THE FARM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 190, 10 August 1904, Page 7

THE FARM.

RAPE FOR PIGS.

Professor Carlyle, in summarising th< results of the Wisconsin Station investi Rations, draws the following conclusions: 1. lhat with pigs from four to ter. months old, representing the various breeds of swine, an acre of rape, when properly grown, has a feeding value, when combined with a ration of corn aid shorts, equivalent to 2.4361b5. of a uixture of these grain feeds, and a money value of 19.49 dollars per acre. 2. That rape is a better green feed for growing pigs than good clover pasture, .he pigs fed upon- the rape having made je the average lOOlbs. of gain on 33.51b5. ess grain than was required by the pigs ,ed upon clover pasture. 3. That pigs are more thrifty, have jetter appetites, and make eorrespondngly greater gains when supplied with 1 rape pasture in conjunction with their jrain feed than when fed on grain alone. 4. That a plant of Dwarf Essex forage rape when planted in drills 30in. apart, ■arly in May in Wisconsin, will yield hree good crops of pasture forage in a avourable season. 5. That rape is the' most satisfactory md cheapest green feed for pigs that we 1 aye fed. 0. That every feeder of pigs in Wisconsin should plant each spring a small ield of rape adjoining his pig-yard, and uovide himself with a few rods of mov.ble fence, to properly feed the rape o brood sows and young pigs. POULTRY SCRATCHINGS. Keeping poultry is no longer a side <liow; it is a business of vast importmce, and preparations for their hand ing must be made the same as for >ther stock. You must have good stock, veil selected, properly housed, fed, and ooked after, or you will not succeed. The New York Exp. Sta-, in some xe•ent experiments, has reaffirmed what was said before, that dried clover, alalfa, and young grass contain more tvailable mineral matter than grains 10, are good food for getting winter ergs, and cause deeply coloured, attractive yolks. Test Your Eggs.—Unfertile eggs and hose containing dead germs should be ested out frequently, and not left in he incubator. A fertile egg generates eat; an unfertile egg does not, but ab orbs heat from the fertile eggs around t. These latter, therefore, do not get is much heat as do the fertile eggs sur rounded by fertile eggs, and while the hermometer may show the right tern icrature, some of the eggs may be varmer than others. W ith the aid of a good incubator, it s possible to bring forth a greater nurn ier of chicks with less worry than is equired to look after perhaps a doze" >r more setting hens. The advantages of using an incubator are many: it is eady to set whenever needed; not ne■essarv to wait until it gets "broody." It will do the work of dozens of hens in hatching, and isn't half the trouble. r t starts the chicks off free from lice, md consequently has advantage here iver hatching with hens. The incubator ■5 a 9 indispensable to the poultryman as the mower or reaper is to the farmer ■hese days. Exercise is one of the biggest factor "onnected with successful poultry rai< ; ng. It creates a healthy appetite, de velops bone and muscle, is invigoratim stimulates a healthy circulation, pre notes digestion, keeps the mind an body occupied and prevents the forrr 'ng of bad habits, such as feather pul 'ng, egg eating, comb picking, etc., keep f he body warm and in healthy action i winter, saves food, prevents gorgin md the resultant evils, such a3 croj bound, indigestion and diarrhoea; prf vents birds from beeorring over fa' makes eggs more fertile, and produetiv of stronger chicks, and tends to prevei rheumatism and cramps in old fow md leg weakness in chiclzs. Cleanliness is no doubt next to godl iess in all things, and in poultry-kee: ing it is one of the absolute essentie ro success, No half-way measures si' Tee; the poultry quarters must be k<" clean or trouble will follow. This m; lot be in the shape of disease" but will he in the loss of eggs and profii Make a thorough house-cleaning in t/ noultry yard, if not already done. Th .■ith the chickens housed warmly, a■: in clean buildings, there will be le lisease than usual. Burn thorough he rubbish and scatter the ashes arou the yard. They will help to sweeten tl soil- Make everything clean arour i the premises. Then make a stvoi. ivhitewash, add to this a little carbol acid, and whitewash every nest, be or board, the roosts, in fact, the who;* house and everything that comes ii contact with the poultry. It certainly pays to whitewash the interior of henhouses and stables whei .• uiimals are kept. An enduring wash for the purpose is made as follows:-One-half bushel of line slaked in boil ing water in a covered vessel to kee t > in the steam; strain this through a fin' sieve or strainer and add to it a pec! if common salt, previously dissolved in warm water, and three pounds 01 ground rice boiled to a thin paste and stirred in while hot. Add also one-ha'f pound of Spanish whiting and one pound of blue previously dissolved by soakinj: in cold water, and then melted in a glue pot. Add five gallons of hot water to the mixture and stir well. After being allowed to stand for a few days protected from dust, the wat,!i should \be applied hot. This mixture is some trouble to make, but where a good wash is wanted it is highly satisfactory. One of the most satisfactory remedies that can be used on poultry to relieve or prevent colds is gum-camphor. A small piece of gum-camphor tied up in a piece of cheesecloth with a stone can be thrown into the drinking fountain; the weight of the stone will carry it to the bottom of the vessel. Enough of the camphor will dissolve in the water to furnish a beneficial effect to the poultry that have slight colds. Thi* can be kept in the drinking water as long as it seems necessary. There is only one trouble with this. It will not do to give the camphor in this way, or, in fact, in any way. to laying hens. Camphor taken in this way through the water will make the eggs taste of camphor inside of 48 hours.' It is, however, a splendid remedy for young growing stock that have colds, or for ailing fowls from which no eggs are sold for market.