THE CAROB TREE. A Valuable Cattle Food.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2234, 2 November 1886, Page 2

THE CAROB TREE. A Valuable Cattle Food.

An important element in successful farming is th' 3 supply of an abundance of suitable food for stock in the dry season of the year; and the carob tree appears to be capab'e of contributing to this valuable cud. At present the tree is nnt much known to oir apiiciiltumts but if the statements made by persons who have tried it are to be relied on, it is certainly worth their while to make its acquaintance, and it appears there is no difficulty in securing seed for planting. A tree that produces abundantly fruit upon which horses ami cattle may bo almost exclusively fed at a small cost deserves attention ; and the fact that Thorley's food for cattle is largely composed of carob pods is a certificate of merit that will be recognised at once by stockholders. The high price of bran and pollard, which has for yeais maintained its price in spite of the low price of wheat, shows the value of food for horses and other stock ; and there is, therefore in our own colony an opportunity of cultivating a consid. rable tiade in so valuable a food for cattle. Bvit if a large local demand should not be treated, or more than sufficient to supply the demand should be produced, the pod is an article that may b° exported conveniently, and for which in the English muket there is a practically unlimited demand. The ctatement that from Crete alone 1 tons of pocK are expoited annually -hows what may be don 3 in c mmerco with this product. One of the most important recommendations of tho carob tree is that it flouiisl-.es in position* in which few other usef'il plmts will grow. A tree that will grow well in white smd close to the «ea, as well as in other more favouied situation*, ought surely to find a home m a great many upots vacant now e imply because of the difficulty or impossibility of successfully growing anything woith cultivation. To occupy mmv plots of land at present barren with the carob tree would give a elwar gain to holders of such land, besides oe.uitifymsr and thin enhancing the value of their "pioperty. When the value of thi* tree is better understood it will need no advertising. In the Legislative Council of South Australia Mr Hodgkiss said—" He would also suggest the advantage of planting the tree Known as the locust or carob tree. It did not tak? more room than the aim. nid tree, and the value of the product he thought ironi S> to 10s per tree more, lie had used the fimt himself foi the purpose of feeding l' l^ a «d horses, and found his hoi*es fattened <vi it as veil as they did on o.its. He would further urge on the a..th ntie* tho impoitince of planting locust tiees along the lines of lailwaj-. for the retson th <t it was not likely to injure the line by hie." Mr Hodgkiss has this tire growing on the sandhills at the back of his residence. It is so hardy that it is thiiviutr in pine white sand not far from high water mark. The hon. G. C. Hawker has a tree that has yielded of carob pods in one season. Heie then is food for one horse fot 14(i days at the rate of (Jibs per day. It is said that Thorley's food for cattle consists largely of these pods. Baron yon Muller, in his book on extratropical plants, readily eligible for industrial culture, has the following— -" The carob attains a height of 30ft, and resists drought well ; succeeds best in a calcaieous subsoil. The saccharine p >d, algarola, or St. John's Bread, is of value for domestic aninuls. The seeds germinate readily. The exportation of pods for cattle food fiom Crete alone' is now about 180,000 tons annually. Tho fruit serves for a medicinal syrup, caiamel, an imitation of choci late, and a liquor. In some of the Mediterranean countries harness and stable fed cattle are almost exI clusively fed upon the pods. The meat of sheep and pigs is greatly improved in flavour by this food, the fattening properties being twice th^t of oilcake. The pods contain Ob" per cent, of sugar and gum. To horses and cattle Gibs a day are given of the crushed pods, raw or boiled, with or without chaff." The Hon. G. C. Hawker has been using this food for ttud sheep, and turns out magnificent animals. Tho manner of planting the seeds is described by Mr John Hodgkiss as follows: — " I put in be ins around all my unplanted fences up at Sterling East. The beans were first put in hot water, and were allowed to remain soaking for thiee or four days. The bean is then planted half an inch deep in the spot where the tree is intended to grow, as it sends d.own a long tap-root. As the season is late, put in only as many as you can manage to water occasionally through tho dry summer. There are male and female plants, tho latter only bearing pods ; both bear flowers, and the bees seem to find much to attract them in the male plant. lam not awaie of any means by which the sex of young trees may b,q known. Tho blossom is more like that qf the hlbert than any other that \ know of, The seeds strike easily in sand. When planted out, 15 or l! 0 feet at least should be left between them. When in New Zealand I gave about 000 beans to Mr Tollurst, Bank of Kew Zealand, Wellington, some to Mr Warner, of Christchurch, and some to Mr McCargle, of Masfcertou. My three trees gave last year 4001b weight of seed. The seeds sent are what the hordes leave in the manger after eating the pods. I hope you will succeed with them.. I have many letters about the ti.ee from Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, > T ew South Wales, etc. I<et me urge upqn every farmer to go to work earnestly in May of 1887 in surrounding his homestead with the liv ing green of the carob tree. It is easily grown. It is beautiful. It is useful."— Exchange.

Mr A. Buckland will hold the first wool sale of tho season at the Haymarket on Wednesday, the 17th in^t,