FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Waipukurau Press, Issue 289, 30 July 1908, Page 6

FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Danish farms are intensely cultivated, the farmers work long hours and labour is cheap, writes Mr Bert Veale. The average size of the farms is from thirty to fifty acres, and nine-tenths of the farmers are freeholders. Young lambs are making their appearance in North Canterbury (writes the Kaiapoi correspondent of the “Lyttelton Times”). Of course, July is a very early month, but the good prices for fat lambs are a gieat inducement to breeders. They did not, however, expect to meet the present sdistinctly wintry weather, nor to be put to anxiety owing to water-logged grass paddocks, a state of things which must prevail for at least two weeks.

Farming operations all over the Canadian West were lately reported to' be far advanced, and that there was a general improvement in trade conditions in consequence. The weather conditions continued to be perfect.' Forty thousand immigrants have entered Canada from the United States during the past seven months, 5000 of them being farmers.

At the Sleaford May Fair, one of the largest in England for the hiring of domestic servants, the wane of the milkmaid was this year more apparent than ever. Scarcely one girl in fifty accepting a situation in a farmhouse would undertake the duties of milking, and men have now to be engaged to perform this branch of work. Higher wages were demanded all round, and those engaged for the towns obtained fully £4 per, year more than girls remaining in the country.

Speaking of the great need [of qualified vets, in the country districts, and the lamentable lack of common-sense often shown in treating sick animals, a writer in the “ New Zealand Farmer ” says: If a horse gets colic, instead, of being kept quiet and warm, the poor wretch is mounted, and very often literally ridden to derth. I could give innumerable cases which have come under my experience where valuable animals of all kinds have perished through this lamentable ignorance, and where they would have done much better had they been left severely alone.

A pure-bred cow will not do as well as a mongrel if she is put under the conditions which the mongrel is accustomed to, but by hand-feeding the pure-bred will give more than the mongrel, because she is kept in the way her progenitors were accustomed to. When hand-feeding green crops, the farmer has absolute control over the cows, and what they eat and drink, and thus can control not only the amount of milk, but also the flavour of the butter-fat. One of the most famous breeds of dairy cattle—the Jerseys —has been built up by hand-feeding (says the “ Dairyman ”) because land in the Channel Islands is far too expensive to be grazed. The average Channel Islander only has about eight acres at his disposal. On this miniature farm he carries seven to ten Jerseys, two to three horses, besides pigs and poultry. Five acres of the farm are devoted to the growing of potatoes.

In our own Mackenzie County, reports “Rouseabout,” in the Timaru “Post,” “snow-raking” is in progress on several stations, and a valiant attempt is being

made to get sheep on to better country. “ Snow-raking ” is not z exactly what its name would lead one to expect. It consists in tramping tracks with men or horses, or both, to the sheep camps. The sheep, snowed up iii mobs, follow along these tracks in single file to black country if it is available, or to spots that are likely to clear quickly either with sun or wind. Some stations lay in a supply of oat sheaves and hay, but too many trust to luck in the matter. The great thing is to reach the sheep as quickly as possible while they are strong. This, of course, is not always easy, and in the present instance the frozen state of the snow has delayed operations a good deal, as it is almost impossible for horses to get through the drifts.

Mr G."Baylis, of the Agricultural Department, who some time ago waited on the * committee of the Feilding A. and P. Association I 'with reference to securing some plots of land for experiments in top-dressing, has started operations on a piece of land a little over an acre in extent on Mr H. J. Booth’s property, Kimbolton road, says the “ Star.” The plot is on the road boundary of the land, and being in full view of passers-by, will be easily capable of inspection.

The entire pedigree Southdown flock piesented to the Government by Mr E. Short, of Feilding, will (says the “ New Zealand Times ”) be immediately handed over to the Government. In the meantime it is to be located at the Moumahaki Experimental Station, it being considered that it would not be safe to remove any great distance the valuable ewes while in lamb. The ultimate destination of the flock will be probably Moumahaki.

Mr J. B. Thomson, formerly of Lakeside and Clinton, writing in the “ Bruce Herald,” says : “ Suffolk is a great place for cattle, and in the paddocks one could see magnificent specimens of the Shorthorn breed, and all in excellent condition. Sheep here are not so numerous. What there are are of the Suffolk breed —all black faced. They are said to be easily fattened and stand the soft ground of the fens better than some of the other breeds. A strange custom is to fold them all up in pens at night. One reason for this, I was told, was that there are no fences suitable for keeping in sheep ; another was that when they are shut up in a small space they enrich the land very much. The sheep, I noticed, were much knocked about in travelling in and out, and I think would be better out on the pasture both day and night. I attended a stock sale at Bury St. Edmunds, and was greatly surprised at the prices obtained for sheep and cattle. Bullocks that would bring from £7 to £lO in New Zealand, brought £l9 to £22 10s. Calves brought from £2 10s to £lO 10s ; lambs that would bring 12s to 13s in New Zealand brought £2 10s here ; wethers, newly-shorn, worth about £1 in New Zealand, brought £3 10s; pigs (which formed the principal part of the sale) and horses brought prices about the same as in our country.”

ACCLIMATISATION IN SOUTH AFRICA.

“ One may see in the various flocks, the native sheep, the halfbred English, the three-quarter bred, etc.,” remarks the Hon. Winston Churchill ih his articles, contributed to the “ Strand,” called “My African Journey.” He says: “ The native African sheep is a hairy animal, more like a goat than a sheep. Crossed with Sussex or Australian blood, his descendant is transformed into a woolled beast of familiar aspect. At the next cross the progeny is almost indistinguishable from the pure-bred English in appearance, but better adapted to the African sun and climate. It is the same with cattle. In the first generation the hump of the African ox vanishes. In the second he emerges a respectable British Shorthorn. Fever brought from the German border has gradually spread through the protectorate. A deceased cow may take thirty days to Hie. Wherever it goes the ticks are infected. They hold their poison for a year, and will during that time inoculate fresh victims. It has been discovered by the Department of Agriculture that ground may be purified by putting sheep upon it, into whom the ticks discharge their poison harmlessly, and are thereafter purged.”