FARM NOTES.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 689, 2 December 1921, Page 5

FARM NOTES.

JOTTINGS. To create shearing* records is apparently not the exclusive right of Australians and New Zealanders. An American paper reports that one, William Jenkins, of Burley,, Idaho, has shorn 403 head of sheep in nine and threei-quarter hours, Statistics show that large quantities of wool were shipped from Sydney during June. The aggregate value of the shipments was £1,370 079. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and Belgium received the bulk of /this wool. A South African breeder has selected the prize bull, Nevercraig Lucky Blend' at Kilmarniock Show for his heijd in South Africa. This young bull comes front Buttercup. 935 gallons, testing 4.22 per cent, in 53 weeks'. She was sold to America and won grand champion over all breeds in New Jersey. It is seldom possible on the average farm to cool milk lower than 50 to 60 idieg. F. in summer on account of the water not being cool enough. At creajmeries and milk depots refrigerating plants are installed and the milk is then cooled to as low a temperature as 36 to 40 deg. F. during hot weather. _ _ If butter is not properly worked and made up its colour is often streaky and the flavour impaired. Care must :be taken not to 'drag this product along the bed of the worker ; the moisture must be expelled by pressure from the '.luted rollers. A great deal of butter is spoied by careful attention not being given to the working. Brining butter, ■ instead of salting it renders the removal of the buttermilk more easy. Another advantage of brining butter /is that in kot weather the production of firtn butter, where ice is not used, is greatly facilitated, jthe reason being that brine when freshly made is lower in temperature than the water employed to make it. . ■ . • ■ In sheep breeding it has been the experience of many very eminent breeders that the introduction from /time to ttfme of a little fresh blood through the purchase of a_ few ewes annually has helped to maintain size and ! vigour without loss of type 'equally as well and with much less risk than the purchase of rams from other flocks. . ■ ' The legal lijmit for water in is 16 per cent,, but on {the. average the b<|st butter will contain about 12% per cent, of water. This proportion gives (jthe buttfer a good consistence and a njice flavour. An insufficiency of moisture causes this product, to suffer in flavour and texture. Too much water makes the butter soft. and. often makes it decompose quickly. . ■ .. . Llamas and alpacas. in Bolivia are accommodating sorts of animals,. Both'Bear a coarse kind of wool that is used for the manufacture of certain’materials and in 1 addition the Haras,, at all events, is the pack animal of the Indian pop’uation. They are shorn at periods of from two to five years, as snips the convenience of jthe owners. A ; Hama will ohvtuce about 51,b. of woo!„ an alpaca 101 b. in two years. The succession of clrving winds during the past fortnight has affected the rapidity of the growth of tne wheat crops in various parts of the province. The surface of the soil is dry and hard and the healthy colour of these fields a few weeks ago is not now so pronounced. However, this condition is not very general, and the season, so fad and the immediate prospects are that, the wheat yield: will be .ai record one. Analyses of maize and sunflower plants at various staged of growth show that maize at the “silagd stage has a drv matter content of 31.31 pe' cent., of which albumenoiV’s are 0.23 per cent, and starch and sugar together 4 nearly 37 per cent,. At a comparable stage in the grovvtn ot the sunflower the dry matter content works opt at 24.42 per cent, of which abmninoids are 6.33 per cent., and starich and sugar together U.2 per cent. The two plants, however, differ very considerably qt differert stages of'growth, both as individuals and" afc species, in their sugar and starch content, though the a buminoids and d. rv matter are very constant and analogous in both. The Wet weather prevailing up to some time ago interfered widely wi'th the cutting of lucerne throughout the province. In some districts trouble was aggravated by ~ne lucerne When the growth was rank going down under the weight of ram. but generally the fine weather since has righted the crops. In most cases farmers who evidently have been studtving the halvris of the plant, cu at the first available opportunity some actually cutting with the obiect of diverting the lucerne ‘tcenilage instead of fodder, rather than risk harming the next growth by an unduly belated cut. In the maze o± information given growers what re do and what not to do in lucerne culture one thing is abundantly c tear. Late cutting injures the young growth and makes a coarse bay that . is not nearly Iso palatable to stock. LUCERNE HAY. “When made into hay lucerne is usually cut twice, and the cutting should be done before *the flowers open. Bv cutting early the stems are not so fibrous and. indigestible, ana there is less loss of leaves, ancl the. crop grows much more rapidly m the second cut.” To make ltacerne hay o-reat care is necessary, even m good weather, ancl the methods of . handling the crop will vary according to the state of !thd weather, but the following points have been found m nraciiice |to be worthy of careful attention (1) Cue the crop when the dew is off;(2) do not cut more tnan can bo ha wiled in one day; (• ) when the crop is ready to turn, do U carefully, while the dew is on ; (4) (lo not allow the crop to be scorched ip the swath is so moved ; (5) when partially dry, put it first into sniai. casks, and then into larger ones, and allow to cake gradually: (6) never attempt (to cure eompetely in one swath’.