AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2883, 23 June 1909, Page 21

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS.

A case heard in the Magistrats's Court at Temuka on the 15th inst. decided a point of some interest to farmere, whether landlords or tenants. Th<; defendant (Young) was the lessee of tho plan-tiff's (Ken noway s) farm near Temuka, and in his lease had covenanted not to crop with a "grain or dry crop" more than a specified number of acre 6in any one year. The lease contained a covenant that ths tenant would pay an additonal rent of £3 for every acre so cropped in excess of the permitted area. It was alleged by plaintiffs that during last seaeon defendant had cropped 47 acres beyond the amount allowed, and the sum of £140 for additional rent was sought to be recovered. Defendant's answer to the claim was that the excess of^ crop consisted not of a "grain" crop, but of a "grean" crop. The evidence showed' that a crop of oats, which was tho crop really in dispute, had been out green, after the ear had appeared, a reaper and binder being used for th-e purpose, and had then been put into stook to mature. The oate were subsequently stacked, part being cut for oatsheaf chaff and part retained tc be applied"' later to a similar uee. A sample of the grain was produced in court. Though the grains were poor, and, on the whole, immatcre, yefc it was, shown by defendant's witnesses that come of the grains would havip germinated. His Worshp held that, >n the faoa of 'this testimony,, and taking into account the fact that the crop was cut with a reaper and binder and placed' in stook to ripen, the crop must be held to I>2 a. "grain or dry crop," and' not a "■green crop." The overcropping, however, did not extend to beyond 20 acres, and his Worship accordingly gave jud.gment for the plaintiff for £60 and costs. Mr Cuddie, the' Dairy Commissioner, referring to the question of pasteurisation, stated that Professor Bang cited a moat interesting case of the spread of tuberculosis. A farmer who previously had a herd of cattle which was absolutely free from this disease, had his herd re-tested, and he wae astonished to find that although his .old stock was still healthy and free from tuberculosis, the two-year-olds were not, and, what was more unaccountablestill, the younger stock, including yearlings, on the farm were altogether free from tuberculosis. The Government officials then made careful inquiries into the case, when it was found that <iuring- the time tho diseased, animals were being reared and fed partially on skim milk the farmer was supplying a, factor* where pasteurisation was not in vogue. Later on he began sending his milk to another factory where the skim milk was pasteurised, and none of the young cattle fed on the farm from the time the change was made had contracted tuberculosis. Professor Bang informed Mr Cuddle that in his opinion compulsory pasteurisation had built up the Danish daiiy industry to what it is today."

Mr Thos. Blackley, Acton, Rakaia, a practical sheep-farmer, offers tha following remedy for hmg worm in young sheep : — "Some 14- yoars ago, when managing a nroperty in Southland, where there- used to be a loss oi 10 ncr cent, amorgst the hog gets from lung worm, it might interest thaw who have flocks if I pavo tho steps taken by me to keep it in check. While managing the above-mentioned property I noticed a paragraph in.. one of the New Zealand papers, which had been copied from an American paper, saying turpentine, mixed with .salt, was a preventative against lung worm. As -we were treating our hoggets .wiee--thD worst three times - with milk and turpentine. I thought t!)e salt and turps was worth a trial, although I had very little hope of them licking up the mixture. • I procured one ton of Liverpool Plains sale at a rxwt of 60<=, and a five-jrallon tin of turpentine; took out six ordinary chaff sheep feed boxes, and placed them a short distance from the gate, where the hoggets wera turr-ed off tho' turnips in the evening. Put salt in each of the boxes on the sheltered side from tho rain ; then sprinkled some of the turps o\er the salt, .md mixed it up with my hand. Much to my surprise the sheep licked it up greedily. I then put more turps on .he salt, which made no difference as far as the sheep taking it was concerned, but made a great difference to the number of hoggets dying. 1 may sny, in three days aftor beginning the use of the salt the deaths from lung worm practically stopped. From my own experience [ would advise just damping the salt with the turps, and doing it every day, as I think it evaporates ; the more affec-ted your sheep are the stronger you make your mixture. I had ovor 3000 hoggets on tuni'ps that winter, and used under one ton of salt aad five gallons of turpentine, so one can sec its not very expensive. When crutching the hoggets I filled the «ool~hed with thfni, and ;n; n the morning when coming into the woolshed you would think by the •sinel] you w<?re coming 1 into a turpentine factoi*y. which clearly proved tlio turpen-

tine had passed through the whole system of the sheep."

Mr J M. Cambridge, a. Canterbury chemiist of long-standing, writes as follows on the question of smut in grain : "Farmers in this country have been surprised and vexed to find the presence of smut in their wheat of the past season's growth, and some are inclined to Dlame the dressing us-e'l. Roughly, one-half of the grain growers of this sounty us© bluestone (sulphate of copper) as a smut preventor. the rest using Clark': or Smith's dressing — and smut "has appeared in both cases. The b.isi* of thei-e so-called *'patent dressings'" is blu'sstone, an<" the chief advantage gained by using the dressings, is, at least ■in the case of Smith's dressing, that whoat germinates quicker than that which, is dressed with bluestone only, and up to a certain stage grows a stronger plant. As wheat has for coma time, and still promises to be a very remunerative crop, more attention should be paid to the process of pickling riie seed. It -is not my intention as a layman "to give expert farmers advice, but as" a chemist, T feel_ Jonfident tha-t the clcl style of- merely wetting the" grain is not sufficient to kill tho snores of thesmut germ ; the seed ought to be steeped for some Incurs. The immunity from smut for some years past has made farmers too tareless. Given perfectly seed, there will bo nc .snmt in the resultant crop, but tho .germ is so minute that no" one can tell that vhe <"eed 6 clean : honec the- precaution of using a dressing. Jt should not be too much trouble or ex-pense to steep the seeds. Watertight troughs or casks are re- | quired, and this is amply compensated for. Formalin has lately been used extensively in some countries, it is a powerful germicide, and Is worth living here: the proportions are ono pint of formalin to 55 pallons of water, soaking for twtf hours. Carbolic acid is also a. good germicide in a general way, but opinions vary as to its effectiveness in preventing smut. Carbolic acid is put into both Clark's aid Smith's dressing, because there is a popular demand for a carbolised dressing, but the smallquantity that can be got in. is merely a flavour, doing neither good nor harm.