ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15500, 6 January 1914, Page 10

ON THE LAND.

'AUSTRALIAN BEEF EXPORTS. Frksii '.neat, is Bent all the way from 'Australia to Great Britain for 9-16 d per lb. The pneo it revises at Smithfield gives nn excellent return to the farmers and pastor.i.!;*:? of the (Vmonwealth. In the five yi us ending 1911. 382.000.0001b of fro/en beef wu exported from the C-ommon-w.dllh. Of tins upwards of 246.000.0001b went to the United Kingdom, while .000.' 'Xilh went to the Philippine Islands, ami 3•).OilO,000lb to South Africa. It is interesting to notice that Egypt is an incieasju.: buyer of Australian beef, and ii..w i„kej about 2.000.00C1b each year. In addition to tins Australia exported in the same live years over 637,000,0001b of ft /..'ii beef and mutton, of which 6)j3.000/<X)lb were bought by the United K.n^doin. Till. BENEFIT OF LEGUMES.. I' i. .i well known fa. that a vigorous; leguminous crop such as peas or cJotot • ■ttru i, .- ill.- land mi niti 'gen, and that mi' :ii, r . ro).. say wln'iit or oats, following ii' rotation willbeuettt from the nitrogen, residue*. Recent investigations show, how••Mir, that tin. cereal may derive benefit from the legume even when both are growin/ i: tin - urn ';:i'". In the Journal of Agrii ultural Science, vul. 3, experiments ii>- .; .-.tibed biaiing this inference Oats ate ciown in quart/, sand in small pots pi.i" i in Ijjgrr pots aW> tilled with *jiiitt/ sand, but growing peas only, and in both rases all the necessary plant foods w.-ro .-hided except nitrogen. The inner jiots were of two kinds. Where they were of glazed ware the oats showed the effects vi nitrogen hunger, but where they were of the ordinary porous pattern the oats grew vigorously. In the latter case it is believed that soluble nitrogenous matters diffused through Iho inner pot from the peas growing outside. Confirmation of these result* under lieid conditions seems to Ixt conveyed in a recent bulletin issued from Cornell University. Here also the h'U'iiu.) s"emod to supply available nitrogen to grass or oats growing along with it at thfi same time. 'lhus timothy grown with -erne contained in its dry matter 15.56 per cent, of crude protein, but without lucerne it had 12.75 per cent. Similar r"stilta were got from timothy with and without clover, while oats also contained more protein grown in a mixture than as a pure crop. While these results point to an earlier benefit from the legume upon other crops than had been supposed, it would ho insufficient in practice to grow, mv, clover with oats instead of giving nitrogenous manure where the oats require this. The greatest benefit from a leguminous crop will be found not upon the crop growing at the same time, but upon the next crop which follows after it is harvested or ploughed in.

MIXING MANURES.

The following directions are given with regard to the mixing of artificial manures by the British Board of Agriculture Probably it is now universally known that sulphate of ammonia must not be mixed with any manure holding free lime, notably basic slag and precipitated phosphate. The immediate result of making 6uch a mixture is the liberation of free ammonia, whose presence in the air can at once be detected by its pungent odour. If it is desired to apply sulphate of ammonia with one of these substances to any particular urea of ground, the phosphate should be put on a month or more before the other substance. Sulphate of ammonia, may, however, be mixed with the other ordinary manures, such as superphosphate, dissolved bones, bone meal, kainit. sulphate and muriate of potash, and ni'rate of soda. Nitrate of soda should not be mixed with superphosphate, dissolved bones or dissolved guano. Not only does such a mixture result in the loss of more or less nitrogen, but the mass is •Apt to become sticky and difficult to sow. Superphosphate and dissolved bones should not be- mixed with basic slag or precipitated phosphate, as this results in the soluble phosjjjjate of the super, or dissolved bones becoming insoluble. Potash manures (kainit and sulphate and muriate of potash) should not be mixed for more than a few hours with any "dissolved " manure (e.g., superphosphate and dissolved bones), not because anything is lost but simply because the mass becomes smcarv and unsowable. Generally speaking, th« sooner a mixture of manures is sown after it is made the better. Some mixtures, as has been indicated, get smeary, others get lumpy, while others, like basio slag and kainit, may actually become a hard, solid, stonelike mass, which the ordinary appliances of the farmer are. insufficient to deal with. PROCESSES IN THE SOIL. There are two groat processes going oni continually in the soil, which are known to he due to the activities of bacteria: (a) The conversion of ammonia and other compounds containing nitrogen, derived from decaying organic matter and nitrogenous fertilisers, into nitrates, the only form in which, so far as we know, plants ran utilise the nitrogen, (b) The utilisation of free nitrogen of the atmosphere by leguminous plan's. Both these proci'jses are greatly facilitated by the presence in the soil of a sufficiency of lime. Tho application of lime to tho soil is one nf the oldest methods of treatment known in apiculture. It was apparently employed bv the Romans 2000 yearn ago. In various J-'urope*tn countries it has been practised for many years past.

CREAM IN HOT WEATHER. Hoard's Dairyman save:—ln order to make good butter in the summer it is neccasary to take the very best of care of cream while it is being saved for a churning. Neglect to do this is perhaps one of the chief causes of poor butter in the summer. Butter from properly-kept and ripened cream will have a more deurable flavour, it will keep sweet longer, and bring a higher price in any market. Naturally the first essential is to take proper care of the milk in the stable and separating room. It must be kept away from undesirable odours if taints are not •wanted in the butter. It is preferable to skim a rather heavy cream in hot ■weather, one testing about 35 per cent. It ought to be skimmed before the milk lias cooled or set around for any length of lime.

One of the first essentials is to cool it rs soon after separation as possible. When it can be arranged a desirable nv.'tuod is to have the cream ran set in a tank of ice water or real cold well water while the, milk is being separated. One reason •why the quality of butter made from Cijolev creamers is often superior to separator butter is because of the cooling process Another method of cooling the cream is to lower it down in a well. A rial cot.l cellar answers the purpose fairly •well, hut is not so satisfactory as where told water is used.

Fresh cream never should bo mixed with that which is being saved fur a churning until it. has been cooled to the same temperature. It is best not to mix the two }'>r from three to six hours. It is the practice nil many farms to run morning's cream directly into that which was saved the previous night. This is almost sure to i.him' poor butter and should be avoided.

Another essential is to keep the cream thoroughly mixed. Whenever fresh cream in added the mixing should be very careful. Unless this is dona cream in the bottom of the can will ripen differently than that in the top, and cause poor butter. The mixing is dono most thoroughly by means of an agitator that works up and down through the cream. A churn dasher is hard to beat. A paddle simply stirs the cream around in a circle without really mixing it at all. If a genuine cream mixer cannot be bought, a tinner will make one at small cost. This is done by making a piece of tin in the shape of a cone and cutting it full of holes about one inch in diameter, and Attaching a wire handle. A mixer of this type will do thorough work.

The more often cream is mixed the more uniformly it will ripen, the better th"» KutUr will be, and the more thoroughly it, will churn. It ought to be mixed at JoaM thr"<? times daily, and oftener will be better, '-vhile it is being saved and ripened.

If it is allowed to rip n unevenly ttare will be a loss of fat b' .i. the butterwilk. it is not advisab'r to keep cream for churning in two dr.--fit cans. Even though the cream in the • no cans may bo of the same age, it will be hard to ripen thorn alike. No cream should be added to that being saved for a churning for at least 12 hours before churning time. Otherwise it will not have tim" to ripen evenly. Cream in hot weather is apt tc. get too ripe if it is not churned at twist twice a week. Oftener will he bet - <r. The characteristic taste and sin- 1 o' ri-eam properly ripened i>. soon loam The ripening process should be stopped a? this point if reaj good butter is the <]>:■. t. IMPROVING MILK YIELDS. A farmer in Sweden who prided himself on having an extra good milking herd of 70 cows joined a herd-testing association. He was quite sceptical at first as to whether it would pay to go through all this work or not. He commenced his work in 1897, and during his first year his herd gave an average of 800 ■r-dlons of milk per cow, a good record. He sold off 42 of his poorest cows as shown by the record, and kept 28 of the best ones! whom he mated with a sire of heavy milking ancestry. In 1905. in just eight years, lie had got back to 70 cows of his own breeding. Now mark the result of a little good intelligent work. Note that ail were descended from the 28 selected cows. That vear their record was 1220 gallons of milk. One society in South Sweden handling Ayrshir» cows increased its % ie'.d of milk per cow in one vear from 670 gallons to 876 gallons. These figures are very convincing of the value of pursuing an intelligent method in handling a herd of cows. CHURNING CREAM. When churning cream the butter should break in from 20 to 56 minutes. Churning too quickly and at too high a temperature makes the butter come quickly, but with a great loss of fat. When butter takes a very long time to come, through the cream being too cold, or the churn turned too slowly, the butter is palo in colour and weak in flavour. Much butter is spoiled through the cream being at fault.

TREATMENT OF ENGLISH ORCHARDS. According to the statistics published (says the Mark Lane Express) there were in Emjland last year 244,831 acres classed a? orchards. We are sorry to say we cannot say of "cultivated" orchards, because the mistaken idea seems to have prevailed to a great extent that orchards and pastures can get along all right without attention or assistance ; that kind Nature has endowed them with the power of continuing to extract nourishment from a soil sucked dry by years of cropping. The result of such a paradox is visible in the poverty-stricken condition of many orchards and pastures. It is pleasant to record that a change for the better is ; gradually taking place. It is being recognised that, when fruit trees of a good class rre grown, and sprayed and pruned, orchards become a source of profit not to be despised. It is essential that the trees, if expected to produce abundant crops of good fruit, should be supplied with nourishment to compensate them for the < material taken from them by the fruit. To maintain growth and fruitfulness, the tree must be able to draw from the soil the necessary amounts of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash and lime. A free supply of each of these substances is required ; nitrogen and potash being needed for the development of new growth, while phosphoric acid and lime play an important part in the production of fruit of good quality. Lime as well as potash is also of the greatest service in developing hardiness and enabling the trees to resist canker. The character of the soil and the local circumstances must be considered in deciding on the extent and kind of manure to be applied. In grass orchards in which stock is allowed to graze it is scarcely necessary to apply artificial nitrogen, as the droppings of the stock, if spread round the trees, should suffice. In special cases, where it is desirable to force growth, a little nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia may be used with advantage. In tilled-soil orcnards the application of nitrogenous material is more of a necessity, and farmyard manure or Peruvian guano is a suitable dressing. Potash is essential for all orchards, and according to experience the best form is sulphate of potash, which is recommended in preference to kainit. Phosphate of lime is also a necessity, and basic slag applied in tlifevautumn with the potash is appropriate. If application should have been deferred until spring, the more quickly acting superphosphates should be used.

The quantities of fertilisers to be applied vary naturally according to the size of the trees, bat it is good policy to be liberal with phosphate of lime and potash, which are not liable to be washed away. Nitrogen, especially in the form of concentrated nitrogenous fertilisers, should be used more sparingly. Two small dressings at the close of winter and early in spring are probably better than one big application.

It is an excellent practice to let styck have the run of grass orchards. Pigs and fowls are especially useful, as they destroy many larvtß of insects, while their droppings enrich the soiL

THE FOOL ANi|tHE FARM. It is an old saying that any fool can farm, and this was almost the truth when fanning consisted chief in reducing the fertility of the new, rich land secured at practically no cost from a generous government. But to restore depleted soils to high productive power in economic systems is no fool's job, for it requires mental as well as muscular energy; and no apologies should be expected from those who necessarily make use of technical terms in the discussion of this technical subject, notwithstanding the common foolish advice that fanners should be given a sort of "parrot" instruction in almost baby language instead of established facta and principles in definite and permanent scientific terms. The farmer should be as familiar with the names of the ten essential elements of plant food as he is with the names of his ten nearest neighbours. Safe and permanent systems of soil improvement and preservation may come with intelligence—never with ignorance— the part of land owners.'' ELECTRICITY AND FARMING. According to Clio Electric Review we may hope that this new power-agency will extend its influence to the work of the farm, relieving us of much of the drudgery that still exists, and making the work as attractive and pleasant as any other pursuit. When this comes about we may expect to so 9 farming take on a new life and flourish again in places where it has long languished. Deserted farms may then be reclaimed and a profitable field of work offered to many who now crowd into the manufacturing towns in search of a surer means of livelihood. BREVITIES. For summer butter-making the cream should be cooled to the churning temperature some considerable time before the churning takes place. Unless the cream is well cooled during the summer months, the churning does not proceed satisfactorily, and the resulting butter cannot be of prime quality.

Meat is a stimulant to egg-production. In small runs the hens should have animal food about three times a week. Scraps from the table, or fresh bones, will answer the purpose when only a few fowls are kept. If the bones are broken with a hammer, or axe, the hens will eat the pieces greedily. These can be given midday, in addition to some cut grass or other green food. But vegetable leaves not eaten must not be allowed to remain to rot.

Scaly legs are a common trouble with J fowls of the avenage farm, but are easily prevented. The trouble is caused by a minute parasite burrowing underneath the scales of the legs of the fowls and causing the leg to become rough and unsightly, and the scales to drop off, and in some cases making the fowl lame. Two or three treatments of the leg with an application of avernarius, or kerosene and oil will cure the worst cases.

ABOUT HOLIDAY TIME AND MAXIMUM ENJOYMENT. Holidays aro in the air, and the summer weather we are now enjoying makes us look forward with zest to the time when we, too, can indulge in a health-giving vacation. What plana we are making in our minds for the enjoyment of our holiday trip, with what eagerness we count the days that must go by before we can join the joyous band of holiday-makers, set free from the fetters of daily toil. - THE HOLIDAY CRUISE. On all sides one hears enthusiastic yachting and launching men planning the details of that delightful trip "up North," which, given fine weather and a fair wind, is sure to be an unqualified success — "Youth at the helm, and pleasure at the prow"—what more can mortal ask? Blue and gold days of sun and sky and sea await these lucky roamers over the sparkling waves, joy and freedom will attend upon them, her th and youthful enthusiasm will permeate their being, brightening their lives for many months to come. But no cruiser's outfit is complete without a pair of Barry's " Kloro " lenses, to protect the eyes against the harmful effects of the glaro of the sun on the sea, and the salt breezes which work havoc upon this sensitive organ. HOLIDAY GAMES. And you, who find your pleasure on land—on the tennis court, the golf links, the cricket pitch, the croquet or bowling greens, there is danger to your eyesight in the strong rays of the summer sun. The so-called ultra-violet rays have the same effect upon the eyes as sunburn on the skin, sometimes producing temporary blindness. We have all of us noticed the unpleasant sensation experienced when coming into the house out of the strong sunlightr-we are actually blind for the moment. Tints it behoves everyone who indulges in vacation joys to fortify his eyesight against the trying conditions by some sort of tinted lenses Samuel Barry stocks many kinds, Smoked, Amber, Blue, and the new yellow-green "Kloro" glasses, the king of outdoor lenses. These "Kloro" lenses are specially recommended, for they represent the latest scientific discovery, and are made to absorb all the harmful ultra-violet rays in sunlight, protecting and resting the eyes. They can be made to suit any sight, and serve a threefold purpose inasmuch as they combine improvement in vision with protection from sun-glare and dust.

EYESTRAIN ON THE HOLIDAY JOURNEY.

Many of us who thoroughly enjoy a vacation, look forward with feelings of dread to the journey we must take, the bogeys of sea-sickness and train-sickness

haunt us, marring our pleasurable anticipations. Just a word to these sufferers, which may result in their increased enjoyment of holiday delights. It is a scientific fact that eyestrain is responsible for a great proportion of these unpleasant ills, for perhaps nowhere do we uso our eyes so badly as when travelling. We read close print in the railway carriage, perhaps with a poor light, when the incessant vibration necessitates the focus of the eye being changed almost eVery second, or we gaze out of the window at the flying landscape, tiring our eyes, and racking our nerves with the strain. Small wonder we soon suffer from headache and sometimes train-sickness, for the eyes have bo intimate a connection with other organs that, when they are misused, the whole body suffers. Fortified by the aid of properly fitted glasses the delicate eyesight is enabled to stand the strain, and our sufferings are relieved. THE SEA VOYAGE. " A life on the ocean wave " does not appeal strongly to everyone, but poor sailors, take heart. Eyestrain may be responsible to a great extent for your sufferings, «nd glasses may be the remedy you are seeking. The sun's rays reflected from the sea, added to the incessant motion, try the eyes to an enormous extent, and sea-sickness can in very many cases be traced to these causes. Before setting out on a journey the eyes should be tested by a competent and experienced specialist, such as Samuel Barry, and any faults corrected by carefully fitted glasses. This may be the means of transforming the dreaded journey into a positive pleasure— a pleasing fore-runner of holiday joys to come. TO HOLIDAY SEEKERS, ONE AND ALL. Just a final word to everyone who seeks to obtain the best possible results from a vacation. The health of the whole body is so dependent upon the state of the eyes, that it is impossible to thoroughly recuperate after the stress of the working year, until the eyeaight is thoroughly perfect. If natural sight "defects exist, then the eyes should at once be tested, in order that the whole system shall be thoroughly free from strain.

GIVE YOUR EYES A HOLIDAY.

Provided with the proper glasses, then the whole body will reap the benefit of the increased comfort, and health and vigour will be the natural consequence. Confide in Mr. Samuel Barry your eye troubles, either at the Exhibition, or &t his city address, 290, Queen Street, in order that you may set forth ot: your holiday with . everything in your favour for t :e regaining of health and lost vitality.