FARM TOPICS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1618, 4 March 1903, Page 64

FARM TOPICS

Good oat straw is preferable as a fodder for cattle to badly made bay. Analysis shows oat straAv possesses considerable nutritive value. It is not, of course, so well balanced a food as hay, owing to the fact that its ‘carbohydrate constituents are in excess in proportion to its albuminoid matter;, but when given in conjunction with other foods calculated to make up for the albuminoid matter in which it is deficient, it lends itself to being very effectively used as a fodder for all classes of stock. • '\. * * •* •»

The Minister of Agriculture, Germany, lias introduced a series of proposals for the relief of heavily mortgaged agricultural estates. A commssion was appointed by the Prussian Chamber of Agriculture to examine these suggestions, and concludes that the State has the greatest interest in relieving the landed proprietors of their mortgages. It is its duty to show how this is to be done, and to place the means required at the disposal of the proprietors. The Chambers of Agriculture are prepared to assist in this work, and to support it. The expectation is expressed that the public credit establishments will undertake the financial operations free of cost.

The operations ai'e not to be limited to any special term*. Nothing can be don© without a limit of indebtedness being laid down. In this respect, however, as in the whole organisation and carrying out of the relief work, the greatest possible freedom is to be enjoyed by each, province. The raising of loans for improvements should not be impeded. ******

The “Transvaal Agricultural Journal” reports:—“Live stock from Cape Colony have recently been travelling in large numbers overland to the Johannesburg market. A flock of about 3000 sheep, onefourth of. which were merinoes/and Cape sheep, recently travelled fromythe Hopetown district, near Kimberley, covering the distance at the rate of from nine to ten miles per day. The sheep arrived in good condition. This flock was the vforerunner of a smaller one of 2000 similar sheep that arrived a few days afterwards, also in good order.”

The agricultural statistics for Great Britain show that wheat this year was planted in 1,726,356 acres, or 26,000 acres more than last year. The estimated yield is 32.83 bushels per acre, which is three bushels per acre mßre than the 10 years* average. In England the estimated yield is 32.83 bushelr against a 10 years’ average of 29-S6: Wales. 27.96, against 24.33; and in Scotland 38.07 bushels, ..against 37.29. Barley growers have had a trying season, and the area devoted to the crop in Great Britain- was 1.906.433 acres, which represents a decrease of 63.000 acres from, last year. The estimated yield is 34.82 bushels per acre, which is 2 bushels more per acre than the average yield for the past 10 years, and 4 bushels per acre more than last year. In England (lie estimated yield is 34.89 bushels per acre, while the average of the past ten years was 32.62. In Wales the estimated yield is 33.66. against the 10 years* average of 30.28; and the estimated yield in Scotland is '35.52 bushels, half a bushel less ner acre then the average of 10 years. The vields from Ireland are noted as not beinsr yet completed. * * * * *

The young animal pays more than the adult because it grows and increases rapidly; the younger the animal the lower the cost of production. A pig farrowed in early spring and marketed late in the autumn will give a much larger profit than will one kept through the winter. There is also a great demand, with better prices, for a small carcase, a weight not exceeding 1501 b. being preferred to an animal that is heavier. ******

“The large black pig,” writes Mr W. J. Malden, the well known English breeder of pedigree pigs, “is now competing keenly® with other breeds, and although its interests have been guarded by a breed association only for the last few years, it has been established long enough to show how wise it was to save the breed from -extinction. There is, doubtless, a tendency among breeds which have been subjected to improvement for a lengthened period to accumulate too large a proportion of fat to lean, and in. the interests of pig keeping it is highly important to guard against this, especially. as owing to the large amount of lean beef end mutton which reaches the markets,- even the poorer classes will pot eat exceedingly fat pork. The large black pig has a verv strong constitution, the proportion of lean to fat is great, and the fat delicate in flavour and easy of digestion.” ******

Upon cow feeding mixtures, the Massachusetts Experimental Station reports recently many inquiries relative to the most economic grain mixture for milk production. Tailing feeding effect and cost into consideration, the following mixtures are suggested:—l. 1001 b bran, lfiOlb flour middlings. lOOlb cotton seed or gluten meal; mix and feed 7 to 8 quarts daily. 2.1001 b bran. 150 lb maize and cob meal. 1001 b cotton seed or gluten meal; mix and feed 7 to 8 quarts daily. 3. 100 lb maize and cob meal, 1251 b gluten feed; mix and feed 5 to 6 quarts daily, preferably mixed with maize silage. Very satisfactory and economic results are being obtained at this station with the following:—l. 2001 b distillers’ dried grains, 1501 b maize and cob meal; mix and feed sto 6 quarts daily. 2.101 b distillers’ dried grains, 1001 b flour middlings; mix and feed 6 to 8 quarts daily.

In a series of trials made at the SouthEastern Agricultural College, Wye, on sugar beet, as compared with mangels, for sheep, it has been found that tenelevenths of an acre of sugar beet will serve sheep as long as one acre of mangels- but the cost of growing the beet is T 9 9s 4d against £8 15s 9d for mangels The trials were decidedly favourable’ to the mangels, the sheep fed on them having gained on an average 40£lb per head, as against 331 b gained by those fed on beet. In a second series of trials the results were still more favourable to the mangels, the average increases in weight being 301 b against 221 b. Moreover, the sheep which had the mangels handled better, and their wools looked brighter.

* * * •» * Although the attendance at the sheep fail’ held at Palmerston last week was well up to expectations, the prices ruling were unusually low, the demand being the dullest experienced at similar sales for some time. *■ * *■ * « *■> *

The rape and turnip , crops on tl>e high lands in the Martinborough district have greatly benefited by the recent heavy rains, but the crops near Gr,eytown. have suffered in a corresponding manner.

The Wanganui A. and P. Association intend to introduce a new departure at their next show, in the direction of offering substantial prizes in the home industries department. The prizes will be given for the best bottled fruit, jams, sauces, and pickles. * * * «■ »■ *

The supply of store pigs i n Palmerston district has improved greatly during the past few weeks, and tns

prosjiccty for tho remainder of the sea son have also brightened considerably. Tho Woodville Bacon Factory is now m full swing, and likely to continue so for soma months.

Tho Son don ' Granary which was established twelve months Pgo b.y the Manawatu County Council for tho benc■tit. of tho farmers in that district has just completed a most successful year. Thy total receipts wero £27 Us Sd, and the expenditure TO Os, leaving a credit balance of £2O 14s Bcl. Encouraged by this /success, the Palmerston branch of the F a rulers’ Union has affirmed Ihe principles that central' granaries are a desirable tiling and an effort wiil probably be made to have more of them established in tho district.

9 '+ 9 c .* Tho President of tlie Farmers Union (Mr G. G. 'Wilson) is preparing a circular which it is proposed to send throughout the colony, setting fort a the ai ms and objects of the union, and the bm'.Cff'N V; hi oh are likely to accrue to those joining.

Tho orchard'.sts of tho Manawatu ar.r short cf seasonable fruit, a shortage due principally to the heavy weather, and tho ravages cf the small birds. These latter constitute a matter to which ? serious attention will have to be given in this district, as it is assuming pre- - portions which are f.ir from reassuring.

A country correspondent cf one cf tho Palmerston papers says:—l don’t think, taking everything into consideri&ton, that tho farmers will do so badly with their crops this year. Certainly tho weather for haymaking was exceptionally bad, but the few line days enabled most of them to got all the hay in, stack, the root crops are flourishing in an entirely satisfactory manner and more than abundance of autumn feed is promised. There is a largo area of oats under crop and being harvested, and, given a continuation cf fine weather until the end of the month, the sanguine anticipations of farmers may bo realised. The estimates of some cf them are likely to prove over sanguine ; but, .taking the oat crop all round, from what 1 have seen of the district, and that is tho most of it, the yield should prove to bo the best one seen for years. The growers of wheat and -barley certainly have justification for their jubilant anticipations, as everywhere the prospects are cf the best. ******

Mr Duncan Anderson, of Ruby, Out., who raises many bacon pigs, says lie would not select a brood sow from a first litter or an autumn litter, as neither of these produce the best kind of vigorous offspring. A dam should bo two years old before her offspring should be kept for breeding purposes. Mr Anderson adds that lie would not breed from a sew with a curly coat. Her skin should bo clean and her hair abundant, smooth, soft, and straight. A gGod sow should have a curl in her tail. A rough sow is always a poor doer. A brood sow should be somewhat open in build, have good length, a rather large belly, and a strong arched back. With such a sow a neat and more compact boar should be bred. Mr Andersen uses pure-bred Yorkshire sows of the kind described, and a Berkshire bear. With this cross he secures a good individual and a good feeder, more particularly a good grazer. Pigs of this breeding are invariably white in colour.

With her enormous interest in tropical lands (says the “American Agriculturist”), England has long had an itching to go extensively into cotton-grow-■ing in countries other than India. The British manufacturers have taken the initiative in tlie formation of a company known as the Manchester society, for the encouragement of cotton-grow-ing in the colonies.' This is, of course, largely the direct result of the increased areas to be brought under cultivation by reason of the vast irrigation enterprise in the Nile valley. Among the features of this spirit is the modelling of an Egyptian department of agriculture along the lines followed in this country, and the dema'nd, at handsome salaries, for American cotton experts. Fortunately, our growers and the officials at Washington have been keenly alive to all these possibilities. Encouraging progress has been made in experimenting with Egyptian cotton in the south, and more will follow. Eventually, we should ho less dependent on importations (bought foreign cotton last year amounting to £9,000,000). What is even more essential, must continue to maintain our hold in the European markets requiring such enormous quantities of the raw staple.

In order to further develop tins now important branch of farming in Siberia the Russian Emperor (says the “Pall Mall Gazette”) has sanctioned the Ministerial proposal for granting loans to co-cperative butter factories in Western Siberia. Under this enactment Government loans not exceeding 3000 roubles (£475), and payable within five years, may he obtained by co-operative butter-making societies in Western Siberia for the purpose of building but> ter factories and refrigerating rooms for the storage of butter. Some idea of the growth of the Russian butter trade can be gathered from the fact that

the shipments of Siberian butter from Riga in the year 1899 were only 272 tons, Avliiie last year the amount shipped to Great Britain, had increased to 12.050 tons, which made the’ total from ail Russia to the United Kingdom 31.238 tons of butter. This year the quantity of Siberian butter promises to bo still greater than the amount received last year.

Tho council cf the Royal Agricultural Society of England has decided to adept the single-judge system for this year’s Do.;don show. The experience of Hus system at Smithfield. where it has been in vogue for the last four years, has been hiahly satisfactory. - „ * * An emergency vote of a million dollars lias been recommended by the House Committee of Congress towards the expense of stamping out foot-and-mouth disease in the United States. Mr Wilson, the Secretary of Agriculture, informed the committee that it had been necessary to kill all infected cattle in the quarantined New England States, and that arrangements had been made with the ‘-hate authorities to pay 70 per cent, of the value of the animals killed.

Now that the figures for November are available, the great trade of Ireland with Great Britain in live stock is more striking than ever. During the eleven months ending with November, 893,814 cattle, 1,026,670 sheep, and 554,714 pigs have crossed St. George’s Channel, and these numbers, compared with those cf the eleven months cf 1901, show increases of 297,395 cattle, 206.057 sheep, and 37,933 pigs. The totals for 1902 bid fair to surpass all previous shipments, and it is to be borno in mind that prices have been satisfactory. Horses alone have fallen off slightly, the 24,156 for 1902 being 134 fewer than the number for the eleven months of 1901. Like Great Britain, to-o, Ireland had a good harvest. * * * * * *

Electricity promises to play a. yet more prominent part in the agricultural world than it has hitherto done. It was,- up till the other day, says “Invention,” confined to what may be termed tho purely mechanical side of agriculture; it has now to be classed amongst fertilisers, as we have it on J.h-0 authority of a Vienna journal that "two Russian scientists have just perfected an electric battery specially designed for this purpose. The novel battery, according to our informant, is buried in the soil, which' thus becomes magnetised, and not only makes the crop more forward, but more abundant. Excellent results are stated to have been obtained from potatoes, beetroot, trefoil, barley, and colza.