COUNTRY CHIT-CHAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4405, 25 December 1875, Page 1 (Supplement)

COUNTRY CHIT-CHAT.

: [.WRITTEN r«£ THE "TrBKKI.Y BEBALO."] Upon examination of the wool brought to this season's wool sales, it shews a too great variation in qualities. .Even in those bales, branded with the well-known brands of recognised good sheep-breeders—almost an entire absence of regularity. This gives a pecuniary advantage to our wool-staplers here, who buy at low prices, and afterwards classify and clean before sending to the English market. It pays them well to do it. Some attention, no doubt, has been paid to how best to croes the breeds to obtain quality and quantity in wool, and to a certain extent improvement has been attained. But regularity of wool from a. flock of sheep seems a desideratum yet to be obtained. The attention of the sheep-breeder must be turned to this fact before he can consider himself a successful wool-grower. Then the questior would be asked, what else is necessary to make comparatively certainof growing wool of equal quality, quantity, and regularity. After having found the suitable rama and ewes to breed frora to the greatest nicety and correctness, the reply ie, the nature of the land and grasses on which sheep are pastured on is as important an element in ' wool and mutton producing as the selection of a ram or a flock of ewes, in the first instance, possibly can be. The health and growth of sheep is influenced by the character of the land, and grasses should be ' the study of the sheepowner. The relation which the chemical constituents of grasses bear to the soil in which they grow, and to the geological formation of the country in ■which it ia situated. Taken altogether, this I subject is a large and a very important one to' this colony; its consideration cannot! be begun too soon, and a subject that cannot be disposed of off hand. To introduce the discussion of the matter, one cannot do better than refer to a little colonial work on the subject, by Mr. Farrer, of Australia (written from colonial experience), who is desirous of encouraging discussion on thie subject. The influence of the pasture on sheep, he points out, that the substances which are mainly valuable for the assistance which they afford in the digestion and assimilation of essential and accessory food Btufis —which are the salts that grasses contain, or should contain, may be called for destruction, complementary food stuffs. The salts which are essential to the perfect growth of grasses, and from the complementary food stuffs, are: Salts of potash, lime, magnesia, iron, and probably soda, mostly in the form of phosphates, sulphates, and chlorides, also, under certain circumstances. Soda or common salt can, to a certain exten, replace in vegetation po|tassic salts ; from what 13 known of the scheme of nature it may be safely assumed that although the above salts are not all necessary to the life of the grass plant, yei that they, are necessary to it at any rate in part, because of their utility as complimentary food stuffs to the health of the sheep which the grass provides food for. What then is the uses of the various salts to the animal economy ? This is the question, and which can only be answered in the general way. Potassic salts seems to be absolutely necessary to the perfect development of p'ant life, and in the animal economy small quantities are necessary, to the blood, and the various fluids of the body, and especially to the juices of the muscles. If, however, the small portion needed is exceeded, potassic salt in general, and potash itself in particular seem to exercise an influence that is prejudical to health ; but potassic Baits are especially necessary in their food for sheep, for the yolk of their wool consists mainly of a natural animal potash or soft Boap, mixed with a small proportion of various salts, mostly potassic salts. The potash that the yolk contains can only be obtained through the food. Salts of lime are also present in the diges'tive fluids of the j animal body. The lime o£ bones must all of I it be derived from the food, and without the i presence of lime in the food the young animal could not develop bone ; and supposed, too, to be greatly concerned in the final process of assimilation. Salts of magnesia are I required in the digestive processes, and per- | haps exercise the functions of anti-acids to correct any acidity that may arise in the chemical changes which the food undergoes I in digestion. Magnesia-salts are also contained in the bones, the blood, and in small quantity in almost all the substances of the j body. They are therefere valuable salts. The j hcematin, which is the red colouring matter of the blood, contains iron. It is supposed to ba from this that the blood derives much of its power of absorbing the oxygen of the inspired air, and giving it up to the fat and other substances, the combustion of which it causes within the body. Salts of soda are necessary to the fluids of the body generally, and more especially to the blood and digestive fluids. It is the sodic-chloridej or common salt, that supplies the gastric juice with hydrochloric acid. This alone points out the importance of common Bait to digestion. A plentiful supply of sodic salt appears to exercise a benetiuial effect on the body, in giving increased firmness, vigour, and tone to the tissues, and preventing in them the recurrence of morbid changes, counteracts the ill effects of any excess of potassic salts. The abundant presence of common salt in the juices of the body also appears to be prejudicial to the existence of worms, by producing a atate of health that is too vigorous to be favourable to their existence; and if salt comes into immediate contact with worms in the intestinal canal, it destroys many kinds of them. Phosphoric acid, which ie contained in the phosphates, apparently fulfils some very important functions in the various fluids and secretions in the body, as it is found in almost all of them. It largely enters into the composition of the bones, in the form of phosphate of lime, and is found in some of the most important of substances in the body, in the brain, and in the nervous substances* S'tlphur is neoesBary, and is found in the sulphates which are present in the grass, as complementary food stuffs would seem to be provided for the purpose of supplying the sulphur which is wanted for the assimilation of the vegetable albumenoids into their animal form. The horny matter that, fetems vthe . aubstance of wool fibre is of an albuminoid character, and contains a much larger proportion of sulphur than; the •: flesh and blood albuminoids, so that n large supply | is needed to enable the vegetable albuminoids to be assimilated to the substance of wool. | Hydrochloric acid- is- mainly derived front common salt, and , is a moat important constitueht of tte gastric juice. ' Bieae'aie then the chemical and natural requirements of sheep, to be obtained- through the medium of being'supplied with suitable food; ' What land will be most suitable'for the supply of this food 4 tlb our volcanic land suitable, or not T ' Does claj, limestone/ eaudstone, slate, or any other product of Auckland laad contain the necesettry eleuwnte to pro-

dace grass containing the organic and complimentary ifceding »toffeuiublo;and necessary for ■heep'S.A'Thla-Jβ? what we -want t» know, and what ehaep-breeders must know before they can produce quality, quantity, and- regularity-.in -wool. The 'relation of th« grasses to the rations soils must bt known j it is a matter of importance to the whole of the'colony, and the State should be moved through the Farmers' Association to organise a system to collect data and provide means to get at the vital truths required. No argument should be • required to compel every representative to Parliament—from a country district especially—to perform their first duty by moving i that this organisation should be fojmed; if they have the least pretension to the title of statesman they will do so, without being reminded even by farmers through their clubs and societies, whose duty it is to move in thie matter as being kindred to husbandry and agriculture. ■• • CINCINNAim I