On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 24 July 1913, Page 59

On the Land

-'7 ' ' GENERAL. ..-.'.- The first, agricultural show in England was held by the Bath and West of England Society in 1797. The judges, after examining the animals shown, decided that three sheep—New Leicesters—were entitled to a prize plate of.ten guineas. In these days, when pampering and 'pedigree' are such controversial subjects, it is,interesting to note that at the first show held in England a cow was rejected because she had been fed on meal for three weeks previous, and some North Devon cattle were disqualified because no pedigree could be produced. -

Not alone among competitors themselves, but. also with the public, the interest in ploughing matches seems to be taking" a very active renewed lease of life (says the Southland Times). At the three matches carried out during the past fortnight over 1000 people attended, nearly.so ploughmen participated, and the number of horses and implements employed must have run into a goodly figure in actual cash. The prizemoney, given out for the various classes was very liberal, not to mention the dozens of trophies for the special classes at each match.

>v Bean meal, which is so largely used in the composition of English dairy cattle rations, is obtained by grinding the whole seed of the horse bean. About lo per cent, of the weight of the mature seed is in the nature ;of husk, and the proportion, therefore, in the ground meal may be considerable unless the husk is partially removed. Bean meal is rich in nitrogenous and starchy elements, nitrogen being in the albuminoid form of legumen, which is analogous to the casein of milk. ' About 20 to 25 per cent, of the bean is comprised of this substance. Starch, amounts to about 35 per cent. \ ■' At Addington last week there were fairly, large entries of stock and a good attendance of buyers. Pat cattle sold at the previous week's rates. Store sheep sold well, good lines and hoggets showing little improvement. Fat lambs were rather easier, and for fat sheep the sale opened at firm rates. Fat pigs showed no change, but prices afterwards eased off considerably. New season's lamb made 24s 7d; best freezing lambs, 17s 6d to 19s 7d; and others, 14s to 17s. Extra prime wethers made to 30s; prime, 21s to 27s sd; others, 16s lOd to 20s 6d; extra prime ewes, to 26s H prime, 18s 6d to 245; medium, 16s to 18s; and aged and light, 12s 6d to 17s 6d; merino wethers", 16s to 23s 4d. Fat cattle sold at 27s to 34s per 1001 b, according to class. Steers made £8 12s 6d to £ll 10s; extra, to £l9; heifers, £6 10s to £9 10s; extra, to £ls; cows, £6 10s to £9 10s; extra to £l3 10s. There was a medium yarding of fat pigs. Choppers made from £4 to £5 10s; heavy baconers, 70s to 765; and lighter, 55s to 65s—equal to s|d to sfd per lb. The best porkers made 46s to 50s; and lighter, 38s to 44s—equal to 6£d per lb. At Burnside last week, there was a large yarding of fat cattle, and average entries in other departments. The fat cattle forward totalled 269 head, the quality all through being fair. In spite of the large yarding bidding was brisk and all prime cattle were firm at :• late rates. Quotations: Best bullocks, £ll 10s to £l3; extra good, to £l7 • good, £9 15s to £lO 15s; light, £7 10s to £9; Quotations: Best bullocks, £ll 10s to £l3; extra good to £l7; good, £9 15s to £lO 15s; light, £7 10s to £9; best cows and heifers, £8 10s to £10; extra, to £ll 7s 6d. There was an entry of 3226 fat sheep, the quality all through not being nearly so good as the previous week. Prices were much on a par with last sale, although inclined to be erratic. Quotations: Prime wethers, 25s to 27s 6d; extra, to 30s 3d; medium to good 23s to 245 6d; light, 19s to 21s 6d; best ewes, 21s 6d to 235; extra, to 29s 3d; medium to good, 17s 6d to 19s 6d; light, 13s 6d to 15s 6d. The fat lambs offered totalled 1400, there being very few prime lots

offering. Export buyers were not ;keen, and prices ruled about the same as previous week. Inferior -lines were taken by the" graziers. Quotations: Best lambs, 16s to 17s;; extra to 19s; medium to good, 14s 6d to 15s 6d. About 100 pigs were- yarded. Stores " were hardly so high as at previous sale, but porkers and baconers, were* firmer. Quotations: Suckers, 13s 6d tip 16s; slips, 17s to 22s 6d; stores, 23s to 28s 6d : ; porkers, 42s to v sls; light baconers, to/ 60s; heavy baconers, to 85s. J ' - v -;%;'.--: . Wm *

PASTURE LAND DISEASE. .; Opinion is gaining ground that a great many of the diseases of live stock emanate from the soil, or at any rate they are carried from one animal to another through the soil. Professor Penberthy . points out that what is called 'sound land in an advertisement of a farm practically means land that is healthy for live stock, and per contra, many farms or. even individual; fields, on a farm, are noted fqr;^causing v diseases of various sorts. These diseases may be exampled by such things as attacks of black leg, ; foot rot, husk, and many others that could be enumerated, 'in which the trouble is due to the presence of an organism of some sort or another which lives in the soil, and; from which the animals that .graze on the soil get infected. Professor Penberthy finds that these diseases are more common on old pastures, and that new pastures, or those .of a temporary nature, are more or less clean. vs : This is easily understood when we remember that new pastures are on soil which is, or has been lately ploughed up or cultivated, and on which different classes of crops have been grown. The various acts. of ; - \ "::-'>

Cultivation

have tended to expose the germs of the various diseases to the air and sun, and thus they are \ either killed or the acts of cultivation tend to cause them to die out. In a state of nature these troubles scarcely ever show, themselves, because the number of live stock to the number of acres is so small. that if the : germs or ova of the various organisms exist in the soil they are likely to die out before they get a chanceto do much damage, but in our system of concentrated[farming, where the live stock are shut into the fields, and are comparatively thick on the groundone beast or perhaps four or five sheep to each acre of land;,for instance—then the trouble shows itself, and the richer the pasture the more likely there is to be a chance of disease, because the rich pastures are a suitable, habitat for the germs or ova, and also because on. rich pastures there is a larger number of stock to the acreage. An abnormal season always develops more disease, such, for instance, as an excessive wet season is sure to be followed by a very bad attack of ' fluke' in sheep, simply because the wetness has produced the growth of the snails which perpetuate this parasite. Soils which go 'sick' for some animals are those which are polluted by such germs or ova, and some of the worst are the intestinal worms which we find in young horses, and a corresponding attack in the case of lambs. •'