Water for cows in pasture.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1300, 28 October 1880, Page 3

Water for cows in pasture.

For milch cows it is very necessary that the water for them is pnre, otherwise it taints the milk, and from this neither good butter nor cheese can be made. Where there is not abundance of clear, running water in yard or pasture, it should be supplied from wells or cißterns. If drunk from standing pools or small ponds, the water is always more or less foul, 'or so stagnant as to be unpalatable and at times even unhealthf ul., In order to obtain a full flow of milk cows must have all the water they will naturally drink at morning, noon, and night, otherwise they will not give full messes of milk, nor will it be of so good a quality. But a running stream, more especially when at pasture, where they can go and drink at pleasure, is still better than that drawn from wells for them three times per day, at regular intervals. Necessity, however, often compels the latter coursa. Some dairymen, in order to increase the flow of milk, stimulate their cows to drink an extra quantity of water, by extra salting their food, or stirring a small quantity of bran or meal in it. But this is objectionable, inasmuch as it tends to lessen the richness of the milk. This also fills up the stomach so much as to dilute the gastric juice and thus injure digestion, and more or less of the food is consequently avoided whole. If there be a gain in milk, then a loss in food follows by stimulating to an excess of drink.

In a recent number of the Electrician a paper appeared from the pen of Dr. Paget Higgs, on 'Electricity and' Agriculture/ concerning which so much has been stated since Dr. Siemens made his interesting statement hereon. Dr. Higgs thinks that the little known experiments of M L. Grandeau, professor in the School of Forestry of France, are of the highest importance to agriculture. Asillust<ating M. Grandeau's labours, the case may be cited of two tobacco plants which were grown under precisely the same conditions of soil, light, and water ; but one of the plants was covered with a cage of iron wire netting", with a very larga mesh, the netting acting" somewhat as a lightning conductor. At the time of comparison, the fourteen leave** on the plant grown under the cage weighed 107 grammes, whilst the other plant produced ten leaves weighing 70 grammes. These and other results have been confirmed by Dr. Higgs, . whose experiments ' leave no doubt that the growth of vegetation may be enhanced 25 to 50 per cent, by the judicious application of electricity. ' The gardener, Dr. Higgs suggests, may easily make this application by arranging a chevaux de /rise of metallic points on a framework isolated from the earth. Wire carried by small balloons might be used to collect sufficient of the electricity of the atmosphere. The cost of such arrangements would be small, whilst the expeoted advantages are great.

The Baroness Burdett Coutts recently came in for a legacy of £300,000 by the death of a relative who left no will.

He put it down without anyone telling him to do so, and peevishly remarked that " a woman was a fool to set a red-hot flat iron on a kitchen chair. " ,

A Fiend. — A criminal of the deepest dye has just been executed at the city of G-ratz, near Vienna. This was an Austrian subject named Zoller, who was proved to have murdered, one after the other, his three successive wives and the step children. His object in each case was to obtain the premium for which he had insured their lives. It was not till he had succeeded with his third wife that the diabolical plot waa detected and defeated by the vigilanc Q of the insurance offices. An accident took place at the Bridgnorth Floating Bath on August 12fch. It seems that since the establishment of this bath, oertain days have been set apart for ladies, many of whom have appreciated the opportunity afforded and have made considerable progress in the art of natatipn. On tho day in question about thirty ladies had assembled in the bath, and th« river Severn, owing to the recent rains, had increased in volume, but there was nothing to exoite any alarm. Owing however, to several of the ladies sitting on the side, the bath gave a lurch, and then began to sink. The ladies in great alarm, some partly dressed, others in full bathing coatume, hastily escaped to the bank of the river, and to their dismay the bath immediately sank to the bottom of the river with all their clothes. The dilemma in whioh so many ladies found themselves on the bank of the river otose to Ijbe town, with hardly even the simplest articles of clothing, seemed incapable of a satisfactory solution. At last a cattle shed was espied in the distance, and arace took place to gain its friendly shelter. Even here the difficulty of finding a presentable wardrobe was not overcome, but by borrowing sundry blankets and spare apparel all the victims of the accident were conveyed to their homei.