TUSSOCK AND FURROW.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 13951, 26 January 1911, Page 5

TUSSOCK AND FURROW.

("Weekly Presu and Referee.")

Tho economic value of cooking food for pigs is frequently disciissed, and upon the point divergent views expressed. An interesting experiment upon tho subject has been conducted at t'iio University College of North Wales, and the results there obtained go to indicate that, though there is a slight proht in favour of cooking the food, still it is so narrow as to* practically afford very little inducement —in itself —to fanners to resort to the practice. Six pigs wero used in the experiment, heing of tho Large Yorkshire and Berkshire cross. Thoy were fifteen weeks old at the beginning. The ration given to lob I. was 3'lb boiled potatoes, 2ilb barley meal, and to lot 11. the samo quantities, only the potatoes were raw. The potatoes were boiled in sufficient quantity to last a week, and were supplied cold, -whereas the potatoes in the caso of the second ration were pulped after being thoroughly washed. The potatoes and meal were mixed with water, and then supplied to the pigs. Tho total gain in the case of lot i., which had the boiled tubers, was 1 cwt. 981b. and in the case of lot 11., 1 cwt. 731b, a difference of 2oll> per lot in favour of cooking, over a period of six weeks. This is equivalent to about 81b per pig. A shilling was reckoned as a lair charge per week to cover tho cost of cooking, so allowing for that, tho total gain in lot 1. is valued at . £2 17s, and in lot 11. £2 los (id, or j lOd per pig in favour of cooking pota- j toes. Results obtained in the previous j winter were thus corroborated. An American writer in a contemporary gives a graphic description of how a cowboy breaks-in a broncho, and tho. "busting" process described goes far to explain the proverbial vieiousnesss of j thoso hardy horses. Ho says:—"Their I way of doini* it is to get on a saddle I horse, gallop into a bunch of frightened bronchos, rope the most frightened one, choke it down, and throw a big, heavy saddle that weighs 60 or 75 pounds on I to the frightened creature, clinch it so | I tightly that its bones fairly creak, draw j sup the rear cinch so as to crowd nearly jail of its abdominal organs up into the jthoracic cavity, put a bit into th© poor ; i

brute's mouth that fairly breaks its T jaws, cuts or bruises its tongue, bars 1 the roof ot* its mouth into insensibility, I i mount with a pair of spurs from oneI | half to five-eighths of an inch from I prong, rowel them into the animal's 1 .side, while a big heavy quirt is playing I havoc with the rest of its body, with i ; the other fellows galloping after him, I j shouting and yelling at the top of their I : voices. Some of those fellows have 1 s voices that remind one of a fog horn 1J or a steamboat whistle, and they are 1 not afraid to use them. When this I broncho is played out they catch anI other one and turn the tired one loose.* I Or if the cowboys choose to drive them, j I they arc en tight in tho same manner, , I harnessed by force, hitched along with I a regular which has passed through the I .same ordeal until tame, the whip and S shouting applied as lively as possible, fi and away thoy go until it is exhausted, £ when a fresh animal is taken." | : An increasing number of farmers I;' have to face the problem of eradicat- \ j ing the Canada thistle (Cardials Arvenj sis) from their land. Some advice to - ; them is offered in a circular issued |by the Wisconsin Experiment Station. | i'or _ largo areas, the cfrnilar states I cultivation or fallowing without a crop ■ can be used successfully, except •on I softs which remain too wet. or on soils . which are so porous that the horizonj tai roots aro too deep to reach with j the plough. In many eases tho method is successful on tne latter type of soil. No crop can be grown during the year in winch this treatment is ! being given. It consists of ploughing | deep enough to reach the horizontal roots, four times in a dry season, and oftener if the season i.s wet. Ploughing may profitably be begun as soon as a crop is removed the preceding year. In | I lie intervals between i>loughin.gs the j ground should be cultivated often j enough to prevent all leaf growth. The ! spring tooth-harrow makes an excellent j tool for this purpose, but any tool j which will drag the roots to the surj faco is .satisfactory. The exposure of ! the roots to the hot winds and glaring ! .sunshine of summer -rapidly kills them, A disc harrow is not a satisfactory tool, as it cuts the roots, but does not vii good results. It the cultivation is done thoroughly and persistently throughout the season tiie thistle cannot survive. Thc bulletin states that this fallowing method is more certain to result in coimletc eradication of Canada thistle than any other which has been tried. lt gets rid of tho weeds with one year's work. The thorough cultivation of tlio soil leaves it in splendid condition, so that a much larger crop can be obtained the following year than would have been possible liad the weeds remained. For theso reasons it is as economical as somo method which allows the production of crops, but extends the treatment through several years. Canada thistles have been completely eradicated whero good stands of alfalfa (lucerne; were secured and maintained for three years or more. To so cur© this result'thc ground should bo heavily manured, and ploughed as early m the summer or fall as possible, and cultivated as already described. Ihe manure will give the alfalfa a good start and nrovide a ranid growth, so that tlio alfalfa will soon shade the ground sufficiently to nrevent the thistles from growing. This method was tried by several members of the Wisconsin "Experiment Association, who claim it is a complete success.