Farm and Garden.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 167, 24 June 1909, Page 3

Farm and Garden.

Wheat Culture

The British Daily Press recently drew attention to what was thought to be a new method of cultivating wheat, which has been worked out by a Russian cultivator. It consisted, so it said, of pit planting, or rather sowing, and subsequent periodical earthing up >o as to induce stem branching, the result being that from a single grain of wheat quite a sheaf of stems and a bushel or so of corn were developed. There is nothing new in this, and if it is not practised by farmers in Great Britain it is because the cost of labour it would entail, as well as climatic obstacles, renders it impracticable. At the same time this method has been tried in England. Dr E. Rigby, in his notes on "Holkham: Its Agriculture, etc.,"a paper read before the Norwich Philosophical Society, in 1816, afterwards published,observes that drawing the earth round the stems would promote their tillering, or the production of -nicker stems. He referred to Mr Darwin's "Phytologia," where a drawing is given of a plant of wheat taken from a cornfield in the spring, which then consisted ot two stems. It was replanted,in his garden, and purposely buried so deep as to cover the two or three first joints of both the stems beneath the soil. Another similar experiment was made by a Mr Miller, of Cambridge, as recorded in the "Philosophical Tarnsactions." He sowed some wheat on June 2nd. 1776, and on August Bth, one plant was taken up, separated into eighteen parts and replanted. These plants were again taken , up and divided between the middle of September and October, and again planted to stand the winter. The second division produced 67 plants. These j were taken up again between the middle of March and April, and divided, this time 500 plants beine the result. Ultimately 21,109 ears, which measurI ed 3 3-4 pecks of corn, weighing 47 lb. ' 7 ozs., and were estimated at 576,840 | grains, were obtained from a single I grain. | Individuality In Cows

In selecting a dairy cow the first consideration should be ber individuality. Of course ber breeding has much to do with ber make up, but the individual must be able to preform at the pail under favourable conditions as to feeding and care, or she will not be a profitable dairy cow. In her sel ;ction many marks, signs, forms, and points should be taken into consideration, remembering at all times that the rule in general is good but not infallible, nor without exceptions. To illustrate: Usually and ordinarily the good dairy cow has a light neck with rather light fore-quarters, but many a good milker has had a thick neck and heavy forequarters. These last arc exceptional cases, but tbey break the rule. We like to see a cow with a wide hip and big barrel, wedge shape from the front part back; but good milkers have been found that had neither a wide hip nor a wedge shape. In fact some very good performers have had the square, blocky, beefy form—tbey, again, are rare exceptions. About the only sure way to test a cow a * a performer is to use the scales and Babcock test in weighing and testing her milk for a year, being very careful to weigh and test carefully all the time, and to choose a year that is not an "off" one with the cow.

If every farmer keeping cows for profit will secure a Babcock tester, and a small pair of spring platform scales and do some testing and weighing among the cows, he will find that some of the individuals are making a nice profit for him,while others are making him a loss,and then he can decide positively which to weed out, and which to "cherish as the apple of his eye," Dairy form is not everything. "Handsome is as handsome does" in cowland. The Horses Hoof. —o FROM A SHOEING STANDPOINT. The growth of a horse's hoof is like a finger nail, and unless it is worn off at the bottom or bearing surface it becomes too long. If worn off too much the sensitive portions of the foot do not have sufficient protection and the horse goes lame. In a natural itate, however, the horse's hoof keeps itself perfectly proportioned, (f the ground is bard, the homy portion of the hoof is worn away as fast as it grows. All shod hoofs become overgrown in four or five weeks. In such cases there appears to be an excess of horn at the toe and since the horny fibres do not grow straight down, but obliquely forward, the plantar surface of the foot is carried forward. This throws it out of proper relation with the rest of the foot, and injuriously affects every part of the foot —in fact, the entire leg. GROWTH OF THE HOOF. On an average the wall wilt grow an inch in three months. The more actively a horse is exercised the faster the hoof grows. Inflammation checks growth. If there is no bearing on a certain part it will grow quickly and become even with portions that receive the bearing. If the hoof be broken or rasped away to relieve pressure, in a month's time that part will be found in all probability flush with the shoe. The sole grows in the same manner as the wall, but it wears away quite differently. It never becomes overgrown, like the wall, for it becomes flaky, dry and brittle, then breaks and falls out. When the frog comes in contact with the ground it wears off in shreds. The born of the frog is softer than that of the wall or sole, and stands wear as well aa either of them. As it is elastic and rests upon a still more elastic cushion, it yields and leaves the wall and sole to bear the strain.

The growth of the frog depends largely upon the condition of the bars. If these are overgrown the frog receives no bearing, and wastes away. High heelrf are always accompanied by a ■ small frog, and low heels havf a large ; frog. Horn i> porous and absorbs water readily. If too much water is absorbed '• the horn is, of course, weakened. The natural protection to this i.. ;.'.. varnish like outer wall, and when r.his n- re-' moved by rasping, moisture is more easily absorbed, until the hon. beneath ; becomes hard and brittle from exposure I and friction, as wc have already said, j