RURAL TOPICS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1523, 28 February 1901, Page 43

RURAL TOPICS

Mr J. Gould told the Federation. Commission that the estimated yield of cats '"in Canterbury this year is about six million bushels. « * * * « At Greendale recently Mr Geo. Holland threshed a large paddock of cats, which; gave the handsome return of 10l£ bushels to the acre. Mr*G. S. *Jakins *told the Federation Commission that his firm alone exported a thousand tons of onions last year.

Every year he shipped onions to. Honolulu, San Francisco, and Vancouver. American onions also came to New Zealand, but it was to supply the market when the local onion season was over.

•a * * * * A remarkable freak of nature occurred at Sefton last week. A heifer belonging to Mr L. Ashley calved one calf; about two hours afterwards she had two more calves, and a short time afterwards she had another calf, four in all. The first calf is alive, but the others were dead whetn calved, although they appeared to have just died. All calves were fully formed, but were on the small side. The cow is doing all right, and did not appear to be any the worse.

• * * * • A new record price for a Shorthorn bull calf has been established in Scotland, Mr Phill L. Mills having given 355 guineas for a calf bred oy Mr Wm. Duthie of Collynie.

In the four great Western cities of America, Chicago, Kansas City, Omaha, and St. Louis, the consumption of mutton has increased in thirty years from half a million carcases to 6,000,000. Mutton is rapidly becoming a mere popular article of food in the States.

' “Rusticus,” iA the ‘‘Bruce Herald/’ reporting on the crops in his district, says : -—“A noticeable feature of the wheat crop this year is the large amount of velvet varieties grown. It will he remembered that previous to the Hessian fty making its presence so seriously felt in 1893 thdse were the varieties most generally favoured. It was then found that the harder strawed Tuscan wheats w J ere practically ffy-resisteUt, and? in consequence they came rapidly into vogue. The return to velvet wheats, which by many are considered heavier yielders and less exhaustive to the soil, would seem to indicate that farmers have got over the scare then caused, and are now looking upon the re-appearance of the fly as only a remote contingency. Their confidence certainly does not seem to have been misplaced this year, for, though the pest has been noticed, and, I believe, has been blamed for doing a certain amount of damage (although of this I cannot speak with certainty) there is no indication that it is likely to repeat the devastation wrought eight years ago.* 5

It is commonly believed, after Brac.yClark, that horseshoes with nails came in with the mounted barbarians who invaded the Roman Empire, and that those of the Huns. Goths, Vandals, etc., served as models for the mediaeval cavalry. M. Louis Adrien Levat, in the “Revue Scientifique” says the opinion is quite as mistaken As that which, on the strength of Homer’s coursers with “feet of iron” makes the origin go back to the heroic ages. Hippo-sandals are mentioned by Catullus, but not the nailed shoe, which, however, was invented about the .second or third century, as the funerary monument of Vaison in the Calvet Museum, Avignon, atd exeiv.turns at Narbonaisc have shown. It was the construction of the great Roman cau::<ways which promoted its .imvoduewon. After the dismemberment of the Empire it became armorial and arohit 3 iconic. William the Conqueror fostered the new art, and had an hereditary super ntendent of horseshoes, the Ferrers, of Rutlandshire, who probably gave rise to the custom of nailing hoi'seshoes on doors.

According to the “Tapanui Courier,” a private letter from Mr Watson Abram, now in the Home country, indicates >hat horses of all kinds are very dear, and a good draught stallion costs from £BOO lo £ISOO. First-class geldings bring up to £l5O in Glasgow. Light horses are at famine prices—£800 being paid for a stylish gig horse in England.

* *• * « # The practice of first using grade bulls to grade up the herd, and then getting a pure blood, is detrimental to, the grading, as it takes so much longer, and time is a precious article in this progressive age.

* •* * * * ■* Horses, like human beings, frequently run down in constitution, and in order to effect a recovery they require not only careful treatmeait, but as much rest as can be conveniently given them, and at the same time a carefully administered course of medicines. As a tonic in susch a case, nothing better can be employed than one consisting of three drachms of sulphate of iron, 40 grains of sulphate of quinine, five drachms of sulphuric acid in one pint of water. From two to three glasses of this tonic should be given twice a day.

The ‘'Breeders’ Gazette” states that M. Linniere, one of the leading French authorities in veterinary science, has communicated to the Acauemv of Medicine his discovery of a method whereby cattle are rendered immune from the attacks of Texas fever. His plan is to procure cultures from an animal suffering from a malignant attack of genu-ne Texas fever, and then from these produce a serum which, in attenuated form, is administered hypodermically to the animals which it is sought to immunise. It is confidently stated that M. Linniere’s methods differ most radically from any yet utilised in the States and in Queensland. The French veterinary school stands high in the world’s scale, and for years has done an immense amount of successful work in the investigation of stock diseases.

It is stated in the Chicago “Daily Live Stock World'’ that the receipts at the

stockyards, Chicago, during the past 3 T ear were as follows :—Cattle, 2,734,000, an increase of 219,000; hogs, 8,122,000; and sheep, 3,554,400. The cattle receipts were the largest since 1894; hog receipts were about 55,000 less chan in 1899, and sheep and lambs 128,000 less than in 1899. The article mentions tint the lesson feeders learned during the past year was that it is better to make a mistake by selling cattle of medium weight than to be caught with cattle already toe heavy for market, ana getting heavier every da} 7 . * * * * ■* A farmer sends the following to* the “Mark Lane Express”:—“l see that an. enterprising pork butcher has made a corner in Royal pigs by buying the whole of the fat swine from, the Flemish farm in Windsor Park. A good many years ago I had some business transactions with the Windsor bailiff at the Norfolk farm, and on one occasion I remember meeting a butcher from the neighbourhood of Slough who gave such an enormous price for the Windsor porketrs that I ventured to ask him how ho could afford to give such large sums for the animals. ‘You see, sir,’ he answered quietly, ‘these Royal pigs have such a lot of legs! 5 And he softly drooped his left eyelid/’

A progress return of the stock in New South Wales on January 1 gives 443,042 horses, 1,816,123 cattle, and 39,938,138 sheep, being, as compared with the corresponding date of last year, a decrease of 6425 horses and increases of 13,123 cattle and 3,724,624 sheep. The statistics for the autumn, winter and spring seasons show that the number of ewes put to rams was 13,009,555, and the number of lambs marked 8,738,260, or 67 1-6 per cent., being a. considerable increase as compared with the previous year, the figures for which were 11,631,805 ewes put to rams, 5,716,70 G iambs marked, or 49 1-6 per cent. * -tt -X: * *

The effects of salt on the heiaitb of sheep is not generally understood. Its effect is to give tone to the system. The ash of the blood of a healthy sheiep contains about 60 per cent, salt, and the ash of urine 33 per cent. The scarcity of such an important constituent in the blood means a relaxation of vital energy. The moment this takes place the opportunity for the development of parasitic organisms comes. Salt should be available at all times. Though sheep take very little of it at a time, they show grdat eagerness for it if they have not had it for a few days.

Our experience in judging horses, (whites “Cable’’) has led us to regard the ear with much care, as its attitude and movements indicate quite a variety of conditions ; horses whose ears are ever restless without apparent cause are frequently ultra-nervous creiatures, well worth watching. Again, the restless ear will sometimes point to defective eyesight, which majr be accompanied with partial or to tal less of vision, while animals which throw them closely back upon thel poll are often inclined to nip or frequently a signal for combat. On the other hand, horses whose ears are nearly kept in the same position most of the time! are more than likely to be dull, stupid creatures, if thev are not totally deaf. Deafness in horses is not at all a common thing, though we occasionally meet with cases in which the animal s attention cannot be attracted by sound. The ear of the horse is not only a partial index to the animal’s character as far as vice and docility are concerned, but its movements will at times sounl the keynote of danger or warn us to be on the aleirt-