Farm and Garden.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 410, 17 March 1904, Page 6

Farm and Garden.

ORIGINAL ARTICLES. THE DAISY HEBD. SKN no class of animala exists the opclp j portuoitj to determine the individual ■jjg merit of the females from a standpoint of production as in dairy cattle. An exact record of the yield for the entire year may be easily kept and the animal's actual worth he known, while still comparatively young and without destroying the animal, as is necessary for the block test. An old saying is that the sire is half the herd, bat it does not always express the whole troth, In a sire whose ancestors have been bred for dairy parposes only, those characteristics have become firmly fixed and when crossed on cows of no special breeding will, produce calves more like the sire than the dam. In that case the sire counts more than half. A dairyman may start with nothing but grade cows of only fair quality, and, by simply purchasing dairy sires of excellent quality, may have a fine grade dairy herd in course of a few years. Too much streßß cannot be laid upon this point and money and time spent in finding an excellent sire that will prove a remunerative investment. The heifer calves from the best cows should by all means be raised. Although good cows can be found in all communities, yet they are comparatively scarce' and the best heifer calves should certainly be raised. Where the whole milk is disposed of and no skimmilk is available that is not so easily done, but it will pay to feed the best calves whole milk for a few days, and then gradually substitute some other calf food. In that way, if a little care is exercised, excellent dairy calves may be raised on a small quantity of milk. Dairymen who are raising . the heifer calves from the best cows in tL at way, are laying the foundation for a dairy herd of excellent quality, and one that will, in the course of a few years, consist of cows which are much more economical producers, that can ordinarily be purchased and at decidedly less cost.

BEST TREATMENT FOR YOUNG ORCHARDS. A somber of experimental tests Lave been made to determine the best method of treating yonng fruit trees. The tests seem to indicate that the best all round mathod of culture for jonng orchards is thorough cultivation in early summer, followed bj a cover crop in autumn. A mulch of straw is known to keep the toil moist during summer, and it also protects tender roots in winter, but its use will surely increase winter injury to tender tops of trees by prolonging autumn growth. Besides, a mulch induces shallow root development, which may result disastrously in later years, and its use in large orchards is out of question. Thorough cultivation protects trees against drought aa well as mulching, and keeps the roots from forming near the surface of the ground. When cultivation is given in early summer, all that is necessary in order to furnish winter protection is a stop cultivating in mid-summer, growto cover crop (even weeds are better than nothing) winch will dry the ground in autumn, causing the new wood growth to ripen earlyin preparation for winter. Good cultivation in early summer can often be given young trees by growing some cultivated crop in the orchard. Tender crops are best, since they cannot be sown so early as to dry the ground seriously in spring and are killed in frosty weather, thus preventing very late drying. For instance, cropping with corn insures fairly thorough early cultivation, and corn ib a cover crop in autumn and winter.

DUCKS FOR THE FABM. No breed of domestic fowl is so popular in its class as are the Pekin ducks. During the last twenty years they have almost entirely superseded all other varieties, at least with large duck raisers, who keep no other breed. They are the most profitable of all breeds for the commercial grower, for they reach heavy weights at a young age, and can be marked when only a few months old. There is a certain condition and stage of feathering recognised by experts at which they are just right for killing. That s before the first feathers are shed, sometimes about nine weeks of age; at that time they usually weigh from fire to six pounds according to vigour, care, and skill of the feeder.

Overcrowding as well as underfeeding reduces the weight. There is a demand for ducks of such kind at paying, prices. But, whatever the breed; care should be exercised that the breeding stock is strong and vigorous, and with a good range if possible; about five ducks to a drake with the FekißS, although some breeders say twice that number; small flocks are best, not more than thirty together. Houses should be warm and dry and bedded with straw, in which they should be confined at night, where they will lay early in the morning. The best results are obtained if they have access to water, although very often they are raised without, except water for drinking purposes. Grass paddocks are excellent where available for them to roam about, and under those conditions the cost of feeding is very much reduced.- The fetd a. xy be varied according to circumstances. Masbes are more largely used than with fowls.. Eijual parts of corn meal and bran, with a portion of pollard, beef scraps, sand or grit, a little salt, green cornstalks, green oats or rye cut fine, turnips, potatoes or beets cooked, almost anything that is succulent to make bulk. A mash night and morning with a little grain at noon, if they are confined, will give good results. Some people feed no grain; if they have space to roam about no feed at noon will be needed. Incubators and brooders are generally used for hatching and raising the young. la some cases it may be necessary to use hens for hatching when the process is not materially different from that in hatching chicks, The ducklings should be cob fined in a small incloßure for some few days. A good fcod at first is stale bread wet in milk, hardboiled eggs ohopped fine, with some coarse clean sand mixed with the food, so that they must eat it. They mußt have a supply of water to diink while eating, but into which they cannot get; as they get a little older com meal, pollard, a small amount of bran oatmeal, a little meat scrap, green stuff of some kind, chopped fine, may be fed, increasing the cornmeal, especially j a&t previous to disposing of them.