FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 June 1937, Page 9

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(By

“Rouseabout”)

WOOL GLOSSARY LANGUAGE OF THE BROKERS During the shearing and woolselling season sheep owners frequently conic across terms in brokers’ and Press reports which they find a little puzzling. To the large owner and those familiar with the trade the following words will need no explaining, but there are doubtless others to whom some, at least, of the appended interpretations will be of interest: — Break. —Referring to a break in the wool caused by sheep being on good and bad country alternately. When sheep are having a bad time through dry weather, the wool practically stops growing, but shoots up quickly

when rain comes, in most cases leaving a “break” or tender part, in the staple of the wool. Carbonising.—The removal of burrs from wool by immersion in a weak solution of sulphuric acid. Cast Sort—A lot of wool consisting of odd fleeces and sorts that cannot be made into lines because of the small quantity of each. Canary Stain.—A light yellow stain found in some wools which cannot be -washed out. Character. —Term used to define well-grown wools that possess a very even crimp. Clothing Wool— Meaning a short Merino wool. A few years back this wool could not be combed economically, but it is now combed as easily as the longer wool. Combing Wool. —Wool having a staple not less than lain for Merino, and 2sin for crossbred. Condition. —Referring to l ae state of the wool. Wool contairmg a lot of yoke and foreign matte is called heavy-conditioned, while /light and bright wools are called light-condi-tioned. Cotted Wool. —Crossbred wool frequently becomes cotted through fibres felting together, and has to be torn apart by machinery. Merino wool seldom becomes rotted, except portion /?f the neck wool, and that under tne jaws of the sheep. Dingy.—Yellow and discoloured wool, usually very heavy in condition. Draft. —Wool buyers are allowed 11b “draft,” or allowance, by brokers in every hundredweight of wool they purchase. One of the processes in the reducing of tops to spun yarns is also called “draft.” Fribby.—Short locky pieces of wool such as second cuts and small black yolky locks from the crutch and under the forelegs of the sheep. Gummy. —A description given to scoured wool with a large quantity of

/the yolk left in it. Mushy Wool.—Wool without any regular staple. The fleece coming off more in form 01 spider’s web, usually from old sheep in bad seasons. Mushy wool would give a poor return of top and a large quantity of noil. Noil.—Consists of all short and broken fibres removed from, the wool during the combing process. Shafty Wool. —Term used to define a well-grown, bold-stapled wool. Staple.—Small bunch of wool fibres which hang together; -wool grows in staples. Star Lot.—Smail lots of wool consisting of four bales and under. Star lots are sold in a different room from other lots, so that large buyers are not kept waiting whije small lots are sold.

Tare. —Allowance made! to buyer to compensate him for weight of woolpacks. The buyer pays for the net weight of the wool only, less “draft.” Tender. —Description given to wool that will break at a certain part, of the fibres when subjected to any light strain. Tender wools give a larger percentage of noil than sound wools. Tops. —Consisting of partially manufactured wool, which has been scoured and then combed, the combing resulting in top and noil, the former consisting of all the long straightenedout fibres suitable for worsted yarns. Yield. —Meaning the yield or quantity of clean scoured wool or top returned after scouring and the removal of all impurities. Yolk. —The name given to the grease or natural fat contained in raw or greasy wool.

ISOLATING SICK COWS TREATMENT OF AILMENTS Some farmers have a quick eye for detecting symptoms of sickness in cows while others may not notice anything amiss until the animal is dangerously ill. It is advisable to reserve a small hospital yard, provided with suitable shelter, in the form of a hospital box, as well as growing shelter, into which an anima! with symptoms or suspicions ol disease may be turned. This yard should i e some distance away IT jin other paddocks in which healthy stock are grazing. Such precaution mav prevent trouble from spreading through the whole of the herd should it prove to be contagious.

Some of the usual signs ol coming trouble arc a falling off in appetite, also in milk flow, if the animal is tn milk. She also inclines to sulk apart by herself. Lameness wnen not due to an evident injury is susi icious. A swollen udder may be due to ordinary or contagious mammitis. An mi-j usual noise in the breathing may arise from tuberculosis or imeuim nia. Excessive purging may be caused by indigestion, sudden changing in feeding, or pasturing on immature ami watery green feed, but may also bo due to some internal disease. Premature calving, indicated by afterbirth, and the colour of the milk may be the result of contagious abortion. Animals showing any of these symptoms. unless these can be accounted for without any doubt, should be at once quarantined. An endeavour should be made to diagnose the trouble. and if required the services of a veterinary surgeon should be obtained. As a precaution it is always advisable to quarantine any new slock brought on to the farm and to keep a strict watch on it for a few days. 'The extra trouble thus incurred will be trifling compared with the loss that might occur through the introduction of a contagious disease.

WINTER TOP-DRESSING

PHOSPHATES HOLD KEY

It is sometimes advisable to spread phosphatic fertilisers during the "dead” period in the Winter. A statement to this effect is made by Mr. R. P. Connell, of the Fields Division, Palmerston North, in the Journal of Agriculture, when supplying seasonal notes for the grass farmer, as follows: —

On most farms there are one or more grass paddocks which are more suitable than the majority of the paddocks for providing late Winter and early Spring feed, especially if they are suitably managed. As a rule these are the paddocks which are well drained, which carry pastures containing a good deal of rye-grass, and which possibly are provided with some shelter. Such paddocks in particular should be harrowed if droppings have accumulated, top-dressed in good time, and grazed leniently rather than closely at this stage. If, after such treatment, they are shut up in June then in all but the most severe districts they may be expected to provide a substantial amount of feed in the latter part of July and in August. If at this season dead pasture vegetation provides evidence of infestation by the grass-grub then, when possible, feeding out of hay, silage and roots should be concentrated on the infested area unless these are in fields which are to be put under the plough in the immediate future. The use in this connection of hay saved at too mature a stage of growth may supply considerable numbers of viable seeds of valuable pasture species, and these seeds on germinating, tend to repair the damage done by the grubs. Further, the additional stock trampling and consolidation of the land which results from feeding-out either lessens the activities of the grubs or assists in the recovery of any injured plants by favouring root renewal.

HARROWING AND TOP-DRESSING

Apart from the paddocks specially treated for the production of earlyfeed as already discussed, farmers should now proceed as rapidly as possible with any harrowing and topdressing that remain to be done before the arrival of the dormant season of grassland. Manures applied when the soil is so cold that grassgrowth has practically ceased have little or no effect until greater soil warmth returns.

Just when it is too cold to apply manures effectively is controlled largely by geographical position, though such circumstances as drainage and aspect affect the matter; in the coastal districts fertilisers as a rule may be applied with good effect later than in cooler inland situations, and later generally in the North Island than in the South Island.

Although top-dressing should be carried out before the advent of the most inactive period of growth if this is at all possible, it sometimes may be advisable to top-dress during the “dead” period of pastures as an alternative to the inconvenience and, possibly, inefficiency'arising from a heavy rush of work in the Spring.

Phosphatic manures applied in the dormant period as a rule exert their influence as soon as the warmth necessary for growth returns; it is considered that normally their effect is merely delayed and not lost —wide observations in the Held support this view. The same position is believed to hold in general relative to both lime and potash. But it is radically different with soluble nitrogenous manures such as sulphate of ammonia; if conditions unfavourable for growth prevail for any considerable period after the application of such manures, their influence, judging from fairly extensive field experience, is considerably lessened.

Phosphates hold the key position in New Zealand top-dressing. The first, and principal necessity is generally the application of phosphates, and so phosphates as a rule may be expected to give the greatest and most immediate profits. There arc exceptions to this rule, but a farmer should make sure his case really is an exception before ignoring the rule in his practice. An exception may be expected when, on all but the richest soils, a visible benefit from phosphates is not evident. Trial applications of both lime and potash are highly advisable when distinctly visible results from phosphates are not. obtained on soils of medium to poor quality in districts with an average rainfall of 25 inches to 30 inches or more. Incidentally, whether distinctly visible results are also profitable results is dependent largely upon the composition of the sward; a distinctly visible beneljt in a pasture composed mainly of -weeds and inferior pasture plants may also be a distinctly unprofitable result, but nevertheless, it may be of value as an indication of potential profit from top-dressing to be realised when it lie composition of the sward is suitably improved.

HOME-CURED BACON WINTER THE BEST TIME Farm-cured bacon, provided it is properly handled and the necessary attention is given to certain details, is just as satisfactory as tiny the farmer can buy. It it; an entirely different process, however, from factory curing, points out an exchange. The ideal temperature for curing is about 12 degrees Fahr., and the best time for curing on the farm is, therefore, during the Winter months, preferably during frosty weather and in a bumid atmosphere, as in a cellar, rather than in a dry atmosphere. Extremes of temperature are unfavourable. The pigs selected for slaughter should be free from disease and in a healthy condition, gaining and not losing weight. They should be pro- : furnished and free from bruises, cuts, 'sun-scald, etc. The live-weight should be about 1751 b at about five and a half to seven months old. which gives a dressed weight of about 1251 b, that being the desired weight to produce first-class bacon. Some, however, prefer pigs of much higher weight for farm use.

I'he pig should be kept off feed lor 12 io 21 hours before slaughter and allowed to rest (without being chased, excited, or overheated). A plentiful supply of clean drinking water should be available, as this aids in emptying the entrails and is a great help in the dressing of the animal and in the pro-

cess of curing, ('arcful handling of I the pig prior Io slam,liter is essentia! lo the production of good bacon. | Ordinarily it is not neve <s;i i y io l : ,tun or shoot the pig before stil ting. I and. although it is sometimes done, ■ this method docs not give the best rel suits in bleeding. More thorough I bleeding is assured if the pig is hung up by the hind leg for slicking, hut j care must he exercised Io sec that flic .pi” is held properly so that iomt Iron Ide and shoulder st mking do not occur.