GLEANINGS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8343, 1 February 1913, Page 2

GLEANINGS

To manure originally meant to work with the hand, being derived from the Latin menus, a hand; and opus, work; through the French manoeuvre. Whatever the haphazard manager may say, the man who makes most money m the end is the one who plana to carry sufficient reserves to keep his stock going when supplies are short. In culling your ewes, do not judge by condition only. A cwo may be in good condition simply because she has not reared a lamb; while another, in poor condition, may have reared twins. No farmer is justified in working a sick or sorry horse in his Apart from the cruelty involved in doing so, it is "had business" from a standpoint of economy. The practice often costa, more than tho few days’ spell necessary to set things right. Farmers in the immediate neighbourhood of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak at ICeuningtou, near Ashford (Kent), are (says a Home paper) making a determined onslaught on the crows, which are being killed in large numbers. It is contended that there is great danger of the disease being carried to other farms by crows picking up pieces of infected straw or grass. A general massacre has therefore been declared. All hunting in the district has been stopped to prevent the risk of hounds crossing the infected farm land. The cocksfoot harvest is proceeding apace on. the Peninsula, and a good many of the earlier paddocks are cut out, Bays the “Canterbury Times." Last week threshing commenced, the weather at present, excepting for the excessive heat, being all that opuld be desired. There ia a great growth of feed in paddocks on the shady sides of tho spurs. Tho labour problem is acute in many of the bays, there being a considerable shortage this season. Many dairy farmers in North Canterbury are providing themselves with their own cream separators, instead of sending their milk to the creameries. Several farmers on being questioned gave the following reasons for this: First, the return was from 20 to 25 per cent, greater, and those who made their own butter reported an increase of from three to four pounds a week from each cow. Secondly, they were able to get better milk for their calves, and thereby there was much less trouble. Some people are trying to comfort themselves with the belief that a stoppage of freezing operations for some months will be a good thing for the country, which is understocked with sheep. But, unfortunately, tho men who are well stocked will be the ones to pay for this, and the lightly stocked will gain all tho benefit. A compulsory stoppage of the export trade ia too drastic a means of increasing our flocks. The high price of wool and of ewe lambs will be a means to this end, and no one will then lose by it. Judging from a letter received from his native place in England by Mr T\V. Lonsdale, manager of tho Moumahaki State Farm, prices ruling for dairy stock in New Zealand cannot, by comparison, be termed exorbitant. He informed the Warerley “Tribune" that the writer of the letter informed him that at a dispersal sale of non-pedigreo shorthorn dairy cows held in December last prices ranged from 35 to 80 guineas each. One would naturally imagine, with these prices before him, that they had reference to the sale of some famous dairy

herd, hut Atr Lonsdale’s correspondent emphasised the fact in his letter that the cows were "just an ordinary lot.” It is said that tuberculosis in pigs is just as .prevalent this season as last, with the result that the disease is being disseminates! more and more throughout the country, to say nothing of the loss to individual farmers in pocket. The only moans of effectually cnecking this fell disease on daily farms is by means of pasteuring of factory skim-milk, and it is regrettable in view of this—and the repeated advice to this end by the State veterinary and dairy authorities—that so many of our dairy companies refuse to realise their responsibility in the matter. Until this becomes general nothing can be done to effectually check the spread of the disease. Though planted late in very many instances the potato crops in most parts of Southland look and promise well, potato growing is becoming more popular with Southland farmers every year, and those who have Canadian thistles to get rid of are finding potato growing one of the best and quickest methods. A few years ago potatoes came from only two or three districts in Southland, but nowadays potatoes are grown for the market on many, if not most, of the farms. The weather has suited highlycultivated soils this .summer, and in consequence heavy yields of clean samples aro anticipated. Mr R. H. Harrowell, who has charge of the live stock side of the Australian "Pastoralists* Review,' 1 returned to Christchurch last week from his -trip to the South- In Central Otago, ho says, he was amongst a number of the best breeders, and gained plenty of evidence that they were breeding a horse on sound lines. There js a general impression in parts of the Dominion and the Commonwealth that the Otago breeders and several in the North Island aro setting out to breed a much lighter Clydesdale than heretofore, but he found no evidence in support. The improvement is simply in the legs. Rightly, they are attaching much importance to good, hard bone, freedom from too much .flesh, light silky hair, and long pastern, large round feet and wide hoof-heads. The importance they attach to these all tends to remove small feet, short upright pasterns, the gummy .hocks and fetlocks too often seen in draught horses. Mr Harrowell is sure that if these facts are made well known, they will at once dispel the doubts in the minds of those who think that the breeders of the so-called new type are tending to tho detriment of the 1 breed.