FARM NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8217, 22 August 1906, Page 3

FARM NOTES.

EXAMINE THE TEETH IN SHEEP.

The oulling out of old ewee should -depend on their poor milking qualities, general unthriftinesa, iaok of mutton form, tendency to openness in the fleece, aud last, but not least, on their teeth. The effects of bud teeth become very - able in the ewe in the spri&g. After gnawing roots all wfnter, or after haviug been mainly en grass and uow reoeiv'ng roots, the teeth are very liable to loosen; consequently feeding is effected with difficulty, and tho lamba get a defioiaaoy of milk. Few when buying a rara take special notice of the teeth, or beyond notioing that the teeth are there when the ewes are prafted for the flock in summer time pay attention to the shape of the teeth. Sh?ep which have to earn their living by gnawing or grazing are very dependent upon the efficiency of the front teeth; in faot, there is scarce'.;' any feature of more importance. Long front teeth should be avoided, because the longer they are the greater is the leverage on them when gnaw-' ing; conatquently thero is greater tendency for them Ko be loosened. What is necessary is that the teeth' fit well together, and are not too" long. Unless I hey are close gether when young they will become gapoy when older; also the 1 lougar the teeth the narrower become with age, and therefor* more gappy. Everything is io favour of short teeth. A ewe may, be kept in a flock a year with short, Aim teeth than one, wbiah has long ones badly placed., Tnts is an important feature in the economy of a flock; as a twotooth ewe put in the flock is worth considerably more than that same one as an empty, broken-mouthed ewe when she is culled from the flock.

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE.

A number of farmers take an interest in agricultural soience, and will probably appreciate a recent expression of opinion by Mr Jas. Wilson, the secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture. In asking Congress for more money, Mr Wilson referred to, the research work of the experiment stations, and said: 'There is no direction in which public moneys oan be appropriated that will buna more certain auditing returns than in helping the State Experimental Stations to do more research work.* AsJ it is part of Dr Evans' plan to secure better appliances for research work, this testimony of Mr Wilson'* should certainly carry weight; and it may also be said of the fifty-nine experiment stations themselves that they possess the goodwill of the people to a striking degree. The United States House of Kenresntafcives Committee gave them a few months ago an appreciation in the following terse language: 'They had done a remarkable work in developing the agricultural interests of the United States. No other single agency has contributed so much to the agricultural education of this country, or has eliminated more errors from farm practice, or has added more to the profits aud comforts of farm life. Tne experimental stations belong to the various States, but the Department of Agrioultuie at Washington is, of course, national. On the rolls of its ten bureaus are about 5500 oersons, of whom 2400 are rated as scientists or scientific assistants, and the majority of these will in one way or another have dealings wilh | the great Bureau of Chemistry under Professor H. W. Wiley. Space permits but one reference to the practical value of the Department's work where chemistry has been chiefly responsible. The secretary says:—'ln 1897 there were but nine beet sugar factories in the country, with a combined output of 30,000 short tons of sugar, while the estimated output for 1905 is 280,000 abort tons.' If gwe could get also some good results by State investigations into sugar-beet culture, or if we read 'flax' instead of sugar-beet, would it not pay very handsomely to enable Dr Evans to give his graduates in chemistry some research work in these directions? If the State oan create a national industry by undertaking the early difficulties it ia certainly the State's business to do so, and it is upon the Jclmmiste tha*. the chief brunt of the scientific work falls, while every increase of activity and range of operation on the part of the State Science Department must be oorelated with improvements in the science appliauoos of the University Colleges.

HANDY FARM 'NOTIONS.'

Ac the close of a meeting of the Farmers' Union held at Wnydbam reoently Mr John Cook, a young memner, exhibited some useful •notions' he had fixed up, and whiob he finds valuable on 'Dunalisteer' farm. Mr Cook furnished the pressmen in attendance with the following notes about these contrivances:— A simple method of strengthening and preserving the handles of the tools about the farm is as follows: Bore a 5 16th inch hole, ii l /« inches deep, in the too end of the handle, fill this with oleau-running oil, and leave the fork (or whatever implement it may be) standing overnight. By morning, most of the riJ will have soaked down through the handle. Fill again, and oork the hole with a wooden peg. Should you think the handle needs more oil at any time, it ia an easy matter to bore out the cork and till the well again. It answers equally well for the handles of axes, slashers, shovels, forks, picks, hoes, and most of the other tools about the farm. A strong and handy uan, to keep about the cow-byre, for holding water, or for washing the cows' teats and udder, can be made from a 5gallon oil or dip drum. Out it down to 10 inches deep ; take a sharp cold chisel and prize off the rim (it is usually brazed on) of the top portion of the drum. Fit the rim on the shortened drum, leaving it, sticking above the edge about half-inch, which prevents the edge of can from catting your hands. Panoh three

or four holes through the rim, and rivet it to oan with copper rivets, which will answer very well. With a couple of holes punched through, and a plaited wire handle, you nave a bucket that will stand any amount of knocking about, and last for years.