FARM, GARDEN, AMD ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3085, 23 April 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AMD ORCHARD NOTES.

# L'irrTNKS. — What are chunks P Most country folks will connect it with broad —" a chunk of bread "—•' hunk of bread " —are terms familiar in m 0.4 parts of England. In America the world has a different meaning entirely. Horse-deal-ers within the past few years have used the above title to describe a class of horses which do not properly come under the head of good draught horses and yet are too heavy to be classed as roadster or driving horses, There are in the Western markets of the Unightod States especially more horses which are classed as chunks than any other kind. Tho demand for this grade of stock lias boon goad, the the buyers for agricultural purposes in Eastern States generally preferring those medium-weight horses to the heavier lends. Prices for " chunks " as a rule vary les.i than-other horses, and shippers to horse markets know moro definitely what to figure upon tho buying for the trade. Values run from' £20 to £28. While his term in itself does not describe very minutoely theummul,it U understood by dealers mean a well-built bulky animal of medium-weight and free from blemishes. In-Lam is Ewes and Turnips.—Neither | white turnips nor swedes, nor tho tops J will injure in-lamb ewes, providing they are given in moderation, and on open pasture fields, where the flocks get sufficient exerci-io and some dry food, such as sweet h-iy, pea or houn straw or chaffed hay and straw. Gi'asj and turnips contain overmuch water for sole food. The moro dry food is given the

grwitcr quantity of turnips may be allowed. Of course tho conditions of flocks should be considered. It is never wise to make ewes fat agaiast lambing, and a superabundance of roots, corn and hay might possibly lead to this state. Still whoro one flock is too fat, very many are too poor, and the latter state is far worse than tho former. Disasters among flocks fed on roots arc invariably

traceable to too many roots and too little dry food being given and exorcise not being provided. In a wet mild season like the present, grass is very watery, hence dry food is all the more needful. On dry land where old grass abounds, sheep do not orave for dry diet so mur.h as where young grass is plentiful. There is no better plan than to provide a rack

if evveot hay for ewes to run to at will, ;o say, a pint of oats in addition

and then either white turnips or swedes may bo gicen freoly with happy results.— Brisbane Times.

Cancer in Sheet.— This is becomiug rather a common disease, and one that requires to bo promptly eradicated from the flocks in which it is observable. Tho carelessness of owners would undoubtedly seem to be one of the chief causes of its spread, for it is infectious and dangerous to other sheep, if not to huimn beings. There is no cure, though occasionally an animal that has had its car cut oft" will temporarily show signs of improvement. Cancer is usually {'.i velopnd in the ears and nose, and it is pretty certain that deep or unskilled firoliriindiug or ear-marking tend to produce it, more especially tho foimer. The mopping of ears is generally forbidden by tho st)ok departments, so that this

palliative- ti-.vif.:i.nnr <v:m,-,.)1 l.'gnily 1.0 adopted. The numb.-!- di v.-l'i; in--' the di*ja«e has 1-iti.»-ly ip.i-n-is.-d In'snail an i-xient that shell el's have mud': it one of

ihcir demand.- lh:it they shall not be compelled to slear them. In labf-llinc ■Mid -i.ii.'k, e ii-.- -h'.uM !>■■■ i-il;. 'i v, .-. e that the hull, in which t.h-- label i- placed

is suflicieiitly largo, A cancerous i/rnwth is sometiiii'-- pi-mliic-d if llv- pi rfonition is too sniiill.r.i- bas not been cleanly eut. the forming- on the pieie that: 'an•< been carelessly left. Firc-brandinir is like making pastry in one resp'ot —it, rcquircn a. hand, and very few p-oplfl can do it properly. In some thicks that have been done the mark is no' decently nhservable in 50 per cent : in others it has been performed so deeply that hoi-ny-lookinj; LrrowtliH after a time became apparent, or cancerous HO'-es. There are certainly more caneercd sheep in fiVck* that are fi-e-branded than in those that are not. Old ewes usuallv nhow more si<nis of the disr-ase than others, especially in a. country where salt has to be used, for the constant meeting of the sheep at one or more of the "licks" alone promotes infection. Climate seems to have little to do with its progress. When a sheep is eaneorous it is better killed, and its carcase burn'. It-i misery aud suffering* are thus not prolonged. — Pastoralist Review.

Ixtha as a Market for Prkskrvek Fruit.—A correspondent, writing from Calcutta , points out the possibility of the dealers in dried and canned fruits working up a trade there which could }>■:■ made to assume large importance. The thousands of Europeans resident in India are obliged to depend largely for food supplies other than the ordinary staples upon the canned products imported from England, consisting of fruits in syrup, jams, &c. These are sold at prices that put them on the list as luxuries, only to bo indulged in by people of moans. Could cheap and good canned and dried fruits be put into the Indian nnrkets at prices that would render their consumption feasible as everyday articles of food, a large demand would certainly be created and a lucrative trade built up. The correspondent refers to the practice of selling raisins packed in jars at the m ist fabulous prices, since owing' to climatic exigencies that fruit, when peeked in boxes in the ordinary way, will not keep There is nothing to prevent raisin packers from putting up fruits in glass jars or tin cans, while at half the prices now paid iu India there would bo a handsome margin of profit. Some of the choice grades as preserved prunes are. or have been, packed in cans lined with wax paper and in this shape, when tightly sealed up, the fruit can be transported and kept in any climate for long periods without deterioration. Raisins might be put up in the same way to [advantage. Then, too, canned vegetables as well as fruit might be aliipped to India, whore choice tomatoes, beans, peas, asparagus, corn,&c, would assuredly be met with great favour.

Dirty Wheat.—When a farmer takes a sample of wheat to market, as mimy will have occasion to do during the next few weeks, the satisfaction of knowing that the bulk of the grain been thoroughly cleaned of weed seeds and other rubbish, will ciribln him k> insist on ebtiining full value for his produce. The careless wheat grower, on tha other hand, who has a dirty or imperfectly drosssd quilily of grain to offer, cannot hiigylo with the sarrc success about tho price he is ultimately bound to accept. The market quotation may bo ruling as high as os per bushel, but the experience of miuvy wheit growers is, wlion they come t > sell their grain, that they cannot obtain anything like the flu uro stated by the news-, papers. Tho li'onsiMjupnce is they complain that t"!o markets are not honestly reported,'never'for a monvnt stop to consider the truth of tho buyers' statement as to their wheat boing " very dirty and badly chaned. " Thorn ar>» two hHcs to every question, however. Farmers who wish to secure high prices should bo careful to secure their grain in the. bpst possible condition, and afterwards see that it is thoroughly cleaned. A dirty sample militates most seriously against tho price, aud a little extra trouble at the thresher or winnower is always amply repaid. We are perfectly well awn re that many of oar farmers are careful in this respect, but the practice is not so general as it should bo. Anethcr and also important matter deserving of attention at this season of the year lies iu the quality and condition of the bags in which tho irrain is to ba marketed. If the grain is put into bags that will not boar tho rough handling - of the railway, river, or ssa transit , the chances are that the price will bo considerably affected, as agents do not care m run the risk of shipping , indifferently bngget" grain and invarably guard against any chance of loss by paying a lower price for the produce ihan they otherwise would if tho itrain was put into bags strong enough for any journpy. Wheat growers will find it to their advantage to attend to those matters even though they may appear rather small and of little importance.— Loader,

Dong and Autikicul Manures.—The warfare ra<res respecting dans nnd artificial manures ; the confusion is due to

comparing two unlike things. There con bo no common measure for farm yard

manure, while, in a general way, there

can bo for artifioWs. A ton of straw has a quoted marketable price, varying with locality and season. Its manurial value depends on the quality of the excrements mixed in it as litter, and the dejections represent the richness of rations. Expeiionce shows that it does n«t pay to fatten cattle, no matter at what age, on dear food. Between Gib. to 81b per week of moat is all a stall fed animal can be expected to put up, when supplied with ordinary y.itioiis. In the ease of stock under 2 years of iLuro, 1211 m of flesh Lave boon known to have been put up in a wenk. So much for production of the dung. Its quality will depend on the manner of its preservation, if sheltered under a shed, it will escape beinir washed by rain, &e., and its ammoniacal emanations will be loss and consequent dissapation. The same end is.ill.Mined if the stock bo box fattened, as M. HeldefiViss, of Sadewitz, continues to practise. He instanced the farm of Kroisua, where 80 milch cows roam in full liberty in a sunken arranged yard, trending a litter

into manure. At another farm, that of Buchnirz, cattle are similarly herded in a common yard, and in order to prevent inter-homings, the calves undergo an operation to destroy the growth of tho

horn. Dung thus allowed to remain under cattle loses about 12 or 15 per cent, ol

its weight : as compared with that left exposed in a common heap, the advantage is very marked. At one time it was the rough ami ready rule to apoly as many tons of farm yard manure per acre as there were tons of raised, from the preeeoding observation, 10 tons of one prepared dung may equal in fertility power 'JO tons ot another preparation. And 35 tons of dung per aci'3 may not bo as profitable as a lesser quantity. To make a crop pay, it is essential to make the manuring pay, dung decomposes slowly in wet season its efficacy is slight ; its effects may tpll over a period of four or five vears, as it does not yield its fertilising or sti> mulating principles immediately. It is not less important to secure cheap nitrogen and phosphates in dung than it is in arcifitvals ; for nitrogen salts to bo effective

must be combined with the superphosphates. Tho soil does not got out of heart by tho employment of artificials, 12 t01.5 bushels extra corn per acre, as compared with ordinary cultural method?, may be reckoned upon. It is essential that when the farmer purchases industrial manures he should see that he gets them genuine.