ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14142, 18 August 1909, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

ORGANISING A FARM.

To some men a farm is merely a rude, rough abiding spot for then and their family a few years, till they can move to another of like character, or till they die. There is no other idea in their mind, and there is no other outcome of their hands. Toothers, a farm is a centre around which group large possibilities. It is a place for the building of a home from which radiates light andwarmth for all the better elements of worthy character. It is a place for the exercise of a noble affection for wife, children, animals, orchard, fields, and all. Children bom in such a home carry with them all their lives the fondest of recollections, and the impulse of a finer manhood. If we look over such a farm, and there are thousands of them, we will find in every instance that here lives a man who has the power to organise forces for their best expression. Such a man lives a rich life, even though it. may not bring him public acclaim and recognition. His children, his buildings, his animals, even his crops, "rise up to call him blessed," and he is blessed. Tnere is no sense of the favour of heaven and the respect of men that can compare with it. There is no spot on earth where so much can be done that will bring lasting satisfac- ! tion to the souls of men, for so little expense, as on a farm. CATTLE IN ITALY. Accepting official estimates as correct, the value of the cattle existing in Italy is approximately £88,000,000, including only the bovine races, and with regard to that large amount of national capital it is computed that about one-fourth is comprised in Southern Italy. Disease prevails to a regrettable extent among cattle in that • country; tuberculosis is frequent, foot-and-mouth disease is a serious trouble, and anthrax far too common. Not long ago, for example, there was a severe outbreak of the foot-and-mouth pest, affecting Lombard? more particularly, when the loss in that province alone was calculated at £200,000. Taking one year with another, the average loss to Italy caused by disease of cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, and domestic animals generally amounts to about £800,000. This figure is said to be about a quarter of the annual loss from the same cause in Germany, and less than half that suffered yearly in France. ■''_____'• ; SUNFLOWER GROWING. In spite of the fact that the sunflower (Helianthus annuus) grows almost to perfection with little trouble in this country, the economic advantages of its cultivation do not seem to have received proper consideration. One of the most valuable constituents of the plant is the oil, which oxists in large quantities in the seed. This oil is formed by direct synthesis in the process of growth, and does not extract, to any material extent, the fertilising constituents of the soil. Russia is one of the principal growers of the sunflower for commercial purposes, and annually exports to England alone 1,500,0001b of the oil extracted from the seeds. In America and also in Spain' and other countries of Europe the seeds are mostly used for poultry-feeding. They are eaten with avidity by all kinds of poultry, and are admirably suited for fattening birds for the table- The seeds are also used for their condimcntal and medicinal properties. The oil is very palatable without any ; refining, and is suitable and acceptable for salad dressing purposes. Chemical analysis has shown that oil-cakes prepared from the residuum of the seeds after crushing have a. high nutritive value, quite equal if not su- ■ perior to that of flax and of cotton-seed cakes, such as are more commonly used for cattle food. . -. !* : THE SPECIAL COW. The special-purpose cow does not necessari- > ;>.< ly mean a pure-bred cow, but she must be » descendant of a nure-bred sire of the specialpurpose type. Dairymen can hope for, just as good success with highly-graded cows which are descendants from sires whose dams were* special-purpose cows. No up-to-date dairyman will be found guilty of main- : taining a graded sire in his herd. If.:! the/ small dairyman cannot afford to own a pure- . bred sire by all means him co-operate with his neighbours ~ and securo the very bes,t animal possible—not necessarily a show animal or one that may possess fashionable colouring/ but 'an ■ animal that claims for a, dam a heavy-producing cow, and this cha- ! racter trace through the ancestral line a3 far back as possible. "' BREVITIES. ,■.:'-; Save the best sows for breeders, but do not use them too young. ' Health depends on open air, sunshine, shade, exercise, and freedom. 5 J A little soot spread over the soil before onion seed is sown will prove beneficial..; v No one need fear that his mental or : physical activity will suffer. on the farm.|It will give a horise great comfort and rest if the harness is removed at noon while ; -he is feeding. - - - - ' ■■'" >It■ is natural for pigs to root, and it is : profitable to let them do so under certain proper conditions. A well-bred ram will often add two to three pounds in weight of flesh or. fleece over a common sire. ■ "■' Feeding sheep in low,' marshy places is - about the most unfavourable condition under which they can be kept. :< : The use of the hand separator has brought about the rearing of many calves on hand separator skim-milk. ~ > Because Herefords in the past have been scouted for the dairy, there is no reason., why this Bhould always bo the case. The -whole essence of the successful keeping of a herd of dairy cows is the question \ of weighing And watching the milk records. : Many dairy-farmers could supplement '■ ■ their income by J keeping a few bulls (if good) from some of their deepest milking cows. Keep a record of your breeding operation!. Get a good blank book for the purpose and follow a thorough system."' It makes work, ' : but ;it pays. .;'-.• ' ; Few farmers take the pains to fan seed oats enough. Often the oats, are run through a. fanning mill once and sometimes' , not at all. • % " , ''• Care should bo used to feed the skimmilk I. to calves fresh and warm from the separator, giving small rations in preference :,., , to large ones. ' - ~.';'' The owes should be kept in good condition at the time of the birth of their young, as those in poor condition '■ are not apt to own their young. Records and accounts pertaining to farm management are just as necessary to pro- ,-. fitable up-to-date farming methods as bookkeeping is in any other kind of business. You may think the milk is thin and that the calf needs no water, but milk does not take the place of water in his requirements. Calves will leave tho milk-pail for water. v The curl in a pig's tail is, not "a useless ornament; it indicates good health. When the curl begins to straighten .out look for i disease and give medicine or a change of feed. it Corns on horses' feet sometimes cause ■ considerable lameness. '~, Suppurative . corns are tho most troublesome, and require immediate attention; The foot is inflamed and may bo swollen at the coronet. farmers at the present time have no reliable sources to obtain bulls in any largo numbers from undoubted milking strains, and many of them would gladly pay a fair price f«r bulls bred from good milking families. ■ -■■ .'■■■■.■■:- : "' ;■■■ ..:-.■■■: ■ .:..":'"■.-.- ■.'.:; '• "■■:-' ;'..''•--::....'' k: ■■-■•'■■■^./'^^^■f;'i-:^ !^;KXha?S