FARM & DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 1916, Page 12

FARM & DAIRY.

NOTES. Autumn is the best time for putting farm machinery in order, particularly harvesters, reapers and binders, and 6trippera.

The first consignment of Free State beef had a favorable reception on the London market in October, and' fetched 6|d per lb.

Pumpkins are splendid feed for stock of all kinds. Cattle and pigs take to them readily, but horses and sheep take some time ta acquire a taste.

The rotation employed at ithe Bathurst Experiment Farm is wheat or cereal crop once in two years, and a fodder for sheep during the alternate year.

By constantly introducing pure sires of milking strains into the dairy herd, and culling out the passenger, in a few I years the production will be doubled.

The farmer, to be successful, must be an educated man, whether he starts well equipped from an agricultural college or whether he educates himself.

A prominent Romney Marsh breeder tests his young sheep in a large swamp. Any sheep showing signs of footrot af.ter detention on the swamp are culled out.

Two threshing-mills are already engaged in threshing from the stook in the Asliburton County. It is expected tha;t several more will make a start this week.

Start with a, purebred hull, with a dairying pedigree, and breed steadily to that line, selecting first-class bulls for every generation and thus eliminate the mongrel.

The curl in a pig's tail is not a useless ornament; in indicates good health. When the curl begins to straighten out look for disease, and give medicine or a change of feed.

An acre of cultivation land Sin deep weights about 1002 tons. One hundred pounds of super, per acre, therefore, means lib to every 10 tons of soil. Yet smaller amounts than this produce increased yields.

On milk rarms, for every 10001b of whole milk sold, the fertility will be reduced by 5.81b nitrogen. 1.91b phosphoric acid. 1.71b potash. An up-to-date farmer will restore these plant foods to the soil.

For the general reader it mar prove of interest to learn that an inch of rain on an acre of ground corresponds <o 22,900 gallons, of 101 tons; for a square mile a very slight shower ef a hundredth of an inch of rain will mean the enormou3 quantity of 720 tons ef water.

It is now fairly certain that the Australian harvest will yield a surplus of 100,000,000 bushels for export, and it wi'il require 1000 ships to carry away that surplus. Tbe Federal Government has undertaken the responsibility of securing shipping freight for the wheat harvest

The driest place in England is Lincoln, with a rainfall of 20in, and the wettest, Styehead Pass, in Cumberland, where the rainfall is 165 in. At London the annual rainfall ig 23.5 in. The heaviest annual rainfall at any place in the world is on the Khasi Hills, in Benjral, where it js flOOin, of which 500 in fall in seven months.

Although both milk und butter are sometimes chemically preserved in hot weather in order to increase their keeping properties, this practice is one 1 to i>e condemned. Chemical preservatives seriously detract from the food value of <lairy products. Milk nnd butter, although of a perishable nature, will keep "tansf enough for ordinary purposes if properly handled.

SI imp or ropy mi}k is of a glutinous nature, and only with difficulty can be loured from one vessel to another. If t piece of wire or a needle is inserted m the milk, then withdrawn, long 'ti-ings or threads of mill,- hp drawn jut. This trouble is due to the action I'f a certain kind of bacteria and can jiily be remedied by first ascertaining the source of contamination.

The Government Statistician, in his 'atest estimate of the New South Wales vheat. crop, says th.it 5.186.400 acres were sown, of which 4,17">,000 were reierved for grain, yielding 02,050,000 *msho!s_ Allowing 10 per cent, for farmers' possible over-estimates, there should be 40,000,000 bushels available for export. About 507,000 acres were under hay, estimated to yield 1,220,000 tons.

Skimmed and separated milk are used for calf-feeding after having some kind of old added to take the place of the cream which has been removed. It is important that the calf is fed regularly, and the food should not he cold. The milk should be regulated to flOdeg. F., and the pails, etc., in which it is placed must be kept scrupulously clean, otherwise the calf will not thrive.

The old Norfolk Horn sheep is now kept in very small numbers in England. As far as we know there are only two flocks maintained, > and as this very blackfaced breed was one of the progenitors of the modern Suffolk, it must have qualities which commend it to the butcher. It carries a large proportion of lean meat, and, from a commercial point of view, has perhaps one main disadvantage—that it is rather difficult to contain within bounds.

The Packers' Gazette, Glasgow, says: "The first consignment of chilled meat ever exported from Hongkong, China, left on September 28. the destination being the Philippine Islands. The shipment consisted of eighty tons, the greater portion being bullock beef and earcases of mutton. The cattle are slaughtered in the colony under the personal supervision of the Government veterinarian, and is chilled by a local company, which has secured the premises of the defunct Oriental Brewery works. The Hongkong Government has limited, for the present at least, the shipment of more than eighty lions at one time, but no special restriction has been placed on the export of chilled meat for the entire year. The local government allows the exportation of 500 head of cattle to Manila monthly, and 1000 head monthly to the Dairy Farm Co., Ltd., for slaughtering purposes. The first shipment of live cattle to Manila will shortly be made, as the last restrictions have been removed,"

At Ihe last meeting of the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, the question wag raised as to ffhtt breeds should be termed short-

woolled, and it was suggested that a conference should bo arranged with the Smithfield Club so as to ensure uniformity. The R.A.S.E. recognise it lie Cheviot sheep as short wool, whereas the Smithfield Club class them as long wool. The Bradford Wool Association say that Cheviot sheep are short wool_ The secretary of the Cheviot Sheep Society had forwarded a letter from a wool export in Glasgow, in which he explained ■that Cheviot wool had always been classed as belonging to the short-wool breed, and a similar intimation had been received from a wool expert at Bradford, The committee subsequently recommended that the regulations relative to the wool classes for ithe Manchester Show should remain as printed in the Nottingham Prize Sheet, the Cheviot and Welsh mountain breeds being classed as short wools.

Artificial cattle food is seriously affected by the war. Prices have gone up, and the supply is not so general as formerly. Linseed cake, for instance, is now from £ll 5s to ,£l2 per ton, and cotton cake from £8 15s to £9—a rise in each case of about £4 a ton. Mr. Pinnoek, of Mark Lane, said the reason for this increase was expressed by the word "freights " The producers ill the colonies do not get one penny more. \,here we were paying 12s fid per ton. as much as £4 is now demanded. It is monstrous. He went on: "A member of Lloyd's told me the other day that shipowners estimated that they would have to pay £lO A,000,000 as excess profit tax. This speaks for itself. I was speaking recently to a shipowner, who told me lie had thirty-five steamers, which, at (he end of six months, cost him nothing. They had paid for themselves. All these abnormal profits come from the consumer." Mr. Pinnoek referred to the 'importation of ground-nut cake from Marseilles. "It is the cheapest thing on the market," he said, "and contains a high percentage of oil and albuminoids All this used to go to Germany, and it is quite a new thing here. Farmers in .England need educating into the useful-, ness of it. Two or three months ago I was in Marseilles, and there were then 150,000 tons. The oil is first extracted from margarine, and the residu made into cake for cattle. There is no reason who the nuts, which come chiefly from West Africa, should not be dealt with here. We were the first to make use of ,the soya bean, which comes from Japan. Germany must be starving for cattle food. Before the war Hamburg, Bremen, and' Stettin took one-third of the cottonseed of Egypt. Tlii.s supply, like the ground nut, is now cut off."

FEEDING WORKING HORSES. Recently at the Werribee Research Farm some interesting experiments were made in connection with feeding horses in drought time. Forty horses were selected; these were fed for some time on a mixture of lucerne chaff and oaten chaff, and later on for some time on wheaten chaff. During each period they were given the same work to do. The animals ccnsumcd (iAlb less food per day in attaining the same results, in condition and work, when in the lucerne and oaten chaff mixture, than when on wheaten chaff. The results prove that the value of mixed lucerne and oaten chaff food is much above that of wheaten chaff. Besides, it is cheaper, which is an extra advantage. THAT'S THE CROP. A distinguished judge has discovered that he still has something to learn in the direction of agriculture. He bought a farm recently, and finds special delight in walking about the place commenting on the condition of the crops, and in many ways showing the greatest interest in his new possessions. One. evening during the summer he was strolling over the farm. The grass had been cut during the day—a very thin crop—-and was lying on the ground to dry. The judge saw it, and calling to his man, he said: "It seems to me you are very careless. Why haven't you been more particular in raking up this hay, Don't you see that you have left little dribblings all about?" For a minute the man stared, wondering if the judge were quizzing him, then ho replied: "Little dribblings! Why, man, that's the crop!"

DRAINAGE. Good drainage does not mean necessarily the buying of pipes and cement, and so on, although in rare cases it may be worth while to do this. It means simply the devising of some means by which the supply of moisture may sink well down from the surface when it rains, and by which the surplus may be drawn off fron\ the subsoil into a ditch or pond, where, possibly, it will come in very useful in the hot weather, especially in the country. For ordinary purposes a trench 2ft wide and 2ft deep should be opened down the middle of a damp garden where fruit or roses are to be grown—it will run, of course, from the upper to the lower end—and the bottom foot of the trench filled with old tins, broken crockery, brick rubble, and the like. If bush cuttings, ancient pea sticks, etc., are available, they may be puit> into the hole over the rubble, with any other rough-waste; then some coarse soil, and finer soil to top the lot. Smaller side drains may be linked up with this main drain at intervals of about 20ft on each side. If 'there is no ditch or other means of getting rid of the water at the lower end of the garden, and a pond is out of the question, a rockery might be placed there, raised over the soggy soil where the moisture settles. But, generally, a small pond or well will repay its cost of making where fruit or vegetables are to be grown.

THE PROPER TIME TO KILL WEEDS. Weeds should be killed just as the seeds are germinating, or. while Hhey are yet very small. When this is done but very little moisture is lost through them, and they render but little plant food insoluble. In the thorough and early preparation of the seed bed many weeds are destroyed by killing them just as they are coming up. It is the same in the case of a grainfield, which is rolled after being seeded, and is then harrowed; the rolling hastens the germination of the weed seeds, and the harrowing then throws ithem out into a dry soil, which kills them. If such a field is again harrowed just after the grain is up a second crop of weeds may be destroyed and the yield made greater ag a consequence, In the ease of potatoes and maize it is an easy thing to .destroy at least two crops of weeds before the maize or potatoes are large enough to cultivate, by harrowing before and just after the plants are up. This is very important, because it riot only saves plant food for ithe crop, but it can be done so much more cheaply ar.d rapidly with the broad light harrows and wecdera than it can later with the cultivator. THE OUTLOOK FOR WHEAT. It is not always remembered, or at aii eveujs sufficiently well recognised, that

j the present war has tended ifo reduetj , rather than increase, the world's cou-t sumption of wheat, while production is' likely this year to be well above th« average, a recent Canadian estimate put'ting the total world's increase at 496,. 000,000 bushels, or 03,000,000 quarters. The Financial Times says that as far a-s Great Britain's supplies are concerned the only difficulty occasioned directly by the war has been the cutting off of imports from Russia, and these are not so important as might bo supposed, amounting in 1913 to less than half the quantity received from Australia. Germany and Austria, in the ordinary way. are very considerable importers of wheat, though since they draw their supplip s mainly from Roumania, Euss'i. and the Balkan States, the fact that they are now practically isolated and compelled to subsist on their own inadequate resources does not make so much immediate difference to the market as it would otherwise do. It increases, however, the potential supplies, which will become available when the Black Sea route is opened, and gives greater assurance for the future, "We may expect," concludes the Financial Times, "to see prices still further recede as the new season's wheat becomes available, and it is probable that the cost of ocean freights and the, supply of tonnage will be the governing factors in the market this autumn." I WOOL. In his interesting book, "New Zealand Sheep Farming," Mr. J. R. Macdonald, of Auckland, s&ye:— "The merino has from 12 to 30 waves or crimps to an inch of wool fibre, the Southdown 10 to 18, and :the Lincoln only two to three. The merino has about 2400 serrations per inch of wool fibre, but Southdown 2000, the Leicester about 1,800, and ordinary crossbreds about 1,000, with inferior wools as low as 500. Merino wool, which has high felting qualities on account of the greater number of serrations, is soft and warmth-giving. It is eminently adapted for such things as flannels, blankets, broadcloths, jerseys, etc. The Downs wool is too coarse for such purposes. Jt is used in Wiaking serges, dress goods, etc. Each breed's wool is valuable for some special purpose pr purposes, and the best object, to attain from the woolgrowers' point of view is to grow the wool of the particular breed he is concerned with as well as may be. Certain land and conditions may be suited for the breeding of a fine, woollcd sheep, anil the farmer's aim is to grow the' wool of whichever breed he selects a» satisfactory as he can. Wool from bad-ly-bred sheep will not spin well; the poor hairs will not take the dye, and the manufacturers cloth does not give satisfactory wear.

"Yolk is an important feature of wool. It is an oily, soapy, or lubricating substance, furnished, in quantity according to the good or bad treatment extended to the sheep, to the skin glands, and as it accumulates and exudes from the skin it incorporates itself with the wool fibres. Were it not for yolk the wool fibres would mat, would lose its pliancy and softness, would wear by friction, antl become brittle. Without it wool would resemble more a poor, thin hair Yolk also gives lustre to the wool, and its oiliness protects the sheep from injurious entry of rain to its body, and also protects the wool from the" entry of foreign matter. Lack of feed is followed by lack of yolk and lack of lustre in wool, although over-feeding produces inn over-supply of yolk. Abundant feed-; ing is for mutton production; gcod woo!, health, and constitution are better for feeding enough. Where 'there is exposure to much rain the function of yolk is diverted by being washed out of'the fleece or into a pasty mass which rots, stains, reduces lustre, and depreciates the value of the fleece. While this is happening the general condition, including the mutton qualities of the animal, suffers, and it directs attention to the need there is for some description of shelter from frequent storms. Longwool sheep are more prone to matting of the wool, and the maintenance of lustre is an important factor in long wool; it is a manufacturer's requirement, just as he locks for crimp and serrations in short felting wool. • The close, shield-like protection from the ingress of wet of the short, dense-woollcd breeds makes them less disposed to matting of fleece. There' is a cousinship between the best mutton parts of a sheep and good wool and yolk; where the best mutton is on the sheep there is found the best wool and the largest quantity of yolk. Deficiency of yolk in wool may be noted by the want of softness and pliancy in the touch and lack of brilliance in the lustre.

Heavy land will give a coarse wool, and the coarse-woolled, heavy earcased breeds are more adapted to such land than the lighter breeds, whose quarters are more properly tho light and sandy soils. The merino grows splendid wool on what seems, and. actually would be, a sparse or starvation diet for a long-wool, but which is the ideally suited diet for the active, hardy merino breed, accustomed to patchy' nibbling over a wide range.

"The fine-woolled breeds grow the softest and most pliant wool, but the condition of the sheep, the quality of the soil, and the state of the yolk have an influence upon softness. Poor treatment will obviously lessen softness and pliancy; the wool grows thin and scraggy and lifeless. Tho poorer the treatment, more nearly to death does the sheep get, and more nearly lifeless and poor is the wool. A feast to-day and a starve to-morrow will cause breaks in the wool fibre, to which the manufacturer objects by paying a lower price. Although there are modifications in such considerations, there is an association between clay soil and soft, lustrous wool. A limestone soil, which, however, is a favorable sheep soil in otter respects, will tend to a certain dryness or harshness in wool. The herbage of a clay soil is mellower anil softer, and wool responds sympathetically ito its influence. What may not be of advantage for one thing, however, inay be very good for others, for sheep obtain health on limestone country, and bone and mutton grow well.

"Each breed has its own characteristic length of wool, and length is not so mononotous at any time as quality. A poorly-bred sheep will have its breed's characteristic length of wool, but it will be of inferior quality. Food exerts a greater inhuenee on the soundness of the fibre than on its length. As a sheep gets older each year shows a decrease in the length and weight of its fleece. "Good wool, it has been seen, is the result of good husbanding of sheen in domesticated or civilised surroundings. It is the outcome of culture and attention. Rugged health or fitness would be found in a wild sheep, but accompanied with hairy tendencies of wool that would be of small marketable value, and accompanied also by a slow growth of mutton. To raise good wool it is necessary to breed good sheep, and to attend to their wants. Unless the benefits of selection and care aro exercised, it is not possible 1 to obtain satisfactory results. Inattention means reduced calibre of the 'wool fibre. It means ~.icro, for it means less mutton, less r-.ibs, loss constitution, less land value for the jj'jrjjose of sheep faruyo^".