ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14526, 14 November 1910, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

__ ii» — FEEDING TH3 COW. All nursing animals are chronically hungry, says Professor Wrightson, and a cow is more than a' nurse. She is a cultivated, artificially-trained; nurse. Just as wellbred hens are induced to lay an egg every day, so a good cow will yield enough milk for three calves. That such animals should be voracious need not be a matter of surprise. A cow yielding three, four, or five gallons of milk every day does a great deal more with her food than a fattening bullock laying on 141b of beef a week. Now, who would expect a bullock to do this on less than 41b of cake and 41b of meal per day? How, then,, can a cow be expected to keep up thrco gallons of milk daily unless she is fed fully as well as a bullock? The question might be worked out{ by looking up the amount of solids in 141b of beef and in 21 gallons of milk. It might bo taken out in terms of nitrogen; but I expect the 21 gallons of- milk would contain more than 141b of beef. Milk is all taken straight out of the blood of the cow,' and unless it is replaced, with allowances for waste in digestion, it must bo taken from her own flesh. This is the view which should bo taken of cow-feeding, with all its contingencies of gaining and losing flesh and increasing or decreasing in value. LIME IN THE DAIRY. One of the most useful pieces of furniture in the dairy is the limewater cask, of which too much use cannot be made. As a disinfectant it is one of the best; it is odourless, destroying all odours, and is one of the most wholesome, effective, and economical sweetening and cloansing agents. There is no secret in the preparation; as much lime as you please may be thrown into the cask, the water will take up what it can absorb—about 10 grains to the pint—and no more. Stir the lime well into tho water, let it settle, and the solution is there, clear, odourless, almost tasteless, and ready for use. It should bo used for the final rinsing of all dairy utensils and vessels, anything and . everything about the dairy and the milkcans, it cleans and sweetens, destroys all acidity, and acts as a perfect disinfectant. When the fluid is gone fill the cask again and stir well as before, until tho limo is exhausted, which will be when the solution has lostf its slightly, salt or earthy taste. THE WOOLLY APHIS. The woolly aphis is a suckling insect, and gets its nourishment by piercing the bark of stem, branches, or roots with its long beak or mouth parts, and sucking the sap therefrom. Wherever it infects a tree its attacks cause an abnormal growth of the plant tissues and wart-like swellings are formed of considerable size, which generally are very uneven, and furnish numerous crevices wherein the insect more or less shelters. The effects of attack, by the insect, especially if the roots are much infested, is often visible chiefly as a general enfeeblemont and gradual decline resulting, when very severe, in the death of the tree. A brief statement of the life history of the woolly aphis is as follows: —The adult insects are found in two forms; one form has wings and does not excrete the down matter, while the other and more numerous form has no wings, and excretes from the pores on its abdomen the bluish white cotton-like matter that- covers the insect and renders it so conspicuous. There are a succession of generations of the aphis throughout the year, tho young; for the most part, being produced alive and in immense numbers from the wingless females as follows: Towards the end of the year a few wingless females and males are produced, the former depositing a single egg in a crevice of the bark, frequently near th* base of the tree. When she has laid an egj she dies. The dead skin of the mothei of ton forms a covering over the egg and to some extent protects it. The egg remains on the tree all the winter, and in the spring hatches into a wingless agamic female. The females tfhen bring forth living young rapidly and without parthenogenitically. These young are always wingless agamic females; the offspring are likewise. This is continued during the summer, each generation being apterous females only. Towards th-rf latter end of the summer, winged agamic females are developed. Some of the winged forms leave the infested tree and fly to other trees, where they establish another colony by bringing forth living young. Late in the autumn, towards the approach of cold weather, some of the agamic females bring forth living wingless and mouthless true males' and females. These pair, and the females each develop a single fertilised egg and perish as previously explained.

THE DUTCH COW. The Dutch cow in size ranks with the Shorthorn and even larger; the dimensions of her frame are quite as great, and at maturity she will average 12501b, while it is not unusual to find them weighing. 15001b, and some remarkable cows have reached 18001b. The great cow Pietrertje 2nd, whose mills yield in 12 months was 30,3181b, herseli weighed 12651b, at 11 years. Paulim Paul, whose yield of butter from daily churning* of her milk for 365 days was 11531b, weighed at eight years 14501b. Dc Kol 28th, whose butter record exceeded 26.11b in seven days, weighed at four yean of ago 12401b,: and 16501b at maturity. Aggie Cornucopia Pauline (34"1b butter cow) ; weighed 14601b. The average measurement of mature cows has been found to be: In girth, 7S.6in; height at shoulders, 51.8 in; at the hips, 53in; length of body from extreme point of shoulder to extreme point of ramp, 64.9iu; width of hips, 21.9 in. . The calves are large, exceeding those of ! the beef breeds, and weighing 701b to 1001b at birth; and this fact is of especial importance to those engaged in raising veal. Some years ago, when it was the practice to strive'only for annual milk yields, the reported records of these great Dutch cows wore regarded by the public as impossible, yet satisfactorily authenticated records of 18,0001b to 20,0001b of -milk in 12 months were reported in very considerable numbers. MANURING GRASS LAND. The manuring of grass land has been the subject of so many investigations in rccerd years that there is now little doubt as tc what will prove successful treatment, due 'regard being paid to varying circumstances i The chief need of grazing land is phosphoric acid, tci replace that taken away in the i carcases of the live stock, and to this musi bo added potash on light land. At no tim( can these plant foods be more economically supplied than during the autumn and winter when basic slag can supply the phosphoric acid and kainit the potash. The earlier it autumn these fertilisers can be applied th< greater will be the result in the following season, but they may be used quite effee tively until the end of January. If the lane contains clay, basic slag alone, at the rate of from fiewt to Bcwt per acre, will do al. that is necessary. The remarkable effect ol this fertiliser in increasing the proportion of clovers and finer grasses in the herbage on such land is well known, as is the added value of the land for grazing purposes. It is now known that similar benefits, though not nuke so pronounced, are obtained on fighter a U d if a potash fertiliser be added to the l „ Tt was indeed, shown recently that oven light chalky downland could be greatly Sovld by this combination, though accenting to old ideas, it seemed a most unlTkely soil to benefit from slag. On very S land the result certainly takes longer, sometimes two years, to make itself aprnrent, but .it is there all the same, and is soon detected by the preference of the stock to graze on the dressed portion.. lor light land, then, it is fairly safe to recommend about scwt of basic slag with 3cwt of kainit per acre. If preferred, lewt of sulphate or muriate of potash may bo substituted for the 3cwt of kainit, and it sometimes has an advantage where cartage is a consideration. Some farmers still prefer bone-meal to slag for tlWr light, hard pastures, and this > also is a manure that should be applied in auturan. Steamed bone-flour is the best form of bono fertilisers. It may bo given at the rate-of Apy/t to 6cwt jjer aero* . SCf^'ri' 1 :-•'■■-■'■ '■> : ■•"'" ■'■■'■"■'" ''•■ ' : '* '•''■''•'-■•'■'■• l -' : -" ; ' i ' ; ' ;:

USING FEOT3HSEKS. . Phosphates are contained m superphos* V ' phate or acid phosphate, basic slag, bones -' ■* [all forms), rock phosphate. : ,'.,- Superphosphate (up to 4001b per acre) is .' ; valuable on account of the phosphate being ■:'■_ "W'Sl solublo in water; it should not bo used on . - v. ; S|i sour land, nor applied long before it is "''.-" needed. Especially useful on land contain- v, ing much lime. ; .■; Basic slag (up to 6001b per acre) is valuable l m account of its contents of phosphates and ;'.-':; lime; it is especial!;' useful on sour land. ' 7 "T and stiff clay, and is best applied; three ■•'.'.•.';-$ months before it is needed. It is useless ':? an land containing much lime. Bones (up to 4001b per acre) are best when ..: ;- they have been steamed or boiled, since the fat is mostly removed thereby. Should be ,;.'i in a very fino dust, the finer the better, and ' :<i4 applied some time before needed. May be ">-j applied to any land. "7 Rock phosphate (up to 10001b per acre). is •? rery slow in action, and should be ground ■:■?, is fino as possible. It gives; best results when mixed with fresh farmyard manure, M ;h© mixture being allowed to stand uirtil the •/■ manure is ready to be used. ;.v Sulphate of potash (up to 1501b per acre) is -; Jho best form to use generally; it is rather . ;'; more expensive than muriate, and may be applied some considerable time _ before it is . I,'i leaded, so that the injurious principles may . - * lye removed by rain. Its harmful effects are ■": especially evident with potatoes, beets, and tobacco. •- . ■ >'"'•■',"s Kainit contains less potash (than the muri- ■ ;; ate and sulphate. ... ~j.| Wood ashes contain about one-eighth the . '' amount of potash contained in muriate and -.■/.■'-'■'r.-'fi, sulphate. They are especially valuable on .;-; sour land. ...... ' ' •'! SOIL FERTILITY. , . Among the causes which, render land in- -" ,: '.'j: capable of bearing satisfactory crops, • the - _,J>following may be mentioned:—Want of lime ■; may induce sourness and a disturbance in < the ratio between lime and magnesia. Its " ■{> absence also affect* the growth of many ; ; :'.,"- ; -./ crops for which it is an essential plant food, * k V particularly leguminous crops, such as ;, :j lucerne and clover. Its presence or absence , ',- modifies the texture of the soil, clayey soils \ . | in which lime is deficient being generally ■■ jZ much harder to work when wet, and less --* friable on drying than those which are suffi- ' ; ciently supplied with it. Soils which are deficient in lime are less favourable for the development of micro-organisms, particularly .:';:■;;£■ of the nitrifying organisms. S Deficiency in humus is a common cause of infertility. A soil deficient or wanting in humus is less able to withstand drought, - lacks cohesion, is easily blown or washed '•• away, and is unfavourable to the growth of microorganisms The remedy is to apply vegetable matter-, which by its decay will provide the necessary humus. This can be £ done by green manuring, by ploughing under S 3tubble and by the addition of farmyard ;;; : S;;?a manure. . .; ; Absence of bacteria, particularly of the , nitrifying organisms, is prejudicial to the ,', satisfactory production of crops. The cause :' : is generally one or other of those already referred to, either want of aeration, lack :,-,'. of lime or vegetable matter, sourness, bad tillage or drainage, and when such -soils are restored to good condition the develop- ; "; ment of the nitrifying organisms will pro- '. seed normally; ■ Want of plant food is, of course, a com- ; . mon cause of infertility, especially in the ..-■':..■-; case of land which has been exhausted by repeated cropping without . manuring or - * iv-SS rotation. Proper manuring, having due con» . ,0 sideration to the requirements both of the ■'•.-, soil and of the crop, is the remedy, pro- ; vided that the land is in good condition; '- but the important fact must not be lost Bight of that the mere addition of plant food is not sufficient unless the soil is in. such mechanical condition that it can make good use of the manure applied. Manuring alone is not likely to be 01 full benefit on ; land that is badly drained, sour, or in bad . ..J tilth. ■" ■- ■ - ■ .: : ; SOUR SOILS. '•' Sourness is one of the most common causes of infertility in soils. It is brought about either by the absolute exclusion of air, as in water-logged oils, or soils in which the surface has become impacted; or it may be '-'■-■-C 4. the result of an excessive amount of organic . '• matter, as in peaty soils. In both!cases the ; result is the formation of organic acids, ~ which, in the absence or deficiency of basio substances, such as lime, to neutralise them, ./, act as plant poisons. They not only affect the growth of the plant, but have a solvent action upon the fertilising soil constituents, which are liable to be waslied out and pass ,'.■■;■.?' into the subsoil. Soils which are red or chocolate in colour from the presence of ;> oxide of iron if allowed to become sour are very frequently bleached in colour. They ; also exercise a reducing action upon the higher oxides, such as ferric oxide, reduc- . -' ingit tea state of ferrous oxide. The remedies for sourness are thorough cultivation; turning the soil and exposing it to the ,y air. In cases where it is the result of ac- ..,; cumulation of water (in swampy lands) it is ._ X' necessary: to have recourse to drainage. The application of lime to neutralise the acfda >wi is in all cases beneficial. By a proper sys- .- tern of drainage, together with thorouga cul- ; tivation and the application of lime, it is ;ifc;' piite possible to restore sour land. Ti<e use of basic slag on such land can be recom- .. mended. ' "'■':- J '.' ! 'iy--%

BREvrnE& t "' More work on the land will make mora i '.. plant food available for the crop season. A horse, well looked after and not overworked, will grow till it is. five years old.- ; With his wonderful appetite and digestive powers, it is the height of folly to keep the . ; pig on short rations. Fodder crops produced in lime-rich roils contain better nourishing qualities than crops grown in lime-poor soils. ..;•-.'.■ Abortion in animals ha:s been proved to bo caused by the entrance into the system of a vegetable micro-organism. It is a matter of fairly common observa- .'•/; tion that she of bone is difficult to obtain on overstocked or stale pastures. :; Experience has demonstrated that when fat "sheep are sold with the wool on the breeder gets nothing for the wool. Experiment has shown that slaked lime, : if stored in a dry place, can be kept for .. months without any change in its compost- ; . tion. ■.'■■'.:''''% Six hundred steam or gasoline-hauled , ploughs were at work in Canada during the ...-,. preparation of the ground for seeding m ■ •-. April. . » . , 4 Quicklime mixes more readily than slaked •--.• lime with the- soil, and it w. better, unless there are special circumstances, as its sctiou ..- is more effective. The first feature of a" draught horse, is the foot, without this he will not rtudtj* > work; in less than no tamo he will crack up and be valueless. Where the cows are fed with t something substantial to supplement the picked-up fodder of the paddock there is a marked improvement in the yield. Docs a horse pull or push a cart, Sir Oliver Lodge says.that he really ipuj because his head » put into a collar, „nd the motive power is gamed by pushing. Cows are like you will got lot ot tuew <• * fe how; finding one wh.chjwnte bow t. it is for the cowman to say «u« this ho will permit^ . ~> in wxTjilar arid thorough There is more » «g milking than the man ™»£ . h& . act o£ to increase the flowMM keep the money in your pocket .;; ~B e 7„. trees and neglect them. The SS/tS. 8 much Hke b a child; it must have good care, culture, and nourishment, : , and an occasional dressing. _v..i The cow's udder is of special importance. It should be large, and its skin thin, with ; ; loose, soft folds extending away back, capable of great distention; when, fiUed, . out shrinking back when empty. '■'-":'-■■';''■ Plough tho weeds under before they seed; this iway you will get the'green manure v values. They will return the plant food ; they.-have stolen* and ■ the land will be the i humua they must make to the good. - ,'yj. Never give the working horse more food at a 'time than he will: clear up. Itt» an easy thing to get the measure of the ««?«»£ . of. each animal in the t-wnn, and to lead* 'ftccordiagjls* % >~?.;••