FARM & DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 February 1916, Page 10

FARM & DAIRY.

LINSEED AND CALVES. In the Journal of the Board of Agriculture, a short article appears on the feeding of linseed to calves. The writer says that linseed in one form or another is in general use for calf feeding on farms where it ifi the practice to sell the bulk of the milk, ov where the milk is largely used for cheese-making, or where butter is made and only skim-milk or separated milk is available. Crushed linseed may suitably be added to skim or separated milk for ealf feeding, but linseed cake meal—i.e., ground linseed cake —would usually contain insufficient oil for the purpose, especially for feeding with separated milk. When little or no skim-milk is available, calf meal containing only a moderate portion of linseed should be used; crushed linseed alone would be too oily, and linseed cake meal alone too rich in albuminoids.

Linseed is a very good and very safe food when properly used; but its preparation requires some care, since a poison— prussic acid—may be formed if the conditions are such as to bring together two substances present in the seed—viz., an enzyme and a substance known as linimarin. Boiled water will destroy the enzyme, thus preventing tke formation of prussic acid. In preparing the meal for calves or sick animals, therefore, the linseed should be actually boiled with water (thus removing all risk of prussic aeid formation), or else well mixed with twenty times its weight of water which is absolutely boiling at the time, when the chance of poisoning is too remote for practical consideration. Not more than lib of linseed should be mixed with a gallon of boiling water; ground linseed and linseed cake meal swell and froth a good deal with water, and the mixture should be carefully stirred until quite smooth. It is of advantage to mix a little wheat flour with the liuseed meal to counteract the laxative influence of the latter; the wheat flour will also supply some starch, produce a hotter-balanced food, and will not swell so much with water as linseed meal does. Maize meal or oatmeal may be used instead of wheat Hour if the laxative effect of the linseed is desirable. LIQUID COW MANURE. This is a splendid manure for light soils. Practically all trees, shrubs, vegetables, and flowers benefit by its application. At the present time apply it to cabbage, wall-flowers, polyanthus, etc. Later on it can *be applied to annuals, and all strong-growing herbaceous plants. Paeonics, delphiniums, phlox l , etc., are all benefited by periodical applications. Shrubs and fruit trees, from the time they commence to shoot on to the autumn, will be benefited by applications whenever available. It is very useful in the vegetable garden, and cabbage, celery, asparagiis, beans, peas, and parsnips should have it. The great secret is to use it weak and often. No approximate quantities can be given, as the strength varies greatly, but if given weak it can. hardly he overdone. Instead of increasing the strength, increase the number of applications. MANURE FOR VEGETABLES. Most people do not have access to an ""limited supply of stable manure. Those who do can desire nothing better for making the garden good for the growing of vegetables. Farmyard or stable manure varies greatly, according to the animals that make'it and the method of keeping it. As a rule if stored, much of the plant food is wasted by being washed out with the rain, as the heap is allowed to get hot, and there is a loss by evaporation. The best way to handle farmyard or stable manure is to put it on the ground as soon as procured, and, if possible, to dig it in at once. If a spare piece of ground is not available, it could be used as a mulch on the ground it is wanted for. The principle is to get it on to the soil as soon as possible before "leaching" takes place. If manure is required for hot-beds, it is another matter, as in that case a certain value must be alloted to the heat generated. Old hot-bed manure is very good, and adds humus to the soil, but the immediately available mauurial constituents are very low. Apart, however, from its actual manurial constituents, it has a distinct value. It improves the mechanical condition of the soil, supplies it with humus, and serves to hold the moisture during the heat of- summer, while this same moisture helps to dissolve other chemical manures which may be supplied during the season. Artificial or chemical manures, are largely wasted in a dry soil, because the plants are unable to make use of them except they are in a liquid condition.

SHEEP IN RUSSTA. H is said that in no part of tlic world are there more immense numbers of sheep than in Southern Russia. In that great province, where the plains stretch right across the empire from the frontiers of Hungary to those of Mongolia. Tibet, and China, where the country is one monotonous level, with few trees, and even fewer hills than are met with in Rivcrina, there are enormous flocks of sheep. Moreover, it is stated, some flockmasters own from 500.(100 to 700,000 head. The wealth among the Russian nobles in this part of the Empire is estimated by the number of sheep and horses owned. Sheep are on the increase year after year on these plains. The breed in favor is mostly the Walhchian, or fat-tailed, although during recent years other strains have been exploited. In the fat-tailed sheep the fat above the tail is considered more valuable than that obtained from any other part of the animal, and brings a high price throughout Russia. The sheep are cxposcd"to the most severe privations, the heat of summer and the cold of winter being alike very intense, while the storms and wind bear the reputation of being worse than either. During the most severe winter months the sheep are placed in shelter, but during the spring, summer, and autumn they depasture on the plains under the care of shepherds. WHITEWASH FOR rOULTRY HOUSES. To the readers who want a good whitewash for the inside or outside of poultry houses, try this. It is a good Wash, and any one can rely on it, as its lasting qualities are sure. Take a bushel of lump lime and slake it, and cold water enough to bring it to a creamy state, then dissolve in water one pound white vitriol, and add it to the lime, with about two quarts of salt. Thin for use and apply as any other whitewash. To color, add yellow ochre to get cream shades, Indian red to get fawn color, lamp black to get shades of drab. The vitriol hardens and makes the wash durable. Cut this out and place it aside, for it if good,

SWEET CLOVER. Mr. R. E. Fairfax'-Cholmcley, Fields Inspector, New Plymouth writes to the Agricultural Journal:—A note on sweet clover by the writer was published in the Journal of May last. Since then T have had the opportunity of observing a field of about two acres of the clover growing on Mr. E. (irifliths's property ut Bell Block, Taranaki, also of noting the manner in which it was treated by slock. During the winter the Melilotus alba made very little growth; in fact, at one I time it looked as if the weeds would choke it out. In the spring, however, it recovered, quite beating the weeds, which by the end of November could not be Iseen owing to its luxuriant growth. For bulk of fodder it beat any crop of lucerne in the district, and appeared much more hardy. While all the lucerne crops I saw about were, showing the cll'ects of wind and rain, this field of sweet clover showed none. Having had permission to cut some of the clover, I gave one or two bundles of it at the end of November to a Jersey cow and some young cattle, also to two horses, all of which ate it with the greatest relish. Owing to certain circumstances, the crop was left rather late before general cutting, and became very coarse in the stem. The results were certainly satisfactory so far as they went, but before giving a definite opinion as to the suitability or otherwise of Melilotus alba as a fodder plant to cultivate, further trials are needed. EFFECTS OF HOT WEATHER ON MILK. With the hot weather coming on we shall soon have the old complaints of milk going sour, and people will be asking what causes it. There are various reasons for it. In the first instance, the person entrusted with the washing of the cans is often to blame. The milking pails should be kept perfectly sweet and clean, otherwise it is useless to make trouble over the churns and delivery cans. The cans should be first washed in cold water to take all the milk og, and then in water as hot as the hand will bear it, with a good big piece of washing soda dissolved in the water. Thev should then be scrubbed out thoroughly, being particular to clean out all the seams, a"brush being kept for this purpose. When all traces of the milk have been removed the cans should be scalded, the water for this purpose to be boiling. This done, all cans should be placed out of doors, wrong side up, to drain. Some people make a habit of drying out the cans with a cloth after scalding, but this is a great mistake. After they have been scalded a cloth should not be* placed inside of them.

It is very important that the cans be washed as soon as possiXe after being used. If they are allowed to stand un° washed the milk becomes caked on, and ordinary washing will not cleanse them. If it should happen that they must he left for any length of time, owing to special circumstances, salt should be used to clean them, and the sieve should be cleaned regularly to allow the milk to pass through freely. Insufficient cooling of milk is another reason for it going bad. If one is not possessed of a cooler it is a good plan to try placing it in the well, the water being kept on a level with the milk in the eaii. A stream of cold water should be kept running all the time the milk is cooling, otherwise the water becomes warm, and it, is useless to try to cool milk in warm water. It is also important to see that all the milk is of the same temperature, or nearly so, before being mixed. If these few hints were attended to there need be no fear of milk going bad even in the liot test weather. SUBSISTENCE FARMING. Walter of Henley, a farmer and perhaps a bailiff on an estate belonging fo Canterbury Cathedral, who wrote in' the thirteenth century, shows clearly that the farming at this time was "subsistence" farming, and only the surplus crops were sold at the local markets or at the annual fairs, after the wants of the village, including part payment of labor, had been satisfied. Besides the demesne land, there were sometimes estates of freeholders who paid quit-rents to the lord. But most of the land would be held bv villeins, bordars, and cottiers, who held by fixed and commutable services. The normal holding of a villein was a virgate, or yardland of .10 acres, whilst the cottier would have only a cottage and a garden and at the most five acres.

The work of the village was done by the co-operation of all the inhabitants, and we must remember that practically all men were landholders. There was community in cultivation but not in ownership.

The demesne was cultivated by dependents wholly maintained bv the'lord and by the part-time services of the villeins, each of which would have work somewhat as follows: He would have to plough in the spring four acres, and to supply two oxen for the plongh-team three days in winter, and three in spring, and oiie in summer. Eaeh would work for his lord three days a week, and perhaps pay a yearly 101 l of money, say two shilling's, a hen, and a score of eggs. Klic-li cottier would work one day a week. The following quotation gives us tile duties of one Hugh, sou of' u.rispian, at TTajflio, who held a messuage and a qtinrtcrium of land. He was to pay one shilling :i year in rent, to carry ilr.ng at a halfpenny a day, or to give three-halfpence instead; He was to plough and to be fed, or to pay six-pence for (lie year's work! He was to gather nuts for three days or to forfeit three half-pence. He was to supply one man in harvest or to pay two shillings, to plough half an acre for winter and another half for Lent corn, or pay sevenpence. He was to shear sheep and lambs or pay a halfpenny a day, to hoe and he fed'or forfeit threefarthings a day. To collect stiihl.lt- for three days before dinner, and receive a halfpenny or forfeit three-halfpence. To give a hen of the value of twopence and la cock worth three-halfpence, and find a help for the thatcher or forfeit threefarthings. These services would in process of time he commuted for a money payment. The terms would be written down and a copy kept by the tenant, who would then become a copy-holder. The cattle, slice]), and swine would be looked after by village ollicials, the herdsmen receiving about twopence a quarter for eacli beast, and the swineherd one penny. For haymakin" additional labor was often obtained, from a distance if possible. The means of supporting winter stock depended upon the supply of hay, so the hnilih". after calculating his resources, killed down for salting, about St. Martin's Hay (November Jl), as many sheep, oxen and calves as exceeded his means of sustenance. The wool exported from New Zealand during last year totalled lflti,s7o,U4lbs, as compared with 220,112,89811)8 in IDI4, and 188,543,0031bs in 1913. the valuta being £10,387,875, £0,318,114, and £B,-057j(i-'y for the respective years.

BASIC SLAG. The improvement in the character of poor grass land brought about by application of basic slag is now so well known that it need not be insisted on, but it may be pointed out that the indirect value of such improvement in increasing the fertility of the land may now become, an important factor, in view of the fact that considerable areas of such land may again come under the plough. This advantage formed the subject of Professor Somorville's paper, 'rend at the meeting of the British Association. Tn some trials made at Cockle Park, the ''slagged" soil which has been longest under treatment produced—as compared with "unslaggod" soil—about 140 per cent, more oats, :10 per cent, more mustard (first crop), 70 per cent, more mustard (second crop), and about 40 per cent, more wheat, the average increase from this station being 02 per cent. Another set of soils showed an aggregate increase of 57 per cent.; other two gave increases of 12 and S per cent, respectively; while the fifth did not respond consistently after the oat crop, which, however, was increased by 20 per cent.' Adding together nil the four crops, and taking the average for the five soils, it was found that the increase was 25 per cent. It is therefore evident that the factors of production have been materially increased as a consequence of usin" bsiiic slag on grass land. NOTES. An old Tapanui farmer informs the Courier that, in the early days in Scotland, in the fifties and sixties, the rate of pay for boy turnip-thinners was 3d an hour, without food or lodgings, as against (id paid in Tapanui this year. Oatmeal was then the principal article of diet, and on that staple good men wore reared.

"If he is sheep-farming and can't pay his rent now, in these prosperous times, well, he will never pay it. That's a certainty," said Air. G. "H. M. M'Clure, Commissioner of Crown Lands, at a meeting of the Land Board at Wellington on Thursday (says the. Post). The Board had before it an application for the postponement of payment of rent, and under the circumstances this was refused.

Evidence is not wanting that some of the crops in the Ashbnrton County are as good as, if not better than, those gathered in other years (says the Guardian). Recently attention was drawn to a wheat crop in the Allenton district which the owner considered would yield 40 bushels to the acre. A Guardian reporter was shown a sheaf of oats grown Ivy Mr. P. Connolly, of Spreadeagle, which stood abdut five feet high. In addition to this luxuriant growth in the stalks, the heads were splendidly filled with a fine berry.

Mr. W. J. Young, in his shed at Mount Stewart, Marion, last week, shore a hogget and a five-year-old ram for Mr. Gray, of Mount Stewart, Sandon road, whose clips were remarkably heavy. The hogget had 14 to 15 months' growth, and gave 271bs of wool with a staple over 15 inches long, and the ram, whoso teeth are warn level with the gums, gave a weight of 2Glbs nfter 12 months' growth. Seven lambs each gave 61bs after three month's growth. The animals were crossbreds. Mr. Young vouches for the truth of the above figures.—Advocate.

"Out of the whole of our wool produce only 4 per cent, is manufactured into woollen goods in New Zealand. We should be able to manufacture half the wool of the country. If we did this, we should have two more towns of the size of Dunedin." Thus said Mr. J. B. Laurenson at the conference of the Industrial Corporation the other day. "The farmer," he said, "has the best end every time. On machinery imported he pays only Is 7d per £IOO. Yet were 1 to import a sheepskin or a bag of flour I would have to pay heavy duty. And yet he says he is fighting the world's markets."

The Bathnrst correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald gives particulars of an instance of good farming on a small area. Air. Cousins, of Windburn, ploughed 52 acres in February and drilled in deeply, using 56 lb of superphosphate and 401b of wheat to the acre, the grain having been steeped in bluestone solution—lib to 00 gallons of water. The sowing of the wheat, which was of the Prolific and Cleveland varieties, was completed in March just .prior to heavy rains. The crop progressed remarkably, and for 10 weeks slock were kept on the area, and later sold at good figures as fats. The crop was cut with a binder early in November, and returned 70 tons of prime hay, the grain estimate being 180 bags.