THE FARM.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 136, 24 January 1916, Page 1

THE FARM.

In the Argentine it is sometimes iound that highly bred cattle which have been specially well kept or half pampered take foot-and-mouth disease in a very severe form, while the more plainly kept animals of good constitution generally escape more lightly. But juat as with typbuß, emallyox ana other infectious diseases in the human Eubj-:ct, foot-and-mouth trouble has its grades in strength. The plan of inoculating a whole lot and letting them be "done with it" is considerably favoured ic the Argentine when trouble is discovered A small tarmer in the Waikato is eaid to have obtained remarkably good results trom feeding pigs on lucerne and mangels. He pastured the pigs oa the lucerne, and the manure left behind greatly benefited the lucerne field. A great fillip has been given to lucernc-grosing in this island, but the mistake is being made in thinking that lucerce is an absolutely complete food. No doubt it is a remarkable fodder, and will carry etuck successfully through long periods, but fur highly profitable fattening it requires to be balanced with some other foodstuff, and there is nothing better for this purpose than mangels One Hawke's Bay farmer this season sold eighteen tons of wool at an average price of Is 5.} per pound, He also disposed of a big line of bullocks at £lO per head, and a line of fat wethers off t!ie shears at 25s per heed it is well known that a suitable phosphatic manure applied to poor pasture greatly improves them, and as a consequence increased production of milk and beef becomes pos?jtle on such treated pastures. This fact has been convincingly demonstrated by the experiments "manuring for milk" carried out for eomc years at the Midland Agricultural and Dairy College, England