FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2126, 8 July 1907, Page 4

FARMERS’ COLUMN.

The uso of sugar and molasses for cattle and liorso feeding (says “Sugar licet”) is gaining in popularity. Laws in. many European countries liavo been changed exempting thoso pro-

duets from taxation when they nro to 1)0 used for feeding purposes, When recently in Paris, our attention was called to certain facts that may bo interesting to our readers. Tlio Omnibus Company, of tho l'roncli cap-

itnl, owns over 10;000 horses, and as out. of that number there aro about 700 broken logs per annum, it was argued that possibly those accidents wore in a measure duo to soino faulty (combination of the daily rations. In 1901 the first experiments were mad 0 ■ the one kilogram of sour mash that had hitherloo boon used being substituted by-an alkaline molasses combination. The results obtained woro encouraging beyond the most sanguine expectations, and in 1902 the number ol' broken legs was only 79. It was concluded that the extreme fragility ~f tho animal’s bony structure was duo to tho absence of tho re-

quisito mineral elements in their rations. Tlioro appears to bo ample medical authority for assorting that heavy consumers of sugar,- in casos of bone fracture, will recover moro rapidly than when that article of luxury is’oaten in, moderation. In some hospitals patients that are laid up

witli compound fractures ot tlioir logs or arms receive in addition to their regular food 150 grams of sugar, the cost of which is soon covered by the lesser period needed for the complete healing of tho bony tissue. They do big things in the stock lin_e in Australia. In Queensland there have been some largo transactions in sheen for' export, Messrs .John Cooke and Co. having.recently purchased very heavily. It. is reported that they secured 10,000 wethers from Lansdowne, and 15,000 from Minnie Downs and other properties in tho Tambo district, while they are also operating on a line of 00,000 which they have purchased on Amby Downs. In tho St. George district, Hen. Richards and Son have been operating largely, their purchases there totaling over SO,OOO. The prices now being asked for western fatmerino wethers, full-wooled, is 15s; mixed tfoaners in wool, 10s to 11s; aged ewes 8s Od to 10s. A farmer in the AVinton district according to the Fielding Star is said to have received a cheque for £I2OO for the grass seed grown on eighty acres of land this year. A Sydney woolbroker reports tho salo of a parcel of scoured wool at 25d per lb, which is the highest- price realised for scourod wool in the Sydney market this season. The champion cow at the Levin State farm,“Mary,”a Holstein-Sliort-Itorn cross, lias a remarkable record. She calved on loth August, 1906, and was still milking. She bad given 12,9311 b of milk, her test was 3.8, while her yield of butter-fat- was 491. 3 lbs. Investigation, has shown that to produce an average acre of clover or potatoes, at- least 400 tons of water are needed for the season; for an acre of peas, wheat, or oats, 375 tons for an acre fo maize, 300 tons, while to bring an acre of sunflower to maturity,' at least 6000 tons of water are ’ needed—that is, twelve million pounds of moisture. One investigator bolds that at least 615 tons of water are taken, up in producin'" 1 21 tons of grain. Ordinary field crops require about 300 pounds of water for each pound of dry matter produced.

Rig-raising and poultry farming are rapidly developing round Elthnm(says the Argus). Many farmers along the Finnorty road report having added a fair amount to their income b.v moans of these adjuncts to the general bnsiiness. The rearing of ducks also pays when well attended to, and a lady wlio started tho season with a pair of tho Indian Runner breed now has thirty on the farm, besides having sold a fair number of eggs. This experience proves that when onco the ducks start laying they arc generally good to lay regularly for nine months.