EDITORIAL FARM NOTES.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9176, 6 August 1895, Page 2

EDITORIAL FARM NOTES.

"Weekly Press."THE VALUE OF HAT. Tho experience of this winter should impress on stock owners the value of a plentiful supply ot bay and other winter feeding, so much ao as to induce them genersMy speaking to make better provision in future. Our observations nave led us to the conclusion that the preparation of pasture hand for tlis prolice.ion of a hay crop is little attendee*, to. Few things are more injurious to j_tnss Unds than the treading and poaching by cattle during continuous wet vrcMhe.-. every hole a b?:ist makes with its foot creates a reservoir for water to stagnate i::, rotting out the finer grasses. • Pastures aiv fienueuily fed too b.ire in winter and early .priut*, thereby weakening the belter grasses; indeed, it is bad management to allow stock to tread on land when it is s-ift. enough to yield to the pressure of the animals' feet, As soon as the land is dry enough in August it should bs treated to a bout or two of a tolerably heavy set of harrows, which will not only distribute the manure but will freshen the roots of the.grasses. A little seed scattered over-bare spots before the harrowing will be found advantageous. Thirties and ox-eye daisy should be spudded out; this latter weed is becoming a serious nuisar.ee. in pasture laud. It is a true pasture weed, as it spreads year afcar year throughout permanent pastures; stock will not touch it, and it imparts a dii-.agreeable flavour to hoy. Ie is good practice to cut hay on the green side, that is just as the ryegrass commences to bloom ; by cutting at this stag's although the same quantity of hay may not be aecurod per acre, there will be a much better aftergrowth, nuti-insr up for the loss in weight of hay, aud the grass plants will not be nearly so much taxed; this is a point well worth remembering. SEED POT AT 02 3. From our Home files just to hand we gather that there is a v ry great scarcity of sound seed potatoes in Iceland. In a June issue of tho Farmers' Gazette, Mr It. Hunter Priugle (the well-known writer ou intense fanning in Ireland) draws attention to the fact that the "champion "

potato (which occupies a relative position in that country to the Derwcnt in Now Z aland) is now palpably deteriorating in Ireland and becoming scare- in Scotland, whence large quantities vrcre drawn for »eed purposes. At a meeting of one of the Unions (or county councils) the matter was considered of such grave importance tha! it was resolved to petition tbe Right Hon. the Chief Secretary far Ireland to take measures for providing a change of seed either by the growth of new varieties from scad, or otherwise. Since 1891 there have been two bad years for potatoes. Oa each occasion the Government of the day advanned large sums for the purchase of seed. Tho idea suggests itself to us that potato-growers in New Zealand might take advantage of this demand for fresh seed, to find a new market for their prod nee. At all events the matter is well worth constricting. It has been proved beyond doubt that potatoes willcrry admirably in moderately cool storage. We might not be able to send our national potato (the Derwent), for the reason that it does not mature sufficiently early, as shipments should be made in December or January in lime to catch the planting season which commences in ih» O 1 Country in M"rch, but wo should have otherHOtt* ready. Th.p matter should be enquired into by some u£ our colonial agents now in London. With our cargo boats and cheaper freights there should be something in it. WHOLE V. CRUSHED OATi FOR HORSES. Perhaps every one who has to do with feeding horses is aware of the economy of feeding horses on crushed oats and chaff, but few of us have had the actual results from experiments carcfu'ly carried out. The following extensive experiment will be interesting aud instructive. One of the great London omnibus companies some years a„o conducted the following expert, ment. Of the (5000 horse:) iv the company.--employment one half were fed on crushed oats and chaffed hay and straw, aud the other half on whole cats and hay. The rai ion allowed per day to each horse according to the one system was: Crushed oats 161 :>, chaffed hay 7>_lb, chaffed straw 2Jlb. The qnantiiy allowed sccordrng to.'the old system was: Whole oats 191b, unchaffed h.ay 131b. A daily saving of Gib of food was thu» effected, and this saving was not merely in the quantity but in the value of the materials employed, for straw in the former ca3e was substituted for hay in the latter. The advantage of one kind of feeding over the other was far more apparent when reduced to money value. The saving |by using the crushed oats and chaffed hay waa nearly 2£d por day for each horse, which was equal to £62 lOsper day for the 6000 horses. And this saving was accomplished without anysacrifice whatever, for all she drivers and thus? having charge of tho horses agreed thai the difference In condition of the hors c?

was decidedly in favour of those f_d on cru.--.hcd cats, ch_fled hay and straw. SaXPPrN'G RABBII'i, AND poa_rnY. The af-rieultural department of Victoria ! are bu:*y just now, says the Australasian. A boom in rabbits has set in. By the steamer Nineveh, of tho Aberdeen lino, j which is about to leave for London, the ri-'ps/rtment are arranging for the shipping , of ab.n-t 125 tons frozen poultry, -jjanio and , rabbits. The quantity of rabbits is about, 100,000. moat of which are already sold to English buyers, the shipment being made in execution of orders. It was thought that the shipment of large quantities would havo caused a glut. Net *o, orders ; aro being received at a faster rate almoit than they can ba executed.' A.s examples of tho orders in hand it; may be mentioned that one firm has! lately received an order for shipment! at the rate of 300 per week, aud i another firm at the rate of 200 crates per week, and as supplies from the districts in which the (rappers were at work have \ fallen off the concurrence of increased de- | mand with a diminished supply recently ] eauscd the Melbourne market to advance . from 3kGil to G- par dozen. In addition to . th; above shipment to L-m lon by the j Nineveh, a good sized shipment of game j and rabbits ia being sent to Cape Town by this vessel. A trial shipment of rabbits - was recently sent to Japan. It is quite < evident from'the foregoing remarks that | the shipment of rabbi: a and poultry is to < become a large industry are also to | bo shipped in large quantities. If, Victoria . can ship rabbits ami poultry at profit, why should not New Zealand do so also ? WHITE FO___D CATTIfIS. We have all seen black-polled cattle, bob few of us have seen a herd of whltcpolkd cat le. There was a sale of these cattle recently held at Trestan Hall, Suffolk, the property of Mr Etnlym 170-fj*< T-venty cows and hoifars realized £14 10s 4d. We do not know that there is a herd in New Zealand. Mr J. Page, at Rockley, Timaru,. had a handsome herd of rodpolled cattle \vhich ho succeeded in crea ; ing by selection. The. polls are splendid beet cattle, and many of them I make excellent milkers. • ' THE PKICE OP POLO PONIES. Some idea may be giined of the popularity of polo iv England when according to the Live Meek Journal, tho following prices fnr polo ponies wero realised at a •sale recently held at Tattersall's. The highest wa 1 * 400 guineas, while a pony called Sister Sue sold for £300, the average for eleven ponies was £244 17". 'The total realised being £2893. Here we have a bright prospect for those who know how to breed such animals. The demand for ponies suitable for this game is Hteadily increasing. As New Zealand hor«e owners intend to try their hand at shipping horses to England, why nob secure animals capable of throwing stock of thi_ kind. Price rarely stands in the way of a sale iv England when the animal ia what Is wanted. The show of polo ponisa is increasing at our own shows, clearly demonstrating that tho game is rapidly coming iulo favour in New Zealand as well as in England. ABORTION IN COWS. This mysterious disease is by no means unknown to New Zealand. A farmer in 'he Canterbury district has this sey:Oi been a hetivy loser by it, for although every care is taken of the cattle during; parturition still his cows one after another "slink" or drop their calves without any Hpparent cau'-e or reason that can be iHsigned. Veterinary surgeons do not <ccva to be able to cope with this mysterious foe. A Glamorganihire dairy farmer recently gave publicity to the fict be he, some time ago, succeeded in preventing abortion among his dairy cows after the disease had prevailed among ■ hem for a number of years. He mixed with enough h«t water to make a bran uiash one-fourth ounce of crude carbolic •\cid. This was all that the cows could be made to eat at first, but the lose of carbolic acid was gradually increased to one half ounce for each animal. If. is supposed that the carbolic may kave •iestroyed the germs which caused the. disease. In addition to giving this dose to the cowb it would be well to wash the byres thoroughly with this or some other germicide whenever abortion has been prevalent. Abortion, though it can be caused by accidents, often appears as a contagious disease, and tbe disinfection ■;f the stables and premises where milch cows are kept is necessary to arrest its spread. One precaution which should never be neglected is the immediate buiial or burning of the slunk calf as well as the complete isolation of the cow from the rest of the herd.