FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 339, 10 September 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

An Economical Brand for Sheep.— It is stated that lampblack united with strong vinegar will mark sheep so that the name can be read for a year, but will not injure the wool, as is often clone when sheep are marked with tar or paint. t t i

Two Suggestions.—The Taranaki Farmers Club, at a recent meeting took steps to call the attention of the Governmentjto the fact that it is the wish of the club that privately tnanufacturedseparator butter should be recognised as a separate class in theDairyjßillnow before the House. The committee also again emphasised the necessity of the blackberry nuisance being compulsorily dealt with in the Noxious Weeds Bill at present before Parliament.

Raising Potatoes : A New Method. —A Hawera potato grower tells me that ho is trying raising on a now method. Ho lays the seed on the ground and covers it with stable manure. Soon the shoots camo through, and then a little earth was put on the top to keep the frost off. The potatoes have made rapid growth ; much quicker than by setting the seed in the ground. The abovo method has been tried in New Plymouth, with the best results, prolific crops having been raised in a very short time —" Winnower "in the Budget. t i x

Study the Shoeing.—The great success which American trainers have with trotters and pacers is attributed to their knowledge of foot-balancing, or shoeing in such a way as to bring out tho best speed of which a horse is capable. Great stress is laid upon the matter of shoeing. A very slight deviation in foot-balancing may prevent a horae from doing his very best. Instances are given where a colt which had never beaten 2min 10«ec was made to pace his mile 2min 7|sec by having the shoes removed and the anglo of the foot changed very slightly by a rasp.

Training a Colt. —When a colt has been neglected until it attains the age of three or four years its sense of smelling may be used to a good account by the trainer. By giving it a small quantity of fine-grated horse cassia on its food, and rubbing a few drops of the oil of cumin on its nose, and putting a few drops of the oil of rhodium on its tongue, it is at your service and may bo bridled, saddled or harnessed without difficulty. But remember the bridle should not be too short nor the curb too tight, otherwise its lipa will be chafed or made soro, and the next time it will resist taking the bit,—Cable.

Washing Milk Vessels,—Wash one of two glasi tumblers which havo held milk in scalding water, the other in cold water before the hot water bath ; tho one washed with scalding water looks dingy and dull, the other clear and sparkling. Upon the surface of the on 9 has been deposited a thin coating of milk, which the other was removed by the cold bath. The same processes produced like results with tin. The coating deposited by the boiling water may not be perceptible to the eye, as in the case of the tumbler, but is thero as truly as are the bacteria in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, and which the microscope reveals beyond dispute. t X t

Salt is Good for Stock.—When food is taken into the stomach of au animal a contest is set up between tho digestive and the natural tendency to fermentation common to all articles used as food when placed under the influence of warmth and moisture. If the digestive powers be vigorous aad tho food is suitable and within the limit and power of digestion of the stomaoh tho food undergjes tho proper and natural changes before fermentation can interfere. When, however, such is not the case, and fermentation intervenes, and forms unhealthy and painful gases in the stomach, it is necessary that some corrective should be administered to prevent fermentation until digestion is we'll under way. For this purpose comtaon salt is very suitable as it prevents decay and fermentation and gives tho digestive powers a chance to operate. Stock farmers are well awaro that salt is good for stock in a general way, but this theory about aiding a weak digestion is perhaps new to some. It certainly appears to be a probable result of the use of salt that it should act us a preservative to the food in an animal's stomach as it is well known to be a preservative for food of all kinds before it is swallowed.

'"Scbsoilino.—lt is a lamentable condition of things, yet nevertheless true, that subsoiling in New Zealand is almost utterly neglected. We have an wndeniable proof of this if we look round the implement yard at any agricultural show. Any amount cf new implements are on view for harrowing, scarifing, or scratching the surface, but few, if any, for tho purpose of openiug up the lower surface of the soil. Deap tillage is the sheet anchor of the agriculturist if he only knew it. Anything now, or anything that is considered to save time or money, is readily patronised by the colonial fanner. Our farmers are educated to go too far aheal, and remain in ignorance of old-established facts relative to their calling. Sub-soiling breaks up the pan o r

crust that has been formed by years of ploughing and cultivation. It allows in a great measuro the surface water to escape more readily, which in itsolf is of vital importance. Sub-soiling allows the roots of plants to penetrtte m»re easily to a greater dept v in search of food. In fact, a farmer increases the area of his holding when ho uses tho sub-soihr. t X t Equine Tuberculosis. Professor Nocard, at a rfcent meeting of tho Central Veterinary Society in Paris, contributed an interesting uoto on the subject of tuberculosis in the horse. He said it was believed for a long time that tho horse was not .subject to the disease. It is now know, however, that tho horse may become tuberculous, and during tho last 15 or 20 years many cases hnve been recorded of, the discovery of in this class of auimals of the specific bacillus which occasions tho malady. Strange to say, all the known oases have iusolatsd ones, even when the subject attacked has boeu onu of a large number in the same stable. This is in great measure due to the fact Uinta horse suffering from tuberculous di.'oas-'soon becomes incapable of active service, and is consequently slaughtered at an uarly stage of the affection, in order to avoid further kxpense by prolonging the life of a useless animal. Furthermore, Nocard says, " The lungs are only invaded at a lata stage, and the animal is almost always slaughtered before tho pulmonary lesions have had time to undergo the softening which would render themselves dangerous to the companion animals in the same stable." Tuberculosis in the horse appears to be invariably contracted through the digestive orirans t 1 t Dressings foe Footrot.—The accompanying directions as to dressing mixtures for footrot, and how to apply them, which have been subjected to test are given by Mr E. Stanley, the veterinary officer of the New South Wales Department of Agriculture ;—Arsenic, from 1 to 2 oz ; potash, from 2 to 4 oz; water, 1 gallon. To be used in troughs for the sheep to walk through. The mixture to be boiled slowly for half an hour at least, till the arsenic is thoroughly dissolved. Sulphate of cooper (bluestone), from h to lib, dissolved in a gallon of water, may be used instead of arsenic. The following healing dressings may be usod by hand afttr the foivgoing caustic applications:—Stockholm tar, 20 parts; carbolic acid, I part; or, Stockholm tar, 8 parts; bluestone in powder, 1 part; or, oil of tar, 19 parts ; carbolic acid, 1 part; olivo oil, 1 part; also, quicklime, sprinkled on a dry surfaco, and the sheep walked through it frequently, will be found very beneficial. Before and dressings are used, the whole of the loose horn should be pared carefully from the diseased feet. It is of the greatest importiuce that the sheep's feet should, on tho dressing being applied, be kept thoroughly clean and dry for at least three hours afterwards. They should, therefore, on leaving the troughs or being dressed, be passed directly on to a battened or wooden floor, if it can bo got; aud where neither of these is obtainable they should be passed into a dry yard, in which there is a gooi coating of straw, cut grass, or, in fact, any thing which will keep their feet clean and dry. t X t Stringhalt in Horses.—Referring te stringhalt in horses, the chief veterinary surgeon of New South Wales, in his annual report, says he considers this a •parasitical disease, and is of opinion that the curative treatment is to expel the parasites by the administration of anthelmintics, and dose after dose may be required for this purpose. il It is necessary to remember that brood after brood have to be poisoned, and that, when they are ensconced in a living being, whose tissues are also liable to suffer from the introduction of drastic drugs, it is impossible to effect our object without perseverance, and to prevent reinfection it is advisable to move the patients to a sound paddock, or better still, into a yard or stable, to feed liberally, and also constantly supply salt with their food. Preventive measures are very important. With this object avoid putting an affected animal into a paddock at all favourable for the development of worms. Infected paddocks should not be used by horses even temporarily ; half an hour's grazing may affect them, especially during the spring and autumn. The first grass after summer will scaur animals, and has been known to cure them, because at that season the parasites arc prepared to go out. Microscopical examination shows ooe affected animal introduced, though he may be eventually cured, means later on (all circumstances being favourable) a hotbed of infection for future tenants of the paddock." Another New South Wales veterinary surgeon corroborates the view of the chief veterinary surgeon as to the nature of stringhalt, and prescribes as an anthelmintic and tonic the following mixture, namely:—Common salt, 21b; powdered sulphur, 21b; black antimony, lib; tartar emetic, ; sulphate of iron, lib. Divide into ouuee doses, and give in the feed, which may be varied by the administration of a draught every alternate day, composed of linseed oil (raw) 1 pint, and spirits of turpentine, 2oz. THE GARDEN. Rotation ok Crops.—A systematic rotation of cropping iu the vegetable graden is, no doubt, one of the chief elements of success. In the garden of the amateur it seldom happens though that a perfect system of cropping rotation is possible owing to the ground being too limited to admit of one crop following another in proper order. The esssnee of rotation iu cropping is that an exhausting crop should not follow one of a similar character. For example, none of the cabbage tribe, nor even potatoes, should occupy the same site two years consecutively, Now, from experience, I am able to say that such rigid lines are not absolutely necessary. If, however, special preparation for a future crop was not made [ cannot say that the crop would prove remunerative. I know one allotment holder who has annually cropped the ground with potatoes for the last 20 years, and with success, too. I have myself grown cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts upou the same site for 12 years with success. When the cauliflower and early broccoli are cleared off the ground in autumn a heavy dressing of manure is dug deeply into the soil at once. The soil on the surface is left as rough as possib)e so that it shall be exposed to all weather for the five mouths it is lying idle before the Brussels sprouts are put iu in spring. The early broccoli and cauliflower then go on to the ground last occupied by the Brussels sprouts. In some instances the vegetable crops do admit of a proper rotation system, aud where such opportunity does exist it should bo carried out. It is not possible to lay down a thorough system of rotation because tho individual character of each garden and the requirements of its owner necessitate, perhaps, treatment qufte of an opposite character. A few indications on general lines may be of service to amateurs. Such crops as onions, peas, beans, carrots, or beet do not exhaust the soil in the same way that the cabbage tribe docs. The latter though along with potatoes, should succeed the crops first enumerated. Celery is a capital crop to precede potatoes or parsnips. The earthing required for the celery is an extra means of digging and moving the soil deeper, and thus it is favourable to deep rooting subjects like parsnips, large carrots, and for the free rooting of potatoes, Onions are good crop to precede cabbage for two reasons: First the crop is cleared in good time to admit of the cabbage being put out early, thus allowing plenty of time for the plants to become well-established before the severe weatlicr sets in ; secondly, for the crop the ground is

generally well manured and freely plied with stimulants, afterwards making the soil quite rich, which is distinctly in favour of the cabbage crop. Peas succeed best with abundance of space between the rows to admit air and sunshine to all parts of a row. It is a good plan to sow a row of peas, and then p'ant about four rows of potatoes, tliun another row of peas. Amateurs, as a rule, do hot pay sufficient attention to the position which the crops occupy in the garden. For instance, all tall-growing crops, like peas and scarlet ruuners, should be in rows, running north and south, so that the sun shines equally on both sides o" the row. This cannot be the case where the rows run east and west.—E. M., in Amateur Gardening. Pai-.is Green for Slugs.—Mr F. C Smith, seed merchant. Angastou, writes to the horticultural editor of the Adelaide Observer: —" I hive recently been trying the paris green and damp bran for slugs around my seeding petunias and other things, and I find it a certain cure for these pests. One teaspoonful of paris green to a gallon dipper uf bran well nvxed and then slightly damped is strong enough. Sprinkle, a very little arouud the seedlings during fine weather. I am sure that manv hundreds of your readers in the suburbs who are trouhlod with snails and slugs would be glad to know of so simple and effective a remedy. Many people will already know it, but most of the others will not."