FARMERS' COLUMN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4667, 28 October 1876, Page 2

FARMERS' COLUMN.

[WWTTW *» ™* "WKH.Y H«RAU>.'T Xms week I have several enquiries to answer. ~H 00VB. « jjj CAIi -ite3.

A correspondent writes as follows :— "To 'Agricola. , Dear sir,—Would you be kind enough to inform me what is the best remedy for wind in calves'stomachs ? I have lost two valuable calves through this disease. When I came to dissect the stomach it was swelled to that extent that it was bursting the hide before the knife After the escape of wind, there anoea'red to he nothing left in the stomach j but froth. By giving ™ a remedy .for the above disease, you wiU greatly oblige, vours, &c, : Ignoramus." The writer does not state whether his calves were , ®* young or old, weaned or otherwise I Suppose they must have had wha .* termed the " hoo>e" or " blown. A frequent cause o.f cows or young stock having this complaint, is their being turned into rich pasture-clovor especially, and when they eat so much that the stomach is unable to act. The food not being dissolved, gives off gas or wind, and tms causes the swelling. Drinking too much cold water, or eating too much bran or turnips may have a like effect. The stomach, through some such cause, becomes distended or blown, and the swelling gives forth a hollow sound if struck. The beast moans and breathes with dirhculty As it gets worse, the eyes become red and are thrust forward, the mouth is filled with froth, :md the tongue hangs out The animal, getting still worse, falls down and violently struggles still death puts an end to it. In regard to the remedy for tb.l3 complaint, m extreme cases there is generally no time to try medicines, but the stomach has to be punctured by a penknife or trocar, so as to allow the gas to escape. The instrument used is plunged through the left side of the belly, midway between the last rib and the haunch bone, and a quill or other tube is inserted to allow the wind to get out. Where the case is not very bad, a spoonful of salt may bedissolved and poured down the throat, or a drachm or two of chloride of lime may be given in a similar manner. The homoeopaths recommend ammonium, causlicnm, belladonna, or colckicum. according to the cause, 5 or 6 drops of tincture. THE THISTLE QUESTION. "X.Y.Z" complains that his young grass, sown on bush land, that he wants to keep for seed, is choked with thistles, and he earnestly desires to know how to get rid of them. In reply I have to say that thistles and their eradication used to be a most perplexing and distressing subject to the bush farmer. Looking over his clearing that had cost him so much toil, and beholding countless thistles luxuriating, rearing high their heads and usurping the place that should be covered with grass and clover, the emotions that filled his breast were not of the most joyous character. It was really thought at one time by some settlers that owing to the dense and persistent growth of these noxious weeds, they would have to clear out. Just as the rabbit pest is at the present time disturbing the equanimity of farmers in the South, so thistles used to harrass and annoy the farmers in the North. The consequence was that in order to keep possession of at least some portion of the ground, months used to be spent every year in the vain attempt to eradicate the weeds. It seemed to be almost as binding as a religious duty for settlers to go about armed sometimes with a grubbing-hoe, and sometimes with a slash-hook, demolishing the " Scotchmen," as they were wont to be called, digging them up, cutting them down, and occasionally burning them. If any neighbour, not believing in spending his time in such amusement, let his thistles grow, alas for him, what blessings descended on his poor pate ! Receipts of various kinds used to be published and circulated in the bush to the effect that this or the other method would exterminate the nuisance, and I don't know how much kerosene was wasted in dosing thistles, - with the comforting thought that every plant so destroyed might hiuder thousands of others from growing. However, it is j to be presumed that f;mneis have learned from experience a wrinkle or two concerning thistles ; for now they are allowed j to grow, to flourish, to seed, and to die out. Still, as they are not a nice thing ! to have growing in a. ploughed paddock, where they sometimes c:>me up pretty thickly, anything of a simple nature that may tend to their eradication is very serviceable. Now it seems that the Berlin correspondent of Land and Water records that rape being sown near thistles the latter will be eradicated. " Who ever knows," he says, " of two plants being so inimical to one another :is to kill the other by a mere touch \ This, however, seems to be the case when rape grows near the thistle. If a field is infested with thistles, give it a turn of rape seed, and this plant w 11 altogether starve, suffocate, and chill the thistle out of existence. A trial was made with different varieties of rape seed in square plots, when it was found that nobody believed that the rape was having a fair run. But it had, and as it grew the thistle vanished, faded, turned grey, and dried up as soon as the rape leaves began to touch it. Other trials were made, and the thistle had al.. ays to give in, and was altogether annihilated, whether old and fully developed or young and tender." It is to be hoped that some farmers will, by way of experiment, try whether rape will have the same effect in this country. For my own part, though giving the above extract as an alleged cure for thistles, I should very much question its effectiveness as a permanent femedy. In regard to "X.Y.Z." n.nd hie trouble, if the thistles are very thick, it is little use trying to keep them under. Aβ a rule it cannot pay to epend much time about these weeds. Unlike docks or sorrel they will seed and die out in course of time. If, however, the plants among a crop are not very numerous, then it is better to cut them just below the surface of the ground with an adze or hoe. As is pretty well known, opinions vary considerably in regard to whether thistles are a good or an evil. Mr. Chambers, of Napier, a large runholder, in writing on the subject some time ago to the Cambridge Farmers' Club, said: "I have every reason to speak well of thistles, for a few years after their appearance here, my run carried extra stock (fed on them), which increased my income at least £1000 per annum. No food is more fattening than the flower. I believe this plant was sent here by a kind Providence, and that ail the Acts of Parliament or others to extirpate it, will be in vain. It will fulfil its mission of preparing land, particularly fern, for the highest state of vegetation. -. And in the same strain, a namesake of mine recently wrote to the editor of the Auttralasian .—Sir,—lt becomes a question nowadays whether tbe thistle is a blessing or a curse to • the colony. Many a controversy has taken place in your columns for and against the eradication of the thistle; and I certainly think the advocates for its growth have had the beet of the argument. In your issue of the 17th instant appears a letter p ; ened " W.R.," in which that.

writer endeavoured to show that thoee who laud the and object to its extirpatiott.jijire totally in the dark) and have noffliecpverea^theyjvufte^ofvit.< Very likely fiot,3but facts arplafaibborb; things. I have come to #ie conclusion that the thistle is a splentlfd fodder for eheep, ancl; that they quickly fatten "on-them; Further, I have found the more you try to destroy them, the. saore luxuriantly; they grow. ''Take, for Instaricej a ground that has been ploughed, and in no time it will be covered with thistles. How is this? I would ask " W.R.'.'_ls.it: not on account of disturbing the ground, and forming a. hotbed for the seeds ? The same, then, would apply to the rooting up of the ground, which you must necessarily do if you cut thistles with a hoe. Now, to show that thistles will die out of j their own accord, I may mention that I J have a paddock (adjoining a three-chain i road). Five years ago it was completely covered with . thistles. Now it is almost free from them, although I have never cut them. My neighbour on the opposite biJ.e of the road, who holds a different opinion to me, spared no trouble and ex- , pense in trying to destroy the thistles in his paddock; but now he has tenfold, although they were cut with great care every year. J need scarcely add that he agrees with me now—viz., the more you cut them the faster they grow. SORGHUM. "Dear 'Agricola,'—Will you kindly publish a few lines about sorghum 1 I want to know how mnch seed it requires to the acre, sown broadcast, and the best time to sow.—Yours, &c, Senex." It requires 201bs. of seed for an acre, if sown broadcast; but as it is wiser to sow in drills, half of that quantity will suffice, which will be a saying, as the seed is Is per lb. The time to plant is next month. Sorghum grows well on rich soil well worked, and will attain a height of 7to 9 feet. The yield of green food from an acre is astonishing, but cattle do not readily eat it at first. In time they will take to it, and become so fond of it as to leave scarcely a particle. When, during a dry summer, the grass is scorched up, it is a fine thing to have an acre or two of sorghum or maize, so as to give the milking cows a cart-load in the morning or evening. Containing so much saccharine matter, sorghum is fattening, and it is questioned whether it is so good as maize for dairy stock—that is to produce milk. The advantage of sowing in drills is, the land can be worked between by the scarifier, which will assist the crop wonderfully during the dry weather. Maclean's list op pedigree stock. Accompanied by a private letter from E. Maclean, Esq., I have received a copy of the list of pedigrees of the Penrose herds of pure-bred Shorthorns and Herefords. I notice that this list is headed "private" list. I suppose it is got up and printed for private circulation, and that it is issued yearly. It is stated, as a kind of preface, that the catalogue only comprises animals imported direct from England and their offspring. Messrs. Maclean intimate that they have also a numerous herd of pedigree Herefords bred in the colonies, besides grade and short pedigree Shorthorns. As I propose at an early date to visit the establishment at Penrose, in order to have an opportunity of inspecting some of Maclean's grand and splendid animals —for they must have some—l shall not enlarge upon the subject at present. I would suggest, however, that as they have a good many bulls to dispose of— all good, no doubt, but some vastly superior to others—they should give publicity, either by a printed list or by advertisement, to the prices they are wanting for their stock. It is probable that settlers in various localities might be inclined to co-operate and purchase a bull amongst them, if they had any idea of tho price. I throw out the suggestion because I see nothing in the " private list" about prices, except that it is intimated that pedigree bulls at Penrose would be allowed to serve a limited number of cows at throe guineas each. It may aUo be observed that if some of the pure blood, to be found at Penrose, could be generally diffused amongst the dairy stock in this province, there would be a very great improvement effected in the course of a few years. But while Macleans have high class pedigree bulls and bull calves to sell, and while they, would willingly sell them at less prices than they would be worth in England, they anticipate, as Mr. K Maclean informs me, little enquiry for them in the province. LAND HOLDINGS IN VICTORIA. Some time ago I called attention to the agricultural statistics of Victoria. A supplementary return has just been published by the Government statist, which gives the number and classification as to size of all the holdings of land exceeding one acre in extent, in this colony, for the last three years. For the year 1873-74, the total amount of land sold and selected amounted to 11,493,545 ;icres in 36,602 holdings ; for 1874-75, 12,264,570 acres in 38,468 holdings ; and for 1875-76, 13,084,233 acres in 40,852 holdings. Tho following are the particulars of extent of land held by the various holders for the latter year, 1875-76 :—

The total quantity of land in the colony under tillage up to the latest date is given at 1,126,831 acres. PLANTING TEKE SEEDS. It is universally admitted how important and desirable it is to have bolts of trees for the purposes of shelter, and to break the force of strong gales which sometimes prevail in this country. Farmers may now avail themselves of the season of the year by sewing various sorte of tree seeds. There is nothing to hinder them from raising their own trees. Pines of various kinds, cypresses, as well as eucalyptus seeds may now be sown. inoße who ,are cultivating near, their boundaries or exposed parts of their farm*, sho.uld take advantage of that circumstance by leaving a atrip of land to be devoted to treea. Half a chain might be wide enough, as that would give sufficient room for three rows. If mangold or maize is being put in, a few drills can be left close to the boundary i in which seeds may be planted at dis- | tances of six feet apart, two or ! three seeds being sown in each spot j

If blue gums, or iron and stringy barks would in a veg£ few years breakwincLgJt** jWOuUL indeed, if fgySa, course of to profitJsmej V&»few shillings spent this month in seed, either to use in the

manner mentione"d~oir^o oughtvto raise many pounds' worth of trees:-" ■''' •' .-••-■■ ' ;

Fxtent of Number soli .t ««- Size of Holdings. of luctwl H-jil UoMinga inoep tio;i. 1 acre to 4 acre3 .. 1,511 4,413 5 acres to 14 ,, ., 3,410 yv, m>1 15 ,, 2tf „ .. t.8±.'> 7e 0,0 30 „ 49 „ .. 3,27!) l'.'iOll 50 ,, 99 „ .. 6,981 48I,!IUl> 100 „ 10J „ .. 7,7.4 1.0US.U63 200 „ 320 „ .. 10.437 2,1)65 6M 321 „ 400 „ .. 1,185 41i.4.i 401 „ 60 „ .. 800 3-7 S95 6U1 „ 600 „ ., 627 201 184 001 „ 700 „ .. 441 284, !iSi TA „ 800 „ .. 225 1«9 IU0 801 „ 000 „ .. lliS 1311,377 £»Ul ,, 1,000 ,, .. 151 J47 i.(j5 ' 1,001 „ 1.60O „ .. 328 3U7.OU 1.601 ,, 2,00(. „ ., 158 271,7-^0 2,001 „ 3.0J0 „ .. l.'fi 384,4b'J 3,001 „ 4,000 „ .. 79 S!78,laO 4,001 „ 6,000 „ .. 64 240 643 6.000 „ 7,600 „ .. 73 4l2 0a0 7.6C0 „ 10,'00 „ ., 49 428 624 10 001 „ 16,000 „ .. 79 91)2 145 15.CO0 „ 20,000 „ .. 42 741.44. 2'i,001 „ 38,000 „ .. 48 1,193 UUt! 3j,001 „ 40,000 „ .. 18 0 8,(142 4j,001 „ and upwards .. 10 647,i90 40.852 13 084.233