OTAGO METROPOLITAN SHOW.

Otago Witness, Issue 2168, 12 September 1895, Page 5

OTAGO METROPOLITAN SHOW.

With this icsue wo publish the rchedule of classes for competition at the Olago Agricultural and Pastoral Society's annual summer show, to beheld on Wednesday and Thursday, November 27 Rnd 28. The Programme Committee have devoted a considerable amount of time to revising tho several ekeses, and to give farmers and breeders an opportunity of ranking suggestions hkve decided to publish the various competitions before issuing their catalogues. It is not necessary to specially allude to the list of prizes offered, which amount to close on £700, exclusive of a large number of special and privat* prize*; and it is to be hoped tbut breeders will carefully consider the clashes aud make any suggestions that they consider advisable. To show that the committee act promptly on any suggestion raited, Mr A. C. B?gg fu^gested at tha annual nieeling that p. prize be offered for the bsst Gild of turnips Tha committee havo decided on having four classes, Wo each for areas of from 5 to 10 acres and from 10 acres upwards ; and &% over £40 will be offered in prizes it is hoped th*t a large number of entries j will be received for this interesting competition. The society has during the past few years largely extended its operations. It has made arrangements with Dr J. G. Black to work under its auspices end toaualyne manures, soils, &s., and report on theimri'y of seeds for farmers at low rates ; it holds eammcr and winter shows, borse parades, ram and ewe fairs ; conducts manure tests, farm competitions, &c, and there is not a monthly meeting of committee held at which there is not some matter of importance to farmers considered. The issuing of so promising a schedule of prizes and competitions' proves thnt the society is doing good work to foster the interests it represents, which entitles it to tba support of tanners and others interested in agriculture.

being a fixed charge after two t*xes, termed the royal taxes, are paid. Provision is aleo made whereby the tenant may buy the farm right out, tho State advancing part of the purchase money at 4 per cent. To prepare the people for occupjiag the land, all the State schools are open at night to teach young men and women the science of agriculture, or any other Bubject in which they desire to perfect themselves. Toe system of land tenancy in Denmark is practically a State system, the proprietor being virtually the agent of the Government. The result is that a very large proportion of the population is settled on the laEd, Tbe entire population of Denmark is about two millions ; the chief town, Copenhagen, coat.\ini only 300,000 inhabiting, and no other city in Denmark hie a population of ovar 20,000 inhabitants. It will thai be seen that the vast majority of the people are where they ought to be — oa the land.

Again the season has come rouud when the work of sowing the seed for the Seed Sowing, annual farm crop must be attended to. Ou most small farms the old and clumsy method of hand sowing is still resorted to, and on a good many fair-sized farms tbe old method still holds sway. With even the best and most experienced sowers by h'.nd there is always a great waste of seed, too much being cast in one spot and too little in another. A small sowing machine of any kind is preferable to hand f owing, and in a few years' time the saving in soed would pay for a machine. There is a small ha'id machine operated by turning a hxndla whirh throivs the Bfecl out in a fan-shaped stream from the seed cloth to which it is attached, the whole being carried by a man, who has the seed brought to him by another at suitable intervals. Even this would be a better method than the customary hand sowing. But se3ing the heavy toll laid upon the farmer at seed time by thg small birds no system of seedsowing can be so satisfactory as that by the drill sower. In Canada the drill-sowing machines are in general use, and they can there be obtained in small sizes, with from 10 to 12 coulters each 7in apart. For the small farmer no better implement could be used for sowing grain, whether oats, wheat, or barley. By means of the drill sower the grain is equally distributed, and covered over at the same time beyond tlie reach of the small birds, which 19 a very great advantage. Drill sowing by the rcuchineis preferable to broadcast sowing, aud the depth can always be regulated according to circumstances. Of courso it involves a little more work before sowing to get the land in order for the drill, but the crop will get all the benefit of that. It would pay any of my farmer friends to invest in one or other of the sowing machines in the market much better than to keep on with the old and clumsy method of h&nd sowing.

less wed is required than on poor land. Than, again, when a crop of oata is to be cat on the green side for chaff, thick sowing is advisable, as j a thick crop makes the brst chaff, while a thin ' crop that has tillered out is apt to havo course straw, with large, hard knots at each joint. Danish, aud all kinds of oats that are grown for feed, should be more thickly sown than the milling torts, as in the latter case Urge plump grain is essc-ntia.!, while quantity is more impottnnfc vrfcea o«vts (ire for feed only ; so long, of oourec, an they contain a fair amount of meal. A Britinh fanner who wai doubtful whether the cua'omary heavy seeding wai justified by the results carried out an experiment, with tne reeuM that two bushels seed per acre gave 40£ bushels per acre yield ; four bushels seed gave 50 bushels per acre : and six bushels seed 48 bushels por acre ; aod the oata from the thickest sted weighed more per bushel than was the case wUh the others. The three plots wore all grow u in the s&me field, and the l*nd, treatment, &c, was entirely the Harae, co that four bushels an acre of seed gave the best yield. Tho o*tß were sown broadcast, and the waight of strtw was not t*ken ioto account. The following yenr a morp elaborate experiment was tried, in order to arrive at total jield of straw, grain, and chaff and tho value of the crop per acre. Three pots"were pown with foar, six, and eight bushels of seed per acre respectively. The plot sown with eight bushels per aore gave the worst yield of straw and grain aud alto the lightest grain in weight per bushel. The p!ot that had four bushels of seed per acre gave the heaviest jield of grtin (60 8 bushela), bu 1 ; the plot th\t had six buahels seed was a trifl« I heavier in straw, though two bushels an acre less in gra : n. In comparing the value the plots turned out as follows : — Per acre. Plot I— Four bushels seed ...£ll 1 1 Plot 2-Six it ii -. 11 1 4 Plot ;j— Eight ii ii ... 818 8 When we allow for the two extra bushels of seed in plot two tho result is not so good as plot one, while when the heavy seeding is reckoned in plot three the result is Btill worse than that given. The oats were black Tartarians, and the sample was pretty much the same in all cases. Notwithstanding that the heavy seeding turned out badly in this case it does not follow that one or two experiments of this sort decides the matter for good in all circumstances. It is also stated that the oats were more or lesa laid on all the plots, and that the thickeet sown was laid ns much as the other two.

In Professor M'Connell's very practical paper on tha art of milking he refers Wet or Dry to the different methods of milkMethod ing, and I gather from his reof Milking? marks that he coneiders che wet method preferable to the dry. Years ago I stated that, in my opinion, the dry method of milking is very objectionable, and I have Been no good reason tor altering

that opinion. I was tanght in my boyhood ttf milk with dry hands, and had to follow that method, though under protest ; bat as Boon as I could please myself in the matter I adopted tha wet method, which, at any rate, is the most natural, as the professor says, seeing that tha calf has to adopt it. The chief objection to this method is that of squirting milk over the hands to keep themmoiat, but that filthy practice I would be sorry to ad >pfc myself, and would certainly not allow it to ba done by any in my employ. The professor siys that few people take the trSublo to carry water to the cowshed for washing the cows' udders, but I may say that I have invariably done so for many years, and fiud it to ba the cleanest and most satisfactory plan. I bake the icy chill off tha water ia whiter time by adding a little warm water, and after well riusiug the teati I wipe them with a clean cloth. They are then moist and pliable and more easily manipulated. I always keep a good head of froth on the pail, and instead of squirting milk over my hands I just dip the tip of one finger into the froth oocaßioaally, and that is sufficient to keep the teata moist. If the teata aro 6ore or chapped I apply fi little honey or vaseline after milking. Now with regard to the dry method, it setms to me that there is always a lot of dry dust and scurf on the teats, no matter how woll they may be brushed beforehand, and this dust and scurf seems to me to be falliug into tbo milk all the time. Moreover, if there are auy soree on the teats they must be far more painful to the cows unless well washed and softened in the first place. There is another matter iv connection with cleanly milking that I may refer to in this note, aad that is the necessity of trimming off all long hairs that grow between the teata. If thifl is not attended to the hairs ate continually beiug pulled in milking, often annoying the cowb to tho length of kicking over ths p»il. Agkicola.