Farm and Garden.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, 17 September 1903, Page 7

Farm and Garden.

ORI3INAL ARTICLES PROVING THE SOUNDNESS OF A HOHSE. WfK the first place give the horse a qnick <S& trot or gallop to see if he is lamej; JL* a 8 soon as he stops, put your ear to his nostrils m order to detect;, if possible, any wheesing noise. In that way his wind is tested. Then eximine his nostrils and mouth to see that there are no enlargements, discharges or anything unnatural j at the same time determine the age of the animal by his teeth. Look closely into the eye to see there is nothing wrong with the pupil or sight. If ho steps high and awkward with front feet when approaching you, be patticularly careful in examining his sight. Then pass your hand around his ears, and over the poll of his head, and note if there be any sores or discharges from the earj and also for poll evil, which is shown by a lump on tho top of the iieck behind the ears. Then examine one side of the horse first, commencing at the neck, running the hand down the side of the neck under the mane, noting carefully for warts, sore?, &:. Then down the shoulder, looking for collar galls and tumours; after that raise the hand to the withers, looking carefully for fistulous withers, which is an enlargement usually accompanied by a discharge and soreness. Then down over the shoulder blade, noting hollownesa of the shoulder. Follow down the foreleg, looking for enlargements, such as capped elbow, enlargements of the knees, 'splints, ringbonp, sidebones, puffy enlargements around the fetlock, knuckling, &<i. All of these are common diseases, and are understood by horsemen. Lift the foot and see if it is a well formed one, with good strong h«ele. Laok careful'y for thrush and contracted heels; also look along the belly for warts, swelling of the sheatb, ruptures and running sores caused from castration. Then pass the hand down over the back and hips, having special attention to see that the hips are the samo BJZ9 and shape. If the horse be of a grey colour, examine around the tail for enlargements, or what is known as melanotic tumors. Follow down the hind leg, noting the stiffl 9 joint. See that it is all right, and that both stiffl3 joints are the same size. After that examine the hock joint for enlargements, such as bog and bone spavins, thorougbpin, capped he2k, curb, &j. Look down the leg for puffy enlargements, ringbones and sldebones. Then give the hind foot the same examination as the front. Examine the horse the other side in a similar way. After that stand back and take a look at him. Note how he stands on his legs, and how he holds his head and neck. It is a gcod sign if he stands with his feet well under him, head and neck erect, with a bright, cheerful expression. At the same time note if he is inclined to be weak in the knees or fetlocks. (Jeware of what is known as calf-kneed horses, as they are bad stumblers. See that his hind legs are not too straight or too crooked. Horse 3 with crooked hind. legs are liable to curbs. Walk around to the front of the horse and see if has a gcod, wide, full, well formed cho-t and stands straight on his front legs, r either toeing in or out too ihuch. Make a feint as though to strike him with a stiok or arhip over the side. If he grunts, examine hita closely to S3e he is not a roarer by giving him another sharp trot or gallop for half a mile, then listen at his nostrils for wheezing noises.

PRODUCING PORK AT LEAST COST. The first thing in the production of potk is the selection of the breeding stock, which in every case, or nearly so, should bo pure bred. Good grade sows bred fco pure males will produce good results, as will also a cross of pure breds; but the latter should not be continued beyond the first cross, as tbe tendency is to return to the original. As to the particular kind of breod, select that kind you most fancy; any of the leadieg breeds aro good profitable feeders, such as the Berkshires, Poland, Chinas, and Jeiasys. In a general way the Berkshires are preferred by most people, as that is a good breed—prolific, hearty, easy feeding and quick-maturing hog; anyway, selection should be made from a good prolific strain. Is eosts no raoro to keep a good animal than one that is not so, and if the sow has great vitality there is less loss from disease. One should b:eed from mature stock, as pigs from matured parents are much more hearty and grow taster than from young immature stock. When this has been attendad to, half t'?e problem has been solved of producing cheap pork. The other half is in the feed and the ability of the person who does the feeding. It has loEg been an established fact that corn is as cheap a fattening food as there is, but should ba fed for other purposes only to a limited extent, as stock-fed to -any great extent on corn soon begin to lose vitality, succumbing easily to disease, aad becoming less pro* lific. Per breeding stock and young pigß it is necessary that they should have a food rich in protein, calculated to produce bona and muscla and net si much fat. Pollard, when it can be purchased to advantage, is a very desirable food. Clover is one of the most valuable of feeds for swine, either as pasture or' fodder. It is claimed that an acre of clover is equal to an acre of corn. As an acre of clover will pastuse about eight pigs the value of clover is easily reckoned. After several years experience in feeding the various swine feeds and studying how to make the margin of profit larger, a method was adopted of keeping a good cow for each brood aow, selling the butter extracted from the milk previous to feeding;; and if no other desirable food is available, obtain pollard and mix with the milk taken sweet from the separator; then if possible allow the ycuag pigs to have the run of a good clover pasture, with plenty of pure water and shade to protect from the heat of the sun, and teed regularly with the pollard and milk and a small allowance of corn; then such manner of feeding will not only produce cheap pork, but will produce it quickly, which is one of the main points of the business. As ihe pigs grow older, increase the quantity of corn. Ten pigs fed in this way at six months' old, two hundred and sixty pounds each.