NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2527, 20 August 1902, Page 7

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

His Majesty has at last been crowned, an 3 all 103-al New Zealantfera Our Farmer have enthusiastically joined King. the rest of the Empire ia celebrating the Coronation, in a fitting manner. The ""King "has alw ays 1 taken a great interest in agriculture, anil though he has given up his racing stud ;n; n • deference to the exigencies of his high position he will continue to set a good example to farmers and stockbreeders in his Kingdom. His brilliant successes as an exhibitor of stock in the chief showyards of Britain entitle him to be placed in the forefront of stockbreeders. He takes a keen and practical interest in the welfare and managements of his stock, all of which have to "depend upon their own merits when competing with, the exhibits of his Majesty's subjects. He is too just and fair-minded to expect that his entries 'will be awarded undeserved honours because of their owner's Kingship, nor do I suppose that a judge could bo found in his dominions who would givo undue preference to any animal simply because it comes from the King's farm. His farm at Sandringham is well known as the country home of his Majesty while Prince of Wales, and he has now inherited the late Queen's flocks and herds at Windsor, where the purebred stock has a world-wide reputation. The most striking feature of the success winch has attended the royal shorthorn herd at Windsor has "been the fact that only stock bred on the estate have for many years been exhibited. No costly animals have been purchased for show purposes, and therefore the_faet that year after year prize- winuen at tlie leading" summer shows and winter fat stock shows have been bred at Windsor is the best possible proof that the royal herd is of most excellent quality and tinder the very best management. I suppose it may be truly said that farmers, both at Home and abroad, are the most loyaj subjects of tho King. There, ara soc.aht'. and anarchists in many classes, but, I c|ne--rion if any genuine farmers 01? farm labourers join their ranks. In conclusion, I mny say that I am sure all t.i'< farmers of this colony cun say with heart and voice, "Long live the King." According to the calendar we are now in the fiist month of spring, Tho Season. and when we get a few mild nights and warm days, which male© the grass begin to grow, we are apfc to think that all t3he cold weather is over, and that spring has actually arrived. Iti often happens, however, that August weather is treacherous, and we are lulled intc a fepling of hopefulness, only to find that tho warm weather is a prelude- to a coldi snap of frost and snow, and that winter is determined to give us a parting shot ere the month closes. We have been favoured. with a fine and open winter, and a great; deal of ploughing has been done in readiness for spring sowing, and the- sooner tho sowing is done the better? provided the land is in a fit state f or sowing and harrowing. I find that there is usually not much growth made by grain sown in August, as the soil has not much heat in it yet, but it is advisable to make a start as soon as possible when the weather permits in order to avoid the rush of work which ensues when • sowing is delayed until September. Oatsowiirg elnims the attention of southern farmers in tho early spring, *nd, judging by the largo area already ploughed, there 19 every pi<""ipect of there being a considerable incTpaso in oats this season. It is tho usual thing. We are> anxious to sow oats worth half a crown, a buahel in tho hope of getting a similar price for the crop, the result being -that we are lucky to get half that price. The birds are so greedy for the seed;

grrfin that it is necessary to discard tho broadcast sower in favour of the drill tl.ua covering all the teed at once and euiT.iiinjr tl o feathered pestc. That is an important consideration in favour of drilling, but in i-> uot the only one. Less seed suffices, and all is buried at a uniform depth, and thi-? should ensure ?. more even ripening of the crop. Drilling is more tedious than, broacleajjting. but I think it pays in the long run, ami 1 always adopt that method of sowing both oat& and wheat.

There lias been a serious moitality among young sheep all through the Hoggets on autumn and winter seasons, Turnips. and especially among hog-

gets upon turnips. A leaflet issued by Mr Gilruth, chief Govemmonfc veterinarian, describee a disease which has caused the death of many hoggets, and as this di.«oa=e it the work of a micjobe, it ia no wonder that changes of food and other precautionary measures have little effect". Of course v is impossible to say for certain that the disease described by Mr (.Tilrcrth- ia the- cause of all the deaths of hogget» on turnips, but, so far as my experience sro^a. it will bo found to be by far the mo t frequent cause of death. Apparently strong and well-grown hoggets are found dead

Raisers of Poultry should u=e XIMMO and Blaib's "Standard" Game and Poultrn Meal, which contains the finest bones and shells, sppoially sifted and ground to or'" poultry of all kmd«. It forms bone, an gives health and flesh to all poultry. Pec 141b bag, Z5....

without much previous show of sickness, a little bloody froth about the nose and mouth being usually seen after death and a rapid putrefaction. Sir Gilruth says that there is no doubt about tho disease being caused by a microbe which gets into the system, and experiments have proved that sheep inoculated with a drop of blood from a dead I body will quickly die in the same way. It geems certain that deaths taking place in the manner described in the leaflet are due to a microbe and to some simple disease caused by want of attention to the diet of the hoggets. It appears, too, that little can be done to prevent the mortality from this microbe beyond burying all the carcases. In conclusion, Mr Galruth says that though he is convinced of the presence of this death-dealing microbe in the blood of the dead bodies, he would like to secure more exact information regarding its prevalance, and also the co-operation of Bheepowners in endeavouring to further investigate the malady. To this end he requests that a number of questions attached to the leaflet should be answered by all farmers in a position to do so. The questions are, however, much easier to ask than to answer, much as we may wish to assist the Veterinary Department in investigating and elucidating various diseases in sheep of a more or less mysterious nature. In dealing with predisposing causes, Mr Gilruth says that "There is no doubt that the mortality is practically confined to sheep depastured upon/ growing turnips." That is not so in my experience this season, the turnips having ceaeed to grow long before the hoggets were put on to them ; in fact, in most cases turnips ceased to grow months before the usual time, and when they had attained the size of an Grange. After issuing the leaflet under notice, Mr Gilruth, in a lecture to Canterbury fannei-s, further stated that th© cause of death of hoggets in the manner described was a germ In the soil with which th£ hoggets- became inoculated through bruises or wounds. This may be so— l cannot say it is not so, but I can 1 fay that it is ftrange how nil the hosgp-ts, I hpve se^n die this winter got any bruises or wound*. He further said that if hoggets 011 turnips were provided with, a run out on clean graps i to oemp upon tho mortality would be much j leas. Hoggets are lying down repeatedly j during the day time, and if the microbe is in the soil, it seems to me to be a very weak thing to say that the infernal microbe can bo avoided by sloeping on grass at night \ time. I give tho various branches of the | Agricultural Department full credit for a genuine desire to assist farmers in every possible way, but in regard to this disease I cannot come to any other conclusion, from Mr Gilrurh's own statements, that it, like the "Winton horse disease," is a thing that nobody as yet can understand. At anyrate, if tho microbe is the cause, it is evident that little or nothing can be done to arrest its ravages.

Tlie la»t number of the Journal of A grieul-

ture of Victoria contains a X Digging lengthy article by one of Plough. the British professors who

lias been through that colony on a tour of investigation. He gives tlie farmers a lot of good advice, and, inter alia, refers to the benefit that would be derived from the uso of an implement that ha 3of lato years coiao into use in England. It is known as the Darby Digger, and consists of a powerful apparatus which is propelled by a traction engine, and' stirs the soil to a much greater depth than the ordinary plough can, and leaves the land, reduced to a good tiith, co that the seed can be sown without any further preparation. I gather from the description that the soil is not turned over, but eimply stirred and pulverised, leaving the subsoil underneath and the black soil on the surface. This loosening of the hard pan which lies at the bottom of (he ordinary ploughing is a great advantage in stiff clay land", xs it permits of the descent of surplus rain water, thus relieving tho top soil of a superabundant moisture. Tho average cost of using this digger is in England about 10s per acre, but it ie not required every year, aa a good stnring of the subsoil will have a beneficial result for some years. It is, of course, an expensive plant, aud it would scarcely pay a farmer to procure it solely for ins own urn, but if it could be hired, out in turn to a number of farmers as a threshing plant is, it might possibly prove a good in\estment to the owner and a benefit to the district.

Tlie papers have stated that a North Canterbury farmer has recently Dorset imported a number of Dor-

Bern Sheep, feet hora eheop on account of their prolific and early 'jnaturingr qualities. These sheep are rather larger than Sbtrtlidowns, but, though the fleece is similar to thafc of the Down breeds, tho face and legs are 'white, and both males and females have horns. The ewes are said to take the ram in the spring as well as in the autumn, and are capable of having two crops of lambs within the year. In England the ewes are sometimes put to Southdown rams, and the lambs then have dars faces and no horns. Sixty years ago the Dorset sheep were described by Youatt as entirely white, the face lone and b^oad. with a tuft of wool on the forehead ; the shoulders low, but broad; the back straight, the chest deep, the lbins broad, tho legs rather beyond a moderate length, and the bono small. The ram carries a pan: of finely-turned horns, and the ewe carries a. crooked horn, but without convolutions or spiral turnings. They are ddfccnbed as hardy and good feeders, yielding well-flavoured mutton, and as avernging, "when tliree years old, from 641b to 801b of marketable mutton." That a great improvement has he< 11 effected in these sheep since Youatt's lime is shown by the faot that \i others from 10 to j6 months old can bs brought to the weights given by him fur a thiee-year-old sheep. The fleece is about the same wi i^ht and value as that of Hampshire Dowi.s and §outhdowu3. It is 6aid that tlio modern improvement has been brought a'.xjut by selection. and not by crossing with any cthor breed. There is no doubt that, x'nder suitable conditions, these slicop may ba made profitable in produi-ing early lamb; for local markets or for fi cozing, but as tl.e ewe? generally have tuo or three lambs at a birth, they require 6pecia! care and provision, and would not bint heie as flock thecp on a iarge scalo.

AHkICV'LA

Growers of Fruit should consult Xjmjio AXD Blaiu's general catalogue of Pants, in which will be found not only a collection of standard varieties, but all the latest novelties worth prowing. In this ca'alot;'ie will also bo found an up to date sc'.cction ' oi Seeds of aU kinds..., |