THE RURAL WORLD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 640, 4 February 1914, Page 3

THE RURAL WORLD.

MANURING GRASS LANDS. A crop of one and a-half tons of meadow hay per acre contains on the average 491b of nitrogen, 611b potash, and 12Jib phosphoric acid. The question of the appropriate manuring of graßß lands is complicated by the question as to whether it is intended for permanent pasture, or to be cut for hay; and whether grass or clover is to predominate. It may be stated generally that the proportion of clover is increased by the application of man ures containing potash and phosphoric acid, and diminished by the application of nitrogenous manures. Too heavy manuring of any kind, especially nitrogenous, tends to the growth of coarse grass. Manure containing lime, such as plaster, also promute the growth of clover. For grass the best results were obtained by Lawes and Gilbert in England by the application of mineral (perpbosphate and kainit), together with sulphate of ammonia. Heavy grass crops were obtained, to the almost total exclusion of clover. To promote the growth of clovers, omit the ammonium salts, the above mixture, and manure with mineral fertilisers alone. Stable manure and compost is an excellent manure for grass lands, especially when mixed with sulphate of ammonia.

TUTU POISONING

SOME OTAGO INVESTIGATIONS. At the Otago Institute, Dr Maclolm detailed the results of experiments with the toxic properties of the tutu which should be of immediate interest in a sheep growing country. Any variety of creature, from a maggot to an elephant, can be, and has been, "tutued," and Dr Maclolm's experiments were made upon rabbits by the painless method, sometimes employed with recalcitrant suffragettes nf feeding poison through a stomach tube. Dr Malcolm stated that his investigations—which were in the first place carried out with Dr Fitchett — were not complete; and he expected to glean much more useful information, though he did not see much chance of getting a practical remedy for tutu poisoning. It had often been said that the narrow leafed form, which grew on the higher levels, was more toxic than the ordinary form which grew on lower levies. He had made epxeriments by gathering plants ot every variety on the same day, extracting' the poison with water, and testing the toxicity of each upon rabbits. The result of his experiments shiwed that them was about the same amount of tutu in each plant, but there was a difference in the rate at which the poi&on could be extracted from each, the result being that the first extract of the augustissima was more powerful but the rest less so. He had worked out the amount of tutu leaves an animal would need toeat to be poisoned, and he estimated that it requried something between Jib and lib of leaves. An interesting point to consider was the presence of the poison in the blood, because bleeding was considered a remedy. It was thought, too, by some that the effect was diminished if the blood could be got into the mouth of the animal and often a vein near the eye was slit so that the blood could enter the mouth. He found, however, that blood, plus tutin, was just as poisonous. He had injected a dose of tutin into an aniaml and had found that the bio )d from that animal contained something poisonous, but the sypmtoms produced by the poison were not like those of tutu poison ing. He thought, however, that there was some virtue in the withdrawal of blood by bleeding, because the blood did contain poison when the animaljwas under the influence of tutu. Mr A. Bathgate remarked that it was known that when a sheep had been bled for tutu poi oning it lost its gregarious instinct and became a hermit. These sheep were used for station mutton, so that if it was dangerous to use tuted sheep for dogs, at any rate the human race seemed immune. Dr Malcolm, in reply, said that tutu poisoning caused minute hemmorrhages all over the brain during the convulsive movements of the animal, and it was reduced to a state of what would be called idiocy in the human race, which accounted for the hermit habits. Ab for eating tuted sheep, Mr Bathgate was referring to sheep which had survived the poison and been afterwards killed for mutton. In the case of sheep dying of the poison, he should think that while it might be safe to feed dogaon the flesh which contained little blood, it would not be safe to give them such organs as the liver, which was full of blood.

TESTING MILK ON THE FARM

If a man came knocking at your door, enquired if you kept cuws, and then showed you a little round, metaloovered dish with a handle protruding from the side, saying that if you would uae it for three or four daya consecutively every four months, it would save you hundreds of dollars; and to prove tne truth of his assertions, offered to return the price of the dish if it didn't do just what he said by the end of th» year, you would be very much tempted to try it, wouldn't you? My experience as well as that of many others, has proved that the Babcock tester will do that very thing. It is the great est money-saver ever offered to the dairyman, and the principles that govern its use are very simple. To illustrate how a teat is made, let it be supposed that a man haa a dairy of ten cows, and sfuspects that four of

the animals are "robbers," and wishes to find 013", what they are giving in monty value. The essentials needed for carrying out tho test are a centrifugal machine revolving at a high Bpeed whereby the bottle containing the milk can be whirled, and a few simple pieces of glassware. The cost of the entire outfit, large enough for a ten-cow dairy, will be about £2. There are several make of machines, all having their good points. In the long run, however; the best machine will be the simplest, and the same may be said oE the glassware. Test bottles are needed for both new and skim milk and cream, and it will be well to have three of each of these kinds on hand. Correct results will depend upon having a good sample. In order to get such a sample of any kind of milk or cream suitable precautions must be taken, as the fat globules rise rapidly to the top, and unless care is exercised the sample will not be fairly representative. A good sample of milk can only be obtained by mixing it thoroughly by pouring it from one vessel into another at least three times, and five or six would be bet ter. As soon as possible after thorough mixing, the sample should be taken out by dipping with a small, long-handled dipper of any kind. If the sample is to be carried any distance. the vessel in which it is carried should be filled absolutely full, for otherwise some butter fat will be churned and a accurate test cannot be made.

The milk must be tested while sweet. When the milk is thoroughly mixed, insert the lower end of the pipette into the vessel, and, with the mouth applied to the upper end, by suction draw up the milk until it is a bit above the indicting the correct amount (17.6 cc.) Then place the dry finger over the top of the pipette, End, by raising ii; very slightly, let the milk fall to the mark. Allow the milk to run slowly from the pipette into the test bottle, and when all is out that will run gently blow out the pipette aa dry as possible. In testing heavy cream, weigh rather than measure, if exact reßulta are desired.

Sulphuric acid with a specific gravity of 1.82 is used in making the babcock test. The acid may be purchased from any dairy supply company. Atfer the milk has been placed in the test bottles, the correct amount of acid (17.5 cc.) should be carefully measured out into the vessel marked for that purpose and poured into each bottle. Great care must be used in doing this, or the results will be unsatisfactory. The acid should be poured down the aides of the bottles, so as not entirely to close the neck or char the milk. Mix the acid with the milk by shaking with a rotary motion. This mixing should be very thorough. If the acid has been properly added, the mixture of milk and acid becomes perfectly translucent.

If a number of teats are to be made at the same time, which is usually the case, it should be remembered that it is best to mix the acid and milk in each bottle as soon as the acid is added. The proper temperature of acid and m'lk is about 60 degrees. If the acid is too strong, a black curd is the result. On the other hard, if the acid is too weak, the casein is imperfectly dissolved and white curd appears in the mixture The bottles are now placed in the tester in in such a manner as to balance. The machine must be run according to the directions given. The whirling must be continued for five minutes. Aa soon as the machine stops, take out the bottles, add enough hot water to bring the fluid in the bottles nearly to the top of the graduated part of the neck. Then put the bottles in the machine again, and whirl for two minutes. When the machine stops, examine, and if the division between the fat and the fluid beneath is not clear, whirl again for a minute or so.

Whe>-e several tests are to be made, the bottles should be placed in a pan of hot water to keep the fat in a melted condition, for if it becomes so cold that it will not run steadily, serious errors will result. The test must be read from the extreme top of the fat to the extreme bottom of the fat column. The differenca between the lower and upper reading gives the percentage of fat. For reading, a small pair of accurate compasses will prove useful. Place one point at the extreme bottom of the fat column, the other at the top of the fat column. Leaving the compasses just as they are, move them down the scale until the lower point rests on the lowest line in the scale. The other point will then stand at the line which indicates the percentage of fat. It is very important that all the glassware is kept perfectly clean. This will be little trouble if the bottles, etc., are washed immediately after using. A single milking will not give an accurate idea as to the quality of the milk given by a cow The mixed milk from a number of successive milkings will be far better. Such tests are known as composite tests. In order to make a composite test for the cows of a herd, a separate jar must be provided for each cow. At each milking pour the milk back and forth as directed; then take a small sample and put it into the jar. To prevent souring, use a preservative; bichromate of potash answers the purpose. A quantity sufficient to preserve half a pint of milk for a week can be taken up on a threepenny piece. A sample from each milking for three or four days will be aproximately accurate, and the amount taken out each time should be gauged so that the total amount will be about half a pint. With the use of the tester and the daily milk record, it will be an easy matter to weed out the unprofitable cow and keep up a high standard with the remainder of the herd. —Uanadain Farmers' Advocate.