NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 5

NOTES ON RU RAL TO PICS.

We live in the' day of scieotifio agriculture; tb< ' old-time ■methods have been dis carded, and the educated farmei know? the, reason of every stej: he takes In an address- recent lj delsveied by a high authority in Itel&nd it was plainly pointed out that,the most intelligent and better-educated farmer* had been able to resist longer the disastrous effects of the depression, therefore the.Government hadmade au effort to educate the whole of the farmers. Out of a large rote for teshnical education a goodly sum has-been placed at the disppealof the county councils for agricultural education. Out of this fnnd ; an attempt is- being made throughout the •United Kingdom to m*ke instruction in agriculture - obligatory in all! rural gchoo's, and to encourage the teachers to make gardens for models in practical instruction. In the course of r<tW address referred to- it was pointed out th'at^it would' be an immocse gain if every far- . mar' in the' rural districts understood the why jrtibVtbe Wherefore of his mioifold operations, for "that purpose experimental statiotis ought to t» established in different localities. Place in cliacge of !t"h'eßewmerf'6f! t"h'eBe w merf'6f culture and icientißc 'knowledge who, besides making- the, «tation a ,m6del fann^Viul'd ( Uke l a' lively interest in the 'fanning'bf the -whole- flUtrict— would' visit the -farms*and -f »ir mcl's "and tett- them ; -tlie'"natttre -61 .^e- koil'-ltey were trlling I , 'the ; pjant fqp'd; it porseseed-in abundance, 'aud'that-'also of which ; it ihad too little; and* the besfaud most economical'" form In' which to ■ supply the deficiency. -Eet 'the' ''managers .'of'"- each " experimental stitabri . 'be/ f - in ' ' fact,' 'the ' 6nperiritenden( of.t^e »griouUure in' the district. Samples of •U'th'e needs,". the manures, and ■ thY feeding •Btuff«'U«ed'intfc'e' district 'should'be examined at the station, and the farmers' -protect* d against fraud in- these matters. If such a Scheme <vutd be carried oat no doubt in a very few yearb* time a marked improvement in the methods '.of would takejplaea. there is-'grVat ileed I 'for;"Bcientific " education amor.g^the.firmßrs in' the 'old' country tne need is st]ll v more I pressin^ly;felfc' v 'iri- l our counfiry^ where all' soita 'and conditibha of' jnea have turned their -attention to-farming.- Technical education in the- fiwfc principles of scientific agriculture is very much required, and every year that the old methods are maintained the farmer is placed in a less advantageous position, ;The cream of the soil is rapidly being removed, ■and unless intelligent cultivation replaces the old haphazard methods disaster is certain to follow. . ;

Ploughing ' in " Wheat Seca.

, Bef erring to my note of the 11th inst. ye sowing wheat in furrow?, , "Farmer" writes to gay that he remembers, v a -boy in the North of Scotland, seeing wheat; s?wn on turnio Jaud and covered by the p'ongh 3in. -deep. "This method, be . eajs, generally resulted ia a good crop,, .and he a> ; ka. why the same plan could not be adapted in the case of lg» "ground.' I have jinyseif-BOwn wheat broadcast ou turnip ground,' and -covered it with the plough withgooSr but4fc is seldom" done now-adays, and I -the" chief reason is' that the : land is' !^i?irallyf,t'6o v d)rf.y"for,Buch. a Bhallow farrow asv>i&;' required, to, cover, the. seed. "When land-ifl :^not;Vtean itjs^safar jo, give-^deep ploughing," .abdaow^ohthe'top'. . By.d<rep' ; plou3hing I mean' .as deep as the soil will allow.' It is not advisable to turn up a lot of sour ct*y when the foil is shallow. Another objection to the ploughingin is that when the surface is smooth, such as trodden turnip ground generally is, the seed fa'ls downward as the turrow turns on edge ■. just' before falling away from the mouldboard, and is apt to come up in thick and thin atreaksv In tins wer to • ' Farmer's " query as to why wheat should not "be ploughed in on lea land, I think it must be said tu&t the sod is too solid, and the furrows' lie too hollow. With a covering c2~ solid turf above, and a so^id, pan of unmoyed sbirb'ene'atb, the " seed would not b6,likelyto, thro^ any thing buta pinched aud yellow braird. It Js .true tfcat it i.B. the soil. that performs the chief part in producing', a gpid crop of any description,, but it is also essential that the soil should be assisted b/ good treatment on the put of the farmer.'

Profitable Potato CulturV

One of the large nitrate companies of London. ' has issned a pamphlet on the most profitable, way of cultivating the potato, which conveys a good deal of information of great value. The. value of nitrate of soda has been demonstrated by growing the tubers'- on. experimental plots : of . land. The land' selected "was nearly. an acre in extent, and consisted ;of a . light, soil, in* whichsand and ' gravel .largely - predominated, clay being but 15 per cent, of the' fine earth and. vegetable nutter contributing only 6 per cent. The variety. of potato selected wa6 J Rtchtei?B imperaton. The drills were 27in •part and; the. sets, 16ia apart in* .the drills.-j The seed actually' need weighed 26c wb, so .that,' JtheJaTecage weight of. each set was 3£o%', vThe , land V" thoroughly, and deeply cultivated, and. thepotafoes'-were'plantedou April 21, earthed up oa May' 2l, and the crop dug from October 26 to November 2, ;, No farmyard manure was nicd, bubjhe land was in good condition to . , itart with.; Nitrate of soda was , the only kutrogeupua. manure used for the experiment.

Agricultural .Education.:

t'Theentire.-area was -divided' into equal plots, runnimg'the whole length of .the piece of land. ' The seed' was ploughed in, and one plot received jio. -m.anu.re whale^ei fpr camnaiwon Jwitb. tbe manured plots. The 'remainder was tmnuued with 6cwfcof mineral superphosphate aud 4cwt 'k&init peracre, which was sawn on the Burface and well harrowed in -a few days before planting the potatoes. One plot had a dressing of nitrate' of soda at the rate of 4cwb per aore, which was applied immediately after "■ the crop was sown. A second' plot was simi- '• lady dressed with nitrate of soda at the rale of lcwtpcr acre at' the time of planting, and 2cwb tbe day previous to earthing up. Notwithstanding that the seisou was an extremely dry 1 one the whole of tin crop grew luxuriantly, and ; attracted much attention during the season by its height and flourishing appearance. The total weight of tuber) Jifted from the entire plots was 20 . tons 7c wt, or at the rate of 21 tons 14cwt per acre. Large 'as tbe crop was, ib Would have been much, larger- bub for the protracted drought the season the experiment was made. The .result ought to be an object lesson in potato culture, and if 20 toas to the acre can' be grown by eoientific cultivation, there is no lenger any j excu-e for farmers being satisfied with five or six tons to the acre, which is usually considered a j good crop amongst our farmers. It is woithy of i}b(e tint the imperator was used for this experiment, as it is recognised to be one of the most j prolific soifa at.pressnt in cultivation. r j

BshornlDf.

Ihe.mawky sentimentalists are tnaking a gr.eafc "fuss abbub what' : they are pleased, to terra the brutal cruelty of dehorning, >nd are so positive fchtt they k- pw all' about ifc, and can exactly. ;gauge.- the. amount of' pa'n "caused, thereby that- they will not listen to anjthinjr that maybe said in defence of' the practice, and even go to the' : absurd length' of saying that it is entirely the'farmerß' fault if battle gore one another in yards or railway trucks. The oruel, wicked, qn,d greedy farmer?, dealers, &3%-fehonld not putinore than one beast in a yard or truck, and then it. could do no / harm. I quite agree with Mr Qrindley, that certain operations 'are' necessary' though pajoful, and of all. -the -surgical, operations' which faun animals 'inqsjj .undergo,,. -for \thei -good of themselves and atlr mankind, I believe- that debo-ping when- properly .performed is the least painful..', I koye and b^ieve'that I have, as much kindly feeling ns, moßfc men,' and I abhor all unnecessary, crutlty'to animals, bub I have no sympathy or feelings in common with th'oße who now and again feel it their duty to work themselves up into a skate of righteous indignation about matters of this sort. If theyfeel compelled. -.to advertise their hyper-sensi-ive natures let them agitate for legislation that will enforce the use of chloroform in connection with every operation that must be performed upon the poor dumb atiimals. The poor little lamb 3 have a very bad quarter of au houc when they are castrated, docked, and earmarked, and 'I feel very sorry for then, almost as much so as I do 1 for myself when ihe dentist's forceps *re getting a good grip of a wicked molar, but what can't be avoided must be endured, and that is the way of the world. While I continue to advocate dehorning oE adulb ibeas's in a proper manner, I feel it my duty to remind' all 'farmer?, breeders, and graziers that this much-td-be-^eplored operation can in future be* -avoided 'by preventing the growth of horns in' .youug.anjinals.

How It Is pone,

The following: "mixture has'bsen successfully' used in preventing the growth of horns" ; 'upon calves • in expert-, naents' conducted by the United States Bureau.' The mixture is. prepared by takiog 50 parts of oaustio soda, 25 paits of kerosene .oil, and 25 parts of water. An emulsion is .made cf the kerosene and sod&by heating and vigorously stirring, and this i&then dis*ql?edin tna proper proportion of water. The mixture should then be put in a bottle with a, cork of solid rubber. It is applied es follow^ when the cilf is from one to three weeks old i the age should not exceed three weeks, as the horn cannot be killed with certainty if that age is exceeded. C.ip away the hair from around. the horn bud, and drop upon it two or three drops of the mixture aud. rob it in well with the rubber covk. Apply it first to^onehqrn and then to the other until each has had' three or, four doses, and the rubbing should be continued until the caustic has softened and removed the hair and surface skin around • the horn. Care must ba taken not to drop more of the fluid ' than is necessary, as it may run down the calf's face and get into its eyes, which culpable carelessness may well be termed downright crnelty. This mixture is said to be more certain and effective than the stick of caustic potash with which we are acquainted.

Experiments' ■lu'Feedlng • Swln« v

An interesting experiment ■in feeding swine has Recently been carried out in Germany. For the experiment four - pairs of pigs were selected. The .objects of the experiment were' to determine whether feeding ■ with- whole grain .barley waß deleterious when given in large 'quantities ; to compare the feeding properties of barley and maize, both given with skim milk ; and' to determine more exactly the nourishing yaldeof whey.- The pigs-were about , seven weeks old}-' and were fed as follows :—During the earlier portion of the experiment the first pair were given whole barley ; the second crushed barley ; the third crushed maize, and the fourth crashed maize with- whey. Numbers one, two, and three were alto given equal quantities of potatoea ; and the weight of whey given to the fourth pair wftfl about three timefl'Mw weight of

potatoes'giventothe'third pair, equal amounts of maize beiDg given. The same quantity of skim milk was' given throughout "to all four pairp. At \ the end of . nine* w.eeks several variations were made in the quantity and kind of fo6d given, .and by' about - the end of f6ar-moaths it had baen: established that the crushed barley had produced batter result's than the whole grain ; also, that up to this point the crushed barley had produced better results than the crushed maize. The experiments were interfered with by some of the pigs refusing tbeir food and also being affl'oted with bone btiff ness. The period during which the Enimals were mill health was rejected in computing the lesultn of the feeding experiment*. Tne general result of the experiments led to the conclusion that giving barley in whole, rough grain is harmful, and that it is not advisable to give pigs under four mouths old a concentrated feed of maize. After that-, and when rapid fattening is desired, the maize is a better food than barley. The comparison, of whey with potatoes led to no result, as one* of tho fourth pair suddenly refused ita food.

Horseless Carriages^

iAt a meeting of the Goldshiels Farmers' Club (N. 8.) a p&pet was read abont " Horseless Carriages," and the briber seeuud to be of opinion that these motor cars will supercede horses to a very large extent; in such work as is done upon the highways. He > said that' the. actual cost of running a car at present avaroged'a little over £d ptr mile for :t'uel'as against 2d, the cost 'of . feeding, a horse per mile, assuming it to be working 15 mile 3 a i day and s'x days in the week. Moreover, he; went on tosiy that a motor-oar was capable of doing Work which could not be attempted with 'ahorse. He mentioned an instance 'in which ! | he i had- travelled 110 miles fib the rate of eight ! miles an hour, anQ that, he said, wa.s nnre than j a horee could 'do. 'He (tb.B" writer of the paper) was of opinion that the horseless carriages were coming to stay, .and that horeebreeders would I soon feel their influence in affecting the market; i for horns. On the other hand, he thought that the loss in this way would ba more than counterbalanced by • the advantages gained. Tor j ex&mple, these cars, he said, would render the ; farmer practically -independent of the position of his farm asj^gards nearness t j or distance :from railways or market's; both in.respecb of his own'travelling aWI the carriage of his goods and produce. ' „' '" • ' , In the disoussion that followed the reading I of the paper the farmers present seemed to agree with all that had bsen put forward in favour of the new departure, and to view with equanimity the prospect of the horss being put aside in favour of the motor-car. One old farmer of conservative ideas said it was all very fine .to talk about these things, but ' he thought they should have to put up with binds and horses for a good whila yet, as, though the oil cars may displace. hackneys and carriage horses to some extent, the work on the farm will h&ve to be done by horse power for many a long day to come. It appears frem a report of an exhibition of these horseless carriages, held at Crystal Palace, that there is still room for much improvement, and that the excessive vibration and disagreeable smell of the burning oil ■ rtndern them very objectionable to those who ] can afford a comfortable carriage and* good { horses. There is no doubt whatever that the time will ome when these motor-cars will do themajorparbpE the. light howe work; "and if such is the case, it must; need* have a very serious effect upon the demand foe a certain, claps of horses. Even now the extensive ust) of bicycles must be felt in * the same way ; bat tue-.o horseless cars will accommodate corpulent and elderly people to whom the bicycle or tricycle is not acceptable.

The Bruce Potnto.

A correspondent desires to know where he miy obtain a big of the Bcuca variety of potato for seed and also a bag of the imperator. I should imagine almost any oE the seedsmen in a Urge way of busiaess ought to be able to sapply that quantity. Speaking for myself, I got a few pound) when the Government were distributing them, and saved them exclusively for seed. IE anyone procures a &t)ne of seed potatoes, and saves the crop for seed^ he will have enough to produce a good crop in the seoond year.. I would recommend all who can to procure a email quantity of seed of the improved varieties, and so made a beginning to oast off the outworn Decwent and the old kinds generally. Aqricola,