SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 29 January 1908, Page 8

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(tt.ott Ottb Own CoRMSYOMBnrr.') Strong gales of wind have been prevalent this month, and as the $am The TTeather fall has been less than an and inch, the ground is very The Farm. dry, so that turnips sown after Christmas are not doing 1 well. In some cases the. drills have been harrowed down, and turnip seed sown with the drill on the flat surface. Fortunately a large area was sown early in December, and there is a splendid braird, although the leaves have a somewhat wilted appearance at the gresent time. Pastures are losing their green tints, but there is , no shortage of Ceed. Threshing the rye- j grass crop from the stook is being carried on at present. The yield is heavy, and the seed of very good quality. The work of cutting the crop is performed everywhere with the reaper and binder, on. ma and flat alike, so that little labour is required Strippers have been tried by a few farmers, but these machines are not suitable for humid climates, as the seed gives trouble in the drying."

Lambs are in good condition, and a fair percentage will probably be LanihK. *it ■ for freezing when the seaggn opens at the beginning of February. There is a good demand for store lambs at the present time here. Many lambs are infested with ticks this season, and as these parasites keep them 1 from thriving, dipping will probably be performed by many much earlier than usual. Some fanners make a, practice of dipping after shearing, but if the lambs are not disposed of for export Before ,the end of the compulsory period for dipping, it would be necessary to dip a second time, consequently it is usual to postpone the operation till the Ist of February. A number of farmers are weaning tlie lambs at the present time, and it is usual to wean a large number about the beginning of February. As a rule the whole of the lambs are weaned at the same time to save trouble, so • that some may be deprived of milk when* they are fully a*month younger

than others, and it would, often be an advantage to the smaller lambs to be left &' few weeks with their dams after the usual date of weaning 1 . In a humid season it does not appear to be an advantage to leave, lambs with the ewes after they are three months old, but in a dry season such as this it may be water is scarce; but it may/ be observed that ewes which are suckling lambs need much more water than dry sheep, so that they have to be considered as well as the progeny. Lambs do very well after weaning in paddocks from which, a ryegrass crop has been removed, if ifc contains clovers, cocksfoot, and timothy, as such herbage is clean, and not too ripe. From such pasture _to rape or soft turnips is a suitable transition, but it should nofc be forgotten that when lambs are feeding on rape they need a run' on to old. pasture, preferably one in which clovers predominate. The failures in .fattening on. rape are due to confining lambs too long on that forage crop alone, and to not removing them to pasture durinjr. wet weather. Lambs are apt to sicken if fed on r ape alone longer than three weeks, so, that it would be found that' only^ the forward animals would do well. But good results can also be obtained with lambs in medium or even, low condition by allowing them' to varied diet, and by occasionally removing them entirely' for a' day or so. But both rapa ,and turnips^ should be ripe, as otherwise? digestive disorders occur i evidenced by scouring and a general unthrifty appearance. Ripeness in ' rape is denoted ' by the leaves assuming a purplish tintr and' the appearance of an T ocoasional 'yellow leaf. As ripeness advances, pink colours' appear and 1 yellow becomes more conspicuous. • Ripeness in turnips .is indicated by changes of colour from.,- green; to various shades of yellow and brown, according to the variety. Rape usually takes not' less than eight or ten weeks to ripen, and turnips nearly, five months. _ s

This troublesome insect makes its appear* ance 'here every season- a fr Tht Hone the end' of December, or Bat Fly. early in January. For .a> few years after it appeared numerous deaths among horses were attributed to the presence of the larvse in the stomach. But very little is heard now about the parasite, or of mortality front any cause, and it is probable that there were in reality few deaths due- to the bots. At air events, I have noticed few cases of illness, even among horses in which there were no measures^ taken to destroy the eggs. Veterinary surgeons are by no> mean 3 agreed regarding the effect of the>"maggots in the stomach and along the alimentary canal. As "the eggs are attached) to the hair for a period of from five days to three weeks, it would probably be sufficient to apply once in three weeks a washI capable of destroying tEem. Carbolic sheep, dip, ono of dip to 20 of water, te recommended for the purpose. Undiluted dips * should not be used, as they are unnecessary, and likely to lead to fatal results m>' ' the horse by" causing 'blopd-poisoninsj through 1 absorptionl .There have .been two species of bot flies , here for 'a few years, * evidenced by different markings and the different parts of" the animal selected "" for the' deposition of eggs. The species that appeared first 'deposited the eggs ' princi- ' pally on the jaws and inside of knees; but 'the other deposits the eggs on the pos- • terior parts.