FEED FLAVOUR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 204, 29 July 1937, Page 5

FEED FLAVOUR.

PROGRESS OF INVESTIGATION. VALUABLE RESULTS OBTAINED. The problem of feed flavour in cream, resulting from the grazing of dairy stock on certain types of pasture, especially in tho Auckland province, is being investigated by the Department of Agriculture at tho Ruakura State Farm, and. although the investigations have already yielded valuable results, the researches are being continued in the hope that further information for the guidance of farmers may be obtained. Plio Waikato investigations wore instigated by Mr A. M. Sterling, late manager of the Morrins.ville Co-operative Dairy Company, and wore taken up by the Dairy Research Committee and tho Dairy and Fields Divisions of the Department of Agriculture, svorking in collaboration. Research work was instituted at Massey Agricultural College, where individual cows were stall-fed on different types of pasture, and at Morrinsville, in co-operation with the dairy company’s suppliers. Up to tho present, although the cause of feed flavour is still unknown, the conditions which bring about strong feed flavour have boon confirmed and reconfirmed. These conditions are;—(l) The time of the year; (2) tho weather; and (3) the proportion of grasses to clovers in the herbage which the cows eat.

It has been found that the strongest feed flavour in cream occurs during the period of most rapid active growth in the spring, and that the strongest flavours come from tho more clovery pastures, while the mildest flavours emanate from the least or most grassy pastures. Furthermore, annual clovers such as suckling clover or subterranean clover cause stronger flavour than doe 3 white clover, ft follows then that feed flavour is reducible by increasing the grass growth and reducing the clover growth of pastures. This does not moan a reduction in number of plants, hut simply a reduction in growth.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES. Although tho feed flavour investigation has not yet progressed sufficiently to show exactly how this can best bo done, tho following guiding principles have been established : 1. Never hard graze a pasture for long periods, particularly in the early winter and early spring. Hard grazing weakens the ryegrass and encourages the clover. On the other hand very lenient grazing in' the winter and early spring strengthens the ryegrass by increasing tho root systems, and weakens the clover by smother. Therefore, a system of long spells between rapid hut lenient grazings should be adopted. 2. Top-dress with superphosphate and lime in the autumn. Top-dressing is effective only if there is sufficient white clover in the sward to make use of it, and only when the increased growth passes through live slock. Phosphate ‘ manuring starts a cycle of clover, phosphates, more clover, more stock, more con;olicla ion of light land by tramping, more stock nitrogen, more grass, more phosphates, still more clover, still more stock, still more hoof _ cultivation, still more stock nitrogen, still more grass. While the carrying capacity and production are being built up in this way, tho pasture is likely to remain clover dominant for some years, and feed flavour will persist, but although the phos-phatc-elover-stock-nilrogen method. plus controlled grazing, is slow, it is also sure, and from other points of view the most practical at the present time. For the purpose of having some pastures dominant in ryegrass in the spring, artificial nitrogen may he used on areas intended for spring grazing. Several fields may be top-dressed in May with ammoiiiated super, 3cwt to tho acre. These fields should then he slut l up for early spring use, and only very lightly grazed in the winter. 3. Feed good hay in periods of strong feed flavour. 4. —ln periods of strong feed flavour graze tho most grassy pastures duripg the elav, and the most clovery at night. Keep the cows off clovery pastures for about four hours prior to the afternoon milking. In general feed flavour is much _ stronger in night's cream than in morning's cream. This is mainly due to the fact that, tows ration themselves at night, when they are adequately fed. "That is to say, they u-u----ally’'graze up to about midnight hut there; after, until morning milking, they may be down. , , . 5. Cool the cream properly and keen it as free as possible from bacteria. It cannot he too strongly stressed that the basic principle is not to ovcr-reduce the white clover, which is essential for the well-being of the rye-grass, hut to increase the growth of the rye-grass. GRASS AND GLOVER RATIO. At Morrinsville the department is cooperating with a number of farmers and lias extensively investigated the possibilities of using artificial nitrogenous manures for alterng the grass to clover ratio of pastures. The work has now been transferred to Ruakura because it lias roache'l a stage where the refined research required cannot he done co-operativly. The chief aim at present is to find out the fundamental principles of grazing management of pastures. Observations at Morrinsville indicate that a greater change in the grassclover ratio can lie made by controlled grazing than by the use of expensive artificial fertilisers. . , For the purpose of continuing the investigation a 15-acre field at Ruakura. where I lie soil is representative of the flat land of the Waipa and Waikato counties, and the pastures typical of the districts which give strong feed flavour, has been subdivided info a small dairy farm cf twelve fields, of equal size. A two-hail milking shed is being erected, and about fifteen cows will ho used for grazing. The t we’ve fields are not intended to carry the fifteen COW'S all the time, and other grazing will bn available if required. The idea is not to run the area as a self-contained dairy farm, but to graze the fields -according to a’ definite pro-determined programme. Some differential topdressing is being carried out. • • it The cream from the herd will dp critically graded for feed flavour from each grazing, and in addition lo the Ruakura work regular contact will ho made with the experiments still being carried out at Mornnsville. . . Tn addition to the invest igations with IDo snecial herd of fifteen cows, it in hoped to divide the main herd at Ruakura mto two equal sized herds. It. is suggested that, both herds should he adoquatelv fed up till nodday. but that after midday eno of the herds will lie run on a hare paddock. The object is to discover whether a herd fed adequately up to midday, maintains its yield of milk when taken off pasture until the afternoon milking, for the spell from grazing definitely reduces feed flavour. Whether such a snell also reduces the quantity of milk produced is a point yet. not settled.