Farm and Garden

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 195, 30 September 1909, Page 3

Farm and Garden

Tin: VALUE OF CARROTS. Th>- value of the carrot as a food for iive ;;tock is, pcrhap.*, not appreciated to the extent it ihould be. For horses, in particular, the vegetable is invaluable, being much appreciated when , once the horses have become used to j eating it. Carrots-might, with profit, \ be more generally grown and fed to j working horses and dairy cattle. The | carrot is comparatively easy to culti- ] vate when sown in rows, and thinned ] out to prevent overcrowding. All that , is required is a little attention on the j farmer's part in the matter of weeding j and water, should it become dry. In j growing car/ots, manure direct from the farmyard must be avoided before sowing; it is better applied to a previous crop, for any impediments in the i soil tend to make the tapering root j forky, or it turns aside to follow the > nourishment offered, or may throw out j coarse fibres, which make it bearded j and unsightly. There are a number of vaircties, some short and others long, ! but all need good tillage and pe-fect j condition of soil. The longer vari- ( elics require a depth of mould, and ! seem to thirvc best on a sandy base, ! but in all cases the ground should be j | stirred with the subsoilcr to allow the ; i roots to run down without obstruction. '■ j Symmetrical, well shaped carrots are I I attractive in market, shop or on the j j table. The rough specimens are of | I value for horse, pony or cow, as the j I case may be, but are esteemed lightly j | for human consumption. It has been \ mentioned that the custom in manur- j ing for carrots has been to apply no I dung directly, but to grow them after i a crop for which manure has been ap- ! ; plied. As regards chemical fertilisers, j phosphates, potash and nitrate of soda, | may be applied to the soil with advan j I tage. A dressing of two cwt. of ni- j tralc of soda per acre has been found ' to result in an improved crop, whlie • the increase of this to four cwt. has i resulted in a further increase. Beyond i this point, however, the fertiliser has ; apparently no effect, for the expert- j ment of putting on a dressing of six \ cwt. of nitrate to the acre has not ' been found to further augment the j returns. Apparently the limit of en- j richment has been reached. Another j old and simple fertiliser consists of GO j bushels of soot, and six cwt. of com- ! mon agricultural salt, mixed together ; and applied to the land. Salt, how- j ever, must not be used as a dressing j at the time of sowing but previously, \ so that it if. not brought into contact ■ with the seed. The soot may be used , at seed-time, and subsequently as a j top-dressing. In the latter case it , may also be useful in helping to drive away slugs. ! THE ART OF CHURNING.

There arc a few points to bear in mind in connection with, churning. Scalded cream passes into butter much more rapidly than raw cream; poor cream is longer cliur:»ing than rich; and some rhurns do their work more rapidly than others. About C2dcg. Fahr, is a fa>r temperature for cream. The churn and the room or cellar in which the work of butter-making is conducted tthould be of about equal temperature, otherwise the cream gets 100 cold in the churn. Given these considerations the cream will go up several degrees in the prows of being converted into butter, and that is precisely what is required, for it is a normal change. Poor cream takes a 10l of churning, and may turn to froth and not pass into butter at all. The temperature of cream has a lot to do with the time it may take to churn, while an idle churner makes the work longer.

BREVITIES. A highly specialised cow is in a measure an artificial product, a complicated machine requiring skill for its best utilisation. The man who runs a dairy farm and raises pigs will find that by good management the cows will pay all expenses of the farm and the pigs will put money in the bank. One of the greatest difficulties confronting the development of breed interests consists in the tendency to introduce and attempt to grow too many breeds in a given locality. Cows must not only have liberal rations, but the right-proportioned combination of feed, to produce a normal flow of milk. The largest flow of milk is stimulated by succulent rations. The milk cow should not be compelled to take much exercise. Water should be convenient, as travelling a long distance for water compels her to drink water in large quantities at too long intervals. There will always be a good demand for butter of extra quality and at remunerative prices. The demand for that kind of butter by those who have abundant means to pay for it is in excess of the supply.

The chicks should have access to fresh, cool water at ail times. Small chickens drink a little at a time, and often. Therefore, keep a supply of fresh water constantly within their reach.

Compared with the weight, the pig consumes more food than any other farm animal; h*e also makes more meat from the food which he eats than any other animal makes from the same quantity of food. Some idea of the extent of farming enterprises in the Argentine may be gathered from the number of live stock owned by Senor M. Cobo, the well known breeder of Lincoln sheep and Shorthorn cattle, and who has been one of the best customers for British pedigree stock. On his estancia there arc 12,000 pedigree Lincoln sheep, about 3000 of which are rams, and 4,790 Shorthorn cattle, besides a number of well bred Jerseys, and a stud of 1,150 Yorkshire and Clydesdale horses. Effeminacy in a sire means a lack of tone in muscle and loss of vigour, and this is very observable in sires lacking impressive powers, while the most noted sires in the history of breeding have been remarkably virile, with the characteristics of masculinity unusually developed. A stallion should have a determined expression, the hard features, the high crest, and full neck that are evidences of masculinity. With these there should be the active, vigorous temperament, which also indicates virility.