AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

Mataura Ensign, 24 February 1909, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

A merchant- in luvrreargill states that all the available floor space in the stores will be required this year to accommodate heated grass seed. For many samples arriving now it is impossible to get an order.

A novel invention (writes a Wairarapa correspondent) is to be seen on two stations at Taiiern. It is an ''artilicial mother." or feeder, for rearing pet lambs. The machine is made of tin and stands about ISiii. from the ground. The inside slopes to the centre and eight lambs can drink at one time. The ordinary baby's mouthpiece is inscried bv rubber tubes through holes ill the feeder, and t lie lambs line up ill rows alongside and drink the wann milk poured in at feeding time.

Xnw (Inn the weight ill' the grain sswk is limited to 20i)|l». (say* "|{\isii"iis" ill tl»' 1 1 >\ 111L;>11 Tillies') it nppears to l>(. almost neees.suit in fix li.v law the size of the sacks in which the lint in is tn he placed. The (.'hninbci's "1 CollUiierec in colll'ct'fiir-e rccnmmond"'l a sack -If>in. by L'llin., and this makes a very suitable suck indeed for wheal. If will stock just as easily as the full-sized sack and can he loaded mid ha lulled without anv difficulty. It Has been imported into Canterbury and can now he procured ; in fact, iI is already U>iiij{ used. Homo farmers, however, refuse to use it because il will nol iflcrwards lie snitahle for <-h:i'l' and potatoes and because I hey are afraid Uial tile millers ivill not pay as much 'or it as tor the l'iill-si'/,ril sack. There may lie, and probably is. a good deal in all these objections, and 'therefore il appears, as I have already said, neecssarv to lix by law a standard size of s ack As tar as wheal intended for '■■ lie is concerned there can he no reason, except the possible ant :i'j"onisit! ol the millers, to the smaller-sized sack. Ilial antagonism can. however, have very lit I le elfeet. The millers must have the wheal, and it has been proved that 2001b of Hour can he placed in tic new sack. It a uniform size of sack were insisted upon the trouble which is looming ahead regiirding various sized sacks would he done awav with. Such a law now obtains in Australia. Jvatahilin, the largest bullock in the world, which has been exhibited at lairs and side-shows iu .America lor several years, died recently at Uangor. W hen alive Katalidiu weighed "i.HOOIIh. and his girth was I'ltt. bin. His owner intends to have the frame mounted. 11l Burma the bul, besides being a useliil beast of burden, is also a sporting animal, lor races hctiveon bulls harnessed to carls are of not 1111001111110)1 occurrence. ,\s -,vil tic seen from the lolowing example. these animals are in some cases of great value and good source ol income to ilicir owners. Al one village near Twaine i.s one oi these hulls, tor which the owner not long ago refused 10.0(111 rupees, having been bought in India when young for twelve rupees. As the hull i.-, said to bring its owner in from twelve to til teen thousand rupees a year his refusal to sell is Hot to be wondered al. SXAILS VOXDKIUTI, .UOI'TH. I.ate invest iga l.ioi is, undertaken ill a ('criuaii laboratory, Imve shown the snail s mouth to he awonderiiil piece of inecliaiiieisni. It is fortunate lor mankind that, no large wild animal is simarily constructed. it i.s armed with a very formidable instrument in the shape of a remarkable saw-like tongue, that resembles a lone, narrow ribbon, coiled in such a manner thai only a small portion ol it is callled into use a.t once. Thickly distributed over Die entire surlace ol this ribbon are an immense number ol excessively sharp little teeelli. ! The quant ii y of these teeth is iiicred- | ible—one species, lor instance, has been indisputably proved to possess as inanv as thirty thousand of 11 As the teeth wear away, the ribbon is uncoiled, and the olhers that before were wrapped up in it. at the back of the snail's mouth, conic lorward to lake tin- place ol those thai have .served their turn. The upper part of the mouth consists of a hnrnysurfacc, against which the sharp-toothed tongue works. So effective an instrument is this tongue that the tough leaves of the lily may often j be found to be entirely rasped oil' by it.

A good deal is written nowadays about silage (says the 'Dominion'). Oiie of tile lew men who regularly make it j., Mr James Peat, of Waitoinra. Resides being a sheepfarnier, h- Ins a held of one hundred dairy entil ■ wnieh mve a wonderful average. In the paiidoiks now are the remains of the prevnus season's slack. It i« prfc-tly sweet and good; in fact, some sheep weie actually scraping the miooih-eu't sides lo get some of the feed. They could not,, get bold to nibble it, so jus', sera pi d it with their feet. This .season's make lias just been completed. The iiiat"ri,il is green oats, and as last as : t is cu' it is carted lo the stack, in which i'o-ni All' I'eat finds lie has great success, never having any trouble. About, a I'ooi o! earth is placed on the top of th •• s' ick to provide the necessary pressirv. Al, classes of stock—horses, cattle, and sheep—are very fond of the proline! and of course do well on it. Showery weather is no bar to ensilage, is it iin haymaking; everything goes into til" siln—thistles, docks, and anything else. Tlie.v all come out with a splendid aroma and are readily eaten up.