TUSSOCK AND FURROW.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14839, 3 December 1913, Page 12

TUSSOCK AND FURROW.

("Weekly Press and Referee. ,1 )

Tho weather for the past week has been seasonable in tho extreme. There has been plenty of nice warm sunshine and occasional showers which has resulted in the food on the pastures keeping frt*h and green and in the crops coming aw ft y well. I have noticed sererai small lots of oats already in ear, and abo Bomo small paddocks of autumn-sown barley.

By the time these notes appear, I should not be at all surprised if the strike, which has been worrying -Nw Zealaud for the past month, was all over It is high timo it was, for surely cnoush esdess damage has been doue'to the trade ot the country, and for practically bo seniiWe reason at all an far as I can see. A feature ot the disturbance v*> tho roniarkabc vvay in which the farmer* of the Nonunion turned out in force to protect their interests, and iL is an undoubted tact

that but for their action commetiSp might have been held up indefinitely."; ||| _ Some little time ago, I"published' few notes from » correspondeut ■ which ho told of tho methods adoxitedMi by Mr K. T. Roseixdalo, of Claremoetv|S Timaru. in getting the big of 185-from hisTJorder Leicratfr The iniormntion brought along a or series of queries* from breeder who signed hittse!f;W| '"Puzzled," in which ho naked ■ Mr??! Uosendali? to elucidate certain "potata '■"©; which would be of value and interest'■?&to all sheep-breeders, and I published Turzled's" letter in this 4 week or so after tho story nboul Mr i: f Eosendnle's flock had appeared. . ;4 ?

Mr Rosendalo has kindly responded j~ : %t "Replying to your - 'Puzzled, , I may say that I aoj going to enter into any newspaper tßriy": respondenco. further than to say • <tk»' : r.--> gentleman that handed you tbo r€p<^r' 1 /; on tho percentage of lambs dropprfViH from mv Border flock was quit* correctv---; although I havo had a few dcatfe-v since. I fnil to sec that it makes any ivvdifferenßf* to 'Puzzled , whether r>o or 50,000 sheep--as I am ftXM*t»', ; menting with my httlo Border, ' to try to bring up lambs similar to what is beinr hsd some of tho Homo lnnda. If *?imfejl i has not hocn successful in Retting; gcwxl porcentago of lambs, I should t&fiScomraond him to buy one of my at the next Chmtehurch Ham ho will thon bt> able to judge for M»:?S self whether there is anything in bree*?'®' ing from prolific stock. This « first and final correspondence- from'■»€?•' "s on this subject." :%^

In tho October Quarantine there is a slightly uuusual entry , xnidftf'? ns to soino of the stock quarantined «|tii' -: Motuihi .Island, Auckland. These^ra-^S? oludo eight circus horses, a i«rfornjfajjV;« greyhound, and donkey, and last,yboti' : not least, a performing pig! tho moro serious importations, 1 noti«K?s that Mr H. E. B. Watson, oi: Tai Ttfs|£ has a Jersey bull on Quail Island,tfojiv National Mortgage Co. has a coit|ttfj| of Lincoln rams, and Mr J. B. Bcrfjp of Eldcrslie, has five Southdown and 32 Southdown em*, alt additions to tho purebred stock of. 1&0& Dominion. Sl^£

In the last numbor of the Journal; of Agriculture there is an interestiafeS reply to a cor respondent who asks'-lt*^ , -} to erect a email wbol-wnsh, co thafc'lss| can wash his own locks, pieces,.'*ipj! dags. The answer is given by main, of Tinwald, Ashburton who streij;*! —"When putting in a small scouring?'•; plant for washing locks, pieces, : tho most necessary thing to have 'is ;<£g good flow of clear, fresh watbr, '•: a good fall for the wa&rtt; to get away after it has been uswv|; Without these it is no use trying'':'to;s§ do any scouring. The cost of in a small plant that would.eorre the>£ needs of a place of ordinary size should not be more than from £15 to £2(hiThe ordinary plant is not very eive, and need not be very elaborate.:;; You will require one 400-gallon tenVj set up in brick for boiling the watcr> -i and two tubs, one for. -holding tbe '.hot-!'" water, and the other for holding cold ■ water. The dimensions of those tubs or boxes are sft Cm long:, 3ft wide, aiul v 2ft 6in deep. The tubs should he placed; fairly close to each other, so that tho.' wool can easily bo lifted from one to the other in ono handling, and yet "iiVg low a man room enough to work Jit' each tub. ".'; f,--^

"The tubs should be let, wio ■■tWis ground to within a foot of the.top. ,;.'it| boarded platform should be built $omo distance round the tube, so that linemen working at tho tubs can koop tlmifl feet dry. The tubs are to be nndgjl a roof for the shelter of tho men,' Jjutf the sides can be open. The hoVwntwft tub should be near the tank, sn,tlwit*;i the-hot water can he let into the t(il|* when required without much tronblpis The tub Rhould.havß, a elide and nlsa||t elide, co that it canil»j| emptied of water easily. ' The. co'3-gj writer tub should have almost the whd?!j| of one end covered Tvith perforated'buw& and a false slide in front, to. allows dirty water to get away freely, and -'Mi the other end a slot to allow the trai*>£ to enter tho tub. About fifty wool-; sheets will bo required for drying thnji wool on. The cost of these sheete inlji bo ■Cs each It takes throe men to ..pin,': an ordinary wool-wash—one at /ill* hot-water tub, one washing at the ebl& water, tub, and one eorting, etc. - .ThY woolshed could be used for/any rHH accommodation that may be tequircij.'f

The growing of lucerne is ftat^Wiia ~i on all over the Dominion, end, thn officers of the' Agricultural are to be congratulated the,trort.' t»:»*y hftvo done in connexion witft thfi important subject. The; North 'Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, at its last meeting, decided- to to in for something of the kin! at ihc Bottle Lake Sanatorium, and Mr J.-Xte' Hall, ono of the members of the Board,reported on the - eubject. : Ho enid ;*-;,:: "In response to the wish of,the Boaro; I visited Bottle Lake HospJt*l,-end selected a piece of ground (about hulfc. an acre) for the experimental eowfrijf \ of lucerne. Later on, the ground ,#asi inspected by Mr of t^ ; Agricultural Department, who express-? Ed himself satisfied with the ground* selected; and ho has provided seed of five varieties "with lime And,sJi£ oealated coil. der tho supervision of an officer from Department; Mr Macpberson ■'v.fOR!; ther recommends that an are* "of\t?*£ or three acres be cleared and , £<ift|v this year with annual Department to find the eecd), whicK 5 should bo ploughed in the autumn} aw, that potatoes bo planted next eprweg when ho guarantees that a crop oxbot; less than, five tons = per acre will, w, procured. So satisfied is he w ' tn .*sf: likely result that he h»3 provided of seed potatoes to be planted this yett*. $0 as to give proof of the poeeibiiiMJ; of tho ground. He further states -*&*.■ if the Board will lie guided by-bU';P*J?; partment, he will guarantee tho Bottle Lako property can be «0| verted from waste land into aproooctivo and remunerative proj>erty five years. It is necessary tepein* out that with proper treatment * rota*; tion of crops may bo grown on sand■'.'*», on oiher ground. . At Te Orang»» &?* tons of potatoes per acre wa» takee. from a paddock of drift sand, »nd tfc» year the same ground has been p!»nt*d; again and sliows a good growth." v;