FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 123, 15 November 1911, Page 8

FARM AND DAIRY.

NEWS AND, NOTES. Civilisation rests on agriculture. Philosophy, science, commerce, art or true religion do not antedate the farmer. Thte system of ensilage is not so modern as many people suppose. The ancients practised the preservation of forage on a large scale in big subterranean vaults. The rubbing in of a little pure lard or vaseline into the skin of the teats will readiy cure any superficial soreness or roughness.. Wart on the teats are a source of unsteadiness during milking time. Avoid loud talking while milking. Anything which attracts the attention of the cow from the operation of milking affects tin: secretion, and this secretion goes on during the drawing of the milk.

Too many men make the mistake of thinking that one or two trials are conclusive proof. When the tent of the nomad is <lis))l;\[('d hy the house of the farmer, man's real progress begins. When horses gnaw the bark of trees or eat leaves it is been use they crave grass and cannot get it. The question for the farmer ia: Haw can he furnish nitrogen, phophoric acid and potash in the best forms, and at the ■ least cost? Diversified farming is adapted i* 9u man who does intensified thinking. The intensive thinker is always a success as a farmer or any other occupation where l talents lead him. Heifers in their first lactation apparently give better results by machine milking than do aged cows that have been accustomed to hand-milking for one or more years. Washing milking machines at irregular intervals or simply drawing water through them will increase the bacterial content of the milk even above poor methods of hand-milking. Perseverance and intelligence are the only two things that will win in the dairy. Without these you had better get out of the business.' There are three important times in the raising 'of sheep—the mating, ih« lambing-time, and the culling-time; and the, last is the most important of all. The object of agriculture in the high school is not to produce professional agriculturalists, but to teach the scientific principles invested in agriculture as part of'general culture. The merchant, the doctor, the lawyer, the preacher, the artist, the scientist, the philosopher, all wait until the farmer has ploughed, and mowed and reaped The farmer needs us all. A vendor of diseased condensed milk in England opened his eyes when told by the Judge that he had rendered himself liable to penalties amounting to £II,OOO. The fine was reduced to £4O by the soft-hearted Judge. In most instances when the milk passes , through'the strainer nine-tenths of the bacteria and all the bad flavors in the l milk pass through also, nnd all that remains is some coarse matter, which can do no harm. Hand-separator cream produces better butter than that separated by any other method. The deep can surrounded by cold water is second best; pans and crooks are third best, and the water dilution method comes last. The following are suitable times at which crops may be cut for ensilage: Grasses and clovers, when in flower; oats, rye and other cereals, as soon as they shoot into ear. The quantity of skim-milk fed to a calf need not necessarily be large; two gallons per day is plenty. When the calf is ten 'or twelve days old one pint of skim-milk can be added to three pints of whole milk. It is cruel to withhold water from the calves, especially in warm weather, even when they get a very liberal supply of milk.

The driver's aim should be to manipulate the reins with a light, but firm, steady hand. If owners were to brand their cattle in a proper manner they would increas their value at least 5 per cent. A horse should never be required t'o do very fast work when full of grass. This is often injurious to his wind. Any animal must like its food to produce the best results. This is especially important with respect to the cow. Horses must be bred with a definite purpose in view, and every sire should fit that purpose as nearly as possible. New proverb: An ounce of practice is equal to a pound of theory; but a judi cious blend of practice and theory gives the best result. From ripened maize stalks are now obtained cellulose, celluloid, smokeless powder, lacquer, roofing cloth, and a substance equal to papier mache.

The man who eliases Iris sheep all over a shed and with two strong hands grabs a young ewe by the fleece ought to be turned over to the. Humane Society. Old sows should be kept as Ion" as . y ! "' e " ootl mothers and bring fairsized litters. , They bring strong pigs, and will lose fewer pigs than the youii" sows. ' " It is an excellent plan to use one acre of ground to grow seed oats on each year, and this crop should be Kept separate from the main crop and used for seed only. • st i °, r0 P s . fc(l deeper than six niches, but it is to be noted that the s»]'pl.y of nitrogen and phosphorus ia considerably less in the sub-soil than in the surface soil. J _ Avoid maize for fowls in summer. It I is too heating. Dairy-fed stock is scarce, and it will pake many years to supplv the rapidlv increasing demand for dairy-bred cattle. Prepotency does not come bv chance, but through years of proper breeding functions" 1 clmracte ™ ticß specific Durmg hot, dry weather, when flies .vie troublesome, it. pays to let the calves stay msido all da_v and let them run in e yards or pasture at night. Stall manure applied to the ground tresli is much better than manure that ynrd * e " Weathcred b - v standing in the A good way to avoid the credit system is to grow the living at home. It is usually possible to grow the most! expensive, yet the most necessary, ar-1 tides of food on the farm.

At our present rate of>* deforestation fuel and fencing materials will be very scarce within a few years. Plant waste lands in forest trees to supply the tim- ■ ber required on the farmBack of energetic tillage are good horses, heavy horses of ri'gfti conformation, good breeding, sound and freefrom disease. Keep up with your work in saving and applying the manure from your animate. The amount and kinds of feed that will be available for them next year will deepnd largely upon the manure applied to the farm. Peas put back the fertility that gram takes out.