NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2649, 21 December 1904, Page 7

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

It ia interesting to note the annual in^ crease in the amount oe lYool .yool exported from year Exports. to year. The Year Book gives a table showing th© amounts for the- last 16 years; also ths amount purchased by the woollen mills in the colony. I will just give the round numbers in millions of pounds.

Thus from 1888 to 1895 there was a steady increase each yeai in our wool production, but in 1896 it dropped a. million pounds. Then from 1898 to 1899 there was another drop of s&ven million pounds in the quan- | tity exported, though the local mills took ! only three-quarters of a million pounds more than in the previous year. Then, 1 again, in 1901 there was a drop of nearly ! two millions; but the local mills took one and a-third million pounds more than the previoiis -year. In 1903 we exported five and one-third million more than in 1902, ! and the mills toc'k a million more also. Chemical changes resulting in loss may bake place after manures Mixing are mixed, and before they Manure!;. are applied to the land. Foi example, the mixing of lime or superphosphate of lime with mannures containing nitrogen causes nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, to be set I free and escape into the air. The chief I nitrogenous manures are farmyard manure, i some of the guanos, sulphate of ammonia, steamed bones, and! other fertilisers of an organic nature. If ammonia is not lost in the manner state.d, harm may be done by indiscriminate mixing in rendering the soluble ingredients more unsoluble ; lime has this effect on very soluble phosphates, j Then, again, injury may bo done in a mechanical way by improper mixing some time previous to application. Kainit and other potash salts when mixed with othei fertilisers cause the whole to harden and solidify. Lime, kainit, and other potash salts, basic slag, and nitrate of soda may be mixed immediately before application. Any of the following- may be mixed at any time : Superphosphate, sulphate of ammonia, potash manures, nitrate of soda, basio slag, guano, and farmyard manure. A queer theory has lately been discussed in some of th& farming A Goat papers at Home. A large as aPi erentive farmer writes to say that of Abortion. ho took a farm which had the name of being bad for abortion in cows. Previous to that, he had never had a ease of abortion. He brought to the new farm a number of valuatfle cows from his old place, and awaited the result with fear and trembling. First year all went well, but in the second many cows cast their calves, and these cows he had to dispose of at considerable less. He then heard of a farmer who had met with similar losses some years before, but having got a goat to run with his cows, no abortions had since * occurred. This farmer then got a goat also, and he says that for five years abortion has ceased on his farm. He admits that he takes ; every precaution to prevent abortion, cleanses and disinfects his cowsheds, etc. ; but he appears to have great faith in hia goat. He says he lent his goat to a geni tleman who had an epidemic of influenza among his- numerous liorses ; the influenza disappeared, and now that gentleman always keeps two goats about his stables. A j veterinary surgeon, in writing upon this j subject, says that it is not wise to sneer at this idea and condemn such as rank superstition simply because we cannot understand how it can have the effect stated. He instances other old so-called superstitions which have proved' to be wellgrounded. In old limes there was a superstition that milkers were proof against smallpox. This was subsequently proved correct, because they got cowpox "into their blood, and were, thus immune to smallpox. Again, there was a superstition among housewives that it was a '"good thing" to keep bees, apart from the profit actually derived from them. Now we know that flowers are male and female, and that bees assist largely in the mixture of pollen from the two <9exe*. In view, then, of the fact that some of these old superstitions have been justified by science, this sensible vet. does not rashly condemn the goat as a means of prevention of abortion, bufc he seems sceptical about the efficacy of ths goat in influenza aho. There may be some ( virtue in the persistent odour that accom-

The special Gahdmt Fertiliser, madp up by Kimmo and Blaib will be found to give excellent results when used for Flowers and Vegetables; also for Pot Plants, in and out °oi greenhouse. It is put tip in 71b bags, at Is W each. Ask yoor storekeeper for it.

parries the goat, especially a billy goat; but it is putting the useful goat on a level with a patent pill when it is claimed that it is potent as a cure for influenza aa well as a preventive of abortion in cows. ft may bs truthfully said that tho points in show pigs which' take _ Breeding the judge's eye and succeed Points in getting prizes are not in Pig i. always the points which go to make the most profitable pig. It has also been said by pigbreeders and pig-feeders that many of the show points of a pig are more a matter of fancy than of real practical value. But, as a rule, though there may be some truth in this contention, I think it will be found ahat the pig which scores well in show points is a- pig to be desired from a commercial point of view. In the fat classes the entries are so over-loaded with . flesh that any faults in frame and i breeding are covered inches deep in, fat; | (but with respect to breeding pigs and fcacon pigs, the judges must be guided by I the points in the pig which show confor- j jnity with the type or breed it is supposed jfco represent. The head and 1 face varies **an typs with different breeds, and though a true Berkshire head is a good thing on a pig of that breed, it would be utterly out of place on a Tamworth carcase. In crossbred pigs the head and face is usually pharacteristio of the disposition and quality j of the animal. Generally speaking, a nar- I row head, thin face, and long snout de- | iiote a pig of weakly constitution, a poor j thriver, and a rambling, discontented disposition. These are undesirable qualities in a pig, and should not be perpetuated by breeding from such a sow. Of course, ideas change as time goes on, and as an example of this I may refer to the fact ihat the most popular pig with the baconcurers is quite different from the oldfashioned type which bad a short snout*

heavy jowl, and thidk shoulders, and could be fattened up to almost any weight. But the thick sides and coarse meat would not suit the public taste nowadays, and the bacon-curers carefully avoid pigs of that description. The meat of the front part of a pig is the least in value, and, therefore, that part does not require to b© too well developed ; but a deep heart and wellsprung ribs show a, good constitution and* a hearty feeder. A straight back is essential as a framework for good sides of bacon, and a well-carried tail is also important, as signifying hams of good shape. Long legs make a lanky pig, strong in bone, and weak in ribs. Short legs are desirable a3 denoting depth of carcass, more of the streaky under-cut, and better hams. The ears are also a good guide. The oldfashioned short, stiff, and olose-set ears should give place to the soft and pliable ears falling slightly forward, and clear of hair. The quality of the hair, too, shows the quality of the pig. Coarse, thick hair should be bred out and replaced by silky hair, and not much of it. The pig-farmer must cater to the public taste, and aim at nice-grained meat, and joints of the most popular size and weight.

AGRICOLA.

IBS 9 ... 95} million lb. : LB9O ... lOi'i „ 1891 ... IGBJ „ 1892 ... 110J 1893 ... 119* „ 1894 ... 12S£ „ 1595 ... 12S>i „ 18 J 6 ... 128J „ „ 1837 ... 13l£ LB9B ... 1504- „ „ 18.^9 ... M3J „ „ [SCO ... 145 L9Ol ... 143 l!'O2 ... 3S5i i 903 ... 161 Local Luiill Us, 3i 3 3 34 23 2^ 3i 4 8 4i 3} 4s 4i 5i