THE FARM.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 764, 22 October 1886, Page 15

THE FARM.

EXTENSIVE TREE-PLANTING-

We maintain that every settler who plants a good tree is to some extent a public benefactor. From the abundance of our splendid native forests in New Zealand we are in danger of under-rating tlio value of tree-planting. We should constantly bear in mind that our forests will not iast for ever at the present frightful rate of destruction by axe and tire. Tne institution in many States of America of what is called Arbour Hay has done much good in encouraging tree-planting in districts formerly arid and barren for want of trees. In his Arbour Day proclamation the Governor of Kansas said that the State which the pioneers found treeless and a desert now' has growing upon it ‘ more than 22,000,000 fruit trees, and more than 200,000 acres of forest trees, all planted by our own people,’ He also stated that there had been an increase in the rainfall in Kansas, which was proved by the statistics of their oldest meteorologists.

SICK ANIMALS. Writing on the ailments of the lower animals the Western Rural, an American paper, makes the following sensible remarks : Whenever an animal becomes sick, the first thing that'should be done is to summon to our aid tli9 best common sense that we possess, rememberiog that with animals as with human beings, good nursing Jis considerably more than half the battle. The first thing that ought to suggest itself is cleanliness. The patient ought to be kept clean. In some kinds of sickness this is not easy of accomplishment, bat it should be assured. . Certainly no one need be told that filth is inimical to recovery. There should be plenty of clean bedding furnished, and in ease of discharges the animoi should be washed twice a day, even if some force is required to do it. Bathing sick animals is a good thing any time in warm weather. In case ot fever there is nothing that will prove more beneficial than a thorough bath two or three times a day It is far better to rub a sick animal off'with'a sponge and tepid water than it is to harshly rub them for the means of cleaning them. The curry-comb ought not to be applied to a sick animal. In short, whatever is done ehould be gently done, for sickness in animals usually produces a considerable degree of physical sensitiveness, as it does in human beiog=.

Especial care should bo given to feeding. Now what would common sense determine to be the proper food for a sick animal ? What kind of food do we require ourselves when sick ? Why food that is easily digestible. That indicates to us what the character of food should be for a sick animal. In ninetenths of diseases, the digestive machinery is out of order; and now how can it be expected that tbe ordinary grains and dry food can be digested under such circumstances ? The food should be mashes and other soft foods, and sometimes the addition of milk and raw eggs is very beneficial. There is probably nothing in the treatment of an animal that should be watched eo carefully as its appetite. People often write to us that their animals have lost their appetites. What do yon feed them ?we inquire. And not infrequently the answer comes they have before them all the time the best of this or that bind of food. Then we know at least one reason why they have no appetite. Now just suppose thp reader was not feeling well and had an impaired appetite, and suppose he was compelled to have before him constantly one kind of food, and perhaps a kind that he loathed from the start. Would it be expected thathia appetite wpuld improve? Never le*ve befoie a sick animal food that it does not want to eat. Remove it, and in a few hours feed again. Feed small quantities at a time and feed more often. Feed a variety of foods, tempting the appetite in this way. Try salt to make the food more relishable. In a word study the whims and caprices of ths animal and attempt to meet their demands. The horse especially needs much attention in this respect. When the animal is well he does not bear hunger very well. His stomach is small and he needs constant attention when sick that he may not become too hungry, and the horse particularly relishes a change of diet when it is sick. Except in diseases of the bowels give the sick animal all the good, pure, cool water it wants ; and if the animal has free access to water it will drink a little at a time, which is much better than to have it fill itself at intervals.

And now we will give a few excellent food preparations for animals that are sick. An oatmeal gruel may be made by taking a half pint of oatmeal, and then adding a gallon of boiling water. Boil the whole for a few minutes and it will be ready for use as soon as it is cool enough. When the digestion is in a very weakened condition this will bo excellent. If the animal is in an exhausted condition four fresh eggs and two quarts of fresh milk beat together, and given milk warm is a concentrated form of nourishment. In case of debility, a peck of ground malt and om- and a half gallons of boiling water is a nutritious and valuable mash. A softening and laxative mash may be made of bran, a half-peck, and boiliog water to scald it thoroughly. If the condition is not such as to require any of these, boiled oats, oil eake and cut foods will prove excellent. At this time of year grass is a prime food and sovereign remedy for many il's.