THE RURAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23947, 24 October 1939, Page 5

THE RURAL WORLD

FARM AND STATION NEWS

By RUSTICUS.

hems of interest to tliose engaged ii witli a view to tKeir publication in Tliey nhp'ild be arltlressed to Rust:

i 'agricultural and pastoral pursuits these columns, will be welcomed. icus, Otago Daily Times, Dunedin

sistant to mineral dcflciences than other classes of stock and may show no evident symptoms, but better.: health will result on a diet balanced for minerals.

• Pigs fed on grains alone or grains and grain by-products are likely to suffer from a serious lime deficiency. This can be overcome by feeding skim milk or a little lucerne chaff, as both are rich in lime. Licks for Stock

The- following general recommendations for sheep, cattle, and' horses provide for any common mineral deficiencies:— . • •> • •

On good pastures in non-deficient areas salt is all the animals need and this can be supplied by the use of rock salt alone. (£8 per ton approx.) On poor pasture, or under drought conditions, or as a. general' safeguard against deficiencies the following mixture is recommended:—

Agricultural salt, 2001 b. Steamed-bone. flour or super-phos-phate. 1001 b. Cost per ton: Using steamed bone flour £6 10s per ton. Ground limestone. 1001 b. Using superphosphate £4 15s per ton approximately. Under very severe drought conditions a small amount of Epsom's Salts in the lick has been used with success. Iri cases where iodine deficiency is present or suspected, add 2oz of potassium iodide to each 1001 b of lick. (Lick costs per ton: £8 using steamed bone flour, £7 5s using super). To make good a suspected cobalt deficiency add the following:—4-81b of limonite per 1001 bof lick. Cost with iodine £9, steamed bone flour; £8 with super. In a definite cobalt deficiency area the limonite should be increased to 401 b per 1001 b of lick. . Cost of lick approximates £l2 per ton using steamed bone flour. In dry inland areas it may be advisable to add sulphur l-21b per 1001 b of lick.. Lick for Pigs The following general mixture is recommended:— 401 b steamed bone flour or superphosphate. 401 b ground limestone. - ■ 201 b agricultural salt. ... 4-81 b limonite. 1-21 b sulphur. 2oz of potassium iodide. Cost approximately £lO-£ll per ton or 10s' per 1001 b. It should be fed.at the rate of i to 1 per cent, of the feed,which runs out at about 1 to 2oz per day.or Is 3d a 2oz tobacco tin for.fullgrown sows and somewhat:. less .for porker and baconer pigs. The cost for lick of rearing a litter of 10 baconer pigs amounts to about 9d or less than Id per pig.

NEWS FROM CLUBS

The following meetings are scheduled for the coming week:— Thursday, October 26, Stirling; Saturday, October 28, Warepa.

There was a good attendance of members at the Warepa Club's monthly meeting, which was held on October 14 in the local hall. A delegate was appointed to broadcast the club's article from Station 4YA. Mr Angus, bank manager, from Balclutha, gave a very interesting and instructive address on "Banking and Farm Finance," which was very much enjoyed by all.

. The following are further details of the National Young Farmers' Club Stock Judging Championship, which will be held this year at. the Royal Show, Invercargill, on December 12, 13, and 14. The competition will be open to all financial members of young farmers' clubs throughout the Dominion. ' District committees are invited to arrange teams of from four to six members to compete for the provincial championships, Where a district has difficulty in arranging for a complete team it may combine with'.one or more districts in the same council area for the purpose of entering a provincial team. Individual members may also compete in any or all of the 'classes. Classes. —(1) Romney rams, (2) Southdown rams, (3) dairy 'cows (in milk), (4). beef cattle, (5) Clydesdale horses, (6) bacon pigs. Good prizes, have been donated for all classes. Entry fees, first entry, 2s 6d; subsequent entries, Is each. Entries accompanied by fees, to be in the hands of Mr S. R. Whyte, honorary secretary, Otago/Southland Young Farmers' Club Council, Box 693, Dunedin. C. 1.. not later than December 1, 1939. Full name and postal address of applicant should be given. Travelling Expenses.-—The travelling expenses of teams to be a matter for the district concerned; councils may render assistance in this direction. The travelling expenses of individual entrants (other than members of teams) to be a matter for the individuals concerned. Competitors desiring to take advantage of the Young Farmers' Club railway concession (approximately 20 per cent, reduction on second class return fare) should make early application with their entries in order that the necessary vouchers may be- prepared and forwarded to them in time.. Accommodation.—A special committee of Southland members will arrange board for any young fanners desiring acommodation. When sending in application the nature of the accommodation and the time for which it is required should be indicated: applicants should also state if willing to accept accommodation in private residences.

Judges.—Judges approved of by the Royal Agricultural Society will be appointed by the Otago/Southland Council.

SUMMER SHOWS

THE' 1939-40 SEASON

Summer. shows tor the coming sea ion haye been arranged as fbllows:Octobeil.;27 and . November 2.—Ashburton, November 1 at Rangiora November .9 and 10.—Caflterburv Mei

; : rop'olitan at Christrhureb. November 15.—Kelso November;..l7l'nd-'B.—North Qtago ai . Oamaru. Npvember 18.—Taien at, Outram. November at Tahuna Park November 24.-Clutha and Mstau, at

Balclutha ■ '.' ~ .Moyember 25.—Waimate November .25.—Winton December. 2.—Tokomairiro Farmers' > Club, at Milton ~ . December 5 and 6.—Gore December 9:—Wyndham. December 12, . 13 arid 14.—Centennial ; . ; Royal 3t rtnvercargill ' •'." December 15.—Maniotbtb, at Ranfurly. December 16.-Otago Peninsula at . > PortObello "

1940 January 13.—Blueskin. at Waitati. January 20.—Waikouaiti. lanuary. 26.—Palmerston and Waihemo at Palmerston. March 16—Temuka and Geraldine at

Winchester. .. , , March 25.—Mackenzie Highland, a Fairlie

NOTICE TO WHEATGROWERS

The'Wheat arid Ffqtfr Controller (Mr R'. McPh'erson) • has/: notified wheat-growers-that, in order that the seasons accounts ,may be'brought to finality, the latest date.' for accepting f.a.q. milling, wheat of the season has been- fixed../at November 30. Any grower/ still holding. wheat-for disposalis Advised immediately to notify his .brokers, who will issue delivery instructions ' -.':.-

Thoughts oh Hay Gutting Mowip'g bay is one of the .delightful jobsof the farm, especially if .the hay is good, the'mower, working well, and the"teanr,pacing reasonable attention tb business. Of course, there we-some irfitationfe, but only enough to make the' -satisfaction a little more, pro- ', ;;• '■' '';"'-•" ;■' ._ . ..'. ' dropping the sharp cutter of a welladjusted mower intd. a crop of good hay is .a reward, that every true farmer ap'predates./A/20-acre field looks pretty large at,the start, and-it causes wonder if s 6 much;hay can be,cut before it is itoo'ripe:.-■ With the back swath finished and a few rounds made, it is realised • that .a good start' has been made. 'Things move along pretty well now. An eye, must be kept on the cutter, the team needs a little urging all the time for temptation in the form of good feed is constantly before them. When the hay is not too thick and the wind' not too strong, the gorgeous hay falls into a swath, leaving a guiding path for the horses on the next round. The well-trained team follows this path with little urging from the driver, and here is satisfaction known only to those who do such work. Of course, when the hay is heavy or lodged, the team needs, urging, and even with the increased motion the mower clogs and we must back up. While we are cleaning the cutter bar, the horses move forward at the wrong time for a bite of grass or cut hay. The patience is tried a little, but with the mower cleaned and on the way at. an increased speed, one soon forgets the trials of heavy, tangled hay. As the field grows smaller and the last round is made, and you look'back over the nicely laid rows of good hay and a job well done, there is satisfaction that only comes to those who work at some useful activity. As' one leaves the field, he thanks God for the hay and the sunshine that makes it. Fruit Prospects

A very good fruit crop in Canterbury and throughout New Zealand generally is indicated by recent observations, according to Mr R. G. Hamilton, chief orchard instructor, of the Department of Agriculture in Canterbury. Mr Hamilton, discussing the situation, said that no definite prediction of the amount of the crop could be given at present, but the extent ot< blossoming of the .tree? suggested 'that the season would be very. ; good. Stone fruits were flowering very well, and so were pip fruits,.with the exception of Delicious apples' which had flowered poorly, possibly because they had been affected by the Heavy rains before last Christmas, < which favoured leaf rather than blossom and fruit development. Pears generally. were showing as good a development as apples. He added that the season was late for flowering. Early fruits were more likely to be affected, but later varieties would have a better chance to make up the losses. . . Growers, he said, were waiting for an early decision by the Government on the export of fruit. At present they did not know whether it would be taken over by the Government, or what space would be available on overseas ships. With every prospect of a good season ahead, growers were faced with a double problem, since there would be the difficulty of disposing of a large surplus even under normal conditions, and there was the added concern about what was to be done in the conditions imposed by the war. The costs of internal distribution were a strong factor against disposal of any surplus in this way. A scheme to distribute fruit among school children, • which had been advocated in Auckland, was naturally supported by the growers, but details about such a scheme had not yet been fully investigated. Lime and Phosphate

Lime and phosphate are required in large quantities for the bones and teeth of which they are the chief constituents. Milk is a rich source of lime and phosphate,, and consequently milking cows or milking ewes need large quantities in the feed. If these are lacking the animal draws on its own bones to make up the deficiencies. This it may normally do to a certain extent, but, if the deficient diet is continued over a long period, the bones become seriously affected. Rickets eventuate in young animals, and legs become bandy or knockkneed. This condition occurs usually in young fast-growing animals fed for a prolonged period on a mineral deficient diet such as green feed oats. For cattle or sheep on a good young pasture, particularly if top-dressed, no fear need be entertained, although to make certain of proper lime and phosphate nutrition a lick may be supplied. On poor pasture, however, particularly dried off stemmy pasture, there are likely to be deficiencies and lick -hould be supplied liberally When good pasture is scarce working horses fed on oat sheaf chaff and oats have a serious shortage of lime and a slight phosphate deficiency. This can be overcome by replacing about one-third of the chaff by clover or lucerne hay rich in lime, and by the addition of a little bran to supply the phosphate. Horses are more re-