THE LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 180, 1 August 1925, Page 24

THE LAND.

INTERNAL PARASITES OF SHEEP. TREATMENT FOR STOMACH WORMS. The best method of fighting these parasites is to keep the sheep off damp pastures and on nourishing food, as animals in low condition are more susceptible to attack. An old-fashioned remedy used and found effective for this trouble is one dessert spoonful of turpentine mixed with twice the •juantity of milk, and administered to each sheep. The dose should be repeated after eight days. The stomach round worm (Haemonchus contortus), which causes the trouble, is a thin threadlike worm half an inch to one and a half inches long. These worms are most severe on young lambs and are generally most numerous in the early autumn, although they may he found right through the winter and spring. In order to see the worm, the fourth stomach should be slit open, and held so that the liquid contents cannot escape. Then by keeping the liquid still for a few moments, the worms will be seen wriggling about. The female deposits thousands of microscopic eggs, which do not hatch in the stomach, but pass out of the body in the feces. Under favourable conditions •of warmth and moisture the eggs may hatch in a few hours, but sometimes not for a number of days or <*yen weeks. When the grass is wet with rain or dew the larvae crawl up the blades of grass, and are swallowed by the sheep as they graze. The larvae continues to develop in the stomach of the sheep, and becomes mature in two or three weeks. The worms are nourished by blood sucked from the mucous membranes of the walls of the stomach, and they cause much irritation. "An anaemic condition is produced in the effected animal exhibited hy paleness of the visible mucous membranes and of the skin. The sheep becomes dull, and falls away in condition. Diarrhoea may be present, and there is often a depraved appetite, the sheep eating dirt and other foreign material. In many cases there is a soft dropsical swelling between the jaws known as "bottle," and the animals are often "pot bellied." The above symptoms nre similar to those produced by other internal parasites. A positive diagnosis can only be made by killing an affected animal and examining the fourth stomach. Death generally results -from poverty and exhaustion, but it is not uncommon for animals, in good condition to succumb to the! effects of the parasite. The carcase of a sheep seriously infested with stomach worms is liable to be emaciated, and to show more or less anaemic condition of all the - internal organs, with dropsical effusions in the serous cavities,. and into the connective tissues of dependent parts. . , i-. If taken in time the trouble is' easily dealt with. The treatment consists of drenching the sheep with; either a copper sulphate of an arsenical drench, preferably the former. To prepare the copper sulphate drench dissolve foiir ounces of powdered copper sulphate .{bluestone)) in a pint of warm water, using an enamel or earthenware dish. When thoroughly dissolved, add 4oz of mustard. Then add cold water to make up to three gallons, using an enamel bucket or earthenware jar, thus making approximately a 1 per cent, solution. This will be enough for 100 adult sheep, allowing for waste. The dose is 4oz of the mixture for adult sheep, 3oz for one year old sheep and 2oz for lambs. To prepare the arsenical drench boil - loz of arsenic and 2oz of carbonate of soda in a quart of water until dissolved (this will take some time). Pour off the clear liquid, bury- any sediment. which may rpmain, and make.up the liquid to three gallons with cold water. The dose of this drench for grown sheep is 2oz, fpr a nine-month sheep ljoz, and for « six month lamb loz. This gives a dose of 2 grains of, arsenic to a, grown sheep with, a decrease for young sheep, according to age. - : ; It is -advisable to bring the sheep into the yards the night before, and to drench after a preliminary fast. No water should be allowed for two hours afterwards. The sheep should be drenched in the standing position, with the head held . horizontally or slightly raised. The head must not be forced far back or the drench given hurriedly, or choking may result. Drenching .should be, repeated in about fourteen days' time, and again, if necessary, one month later if the best results are to be obtained. Care in giving the dose is very important, and a graduated measure should be used. In addition to drenching a suitable salt lick should be available in covered troughs in the paddock at all times. The cure recommenced is as follows: Sulphate of iron, 1 part; sterilised bone meal or calcium phosphate, 5 parts; Liverpool salt, 30 parts. All parasites thrive in an animal that is low in condition. Therefore good management and the provision of nourishing food is the first means of prevention. A glance at the life history ol the parasite shows that the parasites are taken in by the sheep in an embryonic form when feeding, and that a fairly warm and moist condition of climate is most favourable to their development and increase. This is practically demonstrated by their increased prevalence following a wet summer. Also the embryo will not live for an indefinite time awaiting the arrival of a host, so that the spilling of a paddock aids in getting rid of the parasite. The paddock should, however, be spelled.for a year, as it is known definitely that the parasite can live for at least nine months in the ensheathed larval stage. Change of pasture is recommended for the sheep, particularly from . low lying paddocks to higher country. . Lambs are more liable to parasite infestation than mature sheep, and special care should bo taken with them by putting them in a paddock that has been spelled, if possible. The draining or fencing off of swampy lands, the occasional burning off of pastures, and the subdivision of large paddocks, also ' the watering of sheep from troughs rather than from tanks or dams, are further recommended where practicable. When spelling apnddock horses can safely be grazed there, but not cattle, as the latter : may become infested with stomach worms and a number of other worms common to ruminants; and so recontaminate, pastures.

WATER FOR COWS. PERFORMS MANY FUNCTIONS. It is probably true that the dairy cow, if she ia a good one, and produces milk in profitable quantities, needs more water than any other domestic animal. Water has several uses in the body of the animal, each of which is important, and contributes to the proper functioning of the various parts of the body and of the milk system. In the first place, water dissolves the nutrients that are taken into the body. No feed can be utilised by the body of the cow until it is dissolved and brought into complete solution. The more feed that is consumed by the cow the more water she requires for this purpose. In the second place, water is a medium for distributing the feed to different parts of the body. It serves both as a direct and indirect transferring agency. In the digestive tract, water is mixed with the feed, and serves directly for the transfer of the latter, while during the process of mastication the feed is mixed with saliva in the mouth, and saliva is about 90 per cent water. Water is also a medium for the transfer of waste.and poisonous matter from the system of the cow, a process which is carried on through the skin, the kidneys, and the digestive tract. In each of these instances water plays a very important part, and, particularly in the case of the dairy cow, that consumes a very large quantity of protein, the use of water in eliminating waste is more than usually important- Urea, for instance, is one of the poisonous substances arising from the protein in the ration. Aided'by water and proper circulation, this substance is got rid of through the kidneys. About 12 per cent of the total amount of water drunk is eliminated through the skin even under winter conditions, and investigations have shown that about 27 per cent of the water drunk in the summer time is eliminated through the skin. About half, of 56 per cent, is eliminated through the faeces, and about 13 per cent finds its way out of the body of the cow through the urine. Thus is will be seen that all of the excretory agencies of the body need a constant supply of water to enable them to properly perform their various functions.

■ It will easily be understood, also, that a dairy cow jneeds plenty of water for the manufacture of milk. Milk contains about 87 per cent of water, and the amount of water necessary for this purpose will depend, of course, upon the producing ability of the cows. Moderate producers will utilise water in milk manufacture to the extent of about 15 per cent of the water drunk, according to investigations that have been conducted, cows that produced more liberally utilising as high as 24 per cent for this purpose.

Water also acts as a temperature regulator for. the body. It is evident, from the figures given above, that the evaporation from the body of the cow, and particularly through the skin, is .greater in warm weather than in cold weather. Similarly the rate of breathing is also greater in warm, weather than in cold weather, which means more loss of body moisture. This means that the intake arid out go of water exert an effort on body temperature. A similar example might be used in the case of cows watered in the winter with" icecold water, which must be warmed by the body of the cow before it can pursue its normal functions. Water, is seen, therefore, to be a very important necessity for the body of the animal, and for the formation of milk.

FEEDING GRAIN ON PASTURE.

Many dairymen are asking the question, "Does it pay to feed grain on pasture?" Dr. C. H. Eckles, chief of the division of the dairy husbandry, University of Minnesota, says the answer depends upon the amount of milk the cows produce and the condition of the pasture.

"A small milk producer will not pay for grain in addition to pasture," says Dr. Eckles, "while with a heavy producer it is a serious mistake not to feed some grain: under all conditions. A.cow producing>3slb daily of average milk requires about 301b of dry matter in her feed. - Fresh; pasture grass con tains not over 201b to the-hundred. A cow producing the moderate amount of 351b daily will require then at • least 1751b of grass daily. The physical exertion necessary merely to gather this amount of grass and chew and digest it is clearly a hard day's work. It is possible under the most favourable conditions for a cow to gather and digest this much feed. Only too often, however, the -grass is short and it becomes clearly impossible. "Experiments have shown that AVith a small producing cow, for example one milking 20-2olb daily, the feeding of grain gives only about an additional pound of milk for each pound of grain. The economy, of this is questionable. However, it has been found that the returns of grain feeding did not all come at the same time. Cows fed grain in pasture milk decidedly better the following, season on account of being in better condition.

"It is clear that no cow can produce a really liberal amount of milk for any length of time on grass alone. Sometimes they will do it for a while by drawing on their reseryes, which means losing weight and condition with .poor results later on."

Dr. Eckles' recommendations regarding the feeding of grain are as follows: A Jersey cow producing 201b daily, 31b of grain; 251b daily, 41b of grain; 301b daily, silb grain; 401b daily, 81b of gram. Friesian, Ayrshire, or Shorthorn producing 251b daily should have 31b of gr ain; 301b daily, 41b of grain; 351b daily, s«b of grain; 401b daily, 71b of iK; s ° lb , <laily ' 9,b of S ra & For hig er producuon about one pound to «Tf i £ r^ or five :P f milk Produced. It should be kept in mind that these recommendations apply only when uas tures are good" £$[ J,J J __[ill P «lf pastures are short, as . ia often the in late summer, some roughage or siiw is also needed. When +h» n - -V g * «iien tne amount of grain fed 1S sn , a „; a „ ™ grams such as mai 2e , barley/ or oats serve the purpose. The grass supplies a liberal amount of protein "WW liberal grain feeding i a neces . sary, for example, six pounds or more daily, some attention must be oiveh to including more protein. For °a Very heavy milking cow receiving a: laro-e grain ration the same mixture as 'usixl for winter feeding would be suitable."

HOW TO TELL WHAT THE SOIL NEEDS.

There are at least two ways by which the farmer may tell what the soil needs. The first way is by watching the growth of the crops. "By their fruits ye shall know them," apples to the soil as well as to men. The other Way is ' by noting the colour and condition of the soil. If there is too much nitrogen in the soil the growth will be rank, and the production of buds, flowers, fruit and grain, will be retarded. Phosphoric acid is needed in the formation of pollen and in the ripening of the seed. It has a marked effect in the hastening of maturity. When soils are deficient in phosphorus the plant sometimes dies before it matures. Potassium is needed in the formation and transference of starch in a plant. All fruits and grains contain starch, and without starch, fruit and grain cannot bo formed. Starch is first formed in the leaves of the plant, after which it is carried to the seed or grain or fruit. It is believed that were it not for potash, we would have no grain or fruit, suppose a farmer has a crop of "rain growing on the top of a ridge or HD, ihe are short and puny, the

colour is inclined to be of a yellow tint, the ears may be small, yet a little larger than the size of the stalk would appear able to grow. What is lacking in this soil? As stated, nitrogen promotes growth, and gives the rich, dark, healthy colour to the foliage. If the crop is short, puny, and the foliage of a light colour, it is safe to say that the soil needs nitrogen. If the ears set and fill in proportion to the size of the stalks, of if they are a little larger than the size of the stalk would seem to be able to produce, there is enough potash, but if the stalk does not shoot, and the ears do not fill properly, the soil needs potash. Generally speaking, the farmer should give attention to the texture of the soil before its richness is considered. The conditions must first be made comfortable for tho growing of plains; then the stimulus of special or high feeding may be applied. Manures or fertilisers may aid in securing this good texture at the same time that they add plant food, yet manures: however rich, may- be applied to soils .wholly without avail. The best results from *lmanurcs are usually obtained on soils which are in the best tilth, that is, it is almost useless to apply commercial fertilisers or manures to lands which are not in proper physical condition for the best growth of crops.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

HAKEA SALIGNA (Milford) asks: Can Hakea Sallgua hedging live feet high be moved and replanted in another part ot the section' 1 Would It be best to cut off two feet?—lt can be done, but to move such large plants there is a risk, and there are sure to be losses. The method would he to cut back the plants now. Dig to within a foot of the stems, cutting any large roots, throw back the soil ana leave for a fortnight or more. When digging, the spade must be thrust down well under the plants. The idea is to sever most of the large roots and to then leave theui to heal before moving. When lifting the plants have the hole ready to receive them. Dig a trenvh well round and under the plants aud try and get a ball of soil with each. When carrying tbe plants from one place to another lay the ball of soil on a sack. Pack the soil firm round the plants when in the new position. Such work as this should oe done by experienced labour. ANXIOUS (Otahuhu) asks: At what season of the year Docks and Buttercups /are the most troublesome?— All the year round; there is no season when they should he allowed a spell. If they are more dangerous at one time than another it is after flowering, when in seed. RUSTIC (Morningside) writes:' Dear Gardener or Lady,—l do not know which, but whoever you are I take off my hat t° you, you are so wonderful. You seem to know everything about a garden. Every week I cut out your "Tbe Week's Work" and paste in a book; soon I shall have a book worthy any gardener and a garden worthy of your appreciation. Will you please tril mc ='if fowl manure is harmful to cither flowers or vegetables, , and is it so effective used as liquid manure? What is the best manure for •Potatoes in light soil7—l am just a man, married at that. I thank you for your kind appreciation of my efforts to assist gardeners and gardening. Fowl manure is only harmful when used in excess. Judiciously used it is a , very valuable manure for most flowers and vegetables. It is equally effective, and probably more quickly in art ion when used as a liquid. Use about lour ounces (dry) to a kerosene tin of water. The best manure for Potatoes is bonedust nnd super, use about half (by weight) of each. D..T. (Kaipara Flats). —I have a quantity of Bulbs, growing wild on a grassy slope. Last year they made a fine show, growing big and tall. This year they have started to flower when only about three inches high. Most people in the district tell mc their Bulbs are doing the same. Can you account for this or suggest a remedy'?— It is no doubt due to the dry autumn followed by the very wet winter. The autumnal root growth of the Bulbs was checked by the dry weatner, and the wet cold weather of the last few weeks has not induced a free leaf growth. Probably they will lengthen later on. In any case it is Impossible to do anything under the circumstances to remedy the trouble CAMERON (Onehunga)' asks: (1) p, muriate of potash a good Potato or Onion manure, if so. how much, and when to be applied, per square yard' C) EVnIJ ! S I thC best man «re for Passion Fruit, and when to be applied' m er'oT<= at P ° taSh is eood any crops but especially Onions. Potatoes and other root crops. Apply at the rate of about an ounce to two square yards th* o *™* , Bpp,led now - and «houfd J be In Un ?o? T ! Bonth bef ore the eron Is Planted. (2) Blood and bone at the Sate of three or four ounces to earh nlnnt Apply it at onoe. Give ninth., ,n P 'i, tion later on when the ™ ru» has .V? "" ssaw3v£§?,3: cut away?-Take off about one third of the main leaders. The lateral I=hJ.„? should he reduced two-t£lrd"' r & *$? * this is only provisional: if a shoot Is not very long and is required to be _"t----nearly full length to keep the tree properly balanced, by all means leave it The same applies to the leaders' keen the tree properly balanced, even if one leader lias to be left nearly full length or another has to be. reduced for two-thirds of its length. From your description the plum is apparently growing very vigorously, and I should advise you to prune but little, if at all. Reduce the leaders about one-third their length, and the laterals cut hack to two or three huds from their base. Often with a

vigorous-growing plum trees It is good policy to let it go unpruned for a season until it fruits. The tree must be pruned In the first instance to a good shape. A.C.W. (St. Heller's) writes: (1) Please, will you give mc the botanical name for the Acacia, which has thorns and long racemes of white flowers? (2) I have an apple tree which develops a kind of canker in the middle of a branch, black and rotten looking. Will you kindly tell mc what lt is and what is the treatment?— (1) The plant you refer to is not an Acacia at all, but "Roblnia pseudo- » acacia." (2) It looks very much from your description that the trouble is due to damage dome hy some insect such as woolly aphis, the cankerous condition heing the result. Scrape out any soft, rotten matter and give the wound a coating of Stockholm tar. Drenching the wound with Bordeaux mixture at full strength will also do. The tar is best. DONT'S FOR PLANTERS. Don't leave the staking of trees that need it until planting is completed. Drive the stakes before the roots are covered with soil and so aVbid damaging them. Don't plant too deeply; as a rule the soil marks on the stems indicate the previous depth, and this is a safe guide. Don't fail to plant- firmly. Hoots cannot make headway in loose soil. Don't overlook the importance of having some fine soil handy to shake down among the small roots. If the soil is wet, have this fine soil as dry as possible. Don't omit to put lasting labels on all" fruit trees, roses, etc. Don't plant during hard frosts or very wet weather. . Plants which arrived at such times can be laid in soil without harm. Don't fail to trim with a sharp knife all damaged and broken roots previous to planting. Don't cramp the roots; make the holes too large rather than too small. Don't leave a plant lying about with the roots exposed to the air. Don't allow stable manure to come in direct contact with the roots. PRUNING DECIDUOUS SHRUBS. In addition to the pruning of Roses, all of the deciduous shrubs, and also some of the evergreens, require to be gone over, and more or less pruned. The deciduous varieties should have all dead and decaying wood removed, some of the straggling branches headed back, and others' thinned out, to give the bushes a symmetrical appearance and to encourage new and vigorous growth. The borer is destructive upon many shrubs; Lilacs are often badly affected. The plants should be carefully examined, and, as far as practicable, the affected portions cut off and burned, to prevent the insects escaping and doing further damage. PRUNING DONT'S. Don't, when removing dead branches or spurs, fail to cut right back into live wood, otherwise the decay will continue. Don't overlook the importance of sharp tools. Xot only is the work facilitated, but it is better done, and all cuts are made cleanly. Don't forget that a clean cut heals quickly, but a rough, jagged cut results in decay. Don't forget that different varieties, especially Apples, need different treatment. Observation of the habit of growth and mode of bearing will teach you a lot. Don't, wherejApple and Pear trees are overcrowded with fruiting spurs, be timid in thinning them. Don't forget that in pruning young fruit trees or bushes that the "main object for the first two or three years is to secure a good foundation ratlier than encouragement to bear fruit.

THE VINE. The pruning of vines should be done as soon as possible. The sap, which is now dormant, will soon commence to rise and the buds begin to swell. Pruning should be done so that the cleaning of the rods and any spraying necessary can be carried out before the buds begin to move. The laterals should be cut back to the main stem, leaving only one or

two buds. If the lowest bud is weak leave the ope above it. When dealing with young vines, allow the spurs to form about every twelve inches. All snags or short pieces of dead laterals should be cut away. It is sometimes necessary to take up a new rod, the old

one being uneven through one or more I spurs dying, or for some other reason. This can be done by retaining a good strong lateral growth below where the old rod is to be removed. Only allow about six buds to remain on the new rod, otherwise the lower buds will not break even.

After pruning do not tie up the rods, let them hang so that the top of the rod is on a level or a little below the lowest spur. This ensures an even break of the lowest buds by checking the upward rush of sap to the top buds. '

Often outdoor vines, instead of having one main rod with lateral supers as is the case with indoor vines, have the fruiting spurs on lateral rods. In this case the pruning is similar and consists in cutting back last season growths to one or two buds. Where several lateral growths have arisen from one spur cut back to the strongest bud and the others cut away.

The idea ls to only retain one strong bud. If too many are retained there is too much foliage produced at the expense of fruit. The vine, to produce good fruit, needs restricting to, practically, a few buds. Outdoor vines are treated as regards pruning and clearing, very similar to indoor vines, the only difference perhaps being that an indoor vine will carry a large crop. DESTROYING SCALE INSECTS. Various scale insects are prevalent upon many of our best trees and shrubs giving them an unsightly appearance by the black smut on the foliage. Several of the native shrubs suffer h?this manner notably puriri, olearias, karakas pittosporum, also laurels, camellias' oleanders and many others. All should be sprayed with an oil spray Kerosene emulsion .to 15 parts water or red oil at the rate of one part ofl to 11 parts water will be effective. If the Hack smut is very bad two or three spray nS at intervals of a week or ten be necessary. The sprayi sh^ d > done as soon as possible, whilst the , plants are more or less dormant

CLEANING GREENHOUSES.' ' Cleanliness is one of the chief essentials in successful gardening and is of prime importance in indoor operations. If not already done, no time should be lost in cleaning the interior ~f plant houses generally, for very ,non there will be very little time tv apare ;for such work. The roof glas* bhould be washed down as well as all surfaces, which should afterwards be sprayed with carbolic acid, using 4oz to every 3 gallons of water. All wall surfaces should then be lime washed, adding half a pound of flowers of sulphur to every two gallons of lime-wash. The best mixing medium for lime-wash is skim milk. Linseed oil is also used. Size is often made use of, but it is no good .for the purpose as the lime 6on destroys it. All propagating cases.and frames should be treated in the same way, replacing the old plunging material, if necessary with fresh. Stages and benches should also receive attention, renewing any standin" material which is old and sour. This is very important, as plants never do well when standing on a dirty and sour medium. Where gravel is used on benches it should be washed, other material such as sifted ashes or coke breeze should be discarded and replaced with fresh. The benches when cleaned should be watered with the carbolic acid solution as advised for the walls. There are, of course, plenty of good proprietary washes if one prefers to use one. A disinfectant of some sort is essential, especially where collections are affected by that all too common pest eelworm. All the foregoing labour may to many seem unnecessary, but it is only by strict attention to such details that success is assured iri plant growing. CULTIVATING AND MANURING ROSES. Manuring and digging the Pose bed*? and borders should be done when the j soil is sufficiently dry and in fit condition for working. As the work proceeds carefully remove any suckers that have come up from the stems and roots below the ground. Take away the soil, laying the-Toots bare, in order to find where the sucker starts from, and cut it off closeiy, so that no dormant bud*are left to grow later on. Carefully return the soil. All' Rose stocks are liable to produce suckers, although,, by careful propagation, it is reduced to a minimum. A frequent cause of suckering is damaging the roots by the spade when digging. Close to tho plants, or within region of their roots, digging should be' done with the fork. Well-rotted stable manure, if obtainable, is the best fertiliser. Basic slag .super, blood and bone, and bonedust, are all valuable, and can be used with beneficial results. DO NOT PRUNE SPRING FLOWERING SHRUBS. At this time of the year when: the pruning knife is being used it is necessary to remind amateurs that trees arid shrubs which produce their display, in spring must not be touched with the secateurs. Varieties such as Lilacs, Mock Oranges, Spireaes, Flowering Plums, Flowering Peaches, and any kind of tree or shrub which is expected %o become florally attractive from the end of August to the latter part of October should not have branch reductions made after the early part of summer. Flower buds now are in existence, and if any of the stems are cut off at this period it will follow that there will be few buds in spring. Many promising displays are considerably lessened by the injudicious use of the pruning knife or the secateurs. In all cases flowering trees and shrub 3 should be pruned and made shapely soon after they have terminated their season of floral usefulness. A realisation of this fundamental cultural principle will make it clear that spring flowering trees and shrubs should be pruned at the end of spring. Varieties which bloom in summer should be operated on at the end of that season, and so on through the year.