FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 144, 15 July 1909, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY.

FRUIT TREES AND LIME. The application of lime to orchard land is often a. matter of urgency. In addition to its 'being a plant food, lime is most important as a corrective of acidity. In heavy soils well supplied with humus and fairly drained and cultivated, fruit trees often fail to thrive, owing to a deficiency of lime. Rather frequent and light applications are .preferable to the old plan of a heavy dressing about every live years. From 3 to 5 cwt. per acre is a fair dressing for rich land deficient in iime. It should be applied in winter after the soil is ploughed and be harrowed in, a freshlyslaked and finely-pulverised sample being jinost effective. ji

An easy method of ascertaining whether one's land contains too great a degree of acidity is to place a piece of ordinary blue litmus paper on a sample Of moist sale; if the paper rapidly tuvtis' a vivid pink, it may safely lie assumed that the land requires a dressing of lime. If the change of color, is effected slowly, it is an indication that, while lime is needed, a light dressing will suffice. Small .books of blue litmus paper may'be procured from any chemist. AN EXPORT TRADE. New Zealand means to become an exporter of stud stock. Hitherto our enthusiastic breeders of high-class farm animals have laid out much money in securing the world's best on which to lay the foundations of their studs, and an import trade highly remunerative to Britain, resulted. Last year came the slump, and breeders ceased looking abroad' for purchases, and applied themselves instead to finding sales. The change is, perhaips, for good. It will lead our breeders to rely more on their own resources, and less on imported stock, and they will thus more readily 'become breeders in the true sense of the word. It will lead them to watch the outlet abroad for our stock, and to cater for that unsatisfied denv.rl for good .breeding animals which mi. . .:-*t in Argentina and Australia. One recent sign of this probable change is the movement to despatch joint shipments of stud sheep to the great Argentine show. The Romney men arc already forward with their arrangements, and the owners of other breeds will no doubt take part in the venture. The care which Romney owners are taking to ensure that none but "first-prize" stock shall be sent to Argentina promises well for the ultimate aim of the movement—-the opening up of a South American stud trade.

Another sign of tliis diversion of our activities is the despatch to Melbourne last week of sixteen Clydesdales from Southland. There is stated to be a considerable demand in Victoria just now for animals of this class at good prices, and consequently the shipments will be the precursor of others. The shippers were Mr. A. Chrystall (12 animals), Mr. Jiames Blaikie (2), and Mr Robert Green (2). Assistance toward working up a good trade with Australia .will no doubt be afforded by the successes of New Zealand animals at the 'Sydney and Melbourne Royal Shows in recent years. The successful animals have represented chiefly the two Leicester breeds of sheep, Lincoln sheep, and Shorthorn and Hereford cattle. In all of these breeds (if we are careful to protect the trade against exporters of low grade animals) very valuable outlets seem likely enough.—Dominion. EFFECT OF FERTILISERS. In general,, it may be said that an abundant supply of phosphoric acid and potash, especially the former, tends to increase fruitfulness, hardiness, and firmness of leaves and stems, while an abundance of nitrogen has a tendency to produce just the reverse conditions; and while the plant cannot be at its Ibest without a suitable supply of nitrogen, the plants which are grown chiefly for thei r fruits may be easily injured by an amount only slightly exceeding a sufficiency. THE FARMER'S WIFE. Hoard's Dairyman says: "There should be more thought, study and money exfended in an effort to lighten the labor of the woman of the farm household. The great body of farmers have money enough to do'this, if the only thought so. Take, for instance, the matter of hot and cold water in the kitchen, with the necessary Minks, piping, etc. Every farmer can have a. big cistern holding •2000 or 3000 gallons of water. He can put a small pump connected with the cistern, a tank in the attic of the house, a hot water tank -behind the kitchen stove connected with this tank., He can, if he likes, connect them with the kitthen and a bath and toilet-room with drain pipes leading to a dry well a fenrods from the house. Now these are some of the modern civilised comforts of town life. The farmer may have them easily if he has a mind to. There should be .more real, serious thought among fanners of how they might spend a little money for the comfort and strength of the farm wife."

Don't keep fish, meat. game, or onions ill your dairy, if you mint good -butter. In Canada stock have to be artificially fed fully six months, if not more, every year. Waste is inimical to prosperity in dairy-farming, as in many other arts' and industries. Thorough grooming is one-third the care and teed 01 a horse. Therefore, l>e generous in the use of the currycomb ami lirusli, specially the brush. During tin? last ten years over 80,00U tons of wattle bar J; .have been produced •n -South Australia, equal to considerably more than half-u-niiliioa pounds sterling ill value. Farming produces from the soil more of the necessities of life than any other occupation. Xo man is so nearly the ■architect of liis o\va fortune as the yioung farmer.

.There are three kinds of cultivated barley—the two-row, tho four-row, and the six-row. TJie aim of seed improvers is to get the productiveness of the sixrow with the quality of the two-row. A plant can form no leaves, no stem, and no grain from nitrogen or phosphoric acid or potash alone; the several nourishing materials act together, and oach must be available in proper quantity, .

Attention to the feet of young horses is one of the points in carijig for them, which is frequently paid very little attention to. Cracks in the hoof are not uncommon, especially in horses that linvc. hoofs of coarse texture, and a few minutes' work with pincers' before lameness is caused will prevent the animal li'oin being laid aside for some time. "tt hen a horse, docs not thrive on ordinary iced and does not ■rain when additional food is given, something is wrong with his digestive system. First, have the teeth examined by a competent vet., and s'ee that the grinders come togptlier evenly, and have the sharp .points smoothed off. Then see that the mangers ai'e kept sweet and clesm, as sour, mouldy feed will soon put a horse "off his feed," and a lack of nervous' energy soon follows.

Sir Walter Gilibey lias written to the London Times an interesting letter about swine fever . Ho s'hows that in irios there were, 'but 817 outbreaks, whereas in 1008 there were 2220.' There were just over 4,000,000 pigs in England, and Vast year 18,000 animals were slaughtered on account of swine fever. Si r Walter says that the disease came into the country in ISSB, from the Continent. He argues that the reason why it has increased of late years' bo much is because pigs, which we're formerly allowed to run at large under the charge of swineherds in field and forest, are row confined to close, foul, unwholesome styes. More wholesome treatment of pigs, he says, would go far. to remove swine fever.