On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 15 April 1915, Page 59

On the Land

-■ GENERAL. &:■ The burning of stubble, bare fallow, and frequent summer cultivation all help to deplbte the soil of humus. ; The addition of lime to a clay soil groups 'together the fine grains of soil into larger granules, and gives the soil the properties of a coarser material. # Pasteurisation consists in heating milk to at least 140 deg. F., for at least ten minutes. The heating is followed by rapid cooling to check spore formation. In Canada, taking an average of four years and with 18 varieties of potatoes, the advantage of spraying with Bordeaux mixture amounted to over two tons per acre. The amount paid by the Government (says the Wellington Fost) for meat' purchased for the Imperial authorities during the period (nearly a month) ended March 31 is £369,160. , A crop of nine acres of tares at the Weraroa Experimental Farm, on which sheep were grazed during the winter months, and which was shut up for harvest-, ing in August, has given a return of 336 bushels, or just on 38 bushels to the acre. At the Clydesdale horse sales last week in connection with the Sydney• Show, the buying was slack. Lots on behalf of Messrs. Mitchell, O’Brien, and J. Charters (of New Zealand) ranged from .£BS to £250. Messrs. Mitchell and O’Brien’s draught mares brought prices ranging from 57 guineas to 102 guineas. The annual vaccination of calves lias been practically concluded in the Stratford district, about 18,000 having been put through. There have been a few isolated cases of blackleg in the district, but these have been coped with promptly by the inspector, and the efficacy of inoculation has been successfully demonstrated. With the exception of store sheep, the entries of all classes of stock at Addington last week were rather smaller than at the previous week’s sale. The market was dull, and sales generally were in favor of buyers. Fat Lambs.—The entry totalled 1243. The quality of a large proportion of the offering was good, but the sale was dull, and prices weak. Prime, 15s 6d to 19s 7d ; others, 10s 6d to Lbs. Fat Sheep.-—The sale was very poor. It started with a drop in prices estimated at about 2s per head, and it never recovered its tone. The entry of fat cattle was small. The quality was of the average character,- and the market was irregular. Extra steers, to £l6 12s fid; ordinary, £5 17s 6d to £9 10s; extra heifers, to £11; ordinary, £5 to £8; extra cows, to £ls 5s ; ordinary, £5 7s 6d to £8 ; price of beef per 1001 b, 30s to 425. Fat calves were scarce, and ranged from 18s to £3 17s 6d. Pigs.—There was a fairly large entry of fats, but the proportion of unfinished was too large and the sale was very dull. Choppers, 48s to 92s ; extra heavy baconers, to 735; heavy baconers, 60s to 675: light baconers, 47s 6d to 57s 6d—price per lb, s|d to 5. 1 , : unfinished, to 5d ; heavy porkers 30s to 365; light, 25s to 295: price per lb, d-Jd to 5-ld. Store pigs were almost unsaleable. There were only medium yardiugs at Burnside last week. Fat Cattle.l6o yarded, these being of fairly good quality. Prices were about on a par with previous week’s. Quotations: Best bullocks, £l3 10s to £ls 10s; extra, to £l6 12s 6d; medium to good, £ll to £l2 ; others, £9 to £10; best heifers and cows, £8 10s to £10; extra, to £l3. Fat Sheep. —1976 penned. Owing to tho Burnside Freezing Works being closed for Some days freezing buyers were not operating, but the yarding was not in excess of the local requirements, and competition was keen. First quality sheep sold well at prices showing a slight advance on previous week’s prices, medium and inferior sheep being practically on a par with late rates.. Quotations; Best wethers, 24s fid to 26s 6d; extra, to 30s 6d; medium, 21s to 235; others, 18s to 19s 6d ; best ewes, 22s 6d to 24s 6d. Fat Lambs. penned. Export buyers were not in the

> market, ' and in consequence bidding : was' confined'-to graziers and butchers. , Prices, showed a decline on previous week’s/ rates. Quotations: Best lambs, 18s- to 19s; extra, to 225; medium to good, 15s to 17s. Pigs, There was a small yarding of fats, and in consequence prices were slightly in advance of previous week’s 'rates'. Store pigs were again far in excess of the requirements, and were very hard to sell even at very reduced prices. MOUMAHAKI EXPERIMENTAL FARM. Though the Moumahaki Experimental Farm has just passed through one of the driest seasons in its history, the 550 acres of available land is carrying at the present time 400 head of cattle, 500 sheep, 100 pigs, and 45 horses (says the Journal of Agriculture There are 40 acres in root and forage crops and 50 acres in lucerne. Thirty-eight acres have been cropped. 4-s Of this area 20 acres in wheat have yielded a crop estimated to thresh 60 bushels to the acre. Oats were grown on 5 acres, the yield being calculated at 65 bushels. Barley was grown on 3 acres, a 70-bushel crop being secured. Eight acres were under oats and vetches, mixed, which should give a profitable return. In addition to this, about 100 tons of lucerne and 100 tons of meadow hay have been saved It is estimated that 250 tons of lucerne have been carted out to the stock from the first cutting in the spring to the end of February. From December 1 50 acres of the rougher area of the property (the gullies) have been closed up, to furnish winter grazing and shelter for stock. At the present time all the stock on the property is in excellent condition, though considerable difficulty has been experienced in providing drinking-water for the cattle and horses. The good crops of the season secured under the unfavorable climatic conditions are no doubt due to the settled policy of the property of green-manuring (to provide the light soil with the necessary humus) and thorough cultivation. ON SHOEING. # ;/ It is often forgotten that the horn is constantly growing, while the iron shoe remains the same size (says the Australasian). . Many cases of lameness are due to neglect of this. The wall grows downwards at the rate of about lin in three months, and if allowed to grow without any compensating wear the foot does not occupy the proper relative position with reference to the limb, and the joint is strained. In districts where the ground is soft, and not stony, and where there are few metalled roads, the shoes will last several months; but they should be removed at the end a month, -and the superfluous growth of horn removed. Where the work is done in stony country, or on metalled roads, the shoes should be just heavy enough to afford four weeks’ wear. A thickness of 4in is sufficient, and the width should be-governed by the amount of iron necessary to last four weeks. With young horses the horn of the foot grows more quickly than with older ones, and their shoes may require removing more often than once a month. Injury is often caused to foals and young horses, when funning in soft country, where their hoofs do not wear down naturally, by the feet being overgrown. The excess of wall should be removed with a rasp, not pared down. Not only will this make all the difference between good feet and limbs and bad ones, but the handling will prepare the young horse for the time when shoeing is necessary. Plenty of patience is required for this latter operation, not only to secure good workmanship, but also to avoid ruining the horse’s temper. In some cases it is better, after getting the front shoes on, to postpone shoeing the hind feet until the next day.