FARMING NOTES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3137, 2 October 1922, Page 8

FARMING NOTES.

r _ > HORSES AND FIRE, I It has always been said, and l believed (not without some considerable fact and precedent, too) that of all the stock on a farm the horse is the biggest "fool animal" of the lot in the case of an outbreak of fire. Many of us hove known iiostamc.es in which the occupants of the staJbfe have been brought out with the greatest difficulty to ;. place of safety, and other cases in which it lias been found impossible to induce them to leave :i burning building. The average horse seems entirely to lose its head amongst clouds of smoke and flame, and also to lose all confidence in those to whom ho is accustomed and who endeavor bo bring him out of danger. The general attitude of the horse under the.se circumstances' seems to be to go forward rather than back in their stalls, and to climb into their mangers. It is T easier when they are in loose boxes. i though even then, if there is much 1 smoke about, it is no simple task to get them to pass through the doorway. 1 have heard men who have had considerable experience' of fires in or near buildings in which many horses are stabled state that one great seclret of rescuing .these animals from danger is lo blindfold them, and another is to show as much restraint and freedom! Ironi excitement as possible. There is. perhaps, no creature, save a dog, which man's varying temperament so much influences as the horse, and it is the shouting, excitement, and frenzied human froth exhibited on an outbreak of lire which adds to the natuiraf terror horses have of flames and smoke. We all know how the quiet, deliberate, confident 7iia.ii succeeds with horses whore others have tailed. It is so in ease of lire. One man with a, level head is better than hall' a dozen excited, shouting and gesticulating fellows, each giving orders to the other and all suggesting different plans.

SOWING (JKAJN 15V AEJiOPLANK An American airman lias invented an aerial grain-sower in order to plant more quickly the vast wheat-growing areas in the United States. Speeding swiftly a lew feet above the ground, this novel craft can sow fields with grain in rows over an area nine yards wide at eaeli passage. The invention promises to revolutionise wheat-grow-ing operations. Along the lower planes ol the aerial sower are a series of perforated metal tubes laid paralell, and adjustable according to the. distance needed between each row' of grain. Air pressure shoots the grain from the. lubes with sufficient force to bury it at the required depth in the earth. The saving of time in planting largeareas will he prodigious, and it is intended thai the living grain-sowers shall each operate over a large area, proceeding from estate to estate, as tractor ploughs did when they were introduced into England. Hying at SO miles an hour, ami allowing lor onethird loss of time in turning, a thousand acres can be planted in a sevenhour day. To accomplish the in the same time by the Ordinary methods would require nearly 100 men, all working simultaneously with good teams of horses. . education koh 'ritT; farmeu.^ Fanning is no longer a matter of • pioneering, but of scientific training. Demi Coffee of the University of Minnesota Agricultural College impressed ibis new truth recently upon the members of the Hennepin County rural school boards, and backed it up by statistics gathered from a thousand i iowa farmers. The Minneapolis Journal presents his statistics:—"Where I a few years ago agriculture was largely |i an affair of pioneering, of clearing the n! land and taming the wilderness, it is !,! now a matter of crop rotation, soil I; conservation and extended marketing. i| Men of high school education cm these 11; farms earned about 500 dollars yearly; |j those with some college training made I about COO dollars annually; but those* I with a complete college training had ism average yearly income of more than MOO dollars. Onlv thirty-one persons out of 5.000.000 with' no .schooling attain distinction in their work; with fj elementary schooling SOS out of 3,000,j 000 achieve some distinction; with ;i high school education 1200 ou't of 2.000,000 rise above the average accomplishment: with a college education more than 5(JO0 out of I,ooo,ooo.render J a notable service. Hut in another way the figures mean that the college graduate has ten times the chance of" making good than the high school graduate has, and twenty-two times better than has he who takes onlv the elementary courses.'' TUAINIXG SHEEP DOCS. ■ Lecturing to a crowded audience in .Mid-Calder. in Scotland, on "The Mountaineer and his Eriend." .Mr \V. 15 Gardener said the shepherd and his canine friend were the sole survivors of a civilisation thai had long passed into I lie domain of history. It was almost certain that the proved friendship ol the clog was the quality which first recommended him till the fact of his usefulness emerged. Xow a great dog was very much like a great man- he inherited superior powers, and wais the produce of circumstance's that were conducive to greatness. It wa.s possible lo find a poor trainer with a remarkably mighty developed dog just as an incapable teacher mighl fail to spoil a < gifted pupil. Amongst shepherd- we had not more (ban two per cent, who were meant by nature to assume respon- ' sibility lor the education of dogs. The average shepherd had no knowledge of Iho psychology of a dog. and conse- ' quently bega.li the course of training I by ignoring (lie first claims of his pupils. Toe much talk, too many com- < mauds insulted the genius of the high- i est type ol the collie, and. in many in- 1 stances, proved fatal. The groat dog trainers be had known spoke slowly and I deliberately while directing their dogs, their language being always dignified ' and lull of meaning. lie had never < known a harsh or cruel man lo have a•' truly great dog. since undue severity }' invariably ended in Ireaebcry. Air Gar- ', d.'ner I hen went on to speak of tin ' collie's highesl and most amazing pow- [' ei.-. The trial course was. he said, an ' educational medium and necessity, bid ' the collie reached (he realm of Ihe side '' lime when the devoriug fury of the ele- •'' incuts seemed to challenge' the life of ' In- entire charge. Great dogs conse- " iiienlly pivfornied their greatest feats I'mosl in secret . And w lieu I lie aged ind fail bin! dog came to die, the shep-

herd, I lie He 'p ilrlii of ■: i;ii it mil' lie owed In his departing; friend, knell nnd Iviltiiifilv \vli:isp<erod the assin ;i lice (if a love, sincere ;ili(l Mire a.s that which was p:ifcsiii<r into ait'itlitjf world. SKI.M.M!\<;S. Tile leading manufacturers of ;i<jri(il ll lira I implement s in ('a nada anliolillee a reduction of '_'•") per cent, in prices. I n order tn make hot hj ends nicei. Devon ( I'.'nuland) farmers are pavine, mere aieiition than usual to the firaekon harvest. Its richness in mineral salts makes the hraeken a valuable lertiliser when it lias heen used as a licdding for cattle.