ON THE LAND. THE SILVER BLIGHT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13649, 17 January 1908, Page 8

ON THE LAND.

THE SILVER BLIGHT.

PEA-FED LAMBS.

AMERICAN METHODS.

Mb. M. Bkta-Vt Brookes, Governor 01 Wyoming, in which State fanning has been carried to a. high level, says: — In the San Louis VaHct, which is 7000 ft above sea-level, in a single "season close upon 300,000 lambs are fattened on field peas. The growing season is short, but the peas develop rapidly. The elevation is responsible for mild summer weather, and a sufficient amount of moisture is also assured. In the San Louis \ alley the evening and night temperature is very cool during the summer months, and, although frosts occur, they are not as a rule severe enough to do serious injury. _ Alter preparing the soil by ploughing and discing, the growers sow the peas in the early spring. A grain drill is used, and from 40lb to 501b, together with a slight admixture of wheat or oats are sown to the acre. The seed is mixed before placing in the drill, the cereal mixture being used to give support to the pea crop. All Americans " figure" on their operations, and the San Louis farmers reckon that lamb fattening on peas is equal on the aver-ago to about £2 14s 2d per acre return net. Sheep and lambs are transferred from runs to graze on the pea crop as soon as well podded but not too ripe. Lambs get topped up within 70 to 99 days. They increase in weight at the rate of 81b per month on the peas, and one acre of good crop is estimated to fatten from 10 to 15 lamb?. Taking 12 lambs as an average per acre, this number can be kept going on that area for 90 days. A system of movable hurdle i fences is used to confine the lambs to a section of the paddock until all the peas within that section are consumed. Then the hurdles aro shifted to another section. This is found to be a moro profitable practice than allowing them to wander at will over tho whole area. The risk of bloating experienced when finishing off lambs on rape does not occur in connection with feeding them on field peas, while it is also claimed for the latter plant that it leaves tho soil in better condition than after rape. Tho farmers who fatten sheep on peas testify to this being the best of all manurial agencies for keeping their land in permanent fertility. This development in tho Jamb fattening industry is described as changing the whole character of tho sheep rotation with grain-growing in tho leading wheat areas of the western States. Pea-growing is undoubtedly a neglected industry, yet one which is capablo of adapting itself to many kinds of soil. Though a nice loamy soil is best for the pea, as in respect to growing the majority of crops, and though it also revels in a slightly moist soil, yet thero is hardly any ground well tilled and well fertilised that will not bear from fair to a bountiful crop of field peas. They aro often satisfactorily grown on heavy clays, medium loams, ■ and light gravelsall depends on tho skill of tho cultivator. Very dry soils aro the least suitable. One agricultural authority says: "Being good 'food foasickers,' they arc also useful on worn-out soils, and thus benefit succeeding crops. Moreover, they aro useful on land fouled by weeds on account of the opportunity they offer to clean that land by repeated hoeings. The pea, like the bean, delights in soils of a calcareous nature. Light, loamy, or marly soils, rather partaking of tho characters of the best barley soils, are moro suitable than heavy soils, which are . better for •wheat or beans. On strong clays or soils very rich in vegetable mould, such as peat land, the growth is too luxuriant, and if the season bo wet, tho crop may be greatly 'damaged. The roots are moro fibrous than those of beans, which possess stronger tap roots."

Peas for lamb, or sheep feeding are eaten when the pods are green, but if there is a surplus it can be used in many ways; tho haulms make a splendid hay or ensilage for dairy cows; the whole plant or the grain alone can bo used to top off dairy-fed pigs. If ground into meal the peas make a rich addition to skim-milk, for calf feeding, and split or whole they are excellent for hens or ducks. Knowing all the merits of tho pea, the wonder is that it has not come into greater use among New Zealand farmers; but with the ever-increasing- price of land and tho growing necessity for maintaining it at a high pitch of fertility, it is bound, sooner or later, to. take its place in the rotation of New Zealand crops.

ARTIFICIAL GRASSES. In the manuring- of artificial grasses intended to bo grazed and afterwards cut for hay a, series of experiments by the East of Scotland College of Agriculture are thus summarised:—l. The experiments have been conducted for three consecutive seasons and at 51 centres. 2. The fertilising ingredient that has produced the largest weight of crop has been nitrogen. 3. Nitrogen, either in the form of nitrato of soda or of sulphate of ammonia, has given ecmally good results,»and the best results from a mixture of the two. 4. The plots receiving the largest amount of nitrogen have given the heaviest crops, and, valuing their produce at the same rate as that grown oil the other plots, they have given the best financial return. But generally it does not seem advisable to apply more than 2cwt of nitrite of eoda. 5. Phosphates and potash applied alone, and generally, too, in combination with nitrogen, have been remunerative. Their effect in preventing exhaustion of the soil, and in improving the quality of the hay, warrants their inclusion in any artificial dressing for this crop. 6. The mixture to be recommended as the one most likely to give general satisfaction is Jcwt nitrate of eoda (95 per cent, purity), fewt sulphate of ammonia (95 per cent, purity), 2jrCwt superphosphate (30 per cent, soluble), |cwt sulphate potash (55 per cent, purity). In some recent experiments in California to test a the evaporation losses in irrigation water it was found that from soil which received sufficient wator to cover to a depth of 12in, 1.65 in were evaporated in the first five days after irrigation. At the end of that time half of it was cultivated. During the next six days the loss from the uncultivated soil was 1.38 in, and from the cultvated soil 0.63 in, the saving for the six days being 0.75 in, or 6.25 per cent, of the water applied. In the second experiment the depth applied was reduced to Bin, and the soil in one* half was cultivated at the end of three days. The loss for the first three days was 0.84 in. During the next three -lays the loss from the cultivated soil was 0.29 in. and from uncultivated O.lin, the difference , in favour of cultivation being O.iO.'u, or 2.36 per cent, of the amount applied. In the experiments with earth mulching, so'l receiving water, enough to cover it to a depth of 3.14 in showed losses in 14 days of— No mulch, 0.72 in; a 4in mulch, 0.21;nj on Bin mulch, O.lin; and with a lOin mulch, 0.03 in. Taking the loss with no mulch as a basis, the saving with the 4in mulch was 0.51 in, or 16.24 per cent, of *.'.io amount applied; with the Bin mulch it was 0.62 in, or 19.75 per cent, of the amount applied; and with the lOin mulch it was 0.6 m, or 21.97 per cent, of the amount applied. These show that large savings can be made by maintaining earth mulches by cultivation.

TRAINING CALVES. The feeder is an artist who can take a calf and grow it into a cow that is capable of producing 4001b or more of butter in a year, yet he should bo able to do this with 90 per cent, of the female calves in his care, in face of the fact that the average butter produced by the milk cows of lowa is a meagre 1501b. To accomplish, this result his efforts must bo untiring 1 from the daytho calf is born. After the calf Has received the colostrum from the cow for the first two or three days of its life, or until after the point is past where milkfever is liable to occur, the youngster should be taken away and taught to drink 101b of new milk a day for two weeks. Skim-milk should then be gradually substituted for a proportion of the new milk until at the end of a month the calf is drinking about 121b of skim-milk. It is not advisable to feed a larger quantity up to this time, and never should a calf receive, more than 201b of milk in one day, else indigestion and sooure will result, giving the calf a'&et-baok in its growth. A tablespoonful of blood flour given 'regularly in each feed of milk will positively eliminate all danger from calf soours where a reasonable amount of milk is fed

Our • Henderson correspondent writes:-* Tho silver Wight has so far caused no serious loss in out orchards, but tho fact that it is rather on the increase than on th« decrease, and that its cause and euro am still unknown, renders closer observation of it a matter of interest. As its name implies, it is easily detected by the silvery appearance of the foliage. This peculiarity is noticeable as soon a. l * the leaf-buds break in the spring. It is then that any spread or fresh attack of the disease make* itself apparent. It does not seem to spread during the season of leaf, but confines itself to 'ho part first affected until the rise of tho sap the following spring. It may be- only on.) small branch that first shows the blight, or it may bo half the tree, or perhaps tfio whole tree. Though the d isea>e sometime* shows a decided preference, for a particular variety, it seems indifferent as to age or position. An instance has been told vis of a row of peaches in which the trees worn of two varieties ami planted alternately. Tho disease in time took o\cry tree of one variety, leaving tho intermediate trees clean and healthy. Then, again, its attacks are sometimes intermittent; one season it may show itself and the next leave the treo apparently clean, only to reappear the following season. The trees most, frequently attacked are old or well-grown peaches that have been cut back and re-wnrked or left to grow a fresh head. In some orchards the disease ha» never appeared but on trees thus treated. An explanation for the attacks in such cases is that infection can enter through an open wound. .Similarly, trees accidentally injured in the working of the orchard will show infection in what is left of the wounded branch. In such instances it is recommended that the wound be painted with something that, will keep it from the air. Instances are known of trees throwing oft tho silver blight, but they are rare. In other cases trees will continue to thrive and l>ear profitably for years after its first, appearance. The prompt use of the pruttingfthears will sometimes save a tree. .Sulphate of ammonia is given as a stimulant to affected trees. Sulphate of iron is said to be antagonistic to the disease, and should bo spread round tho roots of the tree. Boring a hole in the stem of the diseased tree and filling it with this sulphate of iron has been tried. In a fortnight the sulphate was absorbed by the tree and the diseased branch immediately al>ove about dead. The holo was refilled, but with little further effect. It is intended to again refill it lw>fore the rising of the sap next spring. If anything is to be gained from such treatment. it should then show at the bursting of tho leaf buds. In all cases, however, where a tree is badly affected, it is the best, plan to cut it out, at once and burn it, and there seems no risk in immediately planting another youncr tree in its place. No doubt with this disease as with others the first step towards successfully combating it is regular cultivation and care, so that th» trees may bo kept strong and vigorous.

FILTERING MILK. In several European cities milk U fillorwf through sand. By litis process nil dirt, i* removed, the number of bacteria is reduced ono-third, and the quantity of mucous and slimy matter is greatly 'lessened, while the low of fat", jit now milk is onlr slight. Tho filter consists of largo cylindrical yessols, divided by horizontal perforator! diaphragms into five supornosed compartment*, of which the middle tlireo arc filled with fine, clean sand, sifted into three sizes. th* coarsest being placed in tho lowest and th« finest in tho topmost of tho,throe compartmcnts. Tho milk enters the lowest. wm< partmenfc through a pipe under gravitation pressure, and, after having 1. ran versed tlx* layers of sand from below upward, is carried by an overflow to a cooler fed with ice-water, whence it passes into a cistern, from which it is drawn direct into locfeod cans for distribution. BREVITIES. Success in farming lies in working you J land to tho greatest profit. There is an old saying that the farmer 1 13 tho most independent of men. When a horse becomes frightenod it is *•' mistake to use tho whip on him or employ harsh language. The farmer may vary the purposes for which ho uses his land, and still bo quit®' as successful as his neighbours. It is the privilege of the farmer to know that his future is more in his own hands than is the lot of most other men. There is no bettor way to save most of the original value of farmyard manure than, to haul it out from the yard to the field) 1 ©very day.

Salt that does not dissolve readily, or that contains too much lime or other ob-j jectionablo matter, should not be used in>' butter-making.

The endless modifications of the detail* of successful farm practice offer ample scop* for everyone to develop along thoir own special line.

When people are better educated on dairy matters they will not need so many laws for* their direction. They will be able to direct themselves.

The more varieties of grain arc improved tho more plant food they will draw out oP the soii, and the. greater "is the necessity for feeding tho land.

What is reported as a record cargo of frozen meat recently arrived in England from Argentine. It consisted of 3468 tons of beef and mutton, and 120 tons of frozen butter.

The horse is a herbivorous animal, therefore, when stabled, ho is generally kept or* dry grain, hay, and other dry provender, and is subject to many diseases unlets guard* ed by prudent, management.

Many calves are underfed without thoirt owners suspecting it. Not that, they even' get hungry, but they axe not fed food that? will give them the greatest possible development in tho least time.

The " return to the land," said an eminent , French statesman, referring to depopulation, in rural France, is not so much a question ! of money as of education, and the disposi- 1 tion in the minds of men.

A nrritor on swine says:—A crosß-grai»e<? man will soon spoil a lot of well-bred pip*.Gentleness is needed at all times, and with a gentlo master the pigs will soon become orderly and "will bo easily managed.

Experienced dairymen, who have begun weighing the milk, say that a close guess at the amount of milk in the pail is practically impossible, and they have every ore been surprised at the revelation of the scales.

Farmers who work alone the greater part of the time are likely to become a little cranky and one-sided. A bit of a stirring up is needed once in a while, such a c is afforded by visits, or a trip to the city, or by attendance at the farmers' meetings. Now ideas smooth out mental wrinkle*.

Milk is, in itself, a perfect food—that i*. it contains all the elements nootasary to sustain life and to build up and repair /ho bodily tissues. As it is a food, says Healto. it should not be considered as a beverage, to be used as such in addition to solid foods. When so used, it adds to the tax made upon the digestive organs.

As proper ventilation is necessary to ensure the health of the animal, as diffusion, draughts, and winds must- bring fresh air to the loaves, so much tillage or other treatment purge the soil of the injurious substances cast off by the roots, in this purifying process it is behoved that air. and therefore cultivation and drainage, plays an important part.

lb is interesting to note how people wi?« misjudge cows by seeing them milked. Jsin« out of ten people will chooso a cow that M pretty, well filled out, and plump, to on? that is not so pleasing to the eye, aim thai gives a less amount of milk. Yet this latte( cow may be the most profitable and brinr in a greater per cent, of profit than tb< former.