THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21579, 26 February 1932, Page 3

THE RURAL WORLD.

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

By Rusticus.

NEW ZEALAND WOOL SALES 1931-32 ROSTER The roster ot the New Zealand wool selling dates for the 1931-32 season has been arranged as under:— March I—Dunedin. • March 4—lnvercargill. March 11—Wellington. March 16 —Napier. March 21—Auckland. March 31—Christchurch April 4 —Dunedin. April 7—Timarn. April 11 —Wellington. April 14—Napier. April 16 —Wanganui. 1931-32 SHOW SEASON FORTHCOMING EVENTS 1932. March 16.—Lake County, at Arrowtown. March 24.—Otago Ram Fair. March 28.—Mackenzie County, at Fairlta March 28.—Strath Taieri, at March 31. —Temuka and Geraldine. Stocks Held The stocks of frozen meat in stores in New' Zealand as at January 31 compare as follow: * Jan. 31, Jan. 31, 1932. 1931. Beef (quarters) ~. 10,394 20,913 Wether mutton (c/cs.) .. .. 264,443 214,204 Ewe mutton (c/cs.j 314,973 131,774 Lamb (c/cs.) .. 1,827,974 1,382,294 Pork (porkers) (c/cs.) • • . • 17,20 l 15,04 J Pork (baconers) (c/cs.) .. •• 6.463 9 > 467 Boneless beef (frt. c/cs.) .. .. •• 51,039 37,960 Sundries (frt. c/cs.) 30,200 31,738 The stocks of frozen meat loaded into vessels not departed from New' Zealand at January 31 compare as follow: Jan. 31, Jan. 31, 1932. 1931. Beef (quarters) .. 190 3,864 Wether mutton (c/cs.) •• •• 63,894 d 3,662 Ewe mutton (c/cs.) 59.903 38,708 Lamb (c/cs.) .. 406,000 31a,720 Pork (porkers) (c/cs.) •• •• 2,378 1.533 Pork (baconers) (c/cs.) .... 5 38 478

Control of Club-root Lime has long been advocated overseas as an effective controllaut of club-root, but prior to the commencement of investigations in 1928 it had failed to provide a satisfactory control in New Zealand. The w'ork at Palmerston North has shown in both small-plot and field experiments, first, that applications of burnt lime in quantities which the farmer cap afford will provide a practical control of clubroot: secondly, that the value of lime as a club-root inhibitant may be lost by drilling seeds in contact with superphosphate, basic super, a mixture o super and carbonate of lime (half and half), or special turnip manures composed largely of super; and, thirdly, that to procure an effective control with lime the fertiliser applied with the seed must be of a strongly basic nature, preferably basic slag or a mixture of equal weights of super and slaked lime. IL is clear that the practice of sowing seed .m contact with super and special turnip manures has. in the past obscured the vane of lime in reducing the attacks ot tne disease.

Seeding and Fertiliser It is the selection of the fertiliser with which the seed ia sown that largely determines whether club-root will be con trolled or not by liming. Lime does not kill the spores of the club-root organism, but renders the soil environment unsuitable for their germination. The sowing of an acid fertiliser in contact with the seed may, temporarily at any rate, neutralise the effect of the lime and make the soil conditions about the seed suitable for club-root development, lertihsers which have been found to nullify the value of the lime as, a club-root controllant are super,, basic super, super and carbonate of lime mixture (half and half), and turnip manures composed largely of super. To ensure club-roo control by liming, therefOTe. these tilisers must be avoided. Basic slag a mixture of equal parts by weight of super and freshly slaked lime have proved satisfactory and permit the lime to control the disease.

Critical Feeding Period Frequently the January-Februavy period is marked by . fall w dairy production much greater than may reason ably be attributed to natural causes, such as the advancement of the mdking season, and observation, has shown that this fall is almost invariably linked with poor feeding If proper measures were not taken earlier not a great deal, apart from pasture-management measures can be done at this stage to avoid this most unwelcome fall. However, it 18 worth remembering that at times certain crops may advisedly be fed for the purpose, of obviating an excessive fall, even though these crops if left longer would £ve greater yields. For example, a partly erown crop of soft turnips fed at this Re when it is badly required may nrove of greater value than it would feTwhenlt i. .fully grow., bat »ot «. badly needed. In addition to turnips, crops of young succulent lucerne, red clover, maize, and millet may suitably be fed now, but if such crops are allowed to become mature and woody they develop the same weaknesses as stemmy grass.

Increase in Exports The exports of frozen meat during the four months ended January show decreases in mutton and pork, and increases in lamb and beef, details being given in the following comparative table:— Beef. Mutton. Lamb. Pork. Ors C/ca. C/es. C/ce. London 29,386 531,088 1,451,104 30,118 amp ton - Liverp’l 5,639 14.884, 114,811 3,30 l Gl’sg'w 3,326 2.844 24,353 2,700 A 'm’th 2,503 6,510 53,932 1,599 Manches- _ _ I>6oo _ New , York 401 Houo- n lulu San Fran- 9 cisco Van ‘ _ io couver Other conn- _ tries 1 56 33t> 51iT41,250 569,041 1.696,517 37,774 1930-31 38,000 838,217 1,521,029 56,669 Increase •Decrease. In addition. 79.651 bags of boneless beef, mainly for Glasgow, were exported during the four months, compared with 42,260 bags a year ago. New Zealand Cereal Crop# Estimates published in the Gazette anticipate that the output of cereal crops for the current year will show an allround decline. On the basis of the tables, which have been compiled from stock inspectors’ reports, the total wheat yield for the season should be approximately 0,660,000 bushels, as against the actual yield for last year, 7,579,153. On the assumption that a similar proportion to last year of the total area of oats and barlev is threshed, the oats yield should be approximately 2,850,000 bushels, as against 3,376,809 bushels for the 1930-31

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season, and tiie barley crop 530,000 bushels as against 837,696 for last season. The average estimated yields in bushels per acre arc: —

Melophagus ovinus, the common sheep “tick” or Ked, is a member of the same order as the house fly, and is m reality not a tick at all. It is a sixlegged, .brownish coloured parasite, resembling a wingless fly, and spends its entire life on the sheep. The tick travels all over the sheep’s body, but it seems 'to have a preference for the belly and underside of the neck. It lives on the blood of the host and the grease or yolk of the wool. After shearing the ticks have a tendency to leave the shorn sheep for the lambs. When present in large numbers they cause unthriftmess ana debility. PREPARATION OF DIP.

There are several ways of preparing suitable dipping fluids. I would be glad to supply information in regard to home made fluids on request, but farmers generally will find it more satisfactory to use one of the well-known proprietary dips now on the market. Remember the makers have years of experience behind them. Whatever preparation or method of dipping is adopted, there are certain precautions which have to be taken, both to protect the sheep and to ensure that the application is effective. In the first instance settled weather should be selected for dipping, which should be done in the morning of a clear, warm day so that the sheep can be dry by night. Very hot weather is undesirable; it might even be dangerous when the arsenical solutions are used. Wet weather should be avoided. A fleece saturated with water from continuous rainy weather does not take the dip mixture readily, and the latter is more likely to be quickly washed out. If the weather is too cold or the nights are frosty afterwards, there is a risk to the health of the sheep from exposure. . To obtain the maximum efficiency .in parasitic eradication, it should be the aim of all neighbouring sheep owners to dip their sheep at about the same time, after a careful muster has been made, as any sheep remaining undipped will have a chance of re-infesting the whole flock. In connection with the dipping preparation, the first essential is to follow implicitly the instructions supplied .with the particular make of dip. The mixing of the dip ought to be done the day before it is intended to be used, thus ensuring proper solution of the ingredients. The term “ non-poisonous given to certain dips which are generally coal tar derivatives is not strictly correct, as ail contain a certain amount of carbolic acid or other toxic material. In many countries these dips must be labelled poison°UHardness of water is detrimental in dipping. Such water conveys the dip into the fleece very slowly, and it has a tendency to destroy or render inactive the soap present in fluid dips, with the result that the emulsion is broken up and the acids and oils are liberated. If the water is hard this difficulty can be overcome by adding 21b of ordinary washing soda (previously dissolved .in hot water) to every 100 gallons of water. The dip must be thoroughly well mixed, and this should always be done again before the first sheep are put through. Too much care cannot be exercised m keeping the bath free from gross impurities, both by skimming floating particles off the surface and by changing the fluid at intervals. An old and dirty dip laden with manure encourages rather than retards the attacks of insects. It frequently happens that a dirty dip is contaminated by the sheep that have gone through with the organisms of Malignant Oedema, because it is perhaps not generally understood that few if any of the dips in common use have any actual bactericidal action. Therefore, sheep with abrasions such a« might be caused by dog bites or rough edges of yard and race timber going through the dip may become actually infected from it, and die of blood poisoning. After ail the sheep have been through the dip it is a good plan to make the sheep dogs swim through so that parasites which may have been collected by them are destroyed and thus there is no risk of the recently-cleansed sheep becoming once more infected from the dogs. Among the causes of complaints of the ineffectiveness of dipping are the following:—(1) The dip is not maintained at the proper strength. (2) It is not kept thoroughly mixed. (3) The bath is too small and the sheep do not get proper immersion. DIPPING MORTALITY. To return to the question of dipping mortality, when this occurs many far-

mated) for the Domin ion, season 193132 .. .... 24.44 32.56 28.79 Average (actual) for the Domin ion, season 193132 30.44 38.74 34.97 SHEEP DIPPING METHODS OF PROCEDURE NECESSITY FOR CARE My chief object in writing this article is to draw attention once again to the considerable losses of sheep and lambs, a large percentage actually avoidable, which occur annually through carelessness in dipping. However, before dealing with this problem, it might be appropriate to mention briefly the common external parasites of sheep which it is desired to exterminate by dipping. They are lice and “ ticks, skin parasites, the presence of which tend to make sheep generally unthrifty, cause loss of blood fromvthe animal, and damage to the wool. With this knowledge, it is, therefore, obviously false economy, even in such times of acute depression, to cut down expenditure in the and material necessary to reduce parasitic infestation of the flocks. LICE. Phthiriasis is the condition of an animal infested with lice, being more common in open-woolled sheep. There are two principal varieties of lice affecting sheep, one belonging to the genus Trichodectes, which live by mastication on skin debris,’the other belonging to the genus Haematopinus, which live on the blood of the host Trichodectes spherocephalus, the common sheep louse, is a white and reddishbrown parasite of almost the same colour as the skin of the sheep. It is about one-twentieth of an inch long, and is usually present in largest numbers on the back just behind the shoulders, but in bad cases it is found on nearly all parts of the body. Lice do considerable harm by cutting the wool and causing itching, irritation, and unrest. . ~ Haematopinus- pedalis is generally known as the leg louse. This variety is larger than the biting louse, and is a blood sucker. It is bluish in colour, and is found in the hair of the legs, sometimes on the face arid the scrotum of rams, but it does not as a general rule invade the fleece proper. Sometimes only a few sheep are affected and then on the local parts mentioned, so that t might be considered desirable to carry out individual local treatment in preference t 0 dipping. An ointment composed ot equal parts of lard and sulphur wel rubbed in, will soon eradicate these lice. A thorough scrubbing of the parts affected with kerosene and warm water (one part to eight) is also very effective. TICKS.

mers frequently arrive at the conclusion that the particular make of dip is at fault, whereas it might be mentioned that the chances of loss are as a general rule .m-orsely related to care in dipping. The well-known proprietary dips are of standard uniform strength, are in universal use, and every safeguard is taken against any danger attendant upon their use, providing strict attention is paid to the directions. Sheep may be killed by poisoning by actually swallowing the dip fluid, or by a severe broncho-pneumonia that is set up as a result of the fluid getting directly into the lungs— of all deaths are due to this cause, lambs being particularly liable. The maximum number of deaths take place about the third day after dipping; afterwards there is a rapid decline in the death-rate, and by the sixth or seventh day no more deaths occur. It there ig any extensive mortality from either of these causes there is every probability of negligence in the process of dipping, or in the management of the flock before and after dipping. I have already referred to the danger of exposure to adverse climatic conditions after dipping, which may be a primary/ cause or may aggravate either of the above causes, and I have also referred to infection with the malignant oedema organism causing deaths from blood poisoning. _ The possibility of poisoning by grazing contaminated pasture, on which sheep have been turned without standing sufficient time to drain properly after dipping, has to be guarded against. PREVENTION OF DEATHS.

Sheep should not be brought into the dip when excited or heated, so they must not be driven before dipping, or driven afterwards until the day following dipping. Dog the sheep as little as possible before and after dipping. Sheep heated or over-fat are more liable to succumb. Always avoid dipping, sheep on a full stomach. A good plan is to fast them overnight. Sheep must not be put into the bath roughly. Do not throw them in or let them enter by means of side deliveries. The walk-in device, whereby the natural propensity of sheep to follow each other is utilised is the gentlest of all methods. Remember, the sheep is in an unnatural position whilst in the bath, and unless great care is observed fluid is taken through the mouth and nostrils and the bulk of this gets on the lungs. Each animal must have sufficient time to recover from its initial immersion before the crutch is used to push the head under —a commonsense observation which requires a great deal more attention in practice. The crutching should be done by the farmer himself or by the most experienced shepherd, who always stands in the same position. It is a good plan to push sheep under slightly backwards, but they must not be held under or pushed under unnecessarily. The crutch has another use—to elevate the head and help sheep out of the bath. The judicious use of the crutch is the most important part of the dipping operation. Finally, do not rush the sheep through the bath; it is quite unnecessary to put up record “ tallies.” The sacrifice of care and efficiency for speed is one of the main faults-in New Zealand. It is, surely, better to take a day longer to dip a given number of sheep, if by that means more care can be exercised and fewer animals lost.—Contributed by C. V. Dayus, district superintendent. Live Stock Division, Dunedin.

PRICES AND VALUES OF STOCK FEEDS By M. J. SooTTj Lincoln College (Director of Animal Nutrition). As a result of the dry weather that has just been experienced, very little hay has been saved in Canterbury, and supplies of oats and oat-sheaf chaff are below normal. Similarly, the turnip crops are very backward, and the question of feed supply for stock until next September requires more consideration than it usually does. Stock that are kept up to present numbers may require more hand feeding than usual, and in these circumstances it is worth while discussing prices and values of different stock feeds. To most farmers the only method of comparing feeds is by the price they have to pay per ton for them, with the reservations that anything over £lO per ton is too dear and that straw is so worthless that it is seldom used. The feeds that are commonly used—oats, hay, oat-sheaf chaff —are compared as being good, bad, or worse or by some such comparative terms. Obviously, such a way of comparing feeds is of very little use when it is necessary to know their value in cash, and in other countries this difficulty has been overcome by having a standard feed, in terms of which all other feeds are valued. Thus we have a hay standard or equivalent, a barley standard, a mixed grain standard, and so on in different countries. In English-speaking countries, especially so of late years, the standard that is most used is starch, and the stapch equivalent of a feed is the number lof pounds of starch that have the same producing value (in live weight on steers) as 1001 b of that feed has. A few minutes’ thinking will make it obvious that if the price per ton is divided by the starch equivalent of a feed a “unit” price of starch equivalent is obtained, and this can be used for comparing accurately the values of different feeds. In the following table, column 2 sets out a price per ton, column 3 the starch equivalent, and column 4 is the unit price, arrived at by dividing the shillings of column. 2 by the figure in column 3 as stated above. Tables such as these have appeared now for a number of years in English publications, so there is no need for the shy reader to be afraid of “newfangled ” ideas. Price per unit , Price Starch starch

The table provides opportunity for comment from many angles. It will be seen that at these prices, oats, oat sheaf chaff, and hay are all the most costly feeds that can be used at the present time. They are the feeds that are produced in largest quantities, their use is w T ell understood and there’is apparently a slight shortage that is causing people_ to pay for their prejudices and inexperience. Wheat offals constitute the next main source of supply, and those, at the above prices, are very much cheaper per unit than the more commonly used feeds. Bran can easily replace oats at the rate of seven pounds of bran to five of oats for horses and sheep. Pollard can replace oats, pound for pound. Horses receiving 20 pounds of oat sheaf chaff should do as well on 12 pounds of stftiw chaff and 10A pounds of bran at about half the cost of oat sheaf chaff. Similarly, sheep that can be wintered on lib of oat sheaf chaff per day could be wintered on a mixture of half bran and half straw chaff at three-quarters the cost of oat sheaf chaff. Cows that arc milked during the winter do so profitably with straw chaff, bran, and meat meal with the same saving as in the case of sheep and horses.

SHORTHORN CATTLE IN SCOTLAND REVIEW FOR 1931 Shorthorn breeders have encountered several bad years since the war (writes Alexander Sutherland in the Scottish Farmer), but probably none so bad, taken all over, as 1931 has been. Shorthorn cattle have suffered, like all other classes of cattle, from the general fall in prices, and the fall in Shorthorn values has been accentuated by the restricted demand from those overseas countries that usually buy many of the bast animals. Argentina, which is the principal market for high-class bulls, has taken about the same number as for the previous year, but at much lower prices. Scottish breeders who have visited the Argentine state that that country cannot do without importing fresh blood (and the prize winners at the great Palermo

Show are nearly always the produce of imported sires). Last year 304 ShorG horns were exported from Britain to 15 different countries —namely, Argentina 109, other South American countries 74, Canada 52, African countries 32, United States of America 16, Australia 8, Mexico 5, Germany 5, and Italy 3. In the first 10 months of 1931 the Shorthorn Society issued 557 export certificates to the following countries: —Russia 383, Argentina 104, other South American countries 28, Italy 16, Africa 13, Australia 7, and Denmark 6. • There is no need to dwell on the worldwide popularity of the Shorthorn, and its value for grading up other breeds or cattle; but it is well to bear in mind that both the Aberdeen-Angus crosses which are almost invincible at the fat stock shows, and those celebrated Galloway crosses, the *'blue-greys,” owe something to the Shorthorn blood that is in them. During the past year 1142 Shorthorns were sold by public auction at the principal sales and herd dispersals in Scoiland, compared with 886 in the previous year, and 909 in 1929. The demand for good crossing bulls was quite encouraging, particularly the demand for white bulls. (Here in New Zealand many cattle breeders are prejudiced against white Shorthorn bulls without any reason.) If the herd bulls sold at Perth and Aberdeen in February be averaged according to colours (prices below 100 guineas only) the results arenas follow:-—At Perth: White, £46, 9s 8d; dark roan, £45 7s 10d; roan, £4O 11s 9(1: red roan, £39 7s 4d; red, £34 16s lei. At Aberdeen; White, £36; red roan, £3O 3s 4d; roan, £27 15s 6d; dark roan, £27 14s 9d; red, £22 19s 7d. A fashion dictated by the export market demands dark reds and dark roans, but after the exporters have taken a few of the best of these animals of these two colours the commercial farmer shows distinct preference for the lighter colours. When white bulls can make from £5 to £lO ahead more than reds, breeders might do well to ■ give less attention to the fashionable colours and more to the colours that the ordinary farmer prefers. The breeder who mates good light-coloured heifers with a white bull stands as good a chance as any of making profits from Shorthorns. • In this connection it may .be stated that many of the championships of the Royal Show of England, the Highland Show of Scotland, the great Argentinian Show at Palermo, and other of the world’s great cattle shows have been won by white hulls. The famous breeders the world over have always realised the immense benefits their herds have received from the use of superior white bulls (the rich creamy white, not the white of chalky or bluish tinge).

Wheat. Oats. Barley. North Island 28.23 33,49 42.28 Nelson .. .. 19.04 21.08 18.16 Marlborough 28.18 ■ 30.73 28.07 Canterbury .. 23.76 26.25 27.54 Otago .. .. 25.69 33.99 29.59 Southland 35.70 44.36 34.63 Average (esti-

per eqmva- eqinva Ton. lent. lent.’ Feed. £ s. d. Oats 8 8 0 60 2/10 Barley 5 12 0 71 V-8 Wheat 8 11 0 72 2/5 Peas 8 11 0 69 2/7 Linseed .. .. 7 10 0 123 1/3 Mangolds .... 0 10 0 7 1/5 Hay 5 0 0 38 2/9 Oat sheaf chaff 5 0 0 36 2/11 Bran 5 0 0 42 2/5 Pollard .. .. 6 0 0 60 2/Oat straw .... 1 0 0 20 1/Wheat straw 1 0 0 13 1/6