NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2375, 7 September 1899, Page 4

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

The annual show of the Highland and Agricultural Society The n.A.S. was held in Edinburgh durShow. ing the first week in July, and a few of its leading features may be of interest to those . Scottish, colonials who do not see the Home papers. The show is reported to have been a great success, and one of the best in the annals of the society, which is now in its 115 th year. Great and gorgeous preparations were made for the presence of H.JR.H. the Prince of Wales in decorating the Royal Pavilion for his accommodation. The Prince is president of the -H.A.S., and at the show dinner immensely pleased the company by referring* to them as "brother agriculturists." It is said that the turn-out of hunler3 was the best oi er seen out of London and Dublin, and it goes without saying that the Civdosdales were well represented. It was evident that the , Shire hotse3 do not find much favour with tie Clydesdale judges, as the Prince of "Wales's colt was not even placed, and a gelding which was champion at the London show was only third in the class. The shorthorns were a good lot, especially the aged bulls, and the Queen's yearling shorthorn heifer, which was champion at the last Royal show, held her pride of place in Edinburgh. A good many buyers from abroad were present, and picked up a good number of prize stock for export.' The season appears to have been very dry in Britain, and complaints are made from all parts of the want of rain for hay and root crops.

The last quarterly number of the Journal pf

the Royal Agricultural SoAn Article oh ciety of England has just Sheep in the reached me, but there ia not R.A.S. Journal, much in it of interest to colonial readers, with the exception of an article upon "Abortion, Barrenness,- and Fertility in Sheep," which contains information that may be of interest to my sheep-farming readers. The question of abortion in sheep is, however, of little importance here, whatever it may be in Britain, where sheep are handifecl with various kinds of food of a rich and heating character. In a healthy, thriving flock of .ewes running on good grass, the percentage of aborting ewes is very trifling indeed. It is stated in the article under notice that Dorset Horn ewes are more liable to abort than other Down sheep. Among the Lincoln sheep on the wolda of Lincolnshire abortion ia a very serious matter, sometimes assuming an epidemic form. The percentage of barren ewes in a flock varies according to circumstances, such as the age of ewes and rams, the number of ewes allotted to each ram, the food, climate, etc. Both excessive fat and undue poorness are likely to lead to barrenness. This applies to both rams and ewes at breeding time. Excessive fat in, a. ram induces sterility, and also prevents him. from getting about amongst tne ewes in order to do his duty properly. If ewes prove to be barren under such circumstances, it is clearly no fault of theirs, and is not due to any natural defect. From careful observations made it is found that there are very few ewes that are barren from inability to breed. With regard to fertility it may be safely said that those ewes in which the generative system is in the most vigorous and healthycondition for breeding are the most fertile. The percentage. o£ twins born is the real test of fertility, and it is condition which exerts the chief influence in this respect. Fertilityis a natural characteristic of "all breeds of sheep, but varies of course- according to circumstances. Merino sheep on high country and sparse herbage seldom have twins, nor would ifc be desirable for them to do so ; but the heavier sheep with plenty of feed to enable them to suckle a pairor lambs properly should have a large* percentage of twins-. There is no advantage in having them unless the feed is good enough to enable the ewea to supply both lambs with sufficient milk. The editor has sent on to me a letter froni "B. C," who takes exceptiont Scalding to my remarks in a recent; Turnip* Milk, note about the impossibility of ridding milk and butter of the turnip flavour completely if the cowa have the run. of a turnip crop. "E. O.' x aays bis oows. run on turnips, tops wad bot-<

<£oms and all. He also says that he places 'the milk, directly it is drawn from the cowfe, •Upon a hot range until it reaches nearly boiling point. It is then removed (in the same pan) to the dairy to cool down. He says the cream churns quickly, and the butter is quite free from turnip taint. Ido not doubt the statement, but the explanation must be that his cows get a good share of hay or some other hard feed, which assists in counteracting the very strong effect caused by turnips. I have tried the heating plan, but I may not have heated the_ milk sufficiently to carry off the taint. If if is as "E. C." says, then it must be owing to the fact that the objectionable flavour passes out of the milk and goes tip the chimney in the form of steam or var pour. I fancy that if "E. C.'s" butter does not retain the turnip taste it must be devoid of any taste at all after being so heated. Scalding also makes butter extremely hard and brittle, and when that i 6 the case the right butter flavoxir is absent. No matter what may be said or done, 1 don't hold with feeding milch cows on turnips when mangels are bo much superior and little more trouble to grow. "E. O." concludes by hoping I will pardon him for venturing to differ upon this point, but I need scarcely assure him that I .am only too glad for him to express his opinion upon anything I may write, whether he agrees with or differs from me. I do not set up to be an infallible authority upon aE the eubjects with which I deal — far from it. I am pleased if my remarks succeed in bringing eon\e of my brother farmer? out of their shells, thus inducing them to an interchange of ideas in print. As a parting shot, let me ask "E. C" if by going to all the trouble of scalding the milk and getting nothing but hard, chippy, and insipid butter he is not paying too much for his turnips, though they may be a little cheaper to grow than mangels ?

Treatment Of Light Soils.

I see that the Rongahere correspondent of the Witness suggested in a recent letter that "Agricola" should give the settlers in that district a few wrinkles on light soils and how to treat them. There are so many varieties of light soils in New Zealand that it ia impossible to prescribe correctly for any variety without first having a few details as to its general character. As, however, the Rongahere correspondent says he has a deep-rooted dislike to details, I must beg that he will make an exception in my favour and enable me fo supply the necessary wrinkles. I had some experience of farming light land many years ago when I was a new chum and could not discriminate between a light soil that will grow something and one that cannot be made to grow anything at all of use to man or beast. Since then my knowledge has considerably extended, and with regard to some light soils my advice as to treatment is to treat them ■with contempt and leave them severely alone. I think that it can truly be said of land as of many other things, that the best is the cheapest, in the long run at any rate. The worst kind of shingle land on the Canterbury Plains is composed of stones and sharp, gritty sand, which requires a good shower of rain six days in the week and a copious shower of manure on Sundays. Then there is the light, snuffy soil, in which stunted fern and ti-tree is found, and another unsatisfactory variety is composed "Of dry, peaty fibre, which absorbs water like a sponge, and parts with it just as quickly. When the Government cuts ■up an estate nowadays for settlement, the land is classified and divided into first and second class, the rental being based upon the Talue according to the classification. In this ■way it is so arranged that the good land has to be as much above the average as the poor land is below it, the rental varying, of course, according to the relative quality of each kind. I think it is now pretty well recognised that the good land pays better at the higher rental than second and third class land at a very much lower rental. From what I have seen of some of the estates so classified, I have no hesitation in saying that the land at a rent charge of 10s per acre is_ much cheaper than that at which the rent iB fixed at 2s 6d or 3s per acre. However, to return to Rongahere, my starting point, I can only repeat that without knowing anything about the kind of light soils referred to by the Witness correspondent I am unable to make any suggstions as to treatment, and must, therefore, await further particulars. AGRICOLA.