Agricultural.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 February 1911, Page 4

Agricultural.

An investigation at the lowa Experimental Station to discover the influence of the age of sows upon their prolificacy and 1 the weight and growth of til© piga they produced gave some interesting results. It was found, for oxaanple, that fifteen sows In-ed at eight or" nine months average seven and two-thirds pigs per litter, while fourteen sows about twonty-fonr months old averaged nino and six-tenths pigs per litter, and aged sows averaged ten and sixtenths iper litter. Pigs from tho younger sows woigheel on an average 2.391b per pig, from the two-year-old sows 2.631b, and from lie aged sows 2.Glib. When about six weeks old the pigs from the young sows made an average daily gain oi' 0.321b, while the pigs from the two-year-old • sows gained 0.401b. No data, is given on the gain of the pigs ; from tho aged so\ys. Stated in another way, it was found that the two-year-old' sows farrowed 24 per cent, more pigs that the young sows, while tho old sows farrowed 30 per cent. more. Tho weight of tho pigs from tho two-year-old sows was 9 per cent, greater than that of the young sows, while the pigs from tho old sows wove 12 per cent, larger than from the young sows. The pigs firom the two-year-old sows made a more rapid gain than those from tilio young sows, amounting to 2U per cent'. In each instance the older sows farrowed more pigs per litter, heavier pigs at birth, and their pigs made tho.'most rapid growth after In his new book, " Farm Stock 100 Years A«»o," Sir Waltor Gilbey states that it was about "100 Years Ago"-namely, in 1791-that tho first veterinary college was established in England, "with the famous French voterinary surgeon St. Bel as its first Professor/' Before that time, as Sir Walter says, bleeding was the stock remedy for all the ills that farm stock wero heir to, and tliat stupid practice did not cease for more than" fifty years after the establishment of this centre of veterinary Jiirht and leading;- Indeed, Sir Waltor says: "The Essex farmers used to bleod their animals regularly in spring and autumn as late as tho year 1835, and I remember that many farmers in the district of El.sonham continued tho practice till 18oO.", Continuino;, the writer reler.s to the original' Board of Agriculture, constituted about 100 years ago. He says:—The creation (duo largely to the exertions of Kins George JIT), in 1793 of tho old Board of Agriculture with an income from tho public purse of £3000, was in some measure instrumental in promoting the establishment of many Agricultural Societies. Sir John Sinclair, a very prominent agriculturist, was the first, president, and tho famous Arthur Young the secretary. Tho Board did not accomplish all that was expected of it, and came to an end in 1822.

The North British Agriculturist comments thus: "It seems that Brother Jonathan's passion for 'baby beef lias been surfeited by getting ihalf a ton of it sorveii up to him in a grand champion steer which is just over ten months old. He is shouting now that this 'baby beef is real and not beef at all. Certainly our Yankee friends are very to plen.se, for by the time an animal ctonies within range of lOr-wt, as the grand champion at this year's International did. he is anything but veal. Otir Yankee friends, we should have thought, would 'have been very proud of having established a ne-w record for the production of 'baby I)eef' in having turned out a grand champion 10 months old scaling 11001b. That is undoubtedly the most profitable class of animal that the feeder ran turn out. Ha«f he been koj)t for another year's Feeding ho might have put on another oewfc live weight of the vain? of 50 dollars or so, and the year's feeding would have cost at least 200 dollars. .■Since when ha* the Yankee disregarded the "almi.ghtv dollar?"

The two-year-old Aberdeen-Angus heifer Clas p2nd, whirh was chainplon at Norwich and S'tnithfidd, and reserve champion at Birmingham, won for her owner ami brooder, Mr Cridlan, prizes of Hie total value of £822 3s. That is surely a record sum to I>o won bv a fat .stock heifer.