WATER FOR COWS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 5 January 1931, Page 2

WATER FOR COWS

EFFECT ON YIELD \ LARGE QUANTITIES NEEDED . A SUMMER-TIME PROBLEM. Milk is 87 per cent, water, so that for tlie production of large. quantities of milk considerable quantities of pure water are required, writes Nitros in the New Zealand “Herald.” Many farmers do not actually realise the importance of water in the diet, or they would make greater provision than they do. It is not at all uncommon during the summer months to see a mob of cows standing round an empty water trough, unable to get sufficient water to slake their tliirst, and there are hundreds—possibly thousands—of farmers who do not understand that these thirsty cows represent a very definite loss to them. Research workers who have studied tlie needs of dairy cows have found that the amount of water required is proportional to the size of the cow and the quantity of milk she is capable of producing. Thus the larger breeds'require the larger quantities of milk. It has been found, too, that individual requirements vary from as low as ten gallons a day to as high at 40 gallons in the case of exceptionally heavy milkers. I ’ On luscious pasture cows get much of their water requirements from the grass itself, and will then drink less from the troughs, but during the summer months, when the pastures dry off, they need free access to water. It is the cheapest feed with which the farmer can provide them, and he should make sure that it is there for them each day. A farmer hesitates to spend mucli money in installing a well a.nd pumping outfit, but tlie small running cost is negligible,<• and the interest on the capital outlay so small as to be very mueli over-balanced by the . increased returns from the additional milk.

It might be said that extra milk does not necessarily mean increased butterfat, and that if the cows are a little short of water their milk will merely be richer in fat. That is not so. A shortage of water affects the quantity production, and the milk is not richer, according to American scientists, which simply means that there is no way of keeping water in short supply and still making the same returns. Another reason why there should be a first-class water supply on every farm is that the impure water which cattle get from stagnant creeks affects the quality of the milk and gives it undesirable taints. There are very few farms situated so badly that a good water supply is impossible. In many cases where there are few good creeks, an underground supply can be easily tapped, and such can often be made to serve four paddocks by having the windmill erected in a corner, filling a trough in each. Efficient electric pumps which operate automatically when the water level falls to a certain point are available for those in reticulated areas, and the cost of running is practically negligible. These need very little attention, but will provide ample supplies of water all the year round. As an additional safeguard where there is only a windmill, it is possible to have a very small light benzine engine, capable of use as a stand-by plant. If farmers can be persuaded that a poor water supply means loss, and that an impure supply means bad quality milk or cream, with bacterial contamination, they will take steps to ensure a really good summer supply, and in. so doing will fciy the foundations for increased supply during the driest portion of the year.