FARM NOTES. An Ancient Mode of Farming.—The

Otago Witness, Issue 2308, 26 May 1898, Page 6

FARM NOTES. An Ancient Mode of Farming. — The

metayer system o? farming has bsen practised for many Centuries in France, and is not unknown in other Buropea\i ouuateies. Ife possesses many advantages over thh renbfog of land on lease, inasniuch as the tenant is n&t ruined when the-re happens a season or two in which the crops fail entirely, and in good years both the landowner and the tenant benefit by bountiful harvests. Ib is s, co-operative system,, in which not only prouuee'and increase of live slack, the wool, the crops of the fiald, the produce at thß vineyard, and the fruit of the orchard, but tfee poultry, and evei. the pigeons, are shared ia proportion by landlord and tenant. These shares vary in different localities, according to the fertility ot" the laud and its nearcess to mafkofc. 'ite purchase of live stock, of seeds, of manure, of agricultural inapleinants, afld the m»iinteuance of fences, dwellings, &-.. art regulated by th*. caai-om,of the locality. I'hf ucietayer a,j stem leads Co a bt-tter understandj ing and tc a more kindly feeling between landlord ! and rot-ant, ioi they are mutually interested in ! {.be success of the farming operations. When 1 iv I'tttJieft, niftny year* ago, I made some in- | qititiee into the metayer system of farming, snd I from the information I gathered I felt convinued • 6h».8 ifc might he practised with advantage in ■ Victor:*. Lo'og before wheat-growing ot skates was initiated in sheas colonies, & frtend who owned » very fertile estate in Rirerina, and wfcowiehert to hb relieved of the trouble of working ft, asked me how he could accomplish hia object 1 , f irecommanded the adoption of the • metayer system, modified to suit the country. He liked the idea, but doubt' d its pricticabi--IK.y, a3 he believed fsmwa in A^us'-ralia would | not werk land en sli'«rtn wh^u they co<Ud select !a. farm »,l a veryrdojy cost. He was ana of tha j fa-rt to let .laud tot wheat-growing en uhttes, J acid now there are on his estate a butter factory j acd a vineyard, while the crops the .share farj raers have harvested are among the heaviest, in ! Kiverina. — "Bruni," in the Australasian. Raifobt Chajipetbb — A Kew variety of root crop is earning infco use ia Aoseric*,- which may possibly provß of acms utility to Australian dairymen. Tcis faUowJsg deßtrip»h;n of the new plant is given in tbe I?.ut&l "New Ycrker :-» " In appsarance the top and root are lika a raamrcoth long red radish. Tho roote grow to tha size of a medium mangel. The flesh is mild and sweet, without any of the pungency of tbe radish, and the roots were eagerly eaten by cowe." Its rapidity of growth seams to make this plant a desirable one foe stock feeding, as it m»y be uaed as a second crop. The name given to the plant is " Raifort Champetre," but it is not stated whonce it waa obtaioed.

The Purvival of the UNFiTTEST.-^-Ia r priz3 essay oa the " Treateienb of Brood Mare's and Foals, '* published by the Royal Dublin Society, fche author, Mr W. Pallia, remarks :—": — " I have traced fche fa'lure of no end of intelligent breevlei s to the fsvcfc that they invariably sell the perfscb animsls they bresd, bec\use they fir.dja ready customer, aad retain the mire which has bseu foaled with some faulb which prevanfcs. her sale." There is (says " Braui," in the Australasian) a, world of meaning in this sentence for breeders of all the domestic animals. Ife is the custom oO many stockbreeders to follow thi3 I Bh.orfc-3ighi;ed policy year after year, to the ultimate degradation of the 6tcck. No stud of hcrre«, cattle, or shaop evti* maintained a position in the front r*nk ia which the be»t joang animals were sold because they realised the higheat prices. Even in an ordinary flock or herd no experienced breeder would for a moment entertain the idea of selling the best of his youoff female stock in order to secure a higher price than ha would obtain for his cuilc. Some fimd b go this suicidal policy was adopted by a number ot New Zealand stockfarmera. Th<\ ba»fc of the young ewes were sold as freezera, and the breeding flock was kept up by retaining tlie old awes beyond their time and by inolu'ltog in tbe breeding flock those that shou!f3 have gono off as culls. The result was a Very rapid deterioration iv ihe stock. Itrt-qnires much patient care and f-k-ll to bring stock up to the highest standard of excellence, but a very ftw years of aplling (ho best stock and retaining the worst for breeding purposes will completely ruin the character of the flock or herd.

Thb Angora Qo^t. — lb is said Miafc there is no animal that will increase the grass in a, pasturs like fche Angora goat. He trims everything th»t shades the grass, and overy one nho is iv the IBA-ifc acqusioted with the growth of grass krew the effect of oiminsshicg the eh«de. The A.tig,ora go^o is by na'-urea browser and Jiot a graztf-r, and this is how he ia so vary valuable as a gleaner. He can be taade squall y va'uable as any animal on the farm by the lustrous fleece ho grows (known in conainerea as mohair), which finds aa ready £a!e as the fleece of the sheep. The tne&t i 3 equal to that of the i?heep, and the increase about the aam°. The care of the Angora goat is very much ihs same aa in that of tha sheep, ibou&h he cs'.s with far more relish, ».'id trill iivfs on much coarser food.

Which is Best fok Bacon ? — Oar Asaerican cousins aro nothing if not thorough and practiCil. The excitement in tbe States has bsen incre^ed, if possible, by the publication of the results of an experiment which w«3 originally intended to determine if the advica given by tbe Jate Secretary of Agrieul tuo, Mr Morton, to the American farmers to breed Tamworth pigs, in order to gain a portion of the high pricss realised for bacon on the English markets, was really sound. The iacept'ou of tho experiment was due to the present Secretary of Agriculture in the States, Mr Wilson, who, oa the faith of the consular report, has also strongly recommended the T&mwoi-th pig to the -notice of the hog keepers in America. 1 Tho txperimenb, which was nao&t carefully j carried out over a season extending from June 1 to November 1, has resulted in sucb * manner as to completely falsify both the advice given from the Agricultural departmeat and also tbe loudly expressed opinions of the breeders of those kiad | of pigs, which are the produetiou of our American cousins, or, like the Berkshire, largely im-' ported at high pricss fcoia England. Ten pigs of each of the following American breeds— i.c , Chester White, Duccc Jersey, and Poland China ; aad three English breeds — viz., Berkshires, Large White?, ond Tamworth?, wera selected, of about the same age. Careful records were kept of the weight of food consomed by esch lob of pigs, and the latfcer waro frequency weighed, and then, after the pigs had been exhibited at tbe Chicago fat stock show, the whole of them wtre sold to Swift and Co., the pork packers, for slaughter. Eren the experienced buyer of this firm \7»s deceived by appearances, aa ha gave a higher price per cental, live weight, fc-j tbe B j rkbhi"tis and tap Tamworths than .for fcha pigs of the four other breed". When the Lax:go Whites were slaugthered the mistake asada in estimating their value was afc otico s.pp^rea', as their carcases were quite as lean as those of any other brebd, and the proportion of dead feo live weight th^ highest, it being ?9 3, ag&isist the Beikshire 762. The cost ot' producing lib of live w? fiht was for the Large "White I' 9 cents, against 2 ceiita of tbe Berkshire c and 2 1 of the Taaiwoiths-, whilst tbe dsi'y increase was also in favour of the Large Whiie?, it being 1 161b, against l*o3lb of the Berkshirts and lib of the Tamwortb. This is a wonderful result for ihe Large Whites, as in every respect they beat the Berkshires and Tarn worths by a 'long way. A sfcoud trial is to be marte. — " Bre&fler," in the Faraifcvs' Oszetre. v

Hoots por Tigs — Tho secret of healthy awiue is plenty of good, succulent food. They cannot be kept healthy without, ifc. Neither can pigf be made to grow rapidly to matariiy without it." The natural fooci for pig« ia their wild state is grasp, roots, aad bolbs of pUnts. The necessity of this character of food is well recogaised by nature ih ptovidiug a pig with a rooter with which to obtain it. Even after generations of det&estic&tian with an areple supply of. sustenance to supply ail dsmaDds, this proclivity or d n sire to root, • independent of necessity, remains ag a permanent characteristitJ. Farmers who have practised from this pointer, and 1 during the "winter months have ab stated icfcurvala, at least twica a week, given one feed of roots, such, as potatoes?, nx&ngoltjls, artichokes, or taniips, have found that the pigi not only relish them bat d-srire grtat benefit from them. They are conducive so a perfect condition of the system, stimulating the action of the various organs in the performance of their functions. They aid in the digestion and the assimilation of the more solid food. Bcood sows ara especially' foeiu-fi'eft by h liberal supply of root diet, ana their young will be strung/ healthy pigs.

| The A«ab Cross — " Brnni," in the Austtiilassaa, h*s the following remarks on this sabjecb :— " Oompla-ints o£ the increasing number of weedy animals of waik constitution among ihe Saglish thoroughbred horsea have been orten tutxdA during the jifcS yearn by peisons w'tio sra *?t\\ qa.Hfi.ad fcft exptess an opiKfuc >"-v. .'ht- 6u>'j-ise. Sy olaaosi ove-.'y iha diigtr.eraoj of the uoble thoroughbred has boeu >vt.tiibuted to the cultivation of speed at lS:»8 fcxpeuMe of staying power and ability to cjrry weight. Under these circumstances it is j only natural thai; those who breed hacks, troop • horses, and light harness horses should be inclined to try the Arab cross with the view c" improving the stamina of our horse etock, The cross n &dvoea.fc»d, not with the view !of «*f£ecMr»g lior&iaea superiority on fch*. ] ivutf bafc to wp.rd off daeiine ia tb* modern. I English racehoige. JIM Ruoii a step would be : ia the right dL-e-.iUoc. h the opinion of nearly all *;b.cse who recollect the half- Arab h,oraes we used to ride in the old squatting days —the like oS which we never ccc now. Fo? ability to carry weight (notwithstanding his small size), for endurance, aad for preser?ing his useful qualities, into old age*, there is no horse equal to tha Arab. A great mistake has been made in comparing tha Arab with the tnoroaghbred as a tiafisscrse. Xbe A*ab Ss m s&oesr ; to U «*iserl'

tially a charger, a galloping hack with steel" like legp, the very best of feet, an admirable temper, and almost free from vice. Still an infusion of Arab blood iuto out- thoroughbred stock would carry -with ifc a cectft.Cn advantage, and after a fsw gerjr.raiions should result in rncshorses of the highest r»nk being endowed with sound constitution and staying pevrer. The stories told of the tDHni&ii&i '■* Arab -chargers would be incredibV-- -were bbsy nor. so well authenticated, *In l b*» Bsug&l Spotting .'Magazine of 1840 an soe'»» r j: is g«v«» nt Oaptain Home, of the H<ir?y ArtU-erv-j riding his grey Arab horse 400 if 5>3« :u 3-n -'o.ys. He accomplished the f*-fit o:: '.^ie Bl; -g.-Uw- ?.acecourse with three iu-urd w>»'d fly« ■ny->\>iss to spare. The mast sarpnsJDg ?sal : i:. r ) vl this performance was the gay maouiv ;« r^hich "Jumping Jimmy " (»b the horse *v&3 called) finished his task, and immediately after was as ready as ever for his corn. The beautiful Arab charger ridden by Lord Roberts it? tho procession nf thb Queen's Diamond Jubilee carrittl him for 16 years in his Indian ca<u~»as{{Bß and military inspections, and is still as gay a? a four-yesx-old on parade. If we can only get Ar&b stalUocs as good aa those imported ia the early dajs of the colonies a great advantage will accevie to our horse stock.