Farm Notes.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4387, 18 March 1909, Page 4

Farm Notes.

™e'pig. P rr HOW TO CHOOSE A BOAR. •/: • -i.Tntr-v- ti Hi '« Every man who keeps two or more sows should" have his own boar, which should be pure bred, and with a/vigorous,Constitution. Mr Cobutn, in his book bn “ Swine Husbandry,” . givra the following as prominent characteristics of a good .sire ; —= *> \ The iboar should :have a. fine :■ extended form, which is tHo result of; a superior organism ; a short; 1 'bMts face, with a heavy. and thick, short neck, indicating! strong vitality and assimilating nowers, . two functions requisite ‘in every fiist - class meat producing animal; width between the forqlegs, and large girth immediately behind them, denote , rodnji ; ; foir large? 'ap active lungs, 'the very foundation jq£ any animal. Ribs that are long and wdll spsy ng. outward . from the bick show 1 rapacity ! of tltomach; : J broad loin and well developed j are sighs of active kidnbys. l '- A clean, ! fine and elastic skin, covered with I 'soft, lively hair, 11 free from bristles, ! denotes a healthy liver and- freedom j from internal ' fever. A fine' muzjcfe j and limbs, clean, small joints;: and standing square upon the feet; denote solidity, strength, and firmness of the animal’s framework ; while the dished br concave face, and slightly drooping ear, and unerring signs; of an easy .keeper, 1- and a quiet, con tented disposition. .Having,, such a boar in his possession, the first obligation bn the part of,j,the owner, is ,>tj>, keep' him properly. The most comijaon, uptake is to confine him in a small penwith insufficient yard room. Every animal needs plenty of fresh air* and exercisp,,knd{'o^ly 9 a moderate Supply; of food. Theboar’s pen should be at least 12 ft. by 12 ft., with plenty of sunlight, and ■ a yard not less ,than 100 ft. by I*2 ft. It ought to be away from 4he other pig pens. Tha fact that'the boar is to be the sire of future litters should never be lost sight of,- and he should be treated with great care and kindness. As to food : A* strong, vigorous boar, from one to four years old, may be fed on swill, -mixed with a little barley, pea, or oatmeal j but by swill is meant good, wholesome refuse, not offal, or decayed food. In summer, the addition of green food to the ration, if it can possibly be obtained, such 8 a , lucerne or clover, is very, desirable. The number of sows a boar is Capable of'secfving, or should be allowed to serve, will, depend on the age of' the animal, and on the constitutional vigour. Mr Sanders Spencer places the limit at 50 sows a year. The pen should be kept clean, and the yard raked occasionally. Pure water should always be bn hand, both winter and summer. A good brushing two or three times a week will keep the skin in a healthy condition. Kind treatment will result in a gentle, well dispositioned boar, and one that will be easy to handle in the breeding season.

Farmers throughout the district are being embarrassed in their harvesting operations by the scarcity of labourers willing to undertake the work (says the Oamaru “ Mail ”). There are numbers of men in the district, but they are apparently in that enviable position of not requiting work urgently, for in view of the immediate prospect of the threshing mills demanding, hands, they,.; refuse the comparatively short-lived (employment in the harvest wbrk, in the chance of secur ng rnbre lasting work with the mills. This labour question is a matter in which the farmers might well combitie for their own good. A mutual arrangement could readily be made by the ‘farmers in a particular locality to so order matters that the same harvest hands would work in rotation for all, in much the same manner as shearing arrangements are carried out. This would get over the disinclination of the men to accept a week’s harvesting at the risk of losing a month or two with the threshing’mills.