EDITORIAL FARM NOTES.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9603, 18 December 1896, Page 2

EDITORIAL FARM NOTES.

"Weekly Press and Referee. ,, CREAMER, SBPARATOR AND CHURN. Editor, Farmer: At present lam milking three cows, setting the milk in shallow tins and churning the cream in the ordinary oiiurn (American), but a 8 I shall shortly be milking six or more cows my present system won't answer. The winter nights are very cold here, and unless the milk is set in a v.ruin room, which is difficult to manage, it oflon freezes in the tins, so lam thinking of pelting either a Jersey creamer or a separator. J'Yom what I can learn, a Jersey creamer would suit mc, having a good supply of hot and cold water, because we could keep the milk at the right temperature. It hae also many other good points, but as it has apparently gone out of use there must be some disadvantage, besides the liability to corrode into holes and leak, that I don't know of. A separator is right enough for a large dairy, but as I am told that it takes a considerable time to clean each time it is used, it does not seem to mc to be suitable for a small dairy, especially as the skim milk is very little good for calves by itself. The box and barrel churns I have seen are too large for a small dairy and I think a Disc churn would suit mc if all the advantages the makers claim are corroct, but I would like to know if any trial of the relative advantages of the various churns has been held recently. There is often a trouble in the winter to get the butter to come, which is of course the fault of the temperature of the cream ; but the maker of the Disc chums claim that the butter will come quickly no matter what the temperature of the cream is. Any information you can give mc on the above subject will be very welcome.—Yours &c, ABM SB. South Canterbury. After perusing your letter we have no hesitation in recommending a baby separator, Which cost about £12, and which will separate sixteen gallons per hour. The constructions is so simple that it can be thoroughly cleaned in less than a quarter of an hour. It is claimed that it can be cleaned in less than ten minutes. Jersey creamers are very nice and do the work very well, but they take up a considerable amount of apace and also take up time in throwing up the cream and in cleaning. If the skim milk from the Jersey is better for feeding calves, it is only because more butter fat is left in it, whereas every particle ia abstracted by the separator. Calves and pigs thrive well on fresh well aerated separated milk, especially if a little linseed mucilage be added. As regards the best churn, the Disc is well spoken of, and should suit your purpose if only half of its advertised merits are realised. In the absence of public trials it is a difficult matter t« speak definitely on this point, as every make has its own advocates. We shall be glad to have the experience of any of our numerous correspondents who are in the dairy line. KLOCK BOOK FOR VICTORIA. At * recent meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society, Victoria, Mr Skene brought under th« notice of members the desirableaess of establishing a flock book. He pointed out that such a work had been published in New Zealand. It was decided to act upon Mr Skene's suggestion. We should be glad to learn that the breeders of Shorthorn cattle would make up their minds to publish a herd book on the lines of that published by the Canterbury A. and P. Association. The want of a duly recognised herd book of Victorian cattle is a serious inconvenience 'to owners of stock in Hew Zealand, who occasionally purchase , animal* in the sister colony. A notable 1 > instance of this ocourred recently. A North Island breeder purchased some animala in that colony, and wishing to have them registered in the Vol. 11l New Zealand Shorthorn Stad Book, it Was found necessary to enter five Victorian bulls before the cattle < referred to -could be made eligible. Nor is 1 this an isolated case. Surely a society-like the Royal of Victoria should take up this work, especially > when the entrance fees ..could be made* to cover eosf of publication. It may., howover, be pointed out that before such a work was commenced it would be . absolutely necessary to procure the whole of Ooates's Herd Book for reference purposes, for Unless every number is compared, the book would have little value as a record of stud stock. BLACKBERRY FARMING. . . A farmer in one of the Midland counties ,in England planted eight acres of brambles in inferior land,* selecting early and late varieties. The fruit is gathered and sent to a London jam manufacturer. Last season nine thousand quarts, which at 3d per quart, realised £112 10a. On the other hand, pruning, manuring, and gathering cost about £45, but allowing £2 per acre rent, the clear profit was sixty pounds, a result which will no doubt set the neighbours thinking. What is our position in the matter T No local market, and the cost of labour would probably be fatal to any attempt of the kind in this colony but we ' have plenty of the raw material and plenty of, unoccupied land. THB RINDKRPEST OE OATTLR PLAGUE. Oar Cape files convey a doleful tale of the wholesale destruction of horned cattle in that colony. The Matebele natives are repotted to have lost at least two hundred thousand head of cattle, and Kama and his people have also suffered severely, having lost at least eight hundred thousand head. This terrible cattle scourge is like anthrax, a blood disease; a highly contagious fever, somewhat similar to typhoid tever of man. It is known as the Steppe disease or Russian cattle plague. It is not a stranger te Great Britain, where it has , made its appearance from time to time, after long intervals of immunity. There , Was a serious outbreak in that country in 1365-66, which destroyed cattle to the value off two and a half millions of money. Armitage asserts that there is no doubt as to theiready communicability of the disease by the> virus being conveyed in the clothes of persons, hay, straw, manure, offal, animals such as dogs, and even game, rats and mice ' in drains, probably also flies in hot seasons, andieven atmospheric air. He goes on to say that such disorders call for measures in advance of their observed effects. The knowledge of such facts should stimulate the powers that be to take extra precautions * against a disease which, if it appeared in this colony, would probably ruin our dairy industry and stockowners throughout the colony, INJURIOUS IKSEOTS. Professor Panton, Principal of the Ontario . Agricultural College, writing in the Farmer , t ' Review, states that oar grain, fruit, and live stock are liable to the attacks of nearly ... 100 species that prey upon grain and forage crops. Upwards of 40 attack vegetables, no less than 50 menace the grape, and 75 threaten the apple. The pine has 125 species of enemies, the oak 300, the elm 80, the hickory 170, the maple 64, the beech 150, while the unfortunate willow battles against 400 insect foes. LIMB-SPRIADINO MACHINE AT THK DCNBDIN A. ANP. P. ASSOCIATION'S SHOW. The value of lime in agriculture is too well known to require any comment on that J score. It may, however, be stated that it i is net generally known that lime is not

soils for instance. Its best effects are seen on reclaimed bog lands, and on sour lands which haven't been drained. Lime is mechanical in its action, acting on other constituents in the soil. The expense of cartage and railage, together with the cost of spreading, has been a drawback to its general use. This latter difficulty has now been overcome. At the Dunedin exhibition Mr Oakden, repre* senting the Milburn Lime and Cement Company, exhibited a machine invented by Mr Chalmers, of Milburn. Under the old shovelling process it took a man a day to spread enough crushed lime for three or four acres. The new apparatus, which is a simple affair attached to a dray and set going by the motion of the wheels, can treat from forty to fifty acres per day, and spread from lOcwt to 5 tons per acre. CENTRAL OTAGO. The Central Otago A. and P. Association held their fourth Show on November 23rd. Weave pleased to note that although the aggregate number of entries fell a little short of last year's entries, still there was a marked improvement in the condition of the stock generally. Especially was this so in the classes for sheep. The entries were 460 as compared with 492 last year. There is every prospect of this Show growing into considerable importance. Central Otago is not properly known to the rest of the colony, but it has gained considerable reputation as a fruit-pi'oducing district, being less subject to hot winds and late spring and summer fro3ts. Mr Douglas, of the Taieri, undertook the judging of draught horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. Mr Taggart judged the light horses. In Draught Stallions, any age. Mr McNaughton was first. Mr J. McArthur took first in the Blood Stallions. In Shorthorns and Ayrshires Mr J. Hamilton's bulls were first in the all age class. In sheep Merinos, Leicesters, Romn»y Marsh, aud Shropshires were well represented. The Fat Sheep classes were also good. Indeed, the committee of management may be congratulated on the result of their fourth effort.