Farm and Garden

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 179, 5 August 1909, Page 4

Farm and Garden

AMERICA AS A WOOL MARKET. A tariff, prohibitive for any but the finest wools of Australia, has -long shut up the American market against pastoralists. It was, of course, established for protective purposes, but American production is not increasing in consonance with the growing demand. So far as fine wools are concerned the farmers in Uncle barn's land find they have not the conditions, climatic and otherwise, to succeed, and they are obliged to confine their attention to the coarser wools. The manufacturers, by charging very high prices for their goods, bought extensively of our best, but they were not able to touch anything which would compete against their own country's production and the better classes of cotton. All the time there has been a great industrial strain in existence, and it would appear that the strain has about broken, for it is seriouslyproposed to lift the duty and let in the raw product free. This will practically revolutionise the wool industry in Australia for the merino sorts Such an impetus would also create a better market in England and the Continent, and send up wool all round. If we have great belts of arid country in Australia—greater than most people like to admit —we have the compensating thought that it produces the finest merino wools extant. A few pence per lb more would quickly result in millions of acres of land now practically unused being put on a money-making basis, especially in Northern Australia, which would probably carry 30, 000,000 sheep without over-stocking. HARNESS DRESSING. Before commencing to dress the harness, be careful that the leather is thoroughly. clean, and if not, wash it and hang it up to dry. Before entirely dry, the harness is ready to be oiled. Take a sheet-iron washing tub, and fill two or three inches deep with machine oil, using the best oil that is recommended for oiling binders and mowers. Dip the parts of the harness so as to cover well with oil, giving the leather time to get saturated with it. Then hang the pieces of harness over the tub to drip, and, when dripping ceases, rub all parts with a coarse rag—flannel is best. By using machine oil as above, there will be no danger of rats or mice gnawing the harness. The following is another good recipe:—Two quarts of fish oil — neatsfoot will do, but fish oil is distasteful to rats and mice—2l bs mutton tallow, one pint castor oil, quarter pound lamp black, half pound beeswax, quarter pound resin, and two ounces pure tar, boiled half an hour over a slow fire. Use cold. To make your harness look new apply after oiling a dressing of one pint of neatsfoot oil, a large tablespoonful of lamp black, and one or two ounces of beeswax. A good many times farmers are called upon to judge the weight of cattle. Usually it is more of a guess than anything else. Here is a simple rule that will help: If the animal measures five feet in girth, it will weigh somewhere from 700 to 750 pounds. Every added inch in igrtb adds 25 pounds till you get up to six feet, and then add 50 pounds to the inch. Every tree that needs pruning s"hould be pruned when the superfluous branches are small. When the branches are allowed to grow until they are as large as a man's arm, it will be verydamaging to the tree to cut off such large branches. If we examine many fruit trees and some ornamental trees, we can see at the junction of the limbs with the main stem a sort of crease or seam or cicatrice extending round the base of each branch. That natural seam indicates the better place for severing the limb from the main stem. If a branch is sawn off at that seam, the wound will always heal much sooner than if the cut were made on either side of it. The Japanese have three forms of salutation: One for saluting an inferi- , or, another for saluting an e.jual and a j third for saluting a superior. ! For Chronic Chest Complaints, j Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, Is Gci j and 2s 6d. |