Farm and Garden

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 206, 8 November 1909, Page 3

Farm and Garden

S »H. AND HOUSE BREEDING. [• -•.•::..Itto;' by all experienced hrir?c ■ :• ' !f r.- that the nature of the soil >i:■■ -n which the animals are raised has a grf at influence upon the character of the stock. Their size, the development of their bone, and their general conformation, are ail very largely influenced by the class of country upon which they are pastured. Hence it is that the experienced breeder picks a locality to suit the requirements of the particular breed he is interested in. This subject is discussed in an interesting article in the Live Stock Journal, in which the writer contends that a soil which is suitable for one class of horse may be less so, or quite unsuitable, for another class, and that each breed can be bred to perfection only on land that is suited to its specific requdirements When the conditions of soil arc not congenial to its particular nature, a breed cannot flourish, and sooner or later loses its type, or actually degenerates. For this reason horse breeds do not bear being indiscriminately transplanted from one kind of soil to another. Yet the mistake is commonly made of attempting to raise a particular class or breed of horse on land which is totally unsuitcd to its character. This invariably leads to disappointment and failure. In support of this contention, the writer of the article referred to asserts that really heavy and massive shire horses ccn be raised only on rich and fertile land, of a character, where the grazing is of the best, as well as very abundant. In this he will be supported by many breeders. Such horses cannot be bred on lightest soils because the grazing on these lacks the elements which are necessary for the productino of this type of horse. "Transplanted on to light land," he goes on to say, "shire stock quickly deteriorate in size and weight, and the true shire horse type, with its massive proportions and powerful bulid, is gradually lost. Cart horses, bred on this kind of soil, are always on the small side', and of a lightish stamp, being wholly lacking in powerfulness. Their size and weight, in fact, bear a direct and close relationship to the richness and fertility of the soil. The richer the latter is the more docs it promote the development of these characteristics. The heaviest and biggeit shire draught horses are bred in the low-lying marshy and rich lands of the Pen Country of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, which kind of soil favours the production of extreme weight and huge framework to a greater extent than any other kind." POULTRY NOTES.

Wbicb Pullets to Keep.—When the chickens arc getting big it becomes necessary to decide which to keep and which to kill. It is not difficult to pick out the likeliest pullet 3 for laying. Look at one and draw in your mind's eye an imaginary line from her eye to her toes. If the larger half t>f the body be at the back she will be a good layer; if, however, the part in front of those imaginary lines seems the largest she will be more fitted for the table.

Preserving Eggs. -Eggs arc now as cheap in price as they will be at any time of the year, and it will pay the housewife to preserve any available surplus from the poultry pen. Water glass is the best preservative known in the present day. Obtain the thickest quality, which most chemists can supply, and dilute this with about nine times its bulk of water. Place the eggs, having carefully washed any dirty ones, in a deep, wide-mouthed jar and then pour the diluted water glass over them so that all are covered. Put a cork bung in the jar, and coat the top of it with the melted wax from a candle. The eggs will be perfectly good at Christmas. Turkey Chicks.—Turkeys do not do well unless they have plenty of room, but any readers who are fortunate enough to have a field in which t'reir poultry can run will find it pay well to have a hatch of young turkeys. The eggs can be bought very cheaply now, as the season is getting on. A good large hen will cover eight or nine comfortably. They take twenty-six days to hatch, and the chicks need no food for the first twenty-four hours, after which they should have raw egg and breadcrumb, also groats and finely chopped grass. Feather Plucking.—This is an extremely bad habit, which generally appears amongst poultry plucking feathers out of each other and making themselves look as unsightly as is possible to imagine. It is generally arterl through fighting; two birds ;;• t covered with blood, and the rest K<t round them and begin to peck at the congealed blood on their necks. Then small feathers come out, and there is always a meaty flavour about (be ends of the*e which encourages further mischief. The only ways to cure are either to break the necks of the ringleaders or to try and sponge the necks of the victim with strong solution of quassia, which is bitter and tends to discourage the habit.

How many dairymen, when comparing cost of feed and the price of milk, forget to estimate the actual cash value of the manure obtained. Fresh air, plenty of space, both in runs and in the pens, good wholesome food, clean water, and a dust heap handy, are points which make for perfect and profitable poultry keeping. The higbsct priced farm product pound for pound, that the average farmer sells is butter. When sold, it takes the least fertility from the farm. No matter how neatly the farm buildings and yards are kept, a farm will not look its best until the roadsides are cleaned free from weeds and rubbish. When a horse is working in the chains a backhand will be needed, and with a young or skitti-th horse, or when a rather awkward piece of work is being tackled a bellyband should be used aiso. The true breeder should possess indomitable \, atii-r.ee, the finest powers