FARM NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 6

FARM NOTES.

A NOTEWORTHY EXAMPLE.

Tlie Minister of Agriculture for South Australia offeis rewards for the discovery and working within that colony of a deposit of mineral manure, as uiider : — (1) £500 if found on Crown lands, £250 if found on freehold lands. (2) If found on Crown lands the discoverer will be entitled to a lease of the land upon which the discovery has been made, providing for a lease of 640 acres for 21 year-. (3) The above lewardo wiU be payable to the discoverer at the Treasury, Adelaide, on the certificate of the Profe^or of Agriculture that the following conditions have. been complied with: — (1) That the deposit is easily accessible and within a reasonable distance of a railway or seaport, and not within 25 miles of any discovery on account of which a bonus has been paid. (2) That the deposit is sufficiently abundant, and is available at a, price which W'll allow of it being remuneratively used for agricultural ptuposes. (3) That the product is of a good marketable quality, avelaglng not less than 40 per cent, of phosphate of lime. Should a phosphate of a lower average composition be discovered, the Professor of Agriculture may recommend that a portion of the reward may be granted. (4) The terms of payment will bo one fifth en the production of the first 200 tons ; the remaining fourfifths to be paid — one-fifth on the production of each additional 200 tons. Applications addressed to the Minister of Agriculture, Adelaide, will be leceived up to December 31, 1902.

FEEDING AFTER A LONG FAST,

For ? fjtigued md thirsty horse there is no Letter re r rcsker than a white drink made by Ftirring a pint of oatmeal in a pail of water. Before being given to the animal, especially if the liorso is in a heated condition, this drink should have the chilly taken off it by the addition of a pint or two of warm water. It is a great mistake to allow an animal which has been at -work for an unduly long period, -and whose appetite is consequently cf a r&vencus and abnormal type, to gain ?.cces3 to a trough or manger in which there is an unlimited quantity of food. There is no more fruitful cause of colic and other digestive derangements than this, because the animal is not unlikely to bait some of its food, but also to consume an excessive quantity of it, with the result that its digestive tract runs very serious risk of beina,- put out of order. In all cases of tins kind a white drink, such as that already described, should first be given to the animal, and then the food intended for it may be given in small quantity.

WHEAT AS A STOCK FOOD

Notwithstanding t'nt analysis shows wheat to po«ess considerably higher nutritive value than either oats or barley this grain is very rcstrictedly used for stock-feeding purpose?. In the good old corn-growing duys the price which wheat fetched in the market rendered it too expensive ai .-rlic'e for stock feeding purposes, but even when it fell to as low as 22s and 23* per quarter, a few years ago. the quantity u?cd for c ( -ck-feejuig purposes was but very limited. The reason for tln= is, thcic though a highly concentrated food, v. hoac does not admit of bcinp, fed in larp;e quantity to any clais cf stcck. It is particularly dangerous in the ca3e of horses. When fed upon it in any quantity such animals are v cry prone to digestive derangements, and in very many cases'perious ic-ult* have followed the feeding of horses largely ur">n this srrair-. Even to cattle and sheep it nui=t be fed With, raution and in coniimciion with other fooi'=. In this ie=pect it diffe.-s from oats which can, be fed with peril ct E-aftty by themselves to all classes of stock. By the exercise of atio care in using it in conjunction with other substances, some feeders obtain excellent results with wheat as a cattle food, but it is not a food that lends itself to such carelessness in use as is often exhibited in the case of other substances.

THE ADVANTAGES OF SHELTER

SHEDS

Owing to a variety of causes — among them the fact that our climate is comparatively mild— shelter sheds for cattle aio not to be met with throughout the country to any considerable extent. Of late years, however, there has been an improvement in thi- respect, and numbers of structures of this kind are now to be seen, in different districts. Even in what are commonly regarded as mild, open winters, the advantage of shelters of this kind are very considerable, and when run up, as they can be, at comparatively little expense, they very soon pay for themselves, not only in the saving of the food consumed by the animals, but m the improved condition and the better prices obtained for such animals when they come to be marketed. Shelter sheds of this kind are useful not only in severe weather in winter but also in spring and summer. In the springtime they serve a u«eful purpose in affording the necessary protection to twes during inclement lambing seasons, while in summer they serve to protect th-? animals grazing in the fields from the irritating effects of too strong a sun and the annoyance to which ,stock are frequently subjected from flics. Altogether, the advantages in favour of these sheds is very substantial.

TIIE CHOICE OF A GOOD SIRE.

It has been well said that the bull is half the herd. For this reason the importance of the part played by a bull in the success of the herd in wlnch'he is used cannot well bo over estimated. For the sake of economising a few pounds in the price of a bull many farmeis are content to take what may he an m-

ferior animal where the expenditure of £10 or £15 additional would enable them to secure a really high-class sire. In view of the fact that the sire exeroises so very important an influence upon the whole of the season's calves a display of any parsimony in his purchase is much to be deprecated. No matter how good the cows are with which he is mated if the bull is himseK an indifferent animal satisfactoiy results cannot reasonably be counted on. If a good bull is mated with a poor cow Ifche consequence of employing the inferior dom is confined to the one particular calf •which that cow produces; on the other hand, if an indifferent bull is introduced into a [herd, his influence is exercised right through the season's crop of calves, and in this way the harm which he occasions is very serious. This point should always be borne in mind by farmers and breeders in making their selections of eire=. A few pounds spent in this way may go a long way towards maintaining or improving the character of a herd, whereas the supposed economy of a few pounds in the purchase may lead to results the effects of which may take years to eradicate or overcome.

STABLE VENTILATION.

Abundance of fresh air is one of the first essentials to the proper equipment of a stable. Defective ventilation is one of the principal shortcomings of 80 per cent, of the stables in which horses are Jiept throughout the country. In the absence of overhead ventilators, through which the heated air can escape, the atmosphere of whatever apartments in which horses are kept soon becomes vitiated to suoh an extent that the health of the animals seriously suffers. Nothing is more common than to walk into a stable in which two or three horses have been kept over-night and to find the atmosphere so heavily charged with ammonia that it actually causes the eyes of the visitor to water. Absolute purity of air in a stable is of course impossible, but every effort should be made to have it as pure as possible. Ventilation must not, however, be secured at the expense of draughts. Draughts in a stable into which horses are brought in a heated condition are decidedly dangerous, and care must be taken to provide against the serious results whioh would follow should ■animals, after a hard day's work, be brought into stables through which a brisk current of air is constantly passing. By a simple arrangement whereby the air is introduced in small quantity, but in a steady flow, at a little above the level of the floor, and a corresponding arrangement whereby the air is allowed egress near the level of the ceiling a gentle current of fresh air may be secured without the least danger of creating draughts.

TOPPING OFF PIGS.

A correspondent of a contemporary describes -anewa 'new method of "topping off" pigs and making the flesh hard instead of flabby. About an hour after the animals have had their usual ration, whatever it may be, give each one a small quantity of dry meal of whatever kind is preferred. It is not to b^ mixed with any other substance, nor is it to s be moistened in any way. The pigs eat it elowly, as they are compelled to do on ac- , count of its dryness, and will take a good half hour to get through a small portion. The effect of this dry ration, eaten by itself about an hour after the usual feed, is to impart a firmness to the flesh which is difficult to obtain by any other method of feeding. The pigs appear also to enjoy the dry meal thoroughly. Some of the leading American breeders make it a regular practice to give their pigs a little turpentine in their food once or twice a week. They claim that the administration of this liquid exercises ■& very beneficial influence on the appetite, and helps to keep the digestive functions in good order, especially when the animals have been heavily fed with a view to their preparation for show purposes. '

THE FLAVpUR OF BUTTER.

The most important single quality in butter is its flavour, and, consequently, everything that can affect the flavour is of importance to the butter-maker. It is only within the past few years that the source and theory of flavour have been begun to be understood, and' even now there is much uncertainty as to the best methods to be pursued, both to prevent objectionable flavours and to acquire good ones. Divided according to their sources, butter favours are (says an exchange) of two kinds. First, those derived from the food; second, those derived from fermentation. It has long been known that some of the stronger favours,' such as those coming from Cape weed, green lucerne, and "musty" hay, have a decided influence on the butter. They are so much stronger than the flavour proper to butteT that their presence is easily recognised and traced to its proper source. . On the other hand, those flavours which, being due to food., are less marked than those before mentioned have not until recently been distinguished from those properly due to bacteria, and it is only the modern study of the ripening of cream which has enabled us to separate and distinguish tho various flavours due to food from those due to fermentation. Aside from the effect of the stronger flavours (Cape weed, etc.) the most important factor affecting the flavour is the advance of lactation. Although some experiments would seem to show that under certain conditions the advance in lactation need not materially injure the flavour of butter, yet there is no doubt that as the cow approaches parturition the milk becomes to a certain extent abnormal. The milk serum increases in viscosity, the fat globules become smaller, and the per cent, of volatile fatty acids decreases, and the flavour, while not necessarily bad, loses its fine aromatic quality, and often takes on a flat taste, and if the animals are very far advanced in lactation the flavour may become offensive.

-EFFECTS OF SALT ON SHEEP,

The effect of salt, on the health of sheep is not generally understood. Its effect is to give tone to the organism. The ash of the blood of a healthy sheep contains about 60 ncr cent, salt, and the ash of urine 33 percent. The scarcity of such an important constituent in the blood means a relaxation of vital energy. The moment this takes place the opportunity for the development of parasitic organisms comes. Salt slwffid be given at least once a week fresh, and be available at all times. Though sheep tako very little of it at a -time, they show great eagerness for it 3 if they have not had it for a few" days.

VARIATION IN MILKING

■ ' Chi the above subject, a correspondent writes that the complaints made with regard to varying milk tests at the factory should not necessarily be blamed upon the factory or creamery manager, because the variations occur very often, if not always, from causes for which the manager^ are in no way responsible. "No one point," he says, "causes so much discussion among dairy farmers as these variations in the test between different herds ac well as animal? in the same herd.

But few ever consider tbat without any visible cause as to change in food or other conditions a cow will vary the fat per cent, from one milking to another, and this frequently to a very wide degree. "The following shows to what an extent thi3 may take place with different animalo as a reply to the question, ' How much do cows -vary in the per cent, of butter fat from day to day Below are the -^nations m the test of three cows, obtained from morning and evening samples taken for se*-en consecmhe days: —

These cow 3 were given the same feed ann tieatment throughout the seven days ami for a few days before the testing began. They were giving r rac *ically the same amount of milk, No. 1 giving the most and No. 2 the least. No. 1 has the most nervous temperament, while No. 3 has the least nervous temperament. "It is hard to tell just what causes the variations in the test, but weather, feeds, handling, and surroundings make much difference. A drop in the milk flow from the preceding day may cause a rising or falling of the per cent, of butter fat. If the cow drops but gives all her milk, the test is* apt to be high, while if she fails to give all down then the test will be low, for the richest milk is retained in the udder. In both cases there is loss. The dairy cow must be kept in the best way possible, in order to obtain the great€st returns."

Evening Fleming Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning E\ cning Morning Cow No. 1. Per cent. .. 3.2 .. 2.1 .. 2.0 .. 2.2 .. 2.4 .. 3.2 .. 35 .. 3.1 .. 4.6 .. 4.0 . . 4.3 .. 3.2 .. 3.0 .. 2.3 Cow Ao. 2. Cow A o 3 Percent. Pel cent. 3.2 .. 3 0 4.9 .. 3.5 4.0 .. 2 5 3.6 .. 3.3 3.3 .. 2.G 3.2 .. 3.0 4.1 .. 3.3 41 .. 33 3.0 .. 2.8 3.3 .. 3.6 3.7 .. 3.0 3.8 .. 3.1 3.8 .. 3.1 3.0 .. 2.9