FARM & GARDEN

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 136, 4 March 1909, Page 3

FARM & GARDEN

, It's a wise ;';•.:•;;■.!•!• who take;; hie- ' wife into p-irtrv-r.-hnp in hi.-: business as well as his. h- art anairs. Under the i:-.:!'.;'-r,cr- of lime plants develop more ;,owerful root growth, more solid structur- and gr-ater capacity to withstand disease. The best milking machine to have on the farm i- a. gco-1 mar. who takes an interest i;: the cows and who thoroughly crime r, for fin-m. The milker should havo a clean pair of overalls or trous?rs to put on while at this work, and shorn : •• ver-ise the greatest cave as to his own cleanliness. The tax upon a sow suckling a litter of pigs is so great that it is poor economy to practise anything but a liberal and judicious system of feeding. Keep the dog away from the dairy herd. A cow of nervous disposition will be so unstrung by the sight of a dog that she will not give down her milk Buy a pure bred sire even if you cannot afford to buy purebred cows. Keep all the good heifer calves for breeding, and in time you will have a good herd. Commercial fertilisers should be used as soil improvers not for crop stimulators. With good care and judgment 80 l>er cent, of all pigs born sh«uld live and develop. The physical conditions of the soil must be right if we get favourable results with fertlisers. The man who neglects to curry and brsuh his cows because he has been told it makes them poor is on a level with the man who believes manure will injure the soil. It is not always the animal that sells for the largest amount of money that returns the best profit, but rather the one that has made the largest gain on the smallest amount of food. The farmer who makes his business pay must have something to sell each year that will bring him the cash. The more compact the form in which he sel[s the more profit does he make. When driving the cows out to pasture let them walk. The boy with the dog and who may do considerable harm by running the cows especially when they have full udders. It should not be allowed at any time.

Wash all the dairy utensils daily, thoroughly rinsing in boiling water and a little washing soda, scald and drain. Boil strainer cloths daily. After cleansing, keep utensils inverted in pure air and sun, if possible, until wanted for u=*e.

In the growing of farm animals, remember it is decidedly unprofitable to check their growth.

The turnip fly is reported by the Wairarapa Age to have made its unwelcome appear?n:e in the Te Ore Ore district, where the rape blight is also stated to be prevalent. So far as the former pest is concerned, the attacks of the fly have not yet been felt to any serious extent, though a good many rape crops are affected with blight. Save in very rare instances—so rare that they need not be considered —no cow should be milked before calving, neihter should she be exercised after calving. Prior to calving she can do with plenty of exercise, as it tends to loosen up her udder, and put her blood into proper circulation. Do not be in too great a hurry to milk a cow out after calving; do not milk her out until twelve to twenty-four hours after calving, and not unless her bowels are working. A freshly calved cow should not get cold water to drink, or she may get a chill and retain the afterbirth. Lukewarm water, as much as you can induce her to take, will do the creature good. It loosens the bowel-, and once they are moved the risk of fever disappears. No matter how loose the bowels arc before calving they are very slow afterwards. Fortunately the cow is very thirsty after calving, and the best plan is to give her a barn mash with plenty of lukewarm water.