ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18130, 30 June 1922, Page 10

ON THE LAND.

N.Z. JERSEY BREEDERS. The annual report of the Now Zealand Jenrey Breeders' Association states that the pafct year has been a strenuous one for dairymen, owing to the decline in value of dairy products. The altered conditions, however, have called more than ever for dairy efficiency, and the Jersey, with its; heavy producing qualities, has enhanced its popularity in all parts of the Dominion, and no better evidence of this is required than the high prices that were realised for Jerseys during the year. During the year 202 new members were elected, the removals from the register through deaths and resignations were 20, the total membership now being 987, a net increase of 182 for the year. The balance sheet shows that the net profit for the year was £59 Is 3d. The total number of males registered in the Herd Book to date is 11,904. and females 15,274. There was the usual activity in the transfer of journals, no less than 2277 males *nd 1986 females changing ownership. The appointment of Mr. H. E. B. Watson as honorary official demonstrator to the association has been more than justified- During the year ho gave demonstrations at some of the mepropohtan and district shows throughout the Dominion, which, were largely attended, and were a great success. EARLY POTATOB SETS. Sets of early potatoes alter selection should bo placed in shallow boxes, one layer deep, with the crowu or rose end up{>ennost. They should then be placed la a cool, dry shed where light is frooly admitted, but frost excluded, or where, if only one or two boxes are concerned, a covering of straw or other material can be placed upon the boxes to protect against frost in severe weather and removed, when the danger is past. The o'd Rj'steni of leaving the tubers lying on the ground to green prior to boxing is open to certain objections, especially in a year when blight is prevalent, as diseased haulms are often scattered in close proximity, and there is some danger of clean tubers being infected by Bpores lying ou tin surface of the soil. If the tubers are boxed and then left out there is less objection, but in a proper store with plenty of light, the tubers green sufficiently :n the boxes. Where the varieties are of the main crop and late kinds, and a considerable area has to be planted, a deeper box is more suitable. Several layers of tubers may be held, and the box can be carried to the field in spring without neediess handling of and p?rhaps injury to the sprouted potatoes. Most authorities are agreed that much bettor returns jsre obtained from seed tubers which produce two or thi-ee good strong stems than from tubers which produce double the number of weakly growths. If the first intention of the sprouting tubers is preserved, and if sufficient light has heen given and proper conditions observed, every eye will not .grow, but the tubers will restrict themselves to two or three leading sprouts. If, on the other hand, potato sets are kept in the dark, every eye will endeavour to produce a sprout which will be light-coloured and weakly.Where insufficient light has been given, and too many sprouts may have been produced, some of these can be reduced at the time of planting bv rubbing off the weaker and retaining three of the ■ strongest at the rose end of the tuber. The sprouts at planting time, should be strong and sturdy, not more than an inch . long, and of a dark-green, purple, or blue colour, sccord : ng to the variety. Exhibition have found that by using large iseed and reducing the sprouts to one—viz., the strongest—the general tendency is mat large tubers of good exhibition quality are attained if the seed has been jjroperly selected f«r that purpose. <

DAIRY COW DISEASES. Our King Country correspondent writes : ; —" A lecture of considerable interest to dairy farmers was gives, at Otorohanga, recently under the auspices of the Farmers' Auctioneering Company, Ltd., the speaker being Mr. E. F. Hardy, a veterinarian. The meeting took place on the farm of Mr. F. Phillips, the subject being " Diseases of Dairy vows." Mr. Hardy cpened . his lecture by a lengthy discourse 'on " slipping," *or abortion, and emphasised the necessity of farmers knowing something of the causes of this disease, and the organisms which lee! to it* It was mentioned that in rare caws the causative element vras found in'bulls, and because of this all sires should ba thoroughly tested and examined before being added to the. herds. After detailing the various methods of dealing with the trouble, Mr. Hardy stated that strict attention to sanitation" in all departments connected with the milking and use of dairy stock'would do a great deal to aid farmers-in getting rid of the disease, and enable them to get more and batter'milk from their animals. A number oS other complaints affecting the cow were dea.lt with, one of _ particular interest being mammitis, which usually mikes its presence felt each year to no inconsiderable extent. The lecturer mentioned that in this disease there was no positive cure, but it responded to drenching, hot fomentations applied to the affected quarters, and_ massaging and bathing the mammary veins with hot water, while in some cases an application of kerosene oil was useful after the fomentation. The trouble was mainly caused by a chill. As a general rule a drench consisting of four ounces of camphorated oil to one ounce oD turpentine and ten drops of tincture of iodine given daily was recommended as a possible remedy. Cows suffering from mammitis should not be milked by machine as the disease was contagious, and other animals might be affected: Foot rot could uscaHy be remedied by a change to drier pasture in the early stages, as the cause was feeding on wet flat country. Milk fever as it was usually, thoueh not correctly called, could almost certainly be avoided by leaving some milk in th 9 udder for the calf to remove naturally. CLEAN MILK. Cleanliness, says the Farmers' Advocate, should be one of the first principles of the dairyman. When it comes from the udder of the cow milk is pure and sweet, unless there is diseases present or unless bacteria havo gained entrance to the lower part of the udder and begin the process of contamination before it is drawn. • It is very difficult to realise that so many millions of these email organisms can inhabit a small quantity of milk, and this, perhaps, is one of the reasons why there is a tendency to get careless in the handling of milk. We are sometimes inclined to latgh at the suggestion that milkers should wear white coats and wash carefully before sitting down to milk, but it is only necessary to say in this connection that these things have been found to help materially in reducing the count of bacteria in fresh milk. Those who are- m the business of producing what is called certified milk, which is chiefly distinguished by its very low bacterial count, always observe these precautions, anci while it is not considered practical for the average dairyman to take the same precautions, because they take time and expense which are not repaid in the Kile of the product, it should be good business for every dairyman to be as careful as he can in the operation of milking. It seems tho easiest thing to do, if it happens to be convenient, to have someone putting down hay, or .straw, or perhaps cleaning the stable, or feeding the stock when the milking is going on, but it does not require much thought to believe that this must be bad for the milk. When we realise that in all dust and dirt about the stable there are countless numbers of bacteria lying ready to be blown or carried about to places where they can grow and multiply more easily, and when we just think about the dust that is raised whenever a forkful of hay or straw is moved in the stable, it is easy to ?ce that the milk must be contaminiit';i'; if these tilings are done dur-\i-oihr..-° thing that, would help very \ materially and at the same time be better ! go? tit cows is the matter of grooming.

We would not neglect to groom the horses — although we have found some men who do not do this even often enough to keep their horses presentable— but it is the rare man who makes a practice of grooming the cows. Just why it should not be as good' for a cow as a horse is hard to understand. The simplest reason seems to be that the horses are taken out on the road where the neighbours see them, while the cows for the most part are kept in the stable. The result of this lack of grooming is that sometimes their flanks are covered with caked manure in which dirty straw is imbedded, and the animal certainly is not in a condition, at least externally, to make clean milk possible. Even ii it is taken for granted that it is not necessary to keep the cows as clean as the horses, still it does not fcake much time every day to go over the herd and use the curry comb and the brush for a minute- on each. There are some dairymen who do this regularly and there are many more who do it irregularly; but there are too many who do it only very rarely or not at all. It stands to reason that the cows will thrive better if they are kept clean, and certainly there is a much better chance of marketing a clean, wholesome product.

PHOSPHATES FROM THE SOIL. A scientist, cogitating on the great outlay of farmers for phosphatic fertilisers, conceived the idea of making the crops self-supporting by the use of the phosphoric acid lying dormant in the soil. Analysis of uverage soil shows that it contains largo stocks of, this valuable constituent, often supplies sufficient to last for a century, but the phosphate is in an insoluble condition. The problem is how to get crops to use it, and this is the question the scientist set himself to solve, and claims that he has succeeded.

The basis and method of his proposition seem to be as follows: —Leguminous fodder crops, lucerne, clover, vetches, beans, etc., can be made to bring into action the dormant phosphates in the soil. Contrary to the hitherto accepted opinion that these crops should be liberally dressed with phosphate of lime fertiiers, they should never be supplied with it. Efforts shcvld be directed to oblige them to seek their phosphatic nourishment by pushing their roots downward, penetrating the soil, breaking it up, and extracting their requirements of phosphate. For this purpose the most effective method is a one-sided manorial treatment. Supply them liberally with nitrogen and potash. Should the soil be really deficient in lime, a small dressing of this subtance might be given. A dressing of nitrogen and potash increases crops of lucerne, clover, etc., far more than the ordinary application of phosphate and potash without nitrogen. The result is great development of the root action with a big crop, which has obtained its phosphate out of the soil, and as a consequence of the fodder being consumed on the f<«rm, a bigger supply of 'farmyard manure containing phosphate extracted out of the soil and converted into an available condition. Another advantage claimed is that the deve'oped roots of the leguminous plants have absorbed so much nitrogen out of the air that the farm:;r need spend less money in that expensive subtance. _ The proposition is startling to our ordinary ideas. The scientist claims that it is based on experiments, and will revolu ionise systems of cropping.

N.Z. CLYDESDALE SOCIETY. The annual meeting of the Clydesdale Horse Society was held at the Otago A. and P. Association's board room, Dunedin. Mr. George C. Thompson presided over the meeting, at which there was an attendance of about 40 members. A number of apologies were also received. Thirty-two new members were elected during the year, the total now being 334.

The past year, notwithstanding the depressed state of things generally, has shown that both in Australia and New Zealand good Clyd'Ssdale horses are scarce, and those who have courageously stuck to their studs during the lean years are now reaping their rewards. Several important displcnishing sales have been held < during the year, and at these high prices have been paid for first class stock. In tho case of stallions the record was 900 guineas, and in that of mares 385 guineas, whilst yearlings and two-year-olds, colts and fillies of extra quality have sold at from 150 to 350 guineas. The demand for town carriers' liorses and for draughts for farm work has at times been greater Jhan the supply. The outlook for the future is srood. and those who breed good registered 6tock will find the industry profitable.

AGRICULTURAL BREVITIES. Milk quietly, quickly, cleanly, and thoroughly. A rise of 30 per cent, in the price of crude potash salts took place in Germany at the end of December. The farmer who plants trees leaves a valuable heritage to his sons, and does something that will help to keep the family on the farm. As a plant capable of yielding a large amount of valuable foliage under a great variety of soil and climatic conditions, maize is without equal. Legume, and especially red clover silage, has a rank odour, and is not relished by stock. However, lucerne and cow-peas have been used with good results. The right way to economise is to cut out non-essentials, non-productive items. Go through your farm expenditure and see what you can do without, and what you can't do without. Manure is one thing you cannot profitably do without. In practical agriculture the method of applying chemical fertilisers should vary according to the nature of the soil and I the kind of crop. In general the heavier the soil and the deeper the root system of the plant the earlier the manure should be applied. On stiff soil manure containing much straw is preferred, on account of the good effect of its physical action in the soiL Winter is the best time to put the manure on the land, but if that should h.'jve been omitted, the manure can be applied when the potatoes are planted, and put under them. Milk has a maximuan viscosity at a temperature of 32deg. to SOdeg. F. As the temperature of milk rises its viscosity decreases. The viscosity of milk may be demonstrated by taking two pipettes and measuring in one a quantity of water, and the other an equal volume of milk. By comparing the time for the pipettes to empty K. will be noticed that milk is more viscid than wafer. It frequently happens in orchards that have been drained that a clump of perhaps half-a-dozen trees will go off, and usually a carefui examination will determine the fact that surplus water is not being properly carried off the land. Both the root-borer and the armillaria fungus have many times had to carry the blame which should have been given to faulty drainage or total absence of such a system. Nearly one and a-half million bushels o* wheat, oats, and barley have been brought down from the Peace River and Grande Prairie districts by the Edmonton, Dunvegan, iwnd British Columbia Railway since the first of September, according to figures issued by the railroad. Nino hundred and five railway cars have come down from the north country with 718,624 bushels of wheat, 676,983 bushels of oats, and 100,699 bushels of barley.

Some idea of the Joss involved ini the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in England may b© gathered from the fact that during the trouble there were slaughtered 21,510 head of cattle, 17,971 sheep, 8575 pigs, and 41 goats, total, 48,097 head. For compensation was paid. £761,460; but from this must be deducted £95,000, Che salvage value of contracts not diseased, which -were slaughtered for food. The administration expenses were £30,500, and expenses of slaughtering and disinfecting, £123,500. Total net cost up to the end of March was £820,460. / Among the Canadian provinces Saskatchewan led last year in the value of field crops, the total for Saskatchewan being 265 520.C00 dollars. Ontaric oame next with 236,907,000 dollars, followed by Quebec with 192.773.000 dollars; Manitoba. 93,128,000 dollars; Alberta. 88,985,000 dollars; New Brunswick. 38.051,100 dollars: Nova Scotia. 33,992,500 dollars; British Columbia, dollars; ■ "Prince Edward Island, 16,530,500 dollars. ■