Cattle For Tropical

Islands

Valuable Experiments Made In Fiji

• Practically all the types of Euro ean cattle which prosper in tem erate and sub-tropical countries are dversely affected by conditions in the

;opics.

• Under the Torrens heat test, rains of cattle may be developed hich become resistant to the bad feet of life within the tropics. • Important results have been se ired in Fiji by introducing good pes of Cebu for crossing with cattle ! European types. • Experts are working on the eory that it is wrong to milk dairy ittle within the tropics in daylight -that milking should be a night-time >eration. • Experiments with a certain type grass in Fiji may offer new hope r the establishment of good cattle ;stures in the tropical islands. a half-hour’s conversation with an agricultural scientist, whom I met by accident in the Koro m Hotel, in Fiji, I learned the regoing significant facts.

Ihe scientist is Dr. W. J. A. Payne, 10 is in charge of the Govern mt Agricultural Station at Siga ca, Fiji, and who appears to have hieved some interesting results in periments with cattle, rhe now famous twin-calves ex riment has been completed, and nificant data made available, iring the last three years, in New' aland, certain sets of twin calves ve been selected. One of each set twins has been kept at Ruakara perimental station, in NZ; and i other maintained under exactly filar conditions at Sigatoka, in i.

Dr. Payne says that, as a result the data gathered over three trs from the several sets of twin ves, it can be definitely stated it the tropical climate does affect : value of the animal, rhe establishment of this fact ivides agricultural scientists with )asis from which to start all ex •iments designed to provide suit e breeds of cattle from the pics. It is one of the most im 'tant developments in South fific tropical husbandry.

Another development of signific :e is the use of the Torrens Test, discovering the reaction of cattle hot sunshine. It has been ascer ned that, now and again, an mal is much less susceptible to pical heat than are the majority; 1 the degree of this is ascertained the Torrens Test. The Fiji Gov ment tested six Illawarra Short- 1 m bulls, in Australia, and one of I

5m was not so susceptible to pical sunshine. So he was pur ged and taken to Sigatoka; and is doing well there, and is being ssed with certain European leds and with Cebus, and with Ktures, with a view to develop sun-resistant types.

HERE are thousands of Cebu and part-Cebu cattle in Fiji one may see them, in use for k. or beef, or for dragging the ■ar-farmer’s plough, in every lian village. They are an import part of the Fiji-Indian economy, ’he Department of Agriculture re has been trying for years to move the breeds: and now it ims to have the best Cebu herd the Pacific. ’hese Cebu are the direct de ndants of the Cebu animals im ted by the CSR Company from :as, said Dr. Payne. They got Texas, long ago, from India via zil —an excellent type, completely ; from disease. “Their fame has ead,” said Dr. Payne, “and now cannot cope with the orders be received for these Cebu, for eding purposes—they are coming from all over the South Pacific mds. New Guinea wanted 28— we could not supply one—we are 7 trying to build up the herd.” ,s soon as Sydney’s next Royal >w is over, a number of the ious Santa Gertrudis bulls from King Ranch, in Texas, will be t from the Show to the Depart it in Fiji, for distribution among cted cattle places, like the Hed un farm in Navua and the CSR s stations. he Santa Gertrudis type is be ed to have qualities of special ;rest to people who are trying to iblish cattle-farming in the lical islands; and the experi its with the bulls in Fiji will be ;ched with interest by half-a en Administrations. It may be tembered that the owner of the Lg Ranch was in Suva a couple years ago, as the guest of Mr.

'old Gatty; and, after he had le a quick inspection of Viti u’s pastoral country, he ex ssed the view that the new Santa •trudis strain of cattle would be value in Fiji. 3 a result of observations and experiments at Sigatoka, the experts are inclined to believe t the dairy-farm routine of tem ate countries (milking at dawn I at dusk) should not be fol- Bd in the tropics, a temperate countries, the cattle erally rest and sleep during the tit, and graze during the day it. But within the tropics, their iency is to graze and move about ing the cool hours of darkness, t remain in shelter, away from sun, during daylight. The ques i—upon which the experts are king—then arises as to whether vould not be more profitable to

milk the cows at night-time, and leave them undisturbed during day light hours.

The Department is giving much attention to Fiji’s pastures—thus dealing with problems which are of interest to New Guinea (where the problem of introducing fodder grasses is even more important than that of acclimatising cattle).

“Batiki blue-grass is becoming well established here,” said Dr. Payne.

“It is an excellent fodder. I under stand it was first noticed in Batiki, in Fiji; and it since has been pro pagated and developed by the De partment of Agriculture.”

FIJI citizens generally praise the work of their Department of Agriculture, “Harvey, as Director —now abroad —has done a fine job,” said a Suva man. “Parham, acting as Director, has been an extremely valuable man, and is esteemed wherever his work is known. Lament and Dr. Payne have done dis tinguished work, especially on live stock; and Whitehead has had such success on soil erosion that the farmers, and notably the Indians, now are co-operating with him on preventive measures. (And, in the contour ridges, one could see evid ence of this from the road, all the way from Sigatoka to Nadi.) “O’Connor, the entomologist, has given splendid service in the war against the rhinoceros beetle. We have hopes that his method of put ting BHC mixture into the crowns of the palms, and so poisoning the beetles, will achieve a measure of control.

“It is worth noting, incidentally, that Simmonds (the outstanding authority on the beetle) is inclined to think that some natural agency is at work in Viti Levu, limiting the spread of the pest. It may be a natural enemy not yet identified —some have suggested that the toad is destroying the larvae.”