FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2570, 29 December 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Cl.Yni:si),u,l-:s.— Clydesdales continue to push them into favour. It is estimated that at tho present, time the demand for this class of stock is far in excess of anything ever known in the history of a British breed of draught horses. During October there was an extensivo exportation of pedigree horses to many different parts of tho world—the United States, Canada, the Argentino Republic and Germany taking each a great number. The GitKKN Bkbtmcs.—The scientific name of the beetle is lliphueephalasplendens. It belongs to the great family of Suarabiuiie, sub-family Alclonthida.-, and is allied to the Cockchafer ; it has been known for a great length of time. The larvio, of which little or nothing is known, is supposed to live in the sand amongst the ti-trec near the coast. The insects may he found every year, but the crowds of them occur irregularly every third or fourth year. WiXKßiis and Sunns not Neok.-warv. —Neither shoes nor winkers are needed for horses. The winkers were invented by an English nobleman who owned a pair of splendid horses, but one had wall eyes. He made a blind for each horse, and stupid men have ever since adopted the wiukers. The- horse has eyes, but

man decides that lie shall not see whilst at svork, and as a result he is made more timid. Shoes are only necessary because the horses' hoofs have been ruined by the smiths, who burn and rasp off the hard

enamel. At any rate, upon the

itself shoes are an incumbrance, au.l as for winkers, they are barbarous.

Allotment Fakmint;.—The following good report on allotment farming in Lincolnshire is given :—The allotments which Mr Charles Slmrpe has granted to the labourers at tleekington, Sleaford, have answered remarkably well. The men have just had all their corn crops thrashed. The yield of barley has ranged from b' to 7 quarters an acre, and the yield of wheat from O.V to OJ. quarters per acre. The corn, both wheat and barley, is very tine and above the average of the neighbourhood. The potato crops are all turning out well, and, in addition, onions, carrots, beans, mangels and other vegetables are successfully grown on the allotments.

Siikep Siikabixg Twice aYkah.—An experiment has been tried in Canada with regard to sheep shearing, and that is to shear twice during the year. The trials were made by shearing in April and again in July, tho result yielding a larger quantity of wool than by the usual plan, the latter clip being shorter and also finer. A single trial of this description is scarcely of sufficient magnitude, one would imagine, to speak positively of results, for it remains to be seen what effect will bo exhibited during tho fol-

lowing year. Experiments over two or three years would yield more satisfactory results. It is said that the sheep are rendered more comfortable by the new method. Selling Cattle by Live Wkiciut.— Notwithstanding the advantage the selling of cattle by live weight gives to farmers in their dealings with butchers, who, as a matter of course, are greatly their superiors in guessing the weight of a beast, the farmers are so prejudiced and

so strongly wedded to old customs, that they cannot be induced to give the scheme a trial ; the foreigners wonder at their stupidity. An American visitor writes to the Gazette:—." Perhaps you will allow me to state that in America nearly all our cattle, except milk isows. are sold

by weight, aud all quotations are made accordingly. The advantage, it seems to me, is so very great that, if once thoroughly tried, English farmers and stock raisers would not practice any other. The very fact that the trained eye of the

t professional buyer give.s hirn so great at . advantasro over the common fanner h . sullieient to explain why ho insists upor , continuing: the oM way." j Silauk Stack — The following methor ~ of building a silage stack, given by a con f tribator to the Field, is well worthy o , imitation by those who contemplate making silage, as it will greatly lessei . the waste from the outaiiles of stack; > built in the ordinary way. He sets firmly ■ in the ground some stout poles, 12 feet ir ■ height, along the sides of the area the intended stack is to occupy—in actmv ■ measurement the stack was 22 feet by 1( i feet—then a couple of : :} iuch bo ml 1 fool wide and as long as the stack side are placed resting loosely against the inside ; of these posts. This simple contrivance i allows the grass to bo well tramped at the edges of the stack, this being the main secret in successful silage stack building. As each layer of 2 feet deep is finished the boards are slipped higher up, and another layer is so treated. Orchards.—lf any farmer thinks thai nature can be cheated, and that aftci cropping land uutilii will no longer produce anything it can be set to fruit trees and ni:ido profitable, he will find himsell greatly mistaken, Sometimes a younf; orchard is said to be on too rich soil, that the trees are going to wood when they should be bearing fruit. Wait a few yours, and these backward trees will prove more valuable and long-lived than those set to bearing because of their stunted growth. If a thrifty growing orchard docs not bear as it should, dose it pretty heavily with some mineral fertiliser, phosphate or potash ; or if these cannot be obtained, give the trees a good dressing of salt. It is very possible that soils full of vegetable matter, and therefore abounding iu carbonaceous and nitrogenous elements of plant food, may be lacking in the mineral elements. Nitrogen or ammonia would stimulate leaf growth unduly, while there might not be the required food to make fruit. UirrTßß-MAKINU CoMl'ETlTrON'.—The following from the report in the Gazette of the butter-making competition, may be instructive to dairymaids in this colony :—" The championship fell to the lot of the well-known name of Miss Fanny Holmes, of Ashlyns Hall, Berkhampstead, with Miss Keel, Bristol, second, and Mrs Holmes third, the other three competitors gaining a v.h.c. Miss Holmes was able to get her supply of cream coolled down to 50 deg. Fall., and commenced churning at SO strokes per minute, and afterwards at 70. Butter came in 30 minutes in a beautiful granulated condition, and was shown round to the onlookers. Mrs Holmes churned at the same rate as her daughter, while Miss Keel began more slowly but afterwards increased. Mr Walker, the winner in the first day's competition, also churned fast and had butter in 20 minutes ; while Mr Cottam, by going at under 50 per minute, took 70 minutes to get butter. Miss Keel and Miss Barron churned at over 50. We may here remark that wo do not think that slow churning is desirable with an end-ovcr-end churn. We have never been able to bring butter with one of these

kind in a reasonable time at iess than SO or 90 per minute. Of course, a great deal depends on how full the churn is, as a small quantity of cream will receive more

"dashing" than if there is too much. In tho case of churns provided with dashers, however, slow work will do, as those practically have a double action." Channel Islands Cattle (Continued) Chapter IV, No less necessary than proper food is the proper manasrcniont for milking cows. It should always bo borne in mind, that the animal whose capabilities are for milking, becomes lean on tho samo quantity of food as will make the feeding cattle fat. The cansequenco of this ifthat the milking, and thereforo leau cow, is more affected by changes of temDerature than the feeding or fat ono.

It follows that in the successful management of the milch cow great care should be tnkcn to avoid rapid aud considerable changes of temperature, as well as damp or strong clay laud. The climate of England is worße in this particular than that of Newfoundland, or many other much more northerly countries, in oonsequouce of its greater variableness. To obviate this disadvantage of climate,

thorn should always bo a clean, dry shed in which tlio cattle ni;ty take shelter whetievor they fool uncomfortable either from heat and flies, or from cold mid damp, Tli in shed .should bo so nonstructod that it may to a certain extent clean itself by drainage, to avoid t.lie accumulation of foul water—tho floor being constructed of materials of a dry nature. The aapeot should be such as to avoid north and north-easterly winds.

An animal always cold is always uncomfortable, and a lariro proportion of the food she takes is consumed in keeping; up the heat of tlio body, instead of making mil!;, —wannth is therefore, in effect, food to the cow, and may bo obtained at little cost aril with little trouble by means of a shed as recommended, and whore this is dry and clean, the cow will resort to it spontaneously, whenever she knows it to bo conducive to her comfort, which, as above said, is her food to a great extent, Cold and sudden chills, on tho other hand, am a great detriment to the appearance of the oow, ami are frequently the of her falliug off in her milk so early in tho season.

So important is it to provide tijjiiinst ■Treat alteration of temperature, that the impossibility of doing- this in larjre pastures, has within thp last few years engendered tho lung disease which has been so destructive among; cattle. Formerly pastures were small in extent and dofended by large and thick hedge-rows as well as trees, but the practice latterly having- been the open to fields and to divest them of everything which could form a shelter for the cattle; what lias been srained in increasing the quantity of feed, has boon lost by the disease which the inclemency of an unsheltered field has engendered. It is mush to bo questioned, whether nature win not the best judge after all.

Much injury is likewise done by turning cattle out too early in the season—exchanging them from a warm yard or shed, (especially just after calving), to pass the night in the open air, beforo the season is sullieieutly advanced to make such exposure bearable.

11l proportion us the brood of cattlo has improved, .-o has the uece.s-dty of e ire become apparent; delicacy of constitution and physical sensitivonoKS always increasing with high blood. As n principle of economy I strongly advocate the practice (which is hi',ely gaiuim; ground), of bringing milch cows" in all ni<rht., all through tlie year,-—for they spoil much grass, especially in full strong pasturo during the night, and are not benefitted by being in the dewy grass, too early in in the morning; the in inure also would bo in the yard where it is valuable, instead of under til) hedge, whore it is lost, and where the cattlo would naturally lie for protection.

Darin;,' the winter, when tied up in stalls, gloat advantage is derived from thoroughly cleaning "the cattle with a brush, as they cannot then turn round

and lick themselves, or rub as they would in the field.

The feet should also bo examined lest they should get too long, and thereby weaken the pasterns, which is easily remedied by the removal of a portion of the toe with a small aaw. Cuaitbk V. As 11 general pi incipie cows should be milked twice a day, and the times of milking .should bo invariably all tho year round, viz., at six in the morning and six in the oveuing. If after calving, in the early state of milk, it should be found that tho bug becomes too full, from extreme heat or other cause, it will be advisable to reduce the bag in the middle of the day, iu which ease eight o'clock in the evening will be early enough for the lust milking ; but some judgment is requisite in putting this into practice, as too great eagerness to relieve the bag may have an injurious effect, by weakening its power of retention. Before, and during th;> time of milking, tho cow should have some good hay or chaff (or meal, as is the custom in Yorkshire). This is beneficial iu two wiys—iiiv,t, it is a wholesome stay to the stomach, and secondly, it engrosses the attention of, and quiets the animal during the operation.

The hauds should be dry and clean — wet hands chap the teats in cold weather, and want of cleanliness produces warls. Take grout cave that the last of the milk in withdrawn, as ose pint of this is richer for the production of butter than two quarts of milk first drawn oft'. This point is of paramount importance, as independently ol tho quality thus produced, imperfect milking will ary tho cow much earlier than if properly milked, and tends to decrease the quantity. Milk as quickly as possible, and never leave tho cow during tho operation; an active • milker may milk five cows an hour, therefore, with a dairy of ten or twelve cows, two persons should bo employed, and so in proportion, or regularity will be interfered with. Six weeks prior to the time of calving, commence to dry the cow by milking once a day, for three or four days, which will decrease tho quantity ; then cease milking fur three days, taking-care that the bag does not get over filled by the cessation (which must bo very carefully observed in hot weather) ; after this tho judgment must bo exercised as lo anv

future milkings, which, if possible, should cease altogether one month before calving. In all cases thoroughly cleanse the bag, as should any milk be left, disease may bo originated by the remaining secretion, which will be very injurious at the next time of calving. A few days prior to calving, should tho bag be fouud much distended, it should bo thoroughly rolieved. This system I have pursued for many years, having a hundred calves annually, without the loss of a single cow. Whatever may be tho cause of restlessness or irritability of the cow during milking, gentleness is the only treatment that should be allowed, —violence, or even harshness, never. There are many causes, after recent calving, that may produce inquietude, bat no other remedy will be effectual. A young- animal never forg-ets ill-treatment, and a recurrence of similar circumstances will remiud the cow of former punishment. I