FARM & GARDEN NOTES

Waikato Argus, Volume X, Issue 865, 26 January 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM & GARDEN NOTES

Selling Hordes B* Wright.—-A two-year-old dnnnhl jiiddiiii! was recently Solil ill Dlllllt'i! r-.-sllilO at NO tl'Ueh j) I cut. live weight. Tin; system of selling draught horses by weight is qniti: cum-ni'-n in America, but it is seldom that it i.s heard of in Scotland. In the present instance the atrei:d np.-.ii price wa*> 57s per ewt, which, at the animal's weight of lifcwt, made the price just over JtSli. " HUMLIES."—A Home correspondent writes that in Aberdeen, Kincardine and

Angus, the farmers are making as j.reat i (forts to re slock their farm.; u'ith the famous black " bundles '' as they did a few years ago to get rid of them as breeding stock, in favour of imported

•' feeders " He says that within a coup e of years the indigenous breed will aga'n bespread over every farm in the north-cast of Scotland, and Scots' meat will once more be pre-eminent in the market. An enormous turnip crop helps the rehabilitation of the bred th 3 year. (vUiVKS K.MSKI) ON SkPAKATOJS MILK. —At the Nebraska Kxperiinental Si'ition three calves were raised on separstor milk, and a like number ffllowed to toiltivi' the cow in the 01 dinars' way getting all the milk. Duriiiß the six months each calf was allowed 3401 b of yiam and 20ib of oil meal. The milk-fed cilv'h \v« re given about 4101 b, and those tli'n fed milk ;3001b. It is but fair to state, however, that the flies troubled the calves in the pasture more than those on feci milk. At the cud of twelve months the separated calves averaged T.'IOIb each, while the other lot aver <_;• d 750 H), the feed for the two lots being the same (luring the second six months. Taking Cakk of ti-.k Plough.— A good plan for cleaning the plough, which will also work well on other tools <>f iron or steel, is as follows—Slowly add one pint of sulphuric :icid to one quart of water, handling it. carefully and stirring slowly, ns considerable heat will result from the mixing. When cool moisten the surface of the metal with this, and then rub dry, after which wash off with pure water. Tin's application should clean any surface not too badly rusted, hut if the tool has been long noglccfcu it may require more than one application. After cloiuiiug, a thorough coating of grease is given before puitiur .1 tool away, and when taking out to use to give another greasing, audit will go more easily. Isot only is it much easier for the team, but the ploughman also.

Watering SitK!-:i'.—Acnrrespondcntof the i'asroralisls' Review writes an follows ut' cxvieiieiieus of watering sheep, bocli in Victoria and Mexico :—"ln the latter eour.try it is considered that sheep fatten best, without water. When it is desired to fatten a (lock, they arc Gradually weaned from water, given it each second day, third, fourth, and then kept right tro'ii it, fed on grass, prickly pearliush, and " Sotol." 'J'ho two latter contain ;:n amount, of moist.irc, and aio fed by Ijcinu pp!it up i;y axis and machines (a kind of large knife). The sheep never seem to wu.nr water, and start putting on iii■• f't at once- Hen: in Victoria 1 kept a sin ill lot of rams in a paddock lira had no water in it, and, an an experiment, kept them all the summer without an)', seeing them almost daily, Tiny kept in splendid condition, and when late in tha summer taken t.> water they refused to take any, so turned hack to their paddock, and remained there kt ihe rest, of ill" year, looking, if anything, better than similar sheep that had acee.-s

to water all the year. 1 must add that the paddock had some dandelions growing in ic.

Turkic Hoou Vetbei.vaby Formulas.— The tiist is known as Sherwood's running liniment, and consists of gum camphor 3oz. tincture of cantharides ouz, tincture of capsicum 'Ao/., alcohol one pint, and tincture of ainica one and a-half pints. For gasoline liniment rake alcohol one hiif-pinf, gasoline one half-pint, tincture of arnica one bad-pint, and tincture of iodine -10/,. For leg lotion take corrosive sublimate, 10/. miniate of ammonia 'Jo/., acot.te ot lead 3i-z, sulphate of copper 2:7,, ether 2oz, alcohol one half-pint, and water one and a-half gallons. These three f jrinulas are in constant use in one of the Kasteru hunt clubs for hunters, and jioio ponies. The first two are stimulating rubbing liniments for lameness and soreness, the second formula being the stronger of the two. The third, the leg lotion, is an astringent anMseptio wash applied to hunters, polo ponies and racehorses after a hard run or race. It is used for the purposj of hardening the legy and preventing " stocking up." or swelling of the leg* after a haul go, and also quickly to heal up all scratches, cuts and abrasions that may have been incurred during the run. —American Druggie.

Rkakinu Calves. — lu feeding dairy calves there are important first principles to be attended to, and upon such attention will depend future success or failure. Warm whole milk must be given to tli.rt with and gradually tapered nit after tlie first fortnight or three weeks with properly warmed skim milk, that fresh from the separator always to be preferred. Wli.'n the skim milk is introdueed the butter fat that w«n withdrawn from it must be replacod with some equivalent. Start with a little sifted and boiled oh"p or linseed meal, or if the calf cim be got to eat it dry out of the pail when it is done drinking, it will be quite as good, if uncooked meal is given along with the milk it is pretty certain to bring on stomach derangement* and scouring. Whatever deranges the digestion means loss to the calf and its owner. When the calf licks a little dry

meal it gets mixed with til" saliva, which ensures its ptoper digestion. Without such aids to digestion it is sure to do harm unless the calf is a very strong one. (.'old or sour milk is liable to bring on siirilar trouble, and if tho skim milk is brought up too near blood heat by the addition of warm water, the calf at the same time eating a little good hay, it will thrive almost as well as on all sweet milk at a greatly-reduced cost.

An Important Scheme. An important cattle-breeding scheme is described in a recent issue of ' The Field.' Sir Oswald Mosley had placed at the disposal of his tenants on his Rolleston Instates the services of a dozen well-bred bulls selected tor their relationship to milking strains as well as for their qualification to beget a responsive class ot grazing stock. The fires are placed there free of charge tj the tenants, but their services are not to bo altogether gratutious. The tenants, the largest on the estates, who keep the bulls arc to have the free use of tho animals in return for the food they consume, but the other tenants will be required to pay a nominal fee for each cow served. The essence of the scheme does not consist as these particulars indicate, in the tenants haviug free use of bulls, but. in their having placed at their disposal selected sires of distinguished liucugc at tho same low charges as they have been accustomed to pay for tho mongrel type hitherto employed. There will, of course be no compulsion upon the farmers to use pedigree bulls, but he would be a hopeless bigot indeed who, having the choice of two sires of such distinct characteristics at practically the same fees, would persist in hiring the inferior and less im prcssivc. Hut even this aspect of the question has not been left wholly to chance. Recognising the necessity of takin ,r his tenants and fellow administrators of the scheme along with him, Sir Oswald Mosley enlisted their sympathy and promise of co-operation before the plan was actually launched. There can be little doubt, therefore, but that the prefect will obtain a fair and thorough trial.

ii¥ Blotches, Pimples, Boils, Eczema, cured by Manning's Tonic Pills. Sold everywhere. Price, 2s (id per box. Manufactured by A. E. Manning, Chemist, Hamilton.

The Rabbit Trade.—The outlook for New Zealand rabbits on the London market is distinctly f.'inid, and satisfactory prices should Ic stcui'tsd for la.-t .season's (atch

(ate'n. C'a; ta r n Raymond, who supervises f 11*> despatch or such ctrtrocs iroin llin ;i 1 iiff, states that during' ihe whole of lust, season not ono instance carnu under his notice of bad or damagod consignments ; ovi rv case of labliits was got away in the host, possible condition. This is a most satisfactory statu of tilings to contemplate, and manifests tho fact that the rabbit export trade in Southland hits been raised to the pos'tiou of a lucrative indu.--try.of a largo proportions. That no ! damaged rabbils were sent from Southing during the season speaks volumes for 'ho oaro exercised by tlio trappers, carttrs, railway officiiils, freezing works authorities, packers, and others who have anything to do with t'ao handling of consignments. Olivk Gnowryc inNkw Zeausd.— It inav not b.'. generally known (siys the I Nelson Wail) that Aniseed Valley lias land eminently mutable for the cultivation of the olive. It is a common ous'orvi in Spain and other parts of .Southern Europe for parents to plant area* with olives ns an iuebtritanee for (heir children, for once the olive has attained maturity it bears for an indefinite petiod, improving with a passing ages. Slv Johnson, of Auiseed Valley, h.-isa few well-grown olive tires, from which he extracts tho finest and puiest olive oil procurable in New Zealand. Each tree, .-tiii quite young for olives, yields ab'.mt a couple of ipjatts, and Mr ,)uhnson is able to dispose of the whole of the product of his small olive orchard with the | greatest rase. In fact, the demand is | so grout if hucotild manufacture n ton ! of oil lie would find a local murket for it. | Without being; too sanguine {continues | the paper), it is safe to say that a fortiine awaits in less than L'-3 years anyone who lias tho patience! and perseverance to j ah :u'and plant some of Iho Anis2o:l Valley hills with olives. LVr.vrn PrsTH.—On the !)th tilt, Mr W \V. IjVt'/.'g-iU, Government Entomol< gist belonging to the. New Smith Wnl -•■ Ayriculrur.il Department, accompanied hy Mr George Valder, piioeip.i! of the Mawkesbmy Agricultural College, n a<ia .< visit to Windsor for the pnr| ose of inspecting the far in h that •••ere being j

.Ul ickcd by tlu now potato pci-C ill the ■ii .::■■ of caterpillar*, which have not bet-n seen in this district previous to tliis season. The potato field of Mr Frederick Manna bus, at I'itt Town Bottoms, was visited first, and the potato plants in this liuld instead of having a leafy luxuriant ipp-aranoe, as they generally do in this

ii-tiict, were merely short stalks übout lOin. i'l height, with not a vestige of leaf, the whole of the leaves and part of the stalk having been eaten by the caterpillar Mr Frnggatt was of opinion that the caterpillars wo.ild go on breeding for probably two generati'ms or move and then return to the ground in the chrysalis state, remaining thus during tin- .vi.!t< r. 'I h.' moth of the green caterpillar i* a drab colour, with a silver stnak running lengthwise through each w'ng. Two met ho,ls of combating the green caterpillar have been adopted viz. (1) .-praying with various solutions, the ebiei heinjs equal portions of Paris giCPn and lime dissolved in yiven quailtili, s of water, and ('J) the use of a heavy three-cornered shaped implement, which is d>awn aloug by a hor.se between the row:-, with a man uoing in front who knock* the caterpillars in the furrow, where thoy are crushed. Mr Frotigatt recommend? I a continuance of these methods. Other potato ileitis wore also visited, and die expert obtained some of the pest in its stages of life, also some of the plants—some healthy and those that had been a'taekel—will) a new ol in vo-tigaling and if possible arriving at

some s\steiii that will euihle the farmers ru combat with these pests. CiIOOSIXC! HIt.WV ])HAUUIIT IioKSIS. \I. Miunt, French Veterinaiian, in hi* book, "Appreciation of the Horse," gave the following directions for the choice of heavy draught horses : "The choice of a heavy draught hors ■ is o

deal easier than of a racehorse Y' i it is important to l;::ow how to distinguish ih: lirnt, strongest, most enduring, those which feed well, thosj which are fiery, and those which are slow. The draught horse iktiws his power from several causes the develop meiit of those parts which constitute balk, the energy of its muscular action, ami the lirmn s.s and hardiness of its organ-. The exterior charactcri tics of a good, heavy draught horse are a Lure, deep chest, straight shoulders, a light inclined, fleshy, thick body, yet not too much telly, straighl loin, the hindquarters a little depressed, thick through the thighs, and a long pcrinaetim. The horse which has a long pel inaeuin, prolonged down tro.n toe miss, and thick short muscles i f the thighs, is a very strong lioise and a go id draught animal. The walk of ii heavy draught horse is immaterial. There arc draught horses which are quick, and these ate those which are slow. The light, quick horses are good lor farm work when the ground is light am! even ; the heavy slow horses, with firm ticad, aic excellent for new, sticky ground, and on bad, uneven road.-. Ah rsc for drawing loads, to be well formed, ought to be high in front, having high and projecting withers, large chest, from leg.-, stron" an I wellsprrad apart, back and loins straight, hindquarters a little depressed, muscular, shoit in tile Hank, huge sinews. Willi such a shape a dratli'ht horse is solid, and able t.) resist ah the knocks from uneven roads, and the weight which presses upon it when going doing a hill. To be to i fiery is a fault in a horse drawing heavy loads on an uneven road. In this case a stroiic and slow horse is better. It will resist fatigue more, and no more service."

Tut; Analysis or Milk.—-The e:se of a well-known and much-respected Morayshire farmer being charged with milk adulteration is a highly suggestive one. In this e;te the burgh analyst of Elgin—Mr Ivisou Maeadnm, Edinburgh —reported that the milk in question had been adulterated by the addition of at least 6 per cent, of added water. A prosecution against the defender, Mr Fraser, Weste: folds, was then instituted, and no doubt Mr Fraser suffered considerably in reputation and business for the time being, through being dragged before the Sheriff Court charged with adulterating the milk which ho was purveying to the public. Hut when the report of the Government anaylst in regard to the same sample of milk "was received it was found that the.-e authorities repudiated the idea 0 f the milk hv.iu" been adulterated in any degree. The charge against Mr Fraser was therefore; withdrawn, and he left the court without a stain on the character of his milk. The wonderful thing is that so lone as there is no legal atanda-d ,'f milk, and and when it is known that different cow. kept and fed under pitcisely the sune conditions may yield milk of widely different quality, ranging from two to live per cent, of butter fat, analysts still persist in setting up a standard of their own, and certifying that sm h and such a sample of milk has been adulterated to the extent of (i or S per ceil!., as the ease may be, of added water I,,'the p.rticularcase, the aroused party had 'been declared by the Government to be innocent of the charge Jr.i.i against him • bet he has doubtless suffered both j„ ' ,'. tation and business for the time being through the un warranted charge b'dn" preferred against him in open court and he has been put to no little expense in securing analyses of his milk and from independent analyst. He would be nuke within his rights, therefore, in takhi" action against the burgh authorities for the loss and injury he has sustained by sucnan unwarranted charge being preferred against bin.. But probably he will act a magnanimous part now that his character has been so fully vindicated Anyway, this Westerfolds case will give

a much needed warning to analysts in regard to the analysis of milk.—North British Agricultirist. LttCKKNK.— The disastrous dr light in England during the sumtii i of IS!).'! forced upon the attention el fanners th' merits of lucerne as a lie:d c-op, and that yearahrgc addition *"•* m.i.i to r.im art-a under this <-nip. the total average uutlcr that crop in IS!'3 hulking up to 17,017 acres. Sinca that time them Inbeen a steady increase in the area under lucerne, and last year, on account of the severe drought in Enidaud, a furthoi addition of -107-1 acres was made, tli • total area unoer lucerne being new state ■ '< in the agricultural returns at 36,311 acres. Of thi:t total area under lucerne the great proportion is in England, oi:'y 51 acres being returned from Scotland, and -100 acres from the Channel Islands. But the fact that the area under lucerne

in steadily increasing speaks well for its merits-. Lucerne is a leguminous plant, m that it reqiiiies no nitrogen to >o applied to it, as by means of the bacteria en its ro t nodules it cm draw upon the iltimit ihle store-, of nitrogen in the atiiiosphere : and although a gr -at amount, of nitrogen may lie annually rrni'iv-nl from the soil in the crop's yet tin- soil is left richer in nitrogen than before the crop was grow n. Lucerne is a perennial, and it the land be kept free from wee.is at the outset, three or four cuttings may be got off the lucerne every year. The first year's yield is not usually so good as tlic seem d or third year's yield, and in fact many growers h.-ve prernatmcly abandoned the crop on account of the rather disappointing yield dining the lirst season. Hut it the .'-oil ba kept reasonably clear of weeds till the cion has got " itself well established, the lucerne crop can almost always be depended on to give n highly satisfactory leturn on the sc-ond, thin?, and nibse-

ipicnt years of its growth, Tor inilch cows ■■ nd young slock it is high y nutritious food, and is well worthy of being much more. larg;-iy J'rown than it is at present. —North British Agriculturist.

I'KI'.VKNTION OK POTATO SCAB. continuous ( xnerimunts, conducted under the auspices of the Wills Council,, and verified by numberless experiences el-r----tvhere in Great IJritain, ii' seems that a solution of oue part, by weight, of corrosive sublimate mercuric bichloride) in two-thousand parts of water is effectual in r.estroying the germs of potato scab. While very satisfactory results wire obi lined inn treatment of from five to fifteen minutes' immersion, the amount of seal) was considerably more reduced .vhen the seed was immersed in the solution for from GO to SO minutes. To secure the full effects, the tnbtrs should be well washed and scrubbed before immersion, and nhould not be brought in contact with the germs i.fter immersion by being placed in sacks, baskets, or boxes that have contained potatoes, unless they have been disinfected ; nor should they bo planted in fields whero potatoes have been grown for at. least two ye us. The land for potatoes should nor. be dressed with manure from animals that have been fed on potatoes or potato paring*, or with composted potato tops. The ben: licial effect of the treatment is really much more than is shown in explanatory figures as given in the reports of the experiments, since many of thn tubers gtown from untreated seed were so badly disea-ed that nearly their whole surface was involved, and often to a considerable depth ; while in every cast; where the tubers were treated the spots were quite small, ranging frota thn size of a pin head to that of a lead pencil and very tew were so large that they cuu'.d not bo covered with a dime. When tho scab is very prevalent it exerts a several-fold injury to the poalo crop, as is not only reduces the total yield, but it renders unmarketable many tubers that would otherwise bo of a saleable -i/e, and reduces their value even if they ;:re placed in the marketable grade', The seed is readily treated by tailing one ounce of corrosivo sublime, and after dissolving it. in a quart of hot water placing it iu a barrel containing 15gal of watur, and then immersing the potatoes, either whole or cut for planting in it for 90 minutes. By placing |about throe pecks of seed in n sauk or basket, they can bo shaken about so as to brine; them all in contact with the water. After immersion they can be taken out and planted at once or i-pread out to dry. Usktiiic WjjiunußinoE —Mr \V. S. f'Yrgu-on the well-known Lettish stockbreeder and feeder, of Picistonhill, i eith, says, in reference to the weighing of cat.tl

I hold fcbnt it is absolutely necessary to know thi weight, of your fitt ua'.tlo when you want to sell them. I have no faith whatever in selling f;tt C'tttlo without knowing their live weight. I do not usually weigh the store stock 1 buy link's-' in the case of graded Irish cattle. Weight is no guide whatever in buying young, woll-brcd home stuck, farmers now pay very close attention indeed to the weights of the cattle sold in the miction marts, nud it. has becomo the invariable custom to sneak about and quote price per live ewt. The custom of selling cuttle to the butcher by private bargain at an agreed on price ptr live weight cwt ih growing. I have done it regularly, in a small way, for years. I feed u good many cattle annually-

sometimes more and sometimes les\ i began using the weighbridge ten years

ago. My ordinary fat stock are carefully weighed whenever 1 want to sell. Th-; weighing of cattle must in time become universal, and will be a benefit to everyone —both buyer* and seller.-. The practice in a groat measure removes that uncertain gambling element through which the dialer, haviug the most practice and consequently being the greater expert, has the advantage. Moreover, it enables beeders and dealers to come nearer each other in their idea of value, the result beiug that many home bargains are made which without the weighbridge would be impossible. It is quite u suggestive fact that dealers and butchers who condemn the weighbridge are, nevertheless, as anxious as others to know the live weight of what they are buying". To make clear my opinions regarding the weighing in store of -.attle, I wish to explain further, that in many cases tho practice may be made very useful in buying largo cattle for short keep, or in well graded big Irish cattle, But I consider that the weighbridge is of no value v. link vi ran a guide in paying fo young cattle, e-pecially Mich as are bred on our high farms and in our ]Northcountry glens, from which a large proportion of our best i-tore cattle are brought. The value of such depends entirely on the breeding, how they have been kept, and from what locality they come, and not their live weights at all.'