The Rural Voice, 1979-02, Page 29this is not an official measure, it commonly
refers to a pile of 12 to 16 inch logs eight
feet long and four feet high, or about
one-quarter of a full cord. A full cord
measure four feet by four feet by eight
feet.
The price of a face cord depends on the
type of wood and the location. An average
price is about 535.
"When looking for the most economical
buy, consider the type of wood and its
ability to produce heat as well as the
distance you must transport it," says Mr.
Spieser.
The ability to produce heat is measured
by British thermal units (Btu's). For
example, a full cord of sugar maple
produces 29 million Btu's, compared to
a full cord of white spruce that yields only
16.2 million Btu's.
Btu values for other types of Ontario
woods are: rock elm, 32 million; shagbark
hickory, 30.6 million; beech, 27.8 million;
red oak, 27.3 million; white elm, 24.5
million; red maple, 24 million; silver
maple, 21.7 million; Manitoba maple, 19.3
million; trembling aspen, 17.7 million; and
basswood, 17 million.
"Hardwoods provide more heat than
softwoods because the grain of the wood is
tighter," says Mr. Spieser.
To compare the cost of wood with
conventional fuels, use equivalent Btu
values. For example, a cord of red maple,
at about 5130, yields the same number of
Btu's as 184 galons of fuel oil at 5112, or
21,500 cubic feet of natural gas at 564.50.
In southern Ontario a farmhouse that
uses 1200 to 1600 gallons of fuel oil during
the winter would require eight to 12 full
cords of wood to provide the same amount
of heat.
Calving intervals
can be reduced
Ontario dairy producers who want to
save money can start by reducing calving
intervals in their herds. The average
calving interval of Ontario dairy herds is
between 13 and 14 month -one or two
months longer than recommended, accord-
ing to Dennis McKnight, a lecturer at the
Kemptville College of Agricultural Tech-
nology.
Under current market conditions, it
costs producers 51 to 51.60 per cow for
each day conception is delayed more than
80 days after calving. There are approx-
imately 600,000 dairy cows in Ontario. For
the dairy industry as a whole, the potential
savings range from 5600,000 to 5900,000
for every day the interval is shortened.
"Reducing the calving interval tabes
time," says Mr. McKnight. "However,
most of the problems of poor reproductive
performance can be traced to missed heats
and low conception rates."
In studies carried out by the University
of Guelph and funded by the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and Food, 25 per
cent of the cows showed heat from 6 p.m.
to midnight. Another 43 per cent showed
heat from midnight to 6 a.m. Research
indicates that two to four checks each day
will improve heat detection from 60 per
cent toalmost 100 per cent. Mr. McKnight
says that early heat detection, together
with timely and double inseminiation, if
possible will improve conception rates.
"Checking the cows before going to
bed, first thing in the morning, and again
at noon, will help producers catch the cows
in heat," says Mr. McKnight who recom-
mends using a 21 -day calendar to record
early heats. These calendars can also be
used to aid in pregnancy checking.
Calendars are available from Ontario
Artificial Insemination (A.I.) units.
Another possible method of reducing
the calving interval is to breed cows
earlier. Starting to breed cows 40 days
after calving, instead of 60 days, has no
detrimental effects, and will reduce the
number of days open by 15 to 20 days.
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(519) 527-0138
THE RURAL VOICE/FEBRUARY 1979 PG. 29