RURAL TOPICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2155, 10 August 1907, Page 1

RURAL TOPICS.

The Government of New South Wales lias decided to establish a College of Veterinary Scionco and a Bacteriological Institute, and had a sum of £IOO,OOO available for tlio purpose.

Fanners who are ploughing now are providing food for seagulls and all sorts of land birds (says the Timnru Herald), as worms are plentiful in the surface soil. An observant farmer statos that this is because the subsoil is now too hard and dry, because of the drought, for the worms to work in, otherwise at this time of the year they would be down below the reach of the plough.

Many (says “Roustabout” in the Tiniaru Post) think that fanning can be undertaken at any time by any one who feels inclined to enter upon it, no matter what bis previous training has been. Such is very far from the case. Farming is getting more and more difficult every day, and ho who would make a success of it must start 1 out with a good practical grasp of what he undertaking.

The appearance of a biting fly in West Australia is causing pastoralists grave concern. The fly has been identified as belonging to tho family Tsetse, the great cattle scourge in South Africa. The opinion is expressed that it could liavo been brought to the State only in the form of eggs deposited in camel’s hair. Tho authorities are blamed for laxity in admitting camels without proper inspection.

FEEDING LAYING HENS. Among tlie many unsettled questions concerning the feeding of fowls, one of the frequently occurring ones is that in regard to the relative amounts of ground and whole grain that can be fed to advantage. The following is a summary of experiments made by Dr. Peter Collier, director of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, with a view to gaining information on this subject:—l. Two lots of laying hens, of large and small breed respectively, having their grain food only dry and whole, ate more food at a greater cost per fowl and for the live weight than did two similar lots having about 37 per cent, of their grain ground and moistened. 2. A pen of Leg horns, which had for the year 37 per cent, of their food ground and moistened grain, produced eggs at a greater profit than did an exactly similar, pen fed on whole grain. 3. Of two like pens of Cochins, the one fed on whole grain produced eggs at much less cost than did the pen having ground grain, which result is attributed partly to the exercise assured in feeding whole grain. 4. With the kinds of whole grain ordinarily available, it is not possible to feed a largely grain ration having as narrow a grain ratio—that is, containing as largo a proportion of the nitrogenous food constituents—as is perhajrs necessary for best results from laying hens. 5. By nsing some of the highly-nitrogenous by-iwoducts with ground grain it is possible to feed a somewhat narrow ration without feeding an excessive amount of meat. 6. With lions fed similar rations, when the hens of smaller breeds give only the same egg-yield as the hens of larger breeds, the eggs are more cheaply produced by the smaller hens, but taking into consideration the cost of raising and the ultimate poultry value of the hens, favourable for the larger hens.

SALT AND CHARCOAL FOR PIGS. "Where pigs are not allowed the range of pastures, and where they are prevented by the useless and cruel practice of ringing from rooting at their own sweet will, they are very likely to be deficient in both quality and strength of bone, and then we have the stereotyped complaint that the breed is too fine in bone. How can it be anything else, unless bone-making material is furnished? One of the readiest ways of producing bone-material is that of keeping charcoal and salt within reach of the pig at all times’. It is astonishing how much they will cat of it, and astonishing also how far it will go to correct the evils of an unbalanced ration, for the ration is always unbalanced if it does not provide bonemaking manorial. An acute observer' has remarked that pigs whose feed is deficient in bone-making material are irritable, nervous, have a disposition to nag one another, and act just like peevish irritable people whose nerves are unstrung, and that have dyspepsia, or as we say, aro hysterical. "We do not know whether there is anything in it or not, but we are quite sure that a balanced ration, not merely in ill sh-formers and fat-formers, but bone-making material, will tend to that quiet disposition, that peace of mind and contentment with all things around them, that leads to laying on of flesh. "While all things go well with the pig inside, he is not much disposed to meddle with things outside, and whether things go well or ill with him depends more on the kind of food he receives than on anything else. The pig’s world is not a wide one, mainly connected with eating and drinking and in occasional rooting, and, therefore, if he is given a ration well balanced on its mineral, its fleshforming and fat-forming side, he becomes a happy, and prosperous citizen of the farm and a money-maker.

IMPORTANT TO FLOCK OWNERS THE 1907 SHEEP DIP ORDER FOR THE • MOST FAMOUS FLOCK ' OF LONGWOOL SHEEP IN THE WORLD. “Riby Grove, Lincolnshire, England. “May 27, 1907. “Messrs Quibell Bros. (Ltd), Newark. “Dear Sirs, —I shall be much obliged if voir will send me 'tile same quantity of your Powder Dip as you sent last year. “(Signed) HENRY DUDDING. Note. —-Three times within the last decade has Mr. Dudding sold Riams for 1000 guineas anil over. Last year his Royal Champion two-tooth realised the handsome sum of 1450 guineas—the highest price ever paid for a Longwoo! Sheep. The fact that QuibeU’s Dip? have been used on the Riby Grove flock, more or less, for the past 30 years is conclusive evidence of the superior qualities of these famous preparations, •