FARM NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1764, 12 September 1885, Page 7

FARM NOTES.

Itis feared thatthe bad weather which prevailed during the greater part of last week will result in a large loss of lambs in those districts where lambing has been early. On Saturday night a good deal of lightning was to be seen, several flashes being very vivid. But the neighbourhood" of Dunedin appears to have had only a mild experience compared to what other districts have suffered from. Regarding the weather in the Lakes district, our Arrow correspondent wrote on Saturday as ■ follows :—": — " For the past sveek the weather has been very stormy and wet, culminating in a heavy thunderstorm, 'wnich lasted the greater part of the day. Heavy rain has fallen, and the rivers are* rising fast., No damage, however, is as yet reported from any part of the district."

A dairy factory is likely to be established at St. Andrews, South Canterbury. A correspondent of the Timaru Herald states that in connection with the proposed factory it is understood that the N.Z. and A. Land Company are prepared to offer special inducements to small farmers to * locate themselves on a portion of the Company's land in close proximity to the factory.

It is au evidence of the high class of the draught stock of New Zealand when we find one of them taking a prominent place in the shows of the other Colonies. At the annual show of the National Agricultural Society of Victoria, which was opened on the 19th ult., Young Clydesdale Hero, which' had just been landed from this Colony, was placed second in a ring of 10 imported draught stallions, the first prize going io Young Iyanhoe, by Ivanhoe, and the papers speak very highly of the New Zealand bred horse, whose success is the more noticeable because he dested horses that ' were considered the pick of ictoria. Young Clydesdale Hero waas bred in raterbury, and is by Clydesdale Hero from a r Colin Campbell mare. He is, in fact, none her than our old acquaintance Farmer's Fancy, rmerlyJgP of Mr Daniel M'Gregor, d, as w^ c remembered, formed the subject a law case in Oamaru. The particulars of at case will be fresh in the minds of our aders, and it is only necessary to say that irmer's Fancy was sold by Mr M'Gregor, rough Messrs Fleming and Hedley, to Mr Wson, of Palmerston, for £225 ; that at the Rune of the sale a warranty was given ; that it wa8 _ a Ueged tfiat the horse was impotent ; that on Mr M'Gregor refusing to take the horse back he was sold by auction at Palmerston, and •r? U #% by Mr William Robertson for £170 ; and that Mr Wilson brought an action in the District Court of, Oamaru ,to recoyer from Mr M'Gregor the sum of £192, being the loss on the sale of the horse, expenses, and damages. That action, which created a good deal of interest at the time, resulted in the jury finding a verdict in favour of the defendant (Mr M'Gregor), and in Mr Wilson being mulcted in costs. Farmer's Fancy was showu shortly afterwards at the Palmerston show, where he secured the second prize. The horse was then lost sight of, and we believe he was tv v° Syfoey- Failing to find a purchaser tiere, he was taken to Victoria, where, it is said, .flrfras sold for 450 guineas, and afterwards, so report says, for SQO guineas. Now, under the name of Young Clydesdale Hero, he has obtained the honour of being placed second in a competition among the pick of imported Clydesdale stallions hi Victoria shown at the Grand National Show of that colony. It may be mentioned that when Farmer'o Fanoy was last

shown here in 1883 he failed to secure a place, and taking this fact into consideration with the position he has just attained in Melbourne, we have evidence of the great superiority of the New Zealand draught horses over thobe of Victoria — Oamaru Mail.

In reference to the anticipated " shortage" in the Russian wheat crop,- mentioned by our Home correspondent, the f ollowing paragraph from the Odessa correspondent of the Daily News will be read with interest : — " The special deliberations of the assembly of Governors-general of six Russian provinces held in this city some time ago for the discussion of the most efficacious means of stamping out the locust plague; appear to have no practical results. The plague has again made its appearance with unchecked rapacity in the province of Bessarabia, whither the Governorgeneral of Odessa had just gone in order, if possible, to organise some means of saving the peasantry from wholesale ruin. In one district of that province a fertile and blooming agricultural estate of 7500 acres has been within a few days entirely swept, scarcely a vestige of its cereals being left. An eye-witness, describing to me the frantic but ineffectual efforts of the peasantry and soldiery to drive off the locusts, says that at every step the winged plague rose in legions, swarming here and there in immense clouds, and re-alighting wherever their ravages were incomplete. This pest, increasing every succeeding year in its wide-spread devastation.-!, threatens absolute ruin to whole Russian provinces."

A New Kind of Grain.— Some two years ago an American contemporary produced a hybrid between wheat and "rye, the new grain being very distinct from either. Last year a further cross was effected upon these hybrids by using the pollen of rye, so, that the resulting grain is three-qursters rye. The plants are remarkably vigorous, and the heads large and still very distinct from those of rye. Whatever may prove to be the economic value of the&e hybrids, the facts are most interesting scientifically. The above is clipped from the Baltimore American. "Yes, indeed," remarks our contemporary, " 'the facts are interesting scientifically.' It will be remembered that one of the plants of the ryewheat cross bore nearly sterile heads. Seventeen imperfect, shrivelled kernels were found, however, and these produced sixteen plants so feeble that it was supposed they would not survive the winter. But they started vigorously in the spring, and several of them are among the thriftiest of our wheats. The strange thing is that the heads are large and full ; the beards are shorter .than last year, while several characteristics of the rye are as prominent as they were last year, as e.g., the down of the stems beneath the heads. The wheat-rye head, which was again crossed with rye, gave us seven kernels, and these gave six plants, one of which bears fourteen heads. But again, all seem to be sterile, as in the case of the first cross last year. While still resembling wheat in some respects, both the plant and heads bear a somewhat closer resemblance to rye. The plants from the first fertile rye-wheat crosses vary indefinitely. Sqme have immense beards, some short beards, while others are smooth. Yes, indeed, we repeat, the facts are interesting, whatever may prove to be their ultimate economic value to the country. We are continuing the work of still further crossing these hybrids with rye pollen."

Tainted Milk. — On objectionable odours in milk intended for buttbr or cheese making, and their removal, Professor L. B. Arnold writes : — Sweet and clean milk from healthy cows makes good cheese, and if it fails to do so the fault lies in the making or curing and not in the milk, whether it has "an odour " or not. When objectionable odours occur in milk of which butter is to be made, the' most effectual way of disposing of them is by heating the milk from 140deg to 160deg, when the greater part of them will become aeriform and be driven off ; but some portion of them is pretty sure to be too stable to pass off in that way, and being of an oily nature they cling to the fat in the cream, and go with it into the butter, to the injury of its flavour and durability. Some alleviation may also be had by airing the fresh milk and by slightly souring the cream, the sour buttermilk absorbing the odour ; but none of these means amounts to a perfect purification. In the manufacture of cheese it is different. Every shade of what is known by the synonymous terms " cowy odour," " animal odour," and " taint," and also the odours and flavours of strong weeds, [•can be wiped out by airing the warm curd a | sufficient length of time, provided clean and 1 sweet rennet be used and the curd be got out of the whey before acid sets in. This is important, as tho sour curd, like the sour buttermilk, absorbs and holds all odours tenaciously, and hence if souring be allowed to proceed the good effect of airing the nurd is counteracted. The more complete removal of odours in cheesemaking than in butter-making enables the skilful manufacturer tio make a fine cheese out of milk which holds odours that would injure it for butter-making. Hence, milk which will make average butter will make first-class cheese ; but it will not do so if the acid process of cheesemaking — by which is meant leaving the curd in the whey till distinctly sour — be followed. '

Warbles in Cattle.— Mr Duckham publishes the result of an experiment against these pests with his herd. He says :—": — " I had each cow dusted along the back with sulphur. The result is that only two cows had one solitary deposit each, the others are perfectly free, whilst there are several in the backs of their calves. To those deposits I have used carbolic acid mixed with hog's lard, in the proportion of one to twenty, with excellent effect. I may add that that mixture is also a safe and effectual cure for ringworm, which is often so troublesome with young cattle." Mr Buckham adds : "The use of mercurial ointment as recommended in Miss Ormerod's remedy for warble is one that requires great caution in using, or the remedy will be worse than the disease. A few years ago a neighbour of mine dressed his young cattle for lice with a mercurial preparation; they licked it off and were poisoned. Such a result cannot follow my remedy, and I have proved its efficacy."

Breeding for Sex.— This subject (says the New York Times) has long evoked consideration and discussion among breeders of valuable animals. Many theories have been laid down by supposed experts and physiologists, but every one in turn has failed when put to the test of practice. When the ; Jersey cattle first became prominent as a subject for speculative enterprise, and the value of heifers became much greater than that of bulls, much attention was given to this question. But still it remains in doubt, excepting so far that a known and well established fact seems to point to a probability that the difference in sex is a development of the original effect of evolution from an uncertain to a fixed condition of animal life, which has become self-supporting by virtue of a law which is as mysterious to the human mind as is the first origin of life. And this fact which seems to point in this direction is this: that when animals are in an impoverished condition of existence and aie poorly supplied with all

the requirements of life the' teh'd'en'cy is' to' a" decrease of progeny by the birfH til a large proportion of males, and under contrary Vi±~ cumstances the females preponderate. So that when life iy difficult there is a smaller production, and when it is easy the progeny increases. Further, it has been found that when the males are old, and therefore scarce, and the females young and vigorous, the preponderance of births is df the male gender, and that when the males are ydung and the females old the female births preponderate. It is pevcelVwd that this tends to an equalisation of production with the means of increase of support and an even distribution of the race. Scores of examples of this "law of persistence" in animal life are mentioned in various works on the subject, and although there are exceptions the law seems to be sufficiently operative and well established.

High-priced Stock. — In an article on' this subject the Sydney Mail says : — The breeders of stud cattle, especially those who owned shorthorn herds, have during the last 10 years experienced unpleasing changes. In 1875 less than three figures wa,s considered a very low price for a yearling bull, but since then many good shorthorns have been sold for less than £20 per head. It is probable that a similar change is about to take place in the sheep market. The Mudgee sales held recently indicate that the reduction in prices has already commenced. When the market for flock rams declines the sales of stud sheep must be in some degree affected. The prices of stud sheep maybe lessened, but we not think the fall will be below a remunerative point. There is in connection with the matter one phase which should not be overlooked. The prices such as have been obtained during the last five years by home flockmasters were very much larger than those realised 10 years back. Not many years ago £20 was considered a fancy price for a ram. When the market improved and £100, or three figures, was reached, great astonishment was expressed; but not long since, according to newspaper reports, over 3000 guineas were paid for a sheep ! Abnormally high prices are not signs of permanent solidity in a market. Of course there are in many cases rare " gems " which induce competition from persons with whom money is plentiful ; but it is on the many, not the few, which a market depends, and we hope to find the present fair attracting many customers to the pens.

The Codlin- Moth. In my practice I have discovered how to destroy easily this insect in such numbers that it is no longer a pest ; but I have never made this method known outside oE the circle in which I live. I was instructed by a friend to place sweetned water on the bee stand to catch the bee moth. I did so, and went the next morning and found six moths, but from examination they proved to be codlin moth. I then determined to try an experiment to catch codlin moths, and in the evening a basin of sweetened water was hung on a limb of a harvest apple tree ; to my joy and surprise I found, next morning, the liquid in the basin, was completely covered with codlin moths, I at once ordered the tinsmith to make me thirty-five or forty basins, holding a trifle over a pint each, with wire bales by which to hang them up. The place selected to hang the basins should be open and easy of access. No more liquid should be prepared than is needed for immediate use, for if kept long it will lobe its ripe-apple or new cider hinell and ta&te. For thirty or thirty-five basins take a gallon of rain water and sweeten it, and then add a little vinegar to give it the aroma, for it is the ripe-apple or cider smell that attracts the moths to their liquid graves. I think sorghum molasses is best for sweeten ing. The time for commencing the use of the bath will depend on the season, somewhere from the Ist to the 15th of May, and it should be continued until July, when the first brood of moths will have been captured. — Prize Essay, in Vick's Magazine.