gardeners use seed beds in their gardening programme. However, the basic design of seed beds and covers has not greatly altered over the years.

The availability of cheap good quality plastic materials has now shown the way to improvements in the design of this type of gardening equipment.

Let's Look At Herringbone Dairies, R A. Bettenay, F. Fielder

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE first of the modern type herringbone dairies in Western Australia was constructed by Mr. F. Tucker of Ruabon, in 1957.

Since then there has been strong interest in this system, and there are now at least six such sheds operating in the district between Ludlow and Augusta. Many more are being constructed.

Making Your Own Beehives, R S. Coleman

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE publication of this article runs counter to my own principles to some extent as I have long maintained that most beekeepers will find it cheaper in the long run to purchase factory-made hives and frames.

I realise, however, that many apiarists possess both the skill and equipment to make hive-bodies, and that some at least can occupy slack periods profitably in this manner.

Hold On To Your Egg Profits, J A. Hoy

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN recent years, much sound advice has been made available to poultry farmers to assist them in developing their properties and operating them on profitable lines.

Much of this advice has been utilised to good advantage, but there are still many properties on which the profits are being reduced by feed wastage, damage by rats and mice, lack of sufficient attention to egg quality, unnecessarily high labour costs and failure to keep farm records.

Termites Or White Ants, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TERMITES are commonly but erroneously called "white ants."

Actually they are more nearly related to cockroaches than to ants, but their general appearance and subterranean habits have given strong support to the popular designation.

They may be divided into two major groups from an economic point of view, viz., wood-dwelling and earth-dwelling termites.

Help Those Lambs To Live, C J. Spencer

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN almost all breeding flocks the most serious stage of sheep loss is from birth to three days of age with the majority of these losses occurring at birth or during the first day.

The number of lambs lost at this time is rarely known, but survey work shows that on most properties ten to twenty of every hundred lambs born are dead before three days of age.

The economic importance of such losses cannot be emphasised too much. Money has been expended for rams as sires, while the ewes have received extra feed and have had their wool production …

Bulk Handling Of Superphosphate, H G. Cariss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A MAJOR factor in our agricultural production is the outlay for fertilisers, including the cost of their application to the land.

Any means which can be employed to reduce these costs are therefore of extreme importance to the State's agriculture.

The bulk-handling of fertilisers could be one way of reducing these costs to the farmer.