ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13095, 7 February 1906, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

RATIONAL FEEDING OF HORSES. Three meals arc necessary ami sufficient, with an interval of four to five hours between, to keep a liorse in good condition. Oats rake at least two hours to digest, while hay takes three hour?, and because, it take-; so long to digest it should be given when the day's work is over. The evening meal should be a. full meal, the animal being then at rest, and able to digest its food at, leisure. There should be an interval of half an hour between (he return of the hors.s to the stable and his getting his evening feed. Too much food at a meal or too long abstinence between meals, followed by voracious feeding, is conducive of colic and indigestion. Irregularly fed ho is given to show his impatience by letting his hoofs play about the woodwork of his stall. Giving " refresher-*" at odd times is also bad. Remember that both stomach and bladder should never be loaded in work time, whether light or heavy work i.- done. A horse, therefore, should not be ridden or driven immediately after a meal, on the same principle that it ought not to bo fed sooner than half an hour after work is over. Between one end of the year and another a hor.-o consumes an amount of dry, heating food which calls for a special regimen to neutralise the excessive proteid consumption that. has taken place. Tints in autumn a ration of carrots given before the evening meal of oats is good, and so .in spring, at the fall of the winter coat, a little green meat is beneficial, mixed with hay and oats, for the evening meal. Another maxim much disregarded in practice says that the horse should be watered long before being put to work, and then very sparingly.—Petit Journal Agricole, CHANGING MILKERS. The Wisconsin Agricultural Experimental Farm authorities have been making a series of experiments on the effect that changing milkers has upon cows. Eight cows from the farm herd were selected for experiment, which was divided into five periods of four days each. During the first, third, and fifth periods the milking was done by the ordinary milkers, and during the second and fourth periods the milking was done by a different person at each milking during the period. The result was that there was a gain of 3.9 per cent, during V. e second period over the average of the first and third periods, and a gain of 5.7 per cent, in the fourth period over the average of tho third and'fifth periods. The comment upon these results is that in so far as the amour/ of milk and the total production of butter are concerned, changing the milkers tit every milking resulted in a direct gain, with the exception of two cows. These results are important, however, in so far as they tend to show that when the cows are treated kindly by all the milkers, a change of the milkers of the individual cows in the herd has no appreciable effect upon the milk and butter produced. It is, however, very doubtful if many of the dairy-farmers in Wisconsin will agree with the above results, and tho writer has often known tho milk supply seriously fall off when strangers have milked the cows. POVERTY BAY'S PROGRESS. Our Gisborne correspondent writes: — " Poverty Bay, at one time recognised us the most backward, and, at the- same time, neglected district in the colony, has of late years become, one of the most prosperous. Indeed, outside of the four centres it. is questionable whether any place in New Zealand has enjoyed the same measure of prosperity as has been experienced here during tho last six or seven years. This happy state of affairs is, no doubt, greatly due to the opening up of large areas of Crown and native lands. The establishment in the district of the frozen meat and dairying industries, too. has been the means of bringing if, into prominence. During the last ten years our exports have very largely increased. To show the extent of the increase I may mention that whereas in 1895 the export of wool was only 4,945,0011b, the past year's total was 9,703,9231b; frozen mutton increased from 3,318,1511b to close on 15,000,0001b, frozen lamb from 12,4801b to over 2,000,000 lb, frozen beef from 60,2051b to nearly 3,200,0001b. No butter was exported in 1895, but last year 3443ewt was shipped out of the district. The number of live sheep in the district increased in tho same period from 877,327 to over 1,500,000. The town of Gisborne, in sympathy with the country, has also greatly progressed. A large number of business premises have lately been rebuilt in brick, and the town is fast gaining quito a city appearance. During the past year municipal abattoirs have been erected, and the Borough Council has now in hand a water supply scheme for the town. So much for the past and present. Looking to the future, with the settlement that is going on, the fertility of our soil, tho establishment of tho timber industry, tho extension of the railway, etc., it is safe to predict a great future tor Poverty Bay. From inquiries mado at mercantile houses I learn that the; outlook for the immediate future was never brighter, and people engaged in different lines of business speak of tho trade being done in a buoyant tone. KILLING WILLOWS, Writing on this important question "A.S.B. says: —"The best method of destroying the willow is to cut a circle about two to three feet from tho base of the tree, and then pull the bark to as near tho ground as possible, and leave it, when the tree will die; but this must bo done whilst the sap is up, viz., in the months of December, January, and February. If done later the .sap descends, and the consequence is that the bottom of the tree throws out shoots, and makes matters ten times worse than before. If what I suggest were done it would only take two years to destroy willows.'' BREVITIES. A syndicate of Foxton fiaxmillers has purchased a large block of land bearing good flax from the Makerua. Estate Company. Tho price was £15 per acre. In the same district another area of land changed hands at £20 an acre, while yet another brought £26 per acre.

The Glen Oroua Co-operative, Dairy Company paid out did per lb for butter-fat for the month of December. For the previous six months the price was 91,(1. Suppliers received £4645 in cash. The highest; individual test was 4.5, and the average 3.56. The intake of milk averaged 90.5001b per day, and the largest output, of butter for ono clay 72 boxes.

As instancing the profit to be derived from a well-grown early oat crop when cut into chaff to supply a bare market, such as existed at the beginning of the season, it is only necessary to mention the experience of Mr. C. C. Pleasants, of " Strathcndrie," Halcombe. This gentleman in February or March of last year drilled Algerian oats on ground that here would be termed hilly." The spring saw them growing so rapidly that ho was enabled to eat them off by sheep on three successive occasions. This treatment tended to make the plants '" stool out," to what extent may be guessed when ho states that up to date the resulting crop has turned out at the rate of three tons of chaff per acre. At least half the crop— 25 acres—has been cut up and sold, and when the ruling price for chaff is £4 per ton it does not. take any great financier to see that there is " money in it."

There is a theory which may be tested in time, that in milk fever the lacteal fluid is retained in the milk veins or the system somewhere, with but little of it reaching the udder. This inactive condition causes fever, perhaps blood-poisoning and death. The air treatment, by means of an ordinary bicycle pump, distends the udder and milk veins, allowing the milk to bo drawn away and giving almost, immediate relief. Probably the veterinarians may be able to tell in time why air injections info the udder euro milk fever, but their present lack of knowledge need not trouble the farmer. It is the result and not the reason that concerns cattle-breeders. If a cow takes milk fever do not wait, to figure out as to how the treatment works or why it cures, hut pump her udder full of air, and let remain two hours; then strip out all the air and milk you can and again fill the udder with air. Rcpe-it treatment at intervals of two hours until improvement is marked. Keep the milk tube cleared.