FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume II, Issue 94, 13 February 1897, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

TnE Weather.—Considerably more rain has fallen during the past week than has been appreciated, and it will, we fear, be the cause of much loss to the farmers. Many paddocks under swedes have been submerged. There is still a large area of crop in stook, and the rain will have a detrimental effect thereupon. Especially is this so in the case of wheat, as should it continue there is danger of the ripe corn shooting in the ear. The colour of those oat crops intended for chaffing will also be damaged to a great extent. It is to be hoped the weather will soon settle, otherwise the loss caused by the rain will be considerable. Notwithstanding the clamp season, the fly is reported to be quite as destructive to the young turnips as in drier years, and many paddocks have been eaten quite bare, necessitating re-drilling, xxx Sheep.—We notice that the prices obtained for fat wethers at McNicol and Co.'s fair at Ohaupo on the 3rd inst., approximate very closely to the price now ruling in Canterbury for prime freezers. For prime young fat wethers at the fair from 9s Cd to 10s lid was obtained, and in Canterbury freezers are selling at from 10s to lis 6d ; prime maiden ewes, 8s to 10s. In lambs, however, the price in Canterbury overtops that obtainable in this district, best freezing lambs finding ready buyers in the Southern market at from 10s to 12s; whilst 7s lid was the top figure obtained at Ohaupo last week. Lambs, judging from the weekly reports of the Auckland auctioneers, would appear to be somewhat of a drug in the market at present, and it seems a great pity that the farmers of this province cannot by some means secure for themselves the advantages enjoyed by their Southern neighbours through the vigorous prosecution of the freezing and export business. xxx Rolling Turnips.—Diverse opinions are held by farmers as to whether the rolling of the fields prior to and after drilling the seed is beneficial to the turnip crop. We have heard practical farmers in this district advocate the use of the roller, and others just as emphatically pronounce against it, the latter holding that the looser the soil the more impervious it is to the e/Tects of the sun, and in a dty season the turnips are consequently less affected by drought than would be tho case were the ground rolled down hard. Whether such is the case or not in every instance wc cannot say, but wc certainly have seen magnificent crops of turnips that were not rolled after the final harrowing. The experiences of an Oamaru farmer (Mr Jas. Doreen) would, however, go to prove that the rolling of the land, both before and after planting, is decidedly the best course. He has, it is said, produced a somewhat remarkable contrast by difference in cultivation on his farm at Hampden. He drilled in an area of turnips, rolling with the Cambridge roller before and after sowing. These appeared above the ground in a few days, and are now well forward, whilst those alongside on the same section, although sown a week before, have uot yet appeared. Mr Doreen says he will never grow turnips again without rolling as described. x x x The New Zealand Dairyman.—We have received the third number of the above publication, and notice a marked improvement in its "get-up." It contains a large quantity of information useful to dairymen, market reports on dairy produce, etc., an interesting contribution on the Babcock tester, and other articles. A new feature has been added in the shape of a tale aud items of interest to the household generally, under the heading of " The Fireside Circle." xxx TnE Railway Freight on Grain.— Mr Eraser Falconer a Southern farmer, writes to a contemporary suggesting that in view of the poor yields this harvest—in many large areas ho states the crops will do little more than pay for harvesting—special concessions should be made by the Railway Department on the charges made for haulage of grain for the incoming season, The suggestion is a reasonable one, and, as Mr Falconer points out. presents an opportunity to the Government of showing whether they have, in reality, the interests of the settlers at heart. We hardly think the Government will act upon the suggestion, judging from its past record in the management of the railways ; if any alteration in the traiff were contemplated it would more likely to be in the direction of increasing the rates so as to make up for the less quantity to be carried This would be more in accordance with the traditions of the Department. + + + A Good Milking Average.—The Wyndham Farmer have heard one or two dairy-farmers complain of their milk yields being somewhut below tho average this season. Such is not the complaint, however, of Mr David Doull, of Crescent farm. His herd of 71 cows is at present giving an average daily yield of 210 gal milk ; and on looking up his cows last year gave some 30gal less milk. When so large a herd yields 3gal for each cow there is not much for the owner to complain about. Mr Doull partly attributes the high yield to the fact of his cows having grazed on new pastures since the new year. Hero are tho daily returns of one week's milking this present month : 20801 b (101 bto the gallon), 20881 b, 21311 b, 21501 b (Sunday's milk, which yielded Bllb butter), 20901 b, 2130. Tho above information would have been of more interest were tho average percentage of butter fat also given. + -r + The Crops in Southland.—A writer referring to the crops in this district says: —The weath'sr has beou favourable to the growth of the crops duriug tho month of January. Rain fall occasioually, but seldom copiously, and although the crops would havo been benefited by more rain, the moderate quantity which fell, together with a high degree of warmth, has produced heavier crops than appearances last month led us to expect The yiold will not, however, be nearly so heavy this year as in previous weapons. It Avould not be correct to say that we havo not gcod crops in a number of places, but taking Southland as a who'e the crops are somewhat disappointing, being short and irregular in growth. In most cases the oat crop is fully shot. Reaping will probably, therefore, be commenced hero and there in about three week's lime, and the work will, I have no doubt, be general about tho end of February. It is a good practice to cut as much as is required for chaff just before the crop is ready for reaping, as besides ensuring a timely start there is not the risk of having rusted chaff, which is most, injurious to horses. A 40-bushei crop will, when cut into chaff, weigh about two tons, per acre. Tho proportion of grain to straw by weight is 37 per cent, of grain to Od per ceut, of straw and chuff,

Thrashing from the Stook.— Tfco Egmont Star says : The rather risky praeti'io of thrashing the oats out of the stook is being followed. The yiold is said to bo good. x" 4- + The Yokel and the Lady 'Cyclist.— This comes from tho old country:—A lady cyclist in knickerbockors was riding in the neighbourhood of Warehnm. She lost her way, and soeiug a rustic in front rode up to him, alighted, and said.- " Can you tell mo if this is the right way to Waroham Y" Tho man looked her up and down with groat attention, and then slowly replied ; " Yes, miss—yes; you seem to have got 'em on all right." x x x House Powers. —What are known as horse tread powers are coming into favour with American farmers for many binds of farm work. Tho steam engine is too expensive to bring it within the reach of any but those who farm on a large scale. The tread power is something with which oven the smallest farmer, who keeps one or more horses, can " mako the wheels go round" of any machinery he wants to operate. These tread powers are cheaply made, and it is said of them that no farmer ever bought one and regretted it. They are made to work with one, two, or three horses. xxx Cheese Without Rind.—According to the New York Farmer, tho Thistle Cheeso Company of Utica manufactures a cheese that is put up so that no rind can bo formed over it. The cheese is made square, and is coated with a thin coat of shellac, which is put on when tho cheese is first taken from the hoop. These cheeses cure perfectly under their air-tight covering. They are about 51b weight, and sell readily at 9c to 10c per lb. The shellac does not injure tho cheese in the least, and it hardens and does not penetrate the cheese, which can be eaten up to the line where the coating forms. xxx Saddle Galls.—The annoying sores made by harness can almost entirely be prevented by intelligent care. The pressure of harness and collar upon parts not accustomed to it so compresses the blood vessels that the normal flow of blood is checked, the vessels walls are bruised and pratically paralyzed. When the pressure is suddenly removed with tho removal of the harness the blood rushes into the weakened vessels, dilating- tho walls, so that the blood serum passes through and accumulates in tho connective tissue under the skin. Thus originate the soft, fluctuating 1 swellings often appearing on the collar rest. If these accumulations are not romoved, either through absorption or through an incision in tho skin, thero results a permanent enlargement from callous formatiDU. —Exchange. + h + Thrashing Grain.—The following extract from the Australasian should provo interesting to agriculturalists in this part of the colony who have to depend on outside assistance to have their grain machine - thrashed Boforo the present system of thrashing grain camo into general uso malsters used to purchase barley thrashed by hand in preference to machino-thrcshed but now they havo to take the best macbiue-lhrashod they can get, and so they test the germinating qualities of tho grain before purchasing-. A case was lately reported at Koroit, where a brewer tried a sample offered to him, and out of 100 grains put into a germiuator, there were 31 which failed. The purchase was not made. Tho cause of this is said to be that tho crop was thrashod too quickly with a small drum on tho machine, and thus tho grains were broken at tho end. This very probably will account for crops not alway s coming up to expectations. + x + The Harvkst in Otago.— Tho Oamaru Mail of the 27th ult. says :—" Harvesting is cow pretty general throughout the district, the ■ reapers and binders having either finished or being at present hard at work. In somo places the grain is being stacked, but for the most part is in the stook stage, and from the stook probably most of it will bo threshed. So far the weather has been excellent for harvesting, and if it should continue fine for a little while longer the grain will bo garnered in grand condition. As to the probable yield, it is too early yet to form an estimate that could bo accepted as even approximately correct. The opinions upon the point expressed by experts differ very considerably, but there is a general agreement that the result will be much better than was at one time anticipated. In some cases the rain of tho earlier part of the month procjuced a magical effect in filling the grain ears, even whore the straw was apparently dead." + + + Ferrets and Their Ways.—The ferrets are (says the Taieri Advocate) doing a great deal of damage to the poultry and recently have been responsible for a marked decrease in the numbers of tn.e feathered tribe. Mr J. Shore, of Meadow Bank, informs us that recently no less than 44 hens were killed by ferrets in one night. Thirty-six hens disappeared, and eight were left ,vith their throats cut. Thirty-two were pure brown and white Leghorns, the rest being silver-Ham - burgs. About three months ago Mr Shore lost 14 brown and four white Leghorns. By setting a trap for the ferrets he captured both of the unwelcome visitors. It is very disheartening to farmers to find numbers of their fowls killed in the morning. What with the rabbits and '•mall birds, the ordinary farmer has enough to fight against without having another pest with which to contend. A few traps in the vicinity of the poultry yard would perhaps prevent such a serious loss as mentioned above. + + + Sheep Farming in Argentina : New Zealand Rams Have to Take a Back .Seat. —The Argentine correspondent of tho Australasian Pastoralists' Review writes:—"l see in a late number of tho Review that your skins are almost invariably badly conditioned, bad iu shape, and sun-dried. On this cstancia, part of which I manage, we have 37 shepherds, each minding flocks of sheop varying iu number from 1000 to 2500. On the first of evory month each man brings in tho skins of animals that have died or been killed for consumption. Any skin that is not properly shaped, cut, or is not dried in the shade is returned to the shepherd. He is charged with tho value it ought to represent, and if he docs it again he is kicked out. And, as far as I know, tho same plan is adopted on most English estancias. On a largo place, at tho end of the year, they sum up to a very considerable figure. We have had it pretty well dinned into us that Australia was far ahead of us in cattle and sheep breeding, but I am beginning to think that we know quite as much as you ; and sinoo a lot of rams sent from Now Zealand a short time back, and sold in Buenos Ayrcs ' to open your eyes,' barely fetched their passago money, I havo heard it said that wo can send you better stock than you can send us—considerably." + + + The Price of Sheep at Home and Abroad.—An Irish paper gives some interesting figures comparing the price of dead meat at Home and abroad. The Board of Agriculture's annual report shows that there has been a fall generally in prices as compared with those of the preceding year. English mutton which told at 5s ltd per stone the previous year, now sells at 3s lid to 4s sd. Scotch uiuttou has fallen about -Id lood per stone German mutton soils at 3s Si to 4s 3d, and Australian from Is od to Is Od per stone. Tho tremendous drop emphasises the English prejudice against, Australian frozen mutton, not the inferiority of quality. In Berlin at the same time sheop were selling at about 43s to 45s per cwt live weight, and in Paris at from 41s perevvt. Taking the iirst six months of the past year, America Bent 40,000 less sheep to Britain than during the oorresponding period of thy preceding year ; but Argentine sent mure than made up |

tho deficiency, having sent 72,000 cwt more than during the previous year. Australia (including New Zealand) sent 1,006,2900 wt. Tho British farmer viowa with alarm the growing imports of frozen most from abioad, which means a steady drop in values for him for Home-grown stock. And we here iu New Zealand view with equal alarm the strength of the prciudico which appraises our primost meat at about the value of good cats' meat as compared with tho Home-grown article. We know that we can grow as good mutton as any in tho world, and retail it amongst the British consumers in prime condition. Yet to our disgust the average British working man will rather pay Is per lb for inforior Home-grown mutton than half tho price for tho best New Zealand. Time will doubtless wear down prejudico and dishonesty, but in the meantime wo are terribly handicapped in what ought to be ono of our best markets, xxx The Dairy Industry in Victoria : Not Attractive to the Large Farmer. —A writer in the Sydney Mail who has lately been visiting tho farming districts in Victoria supplies th 3 subjoined comments on the dairy industry. From these it appears that, although the factory system has been of great benefit to small farmers, still the returns are not such as warrant tho employment of outside assistance. This is the conclusion that has been generally arrived at by Waikato farmers. The writer says : —" There can be no doubt that the successful establishment of butter export trade came to the rescue of the bulk of the people on the land. Fven those who farmed in tho districts, such as Warrnambool, wero struggling against the fate that over-production was bringing over tho heads of tho agriculturists of the whole colony. The bonuses nlloted to the factoriesand the encouragement given to the establishment of factories represent the only practical attempt made by any Victorian Government to allow the farmers some compensation for the losses they had sustained through the protec-tion-run-mad policy that was overgrowing to an extravagant extent. Tho prospect of beiog able" to obtain a fair price for milk, and a constant, reliable market for the article appealed to all the people who held small grazing areas with their cultivatcdland, and they were not slow to seize tho opportunity. Thero has been no boom in the factory system in Victoria, and no fortunes in it for the farmers. At no time has it paid to hire labour to milk cows—a fact which accounts for tho large landholders adhering to sheep and general grazing and leaving dairying severely alone. The quantity supplied to the factories or creameries is usually regulated by the number of working motnbers in the supplier's family. Suppliers have found that by a kind of family co-opera-tion they can carry on tho ordinary farm work and milk a number of oowb at the same time. These are the peoplo who keep up the great milk supply from which the large export of butter is produced. Clearly then there aro no fortunes in dairying in Victoria. At tho same time, it has proved a reliable source of revenue, it brings a monthly return in cash which enables tho farmors to pay their store bills and something more. Milking for the factories, though a much smaller enterprise in most cases, has Kept hundreds of families upon tbo laud when cultivated crops have failed them aud would have left them in tho lurch. Naturally tho industry has extended all over the colony. From Warrnambool and Gippsland in the south to the Murray, from Gippsland east to the South Australian border on the west, factories and creameries aro to bo met with evrywhore. Tho greatest centre is Warrnambool. In this district there aro a score of factories within a fow miles of each other, and tho limited companies which control them are very prosperous. With the exception of some large exporting companies which havo their headquarters in Melbourne, the factories and creameries have been established by companies, the capital beiug subscribed from tbe immediate districts." TESTING FOR MILK AND BUTTER YIELD. SOME ASTONISHING RESULTS. In these days of sharp competition, Mr C. L. Hill says, in a paper read before the Wisconsin Farmers' Institute, if wo would be in the front ranks, or even keep up with the crowd, we must as farmers, study every detail of our business. It is not enough to know that our cows average 200 to 3001 b of butter each. We must know which of the cows make 1501 b and which twice as much. For this end there should bo in every cow stable a scale, not for occasional use, but to weigh every milking of every cow. A spring balance will answer if tested frequently. The best is made especially for this purpose. Hang your Bcale in a convenient place, and uear it put a dressed board Ift wide and at loast 16in long. This will be largo enough to tack a sheet of foolscap paper on, which will answer to keep the record of ton cows. Make the board longer and use two sheets gummed together if you wish the record for a large number of cows. Rule the sheet perpendicularly with lines about three-fourths of an inch apart. The first column is for the day of the month. Over each succeeding three columns write a cow's name. The first column is for the morning's milking, the second for the night's milking, and the third for tho total for the day. Two columns to a cow will answer, tho first for the morning's milking, and the other for tho total. If you uso the regular milk scale the reading will be in pounds and tenths of pounds. With the common scale read the fractions as, 1,2, and 3, each representing one-fourth of a pound. Keep a yearly record in much the same way, having the cosvs' names at the top of the sheet and tho monthly records in a column. At tho end of tho year this column added will give you tho cows' milk record. Unless you keop some such record you cannot tell within 10001 b, or even more, of how much milk any cow gives. For instance, ono cow iu your herd gave 41 Jib of milk at hor flush, and in 300 days gavo 54001 b, Another giving 301 b at her flush, ueaily Gib less than the other, gave 6501 b more in 300 days. A third giving but at her flush gavo 03001 b in 300 days." Milk records in our herd have run from 45001 b. up to nearly 10,0001 b. in ono year. It is safe to say that a cow that «ill give a good average milking and is persistent, will give raoie milk in a year than one giving several pounds at first, but not so persistently. Tho majority of our cows calvo in the middle of autumn, and some of them will give as much when they go to grass iu summer as when they first came in, while others do not give over half as much. The second part; of tho subject is of oven more importance. 1 havo owned a Baboook test sinoo February, 1801, and have never owned anything that, pays so large a dividend on its cost. A tost is mado in our herd at least once each month, of both morning and night's milking of oach cow. Tho number of pounds of milk given by a cow each month multiplied by tho per cent of fat shown by the test for that month, will give you tho number of pounds of fat given. If you contiuuo this xicord for a year you can toll approximately low much butter each cow has irade. The longer I use the test the surer I am tint thero is no way to toll anything about how much a cow's milk will test without using the machine. Tho amount of cream shown is just a littlo guide. So is tho colour of the milk, as that runs in breeds, or rather in families of breeds. The most fallacious of all is tho oft repeated fctafoment that the oudition of a cow as to flesh is a sure guide, claiming a fleshy cow with teht higher. From all the tests I have made, several hundred iu all, 1 find no difference. We have one very fleshy Guernsey cow, and sho is this winter tho lowest tester of any of tiie Guernseys. The more tests I make the more 1 think it is iibolo.-s to try to full how much a cow will test, To illustrate ; I

There stand side by sido in our barn two cows, about tho same size, condition, &c. In seven days last autumn one gave 2G!HIb of milk, an average of 38|lb daily. The other gave 183ilb or 201 b daily. The first one gavo I.lib of fat, or an average test of 4.1 per cent while tho latter gavo 11 fib or an average test of 5.7 percent. How would anyone judgo Jbotween thoso cows without, tho test ? Two others for another sovon days gavo 203f1b of milk, with an averuge test of 5.95 per cent,, which should mako over 14Jlb of buttor, while the other, giving Gib less milk in the week, mado 3lb less butter. Other instances nearly as marked could bo shown from any month's record of our herd, and it v/sb oven worse when wo first purchased the test. At that time a cow milking but 121 b per day was making nearly lib of butter per day, and more than another giving 261 b per day. Tho best ono was then making ljlb and the poorest jib. I havo repeatedly tested whole herds for tho neighbours, and thero are always cows making one-third mora butter than those giving more milk. There is never a month goes by but in testing some surprises dovelope. However, do not depend on a single tost to determine tho value of any cow, as she may be off her feed, in heat, or in some other wuys not quite right. Professor Farrington, of tho Wisconsin Experiment Station, says that when a cow in tho World's Fair test showed an abnormal per cent of fat tho superintendents would go immediately to the barn and take the cow's temperatura. They would nearly always find her fovcrish. There were some days a cow gave nearly twice as much buttor as the day before. A test made on either of these days would have been unjust. The G uernsey cow that made the highest weekly reoord for tbat breed in the World's Fair test, was fourth among the Guernseys in production in the ninety-day test, and was the last of the Guernseys in the thirty-day test. There were ten Guerneys in that test that had been milked longer than she had, and that excelled her in both production aud profit. Of course a siugle test is better than none, and it is an excellent way to buy cows by testing them, but I am here to plead with every dairyman to keep a daily record of milk from each of his cows, and to test the milk as often as once a month, so a* to know what ho is doing. Commonce to-day. Don't put it off. If anyone purchases u scale and tester on my recommendation and after careful use for a year does not think ho has paid for it several times over, I will tako it off his bauds at the original cost. CULTIVATION OF BEETROOT FOR SUGAR. Lord Masham writes, under date December 5, with reference to his speech on the previous Thursday at tho National Agricultural Union meeting : —" When speaking at Birmingham I entirely forgot the chief object that I had in view in mentioning the beetroot sugar trade, but since a 3eriou« fall three weeks ago (my horse coming down with me and leaving me insensible on the road) my memory fails me much. What I intended to say was that, looking at this trade as highly profitable both for agriculture and for commerce, estimated to take 2000 acres (on the rotation principle) to supply us with what we now receive from Germany and France, and also considering that the refining would give profitable employment to a large amount of capital and labour, it is of national importance to give it every possible consideration. As there is now a commission appointed to inquire into the distress in the sugarproducing colonies, I have thought that the time was opportune for calling the attention of the publ c to this very important and lucrative trade, and, at the same time, fcr gaining all possible information, by offering prizes of 100 guineas for the best essay or treatise on ' the growth and treatment of beetroot for the production of sugar by the most improved system,' and ten guineas for the second best, the cs3ays to be sent in by the end of March to the council of the Agricultural Union, who, I hope, will oblige me by selecting that which they consider the best and the second best. Wc are told on all sides every day, and especially by those who wish to hide the truth, that we arc falling behind by reason of our lack of technical education. Wc have not lost the beetroot sugar trade through any want of technical training, but simply through our absurd fiscal system ; and this may be said of most of our industries. Those who talk of technical education, of which we cannot have too much, if wisely conducted, should remember that almost every mechanical contrivance, especially in the textile trades, emanated from England, and that we are now being beaten chiefly by our own machinery because our opponents, having two markets, destroy us with their surplus stocks. Wc may rest assured that neither the Germans, who are astute men of business, nor yet the French would continue year after year to supply us with cheap sugar unless they derived a large benefit far away more than the bounty that they give." ■"—«mmi'ii""i ii i ■ ' ■' iiinw ii n