NOTES ON KURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 7

NOTES ON KURAL TOPICS.

The value of a good forage crop covering ground in taking up plant C*MMrTlng food which would otherthe Mslstwrs. wise drain out with the rain-water is freely admitted, but tn« beneficial effect of growing and ploughing in catch crops is not- appreciated as it deserves to be. Such crops, when turned under, add greatly to the fertility and friability of the soil, and make it so retentive of moisture that huge quantities are stored up which would otherwise drain to waste ; as a preparation for wheat-sowing in the autumn or for enriching the ground before sowing it out in the spring, the system has much to commend it. But the facility with which • tb,e texture of the soil can be altered and I made to absorb and retain moisture for [ the use of the incoming crop, is the most I valuable feature of the practice. "Professor Cavanagh analysed samples of soil where three successive crops of crimson clover had been ploughed under. In order to learn what change, if any, had been produced, another sample from the same field, but where no clover had grown, was also examined. These two samples were taken about 20ft apart, and there was no reason to suppose that previous to the growing of the clover the soil in these two places was materially different. The amount of moisture, humus, and nitrogen were determined. The results, a 6 stated in the Mark Lane Express, were as follows : No After clovsr. clover. Per cent- Per cent. Difference. Moisture .. 8.75 15.00 6.25 Humus .. 1.91 2.94 1.03 Nitrogen .. 0.12 0.21 0.09 -" Possibly a more definite idea may be had of these differences if the inoreased amounts per acre are calculated. The aye- ! rage weight of soils per acre for a depth of 6in is about 750 tons, or 1,500,0001b; 6.25 per cent, of this amount in the case of moisture would show an increased waterfolding capacity of 93,7501b, or 46| ton*. This result was made possible by the increased amount of humus and a careful 1 system of our^aco- tillage. If there htudi been no other benefit from this system of green manuring than this increased power to hold moisture, it would have more than paid for seed and. labour, for an e^xtra 46 tons of water is very convenient in a dry time, and might possibly be- the turning point between success and failure." The building up of a good herd cannot be effected in a short time, j Managing but is necessarily tbe work a Herd. of many years, and demands great patience and enthusiasm. Like any other exclusive art, pedigree stock-breeding requires the keenest perception as well as natural adaptability for the work and ceaseless vigilance. In other words, the aspirant must not only have a good knowledge of the typical characteristics of the breed, but he must be naturally a born judge, and make a hobby of it. The value of pedigree lies in the fact that animals which for several generations have possessed certain qualifications will without fail transmit them to their offspring; but the ability to do his varies J considerably, and there always will be calves which" must be rejected, either for 1 constitution!, undesirable form, or want of quality. There is no good going to a show and picking out some mud-fat heifers, expecting good results from them. ; The chances «re that they will, on account ! of their condition, be unreliable breeders, and disappointing. Some ambitious ! breeders strive in this way to attain top ! rank in a year or two, but generally fail. They soon find that it is wiser to buy lon herd book qualification, in healthy ) breeding condition, than trust to the animal pampered up for show purposes. In every class of stock the particular type of animal to be produced is mentally determined upon, and all purchases are made to fit in with that ideal. Great assistance is fre- ; quently to be had from practical breeder*. ■ who are the most competent to give sound ' . and reliable advice. Those who have bred 1 up herds themselves and have made a , success of them and solved the many problems which have arisen in their experience are surely the best guides to apply to for information. A straight tip frofn such men, candidly given, should not be lightly disregarded- Every purchase should bring the ideal one stage nearer 1 realisation. It is, therefore, advisable to ' avoid the temptation to buy animals which have achieved some triumphs in ' the show yard unless they have the desired pedigree and points, and are of the class required to improve the herd. Whether the ideal is right or wrong, nothing .will be- gained by ohopping about from one type to another. The keenest discrimination and especial care must be exeroised in the purchase of bulls, which should as far as practicable be selected witlj a view to correcting any possible defect in the conformation) of the cows. Tne cows will have a strong 1 family resemblance, -and be in good breeding condition,* and

good milkers. Any breeder trill tell you that half the breeding goes down the throat, and the experience- of suceesful breeders in this respect may prove useful. ' Mr John. MaoPhersob, a noted Home : breeder and exhibitor, is reported in the j Field as follows : — Referring to the feed- 1 in of his animals, Mr MacPherson believes in strict moderation. In his own herd he gives little beyond roots and straw .to the breeding animals, and on 'this diet he find 3 they maintain sufficient condition for all practical purposes, and probably bieed ipore regularly than, if they were j to receive liberal rations of concentrated stuff. Like most owners of pedigree herds, the writer believes in early calves. The advantages possessed by winter calves over those born in spring or -summer are sufficiently tangible to warrant efforts on rle part of breeders to have their calves arrive before the advent of spring. Many experienced breeders seriously contend that wi-u-ter calves grow more rapidly and respond more readily to generous treatment than those born at other seasons; but even if this belief were only imaginary, the advantages which the earlier calves possess in the show yard and the sale ring as sufficient to justify preference for early calving. Mr MacPherson allows his pedigreecows to suckle their calves, but in order to encoarage the milking propensities of the cows he insists on each animal being milked dry at least once a day until sucn time as the calf is able to take the whole of the dam's milk. This is an excellent method, and, as he says, if it were strictly adhered to and no spare milk allowed to remain in the cow, there would be fewer complaints as to the milking- qualities of our beef-producing breeds. From about six weeks old his calves are allowed to lick a little finely-crushed oil cake, and by-and-bye turnips are also given to the ear'ier calves, and then for some time before and after weaning crushed oil cake is again given, and later en a mixture of bran, linseed meal, and ground locust beans takes the place of the oil cake, and later still turnips are by degrees introduced to form the bulky portion of the ration. Sir Henry Maudsley once said that " the individual is not responE*t»bliiklag sible for the tyranny of his fyr* la organisation, and the great, $r«esi*f great, and great-grand-Aaisialf. father may be responsible for the character, physical, moral, and mental, of the subject under consideration." There ia nothing new in the gre»s law of heredity-, and it is acknowledged that if two animals to be mated possess a certain characteristic in common, the chances are that the same characteristic wil 1 be accentuated in. tne offspring. The same laws govern the question which have controlled it from all time, and form and quality are admitted to be capable of certain, and not haphazrd, direction by human agency. Sometimes there is reveraion in the progeny to some far-back undesirable ancestor which, at the present moment, is incapable of explanation, and gives rise to Sir Henry's statement, but a-? a" rule like produces like. This shows the value of pedigree. If a!l an animal's ancestors were first class of their kind, there could be no reversion to some weak member, and absolute reliability could be placed on the progeny. T.'nfortunately the same enthusiasm does not inspire several generations of men, and some careless keeper of the trust errs either in knowledge or in selection, with the result that two animals mated together sometimes breed a product that is greatly inferior to themselves. We therefore deduce- the definition of a good pedigree as one in which all the names mentioned without exception are creditable animals, and there is no weak link ia the chain. When this is secured we can rest assured of good results. But, granted that the pedigree is perfect, we are not absolved from seeine that the animal we mean ro use is in Itself jeprthy of selection and tjrpical of the breed. We must remember that muojh hinges on our choice, as it did on the choice of our fathers ; and we must be wary to prevent our work interfering with tVsi success of these to follow after us. The excellence of generations may depend on our ohoic«. If good judgment is used, each successive generation will be better than tho last, and the individual type of the herd will be firmly fixed. Ai.d in co far as tho breeder can perpetuate ■ Ws own peculiar stamp ol form or con- ' formation, and that feature is more pronounoed than in the stock of other breeders', to that extent will the pursuit be permanently profitable and, his reputation widen out from his own immediate neighbourhood. He will be greatly assisted to this end by judicious in-breeding, when tin's can be accomplished without weakening the constitution. Professor Brown, of Ohio, who has been a keen observer of the I physiological phenomena of reproduction, thinks it is a dangerous thing to 6elect sires haphazard, however excellent they may be in themselves, and prefers to breed tfte circs from his own herd. " Supposing the herd to be well along in its development, and the type well fixed. He wouid select two or more of the cows from it that are the best breeders, the most prominent, and possessing as nearly as possible all the other desirable traits, being animals thoroughly- known and understood, and tbe progeny of a line of aniital* thoroughly known- and understood of Ins breeder as possessing no physiological trick or short-. comings, but fubstagtial fend laudable

breeding traits which can be relied upon ai proven by a long trial. He wouid , then cast about for a sire of equal merit in so far as it is possible, concerning which he had equally intimate knowledge all along the required lines. Disregarding distance, delay, and expense, he would mate them, and continue until they had produced bulls to his liking, then breed them to the herd in divisions, subsequently ciossing the progeny one to the other, and never think of the relationship except in the first instance, which should be, as I far as can be, of unrelated blood. Type to type, with an ever watchful and zeaioas effort to improve health, constitution, feeding qualities, and breed charactei i« tLe motto he would adopt, and let relationship take care of itself in. the main; but where possible introduce unrelated animals to compromise with the prejudice ! we all entertain regarding near relationship, but never sacrifice one single iota of the original purpose of individual stamp for an out-cross that may' do incalculable harm in the way of set-backs that will take years to correct. "He had been wholly unable to see how animals of perfect health, perfect digestion, perfect form, perfect disposition, perfect reproductive powers and prepotency, however "much they may be inbred, can deteriorate if only all these attributes are kept intact by proper care and attention, always discarding those that are not endowed, if by accident they happen to be produced from the breeding herd. He would follow the course as conservatively as possible, getting new material as often as it could be found that was not incompatible with the unwavering purrose on hand, sacrificing nothing for a mistaken whim, or being scared out by a popular fetish, based upon nothing but a prejudiced wail of the unthinking anJ weak-kneed devotees of unproven. dicta which from time to time gave semblance of credit, but Sooner or later sunk into oblivion for want of confirmation in practice. Foals have had a splendid chance this year, although in Ttil( some cases the. percentage [ Firm Htriis. might have been highdr. There have been very few wet, cold days, whioh double them, up quickly. There is also now plenty of grass for them with good nourishment in it, not re in- washed watery rubbish, but substantial food, and they ought to do well on it, and specially well if the mare is provided with, shelter at night from the wind and rain. If foals are worth having at all they are worth looking after, and there is no more miserable Bight than to see mars and foal backing against a post and wire fence trying to obtain shelter, with staring coats, and shivering with cold. Nothing sets up trouble quicker, and when the foal begins to scour badly, he vill never come out afterwards as he should, besides giving a lot of trouble to cure, and causing disappointment. Then* a little assistance in the way of milk-supply-intr food, crushed oats and bran, and a little sweet aromatic hay will help both mare and foal, but especially the foal ; ard it always pays to feed the young ones liberally and keep them progresing steadily. Mares turned out on pasture most of the winter seldom miscarry, and their welfare is attributed to the use of their natural food. But after foaling something more than gra«e is necessary, and will more than repay itself. When the mare is worked and has to contribute towards saving the bay, a double burden is imposed, for she has to nurse her offspring as well as do her work, and extra food and attention is all the more imperative. 'Young horses on the grass should have their feet trimmed, as the growth of the foot when grazing is greater than the wear. If neglected, the toes grow to a great length, the hoof splits, and gives the dirt a chance to get in, and set up trouble: the youngster is forced to walk too much on his heels, in a strained, unnatural position, and the foundation is la<d for weak joints. CORRESPOXBENCE. I have received a lengthy letter from Mr Charles Goodall. in which he again deals with my remarks concerning the demands of the Farm Labourers' Union. He recognises that the demands of the union are, to cay the least of them, very ridiculous. No doubt they ask for more than they expect to receive. The writer says that what he is advocating is better surroundings—good huts with fireplaces where men can dry their wet clothes. After treating of the price realised by the products of the farmer, the writer goes on to say that Mr Lowrie, principal of Lincoln Agricultural College, is no doubt right m saying that the present Und values ate too high, as it is reasonable to suppose the pro- ' sent prosperity cannot always continue. What the writer would like to see ie an improvement in the social condition of ihs farm labours.?. There is. not- much the matter with li» wages. Farm hand* £$.n save more money, if they like, than dan the average tradesman in towns. fttx Goodall dilates at length oh the condjtkfnji prevailing in the North Island » &u&u>er of years back, but the ex&Qt bearing of these remarks is not eyidem ; and lie t&ye he will eonolnd* by firing an extract from a letter received five months ago from an Sid mate who is farm/rig in tb* North I slang, and this may be compared wita I th« statements made by Mr Lowria. The I extract js ft* iollawt;^"I have. had. c fe* 1

ups and downs since last I saw you, buiy thank God, lam fairly well off. I took' up a bush farm some 15 years ago, and, o* course, it took a lot of money and a lot of work to knock it into shape, and for 4 good many years wool and stock were so low in prices that it was a hard job to live, without thinking of making money*. Wo have over 2000 acres, and have It sAF in grass and properly subdivided. Wo J shear about 6000 sheep, and we fiavt 303 head of cattle and about 20 horse*. The' cheque for the wool alone came to £13001 I have a good house worth £1000. It would! cost £1000 to build at present ; and my son also has a very good house, and well furnished. My young son is at (or in)' Wellington College. lam living 50 miles from Bulls. " Mr Goodall adda :— " I would like to ask you how this statement tallies with thoea of the principal of Lincoln Agricultural College re investment of capital in Net* Zealand, and the assertion that a man farming can do better in. Victoria than in New Zealand." Your friend's present position no doubt gives you great pleasure, but his statement, however satisfactory to himself and to yon, ' has no bearing whatever on Professor Lowrie's evidence. This referred to tho present time only, and had no reference! to what could have been done in New Zea-J land 15 years ago, before land went to! its present value. The professor does not make rash and ill-considered statements; which he is not in a position to verity, butf I. have no doubt was selected to give avi»' denoe because he is in the habit of weigh-} ing his words well before giving them/ utterance, and his opinion i», therefore^ highly valued when obtained. He knows Australia, and what can be done there, hotter than many of us, and I am satisfiaJt, would not have made such a deliberate statement without having ample ground for. doing co. In reference to the farmf labourer, my opinion agrees with your own— » that the labourer living quietly on the, farm, with his food supplied to him, is in a' position to save more out of his 20s or, 26s per week than his fellow- worker in town'/ out of more than double that amount: I The machinery of the Arbitration Court is not necessary to rectify any deficiency, there may be in accommodation on tho farm. That is only a minor matter, which has already been legislated upon. What! I most strenuously object to is the oonducti of the Government in allowing the producers of the Dominion to be dictated to by their employees, who are relatively better off than any oth^r labourer in tno world. It is a case of tho tail seeking to wag the body and steer the head, grudgingly consenting, away from the sensible

*nd time-honoured path. And on that account the position is unstable, and will nqt endure. What the climax will be time alone will toll. Of one .thing lam perfectly satified— the farmers in this country are not such idiots as to allow such a condition of things to continue for any length of time. I have to acknowledge receipt of a memo, from Mr Wm. Young, of Waipawa. If requires no further answer than I gave two weeks ago. AGRICOLA.