FARM & DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1920, Page 11

FARM & DAIRY

HOUSES AND WAR. We have heard go much about railways and motors, and the part they have played in the late war, that there is rather a tendency to overlook or belittle the wonderful work carried out by the horse and its hybrid offspring, the mule. According to the remounts Division of the American Expeditionary Force, there were fully 1,500,000 horses and mules doing service for the allied cause on the western front alone. Approximately half of them were in the artillery service. Practically all of the field artillery of the allied armies below the Bin gun was horse-drawn. The other half worked at a multitude of duties, rno"s| 4 of which took them under fire. It wa'S'ihe horse that had to take the ratioir eart forward over the shell-swept, roaj to the men in the line. It;%£('s the horse which likewise took forward the.water, transported most of the' Small arms, ammunition, and some of" artillery shells. This work was doii'd .when conditions were at their worst:

AUSTRALIAN FARM CROPS,

'.'/(V the course of a statement before £jie' annual congress of the South AustraliaYi Agricultural Bureau, the Directo£: 6f Agriculture ' (Professor Perkins) inside reference to pre-war agricultural and pastoral activities and revenue, and showed that the average*annual income from those sources between 1911-12 and 1917-18 had been as follows:—Value of props raised: Farm crops, £7,869,000; vineyards, £543,000; orchards, £355,000; gardens and nurseries, £119,000; olive trees, £4OOO. Returns from sheep, £•2,935,000; cattle, £1,601,000; poultry, £568,000; pigs, £32a/)00; horses, £53,000; bees, £16,000; making a mean •yearly aggregate of £14,388,000. Taking the total area of land concerned in its production (125,248,000 acres), the mean yearly agricultural and pastoral revenue represented only 2s 3£d per acre. Of the aggregate area, however, 86,104,000 acres consisted of purely pastoral land, situated outside of county boundaries. That area had carried an average of 882,000 sheep, 102,000 cattle, 1 and 23,000 horses, the gross returns from •which he had estimated at ,£1,000,000 I per annum. Thus there was left a gross revenue of £J3,358,000 from 39,144,000 acres within county boundaries, or about 6s • lOd per acre. From the general standpoint that could scarcely be regarded as satisfactory, and implied that the country, as yet, was very inadequately occupied, also that there was anjple room for that expansion of rural industries which was so greatly deßired.

. THE COW'S NERVES. Few people are prepared to admit that a cow is in possession of nerves, but the good dairy cow is of more or less nervous "temperament- This is easily recognised from the ease with which she can' be disturbed, the beef animal being more phlegmatic and sedate, and not so easily aroused. Probably more difference exisits between these two classes of cattle than between the racehorse and the working liorse. In either case there is a well-defined difference between the breeds as a whole. There might be individual exceptions to the rale, but these do not interfere with the general contention. An animal that is built with a highly nervous constitution will readily be upset by seemingly trivial incidents. In the case of the dairy cow rough treatment will cause a partial cessation of the functions that produce milk. The same is true of irregularity in milking. The same outward evidence of nervous disturbance is not apparent to the eye, but the results at the pail make it possible to form only one conclusion. The secretion of milk is not thoroughly understood, but there seems: to be an intimate relation between this and the nervous system. This being so, anything wliieh departs from kind and gentle treatment will hinder the secretion of milk.

NEW BRANDING METHOD. The Minister for Agriculture in Victoria proposes to introduce an ingenious scheme for the branding of cattle and sheep, devised by the chief veterinary officer of the Department of Agriculture (Mr. W. A. N. Robertson). Under the Bill to be presented <to Parliament, branding will be compulsory, and, in the case of cattle, marks to represent numbers will be permitted only on the thighs, the lower portion of the shoulders, and on each side of the neck. In each of these places the hides will not be damaged, and it is stated that in this respect the annual saving in hides, it is estimated, will amount to £400,000. Sheep will be earmarked, and the position of the marks will represent numbers. Each number will be registered, and, as they will be distinct, the cattle owners are expected to approve of the new law without opposition. Pastoralists who have had the scheme explained to them have expressed unanimous approval of the idea. A clause will be inserted in the Act giving the owners of stud cattle permission to affix in addition numerals if they so desire. The State has taken out patent rights for the scheme.

DAIRYING IN U.S.A. Below are some facts regarding the progress of dairying in'U.S.A.:— "There are 2,300,000 dairy cattle in the United States, and not more than 500,000 of them are on a profitable basis. These 500,000 are purebred cattle. "The increase per person in the United Staites over the increase per cow has been about 20 per cent, in the last eight years. "These two facts show what is the cause of the increasing cost of milk and butter. This is an industry on which the welfare of the people depends. "There are 6,300,000 farms in the country. There is invested'in the dairy industry in the States 8,000,000 dollars, and the products of that industry last year were 3,000,000,000 dollars."

NEW METHOD OF SHEEP DIPPING.

Three years ago Mr. Joseph Mack, of Berry bank, described in the Melbourne Leader how at that time he had killed all tick and lice on some very badly infested Sheep, with full wool on them, and how the wool was so cleaned, and improved that it brought a high price. Later on several sheep owners tried the experiment, and they have informed Mr. Mack that it was a complete success. Mr. Mack filled the branding race with sheep, one man held them by the head, another opened the wool from t?ie head to the tail while he poured about one-third of a gallon of colonial manufactured poisonous dip" mixture along the furrow. It was squeezed a bit so that the mixture should go to the skin, land, as the sheep when let go passed againit each other in tha rat*-- they

got well saturated. At shearing time not a tick, louse, or egg was to be found. The mixture 'tvas made a little stronger than usual. Mr. Mack and his two assistants dressed 1200 in a day. The spout of a two-gallon watering can was used when applying the mixture. As water is likely to be scarce this year, and as few farmers have a dip, Mr. Mack strongly advises them to try his plan either off sheara or later on, when the wool is grown, as the total cost will be under Id per head. The mixture .being clean, it dissolves the dirt and leaves the wool in beautiful condition, and sheep fatten quickly after it.

THE USE OF SALT. Many stockbreeders, but not all, are aware that stock require salt, but few supply the commodity, because nature has in many districts relieved them of the necessity (remarks the Australasian). Brackish water and saline herbage make gratuitous contributions towards this need. There are, however, several pastures where salt must be placed within reach of all,-whether horses, sheep, or cattle. The craving for salt may not be properly understood. The reason for its being regularly supplied is thus put by a famous English authority:—Because ill the blood of animals there is six or seven times more sodium than potassium, and that, the composition of the blood is constant. To keep animals in good health a definite amount of common salt, must be assimilated. The excess of potassium salts in vegetable food causes an "bnormal loss of common salt by chemical exchange. This is proved by the fact that the craving of an animal for common salt is most noticeable when the food contains a large proportion of potassium salts, such as wheat, oats, potatoes, be".ns, and peas. The addition of salt increases the appetite, promotes the repair of tissue by its searching diffusion through the body, and stimulates the rapid using up of its waste products. Salt increases muscular activity and bodily vigor, and improves the general appearance and condition of any animals. Every manger for horse or dairy cow should contain a lump of rock salt. A sure sign of needilia- salt is evinced by a horse pawing the ground and licking up the soil. Swampy, sour land quickly destroys the health of sheep unless they be provided with some lick salt or a trough.

HORSES IN FRANCE, For the French horses I have the verygreatest respect, for there cannot be worse masters than "they have (saya an army officer in the Live Stock Journal of London). Their stables are filthy, insanitary, and unweatherproof; grooming is apparently unheard of.* There is generally a sore place or a wound under the collar or the harness, and they are asked to do things we should not dream of asking horses to do in England; and they do it. Their hearts must be as big as their bodies. Mostly of Percheron blood, they have good bone and scopemust be hardy to stand what they do — and work heroes. Before I left France a great many English and American horses and mules, not classified as good enough to be sent home, were working on the land and in the towns. 1 do not think a Frenchman means to be cruel and hard to his horses; lie is generally so kind and goodnatured; but he does not look upon the horse with the same affection and brotherhood as an Englishman does. Many a heartache ,1 got in France over a horse. The loads they pull in the towns are truly wonderful, and the work they are asked to do—and do—is almost unbelievable. Some French friends of mine drove some ten or twelve miles to lunch with me—father, mother and daughter—all weighing well; they drove a very recently broken blood weed about 14.2, and three years old. Of course, stallions are very extensively and successfully used in draught, both in the towns and on the land.

, A TRIBUTE TO THE HORSE. EQUINE "OLD CONTEMPTIBLE.?." Many horses "with a past" are being entered in the class for military horses that have seen war service overseas at the Aldershot Command Show, on August 13 and 14. Some of them are "Old Contemptibles," with more than four years' war work behind them, bearing honorable sears as testimony to their country's service during the hottest fighting. Many of these horses have wonderful records, but .that of. one of them will not only take some beating but ensure for its holder an ovation from the public. B 30 is a brown gelding, and his army service began in 1912 when he was purchased by Colonel D- E. Wood, C.8., of the Remount Department, and issued as a troop horse to the sth Dragoon Guards. He took part in the International Horse Show long distance ride (from London to Aldershot) in 1914. I! 30 proceeded to France in the fateful August of that tragic year. He fought at Mons, and took part in the Great Retreat; was in every action in which the cavalry was engaged, including the battles of the Marne, Aisne, Yprcß, Loo?, the Somme, Cambrai, and Arras. He was the first horse to jump the Hindenburg Line, in full marching order, after the infantry had broken through. Although wounded on several occasions he never went into the sick lines, and was never "excused duty." B 30 took the first prize for lightweight chargers at the . First Caralry Brigade Horse Show in Flanders, 1915, and first prize in a similar class at Dieppe Horse Show in 1918. He came back to England in April, 1919. He was ridden throughout the war by Lieut.Colonel W. Q. Winwood, commanding the sth Dragoon Guards, in whose name he is entdlred at the Aldershot Show. It is interesting to know that , this veteran horse was looked after throughout the war by the same groom, Private Glare, sth Dragoon Guards-—Live Stock Journal.

ELECTRIFICATION OF SEEDS, Although the application of electricity to growing crops has only proved a partial success it appears that a very decided advantage ean be gained by electrifying seeds before sowing. Extensive experiments have been carried out in the South of England during the past few years. These have been conducted under ordinary farming conditions, and as many as 2000 acres of electrified seed, principally wheat, oats, and barley were sown on different properties last year. The investigations are not yet completed, but from thp data that have been gathered remarknble results seem to be obtained from treated seeds in comparison with those sown in the or-, diniiry way. In the first place, the yield is much heavier, electrified seed returning from 25 to 30 per cent, more grain. Then the sample itself is of better quality, the increase in weight ranging from one to four pounds per bushel. Another advantage is that the seed stood out better, and the straw is longer and Rtrongpn Further, electrified

seed appears to bo less susceptible to the attacks of fungus diseases and wireworm, but this point has yet to be proved conclusively. The process is simple in principle, though it requires care and experience in application. A current of electricity cannot be passed through a heap of dry seed so the grain is steeped in water that contains some kind of salt solution that will act as a conductor. Different kinds of salt are necessary for different seeds and soils, and the strength also has to be varied according to local conditions. The solution is placed in a tank, the seed dipped in it, and a weak current- passed through by means of electrodes attached to two opposite walls of the receptable. The grain is then taken out and c-arefullv dried.