Farm and Garden.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 162, 7 June 1909, Page 3

Farm and Garden.

Salt. Salt is composed of tiro elements, •odium and chlorine, and is known to chemist* as chloride of sodium. As a rale there is sufficient salt in tbc soil to meet the requirements of all ordinary crops, and, moreover, sodium is not an essential constituent of most cultivated plants, while chlorine is not usually present in most crops in very large proportions. It. is, however, necessary, and it is in part because it supplies an essential element to plant food, that it is useful as a manure. But besides being directly necessary as plant food, it, like lime, has indirect anions which in the main are beneficial. It has the power, for instance, i of attracting moisture from the atmos- ! phere, and thus keeping the soil moist in times of drought, and it is said also to have the effect of destroying wireworm and other similar pest*. In large quantities it is a plant poison, and even in moderate quantities it retards the growth of plants,and it is probably to this property that the beneficial efTects often observed when salt is used in conjunction with nitrate of soda as a top-dressing for wheat, is due. When applied to grass land it sweetens the herbage. A solution of salt has a greater solvent action than pure water and, doubtless, part of the benej ficial, effects observed may be referred to this property. | In the neighbourhood of the sea rain [ water contains an appreciable quantity I of salt, sometimes over a grain to the | gallon. At the rate of one ?grain to the gallon,the yearly deposition of salt ; would amount to about one cwt of salt per acre, an amount which is certainly sufficient to meet all the direct needs of the crops, with the possible exception of mangels. As the action of salt as i manure is uncertain, its use is recom--1 mended upon a very limited area before i going to the expense of treating the land generally with it. Even if it ia found that salt has a beneficial effect, ! it is just a question whether it coirfd nnt be more economically applied in conjunction with potash in the form of kainit, which contains about one third of its weight of common salt, besides ; chloride of magnesium ad sulphate of potash. In nearly all the forms in which it is found on the market, salt is in a practically pure condition, and for agricultural purposes it matters little if it be slightly discoloured.

Tuberculosis Cows. The following pronouncement of the above dreaded disease among cows has been made by the Wcstrolian Bonrd of Health: —"Tubercular cows are divided into two classes: a -Those that reveal visible and clinical signs of the disease ami b —those that possess no symptoms, but which re-act to the tuberculin test. The destruction of cows falling into Section A is immediately imperative. The disease in those cases is such that the dairyman can recognise the presence of serious sickness. It is in connection with cows coming under Section B that much criticism is levelled at the Board. The Board considers that 8)1 such cows should be rejected from the dairy herds and turned out, subject to certain restrictions. Dairymen complain that this is an unnecessary drastic action. It is, * perhaps, bard for a dairyman^to lose the services of a cow which is yielding what seems to be good milk,and which is apparently in good health and condition. It must be borne in mind, however, that all cows reacting to the tuberculin test are either at present dangerous,not only to the milk supply, but to the other members of the herd. A small percentage of such cows will be yielding infected milk, and a large percentage excreting infected faeces, particles of which may quite easily obtain entrance to the milk pail. And when it is rememrebred that the milk yield of all cows in a single dairy is frequently mixed together and sold in bulk, the importance of these points can easily be recognised. The method of ascertaining whether or not a cow is yielding infected milk or faeces is on involved process, and it is not practically possible to ascertain, when 3000 cows are being dealt with, when each one passes the danger point, and commences to yield tuberculosis milk or faeces. Therefore, the only safe course is to treat all reacting tuberculous cows in the same way, i.e., to reject them from the dairy herds.

Horse Dentistry. An instructive instance of tbe importance of horse dentistry was recorded a few years'ago. An aged thoroughbred mare was observed to be losing condition, and her owner treated her with tonics and artificial food, without doing any good. Then she was turned out into a good pasture and left, until itwaa clear that she was growing worse,when she was once more stabled and "fed up" under veterinary care. Still there was no improvement. Then it occurred to the owner that the mare's teeth might be at fault, and he called in a horse dentist. Tbe dentist quickly discovered that the mare's front teeth, instead of growing outwards with age in the usual way. were growing upright, and were so long that tbe mare's grinders did not meet to do their work. Tbe incisor teeth were shortened, and tbe mare, once more able to masticate, soon recovered conditio).

Mange on Horses. Wash with softaoap and warm water. Apply following dressing:—Quicklime lib.; sulphur, 1-2 lb.; water, 1 quart. Mix the lime and water first, then add the sulphur, stirring the mixture until it ia a uniform grey colour. Boil gently over a slow fire stirring constantly until the ingredients are combined. Allow the mixture to settle and pour off the clear fluid, which is to be used as directed. Wash off in three days and re-apply if necessary.

The Pig. It is estimated that growing pigs placed on rape at abot 25 to the acre, wilt, for two or three months, require only half as much again as sty-fed pigs. Pigs running out like this also tend to become stouter and healthier than when in confinement. They will live and grow on the rape without a supplement of grain, but a small addition of the latter has been found profitable. Dry sows, however, will do well on rape alone.

During farrowing time, and while the pigs are young, see that the sow is kept away from, all noise, and from other hogs, dogs, or cattle. This will do much to enable her to take the best care of her young pigs, and start them out right

To begin with, a good brood sow most have a heavy, round ham, well filled down the leg, a long and deep body, heavy shoulders, legs set well apart, giving room for lungs, short, medium-sized head, a wide space between the eyes, large nostrils and a heavy jowl. Her care will vary somewhat according to the season of farrowing.

That pigs are not more profitable on the farm is not so much the fault of the pigs as of the owners. Any old thing thrown out to the pigs in any old place won't make the pigs pay.

Every care should be exercised to prevent the sow from becoming constipated before and after she has farrowed.

Hardwood ashes are fine for giving strength to the bones.

The Cow. It is not a good plan to over milk cows, as the strain of milk production is very great, and they may break down under it.

The shape and form of the udder is a good indication of its capacity to yield milk, and the one which generally gives the best results is practically semi-circular, extending well forward under the belly and well up behind the tail.

Plenty of loose folds of silky-feeling skin indicate power to expand when full of milk; good quality of the milk yielded of the touch is right. It is too often ignored that an inferior, badly bred animal requires more time, and consequently more food to fatten, than a well bred one, and that the finished article is worth several shillings per cwt, live weight, than first quality.

A well known authority on New Zealand's sheep industry says:—"lf farmers would set aside a certain proportion of their best ewe lambs, and determine to keep them no matter what inducements were offered,a great improvement would soon take place. Knowing the temperament of the average farmer, however,he sees little prospect of a change being brought about in that way. He also states in New Zealand there are 20,000,000 sheep, and in Great Britain and Ireland 39,000,00, although the area here for pastoral pursuits is much greater, and be sees no reason why the number of sheep in New Zealand should not be increased to 30,000,000 or 40,000,000. As to the Government return * in connection with the number in the Colony, he states that they are quite unreliable, Tbey are taken in April, and are not available until about nine months later. The best time for taking them, in his opinion, is just before the lambing or just after.