NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 7

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

During August very mild and spring-like . • - weather- has been eicperi-* Fanu Work enced, and in ' consequence for September. gtoek are looking exceptionally well this year. Farm work also has proceeded almost uninterruptedly during, August. September r is one. of the busiesfof all months of fche:«year on^ -the farm. \. Spring grain should be got in as soon as possible. .Tuscan varieties of wheat may also be sown during September, and oats should .now be got in without delay. As the turnip crops are eaten off the ground 'should be promptly ploughed and worked up with a view to sowing down with barley or oats. Farmers will find it advisable to well roll winter wiieat before it gets too far ahead, and if sown down one or two turns of the harrows will not do any harm to the wheat, but should improve the seed-bed for the grass. During this month, on old pasture that has not received any lime for years, half a ton. of lime to the acre, followed afterwards by & dressing of superphosphate, would wonderfully help spring clover and grasses. Linseed should be sown in September on ground thai* has been well worked and has had the benefit of winter frosts after grain cropt Carrots are usually sown towards the end of September, or early in October, about 41*b of &?ed being u&ed per acre. Sow in drills from 18in to 20in apart, and when well up thin out to three or four inches. Land j which' has been previously manured for another crop is considered the bet for carrots. The- month of Se-ptembai is usually found a most trying one for farmers, because turnips and mangolds arc coming to an end, ami the grass ha« not begur to show any spring. Farmers who have a good suppiy of mangolds in '"clamps" are fortunate, and every year some provision should be made for forage crops fc early spring feeding of cattle and tneep. There >'s no doubt that kohlrabi should be mere grown by dairymen than it is at pr€s?nt, for the-; reason that the milk is not flavoured by it. This useful feeder may be grown like swede turnips, or planted out in fecd^beds and transplanted in November or Docembsr. \ It is generally planted on the flat, but likes plenty of heavy manuring, as does the cabbage. Kale also, if sown in September, •houl-d be ready for feeding by February, and oan then be grazed right on through the autumn. Many farmers prefer kale to rape for feeding 'ambs, the mortality being leas than on rape. Although young stock will fatten quicker on rape than on kale, two-tooth sheep do as well on the latter as the former. The general name "kale" is applied co all open-headod cabbages used as forage for stock, and of thio there are several varieties, of which the fchousandhe&ded kale is the most generally used ; but farmers should remember that kale will not do on land which 16 water-logged in the winter time, because where the water stands kale is sure to die Dut. The planting of fruit trees . should be finished in September, and if this work is not finished then it should be left over till the following autumn. Witb a view to giving information relative ! ; to the -Argentine show, , Argentine which is to be held at j 1 AffriraHaral Buenos Aires during June Exlitbit!<Mi. and July of next year, the Allowing particulars may be of interest to breeders in New Zealand who have thought of sending purebred 6tock for exhibition in_the Argentine: — Quarantine. — An animals from one person require an official sanitary certificate for exhibitor's' farm and the stock at tim-2 of shipment. Sheen will be quarantined at

Buenos Aires for eight days and further veterinary ' , examination. -Statement 'of •pedigrees ."or breed -"ioeiely certificate rc-' quired for import inspection. Stock.— To 00 penned from die 3rd to the 25th June. Pavilions provided. Complete' details required as to breeding and registration. Stock to be penned 'our days ■prior to the 3rd June. ' Entries close on -February 1, 1910. 'Attendants in oare of sheep to be in official or approved uniform. Prizes consist of champion prize medals and first, second, third, and fourth prifb medals. Forage at show to be furnished at tariff rates only. Sales of stock will bo held on the grounds. Commdseion, 6 per cent. Classes for Lincolns, Leicester as one breed only, Romney Marsh, and Downs ' are:— Rams: Group 1, lambed before Ist January, 1909; group 2, lambed from let January to 30bh April, 1909; group 3, lambed from Ist May to 31st October, 1909. Similar groups for ewes. i Shearing. — Lincoln, Leicester, Romney in group classes 1 and 2 to be shorn between the Ist and 3rd of December ; in group 3 witb full wool fron? lambing. Oer-Mfioate-of shearing required apart from the breeder. Entry free. 1 All exhibits from abroad admitted free of Customs duty, but should they be sold or require to be removed from the exhibition, corresponding duties must first be paid. The following form is to be completed and t forwarded to the chairman of the Joint Committee of the N.Z. Sheep Breeders' ' Association by any intending exhibitor : — I j I bag to apply for steamer space for ship- ! ment of x<kbos (state numj ber and breed) *w««, to be 1 shipped to Monte Video foi showing at the 'International Agricultural Exhibition, Palermo, Buenos Aires, Jane, 1910, in accordance with the programme and rules :tlier«of. ! . I a£ree on* intimation of allotment of spaceto at, once prepare and feed the sheep for th above show, and to deliver the sheep to place as may be arranged by the com---mittee. ' I I herewith enclose promissory note for a .*iium computed . at -j£s sterling ,(fiye- pounds, ■ sterling) per head, drae Jawtwxy- 1, 1910, fend «/I«L. -agree to jramit a iurther mm of ilO pea head, or suci other sum as may be found necessary, before the date of shipj ment. Should these sums 'be found insufn- [ cient to meet th© expenses I hereby agree to make on demand, the deficiency, and i should the daposit be more than sufficient, the difference as competed by the committee will be refunded. The ooanmittee frill innoge witb a. suitable agent for the disposal of the whole of the ! sheep during the show for end on my account, unlass otherwise directed in writing prior to shipment. i I also agree to the sheep being subject to , the approval of the joint committees appointed by the above associations. 1 I The name and address of the exhibitor is to be attached, also the date and the name of a witness appended, a shilling stamp being affixed to the document. 1 During the last year or so a good deal has been heard aibout the comAariealraral pukory teaching of the eleK4aratlon in mentis of agriculture in the RaraJ B«tui*la. Tura l schools, but .from what 1 is being carried out in other parts of the world, and even in certain districts of New Zealand, indications certainly point that under a voluntary system much better results are sure to be attained. , To begin with, 4n several parts of New .' Zealand prises are offered by certain A. and , P. associations in connection with school garden work, which not only encourages the children in the subject, but attracts them J in largo numbers to the shows. Recently ! very successful classes in wool-classing have I bsen established in the Ran<atikei district, 1 lat which lectures were giver lo the ' students by one or two of the most promi- : nent breeders of English longwool sheep, I while in America judging claws of stock ■ is a -feature of the curriculum. We know that in Denmark good work is being done in the way of improving the yield of seed by selecting seed-head* 'rom the growing crops, and there- is no reason why schools might not assist in selecting seeds • in this way. In Ireland also great strides arc bein.? made in the way of rural education with the assistance of itinerant instructors, who are employed by th^ county committeee in giving instruction in horticulture, bee-keeping, poultry-keeping, and butter-making. Judging, therefcre, from the experiences of other parts of the world j a system of voluntary rural education seems to bo givins t.he b?st results. To begin with, the Nature-study instruction in the primary schools is a step in the right direction, and Ihe leaning thereby created towards agricultural fdence would surely make itsah felt in increasing tha interest of children and inducing them to follow up when they left the secondary schools a more technical course under the Manual _ and Technical Instruction Act. There is . not the slightest doubt that a \cry great I advance- has been made in rural education. [ in New Zealand di'rinir the last few years. ! According to Mr AkxandcT, principal of Lincoln Agricultural College, agriculture \ could not be taught in the elementary j schools, because the teacher must be an j authority, and ihe ohild in the rural school ( should only be taught as much as would be j interesting to its surroundings, and the special Nature-study should be made- as in- t teresting as possible. Be this as it may, there oan be no two opinions that the

early teaching of children in the rural eohook <to £ak» an interest, in the farm work that ie r beinglcarried on around them wilF be of advantage to them in' later; years-: In a recent issue of the Amenoar" Sheep- '" ' breeder the regardlfoir to Traf ■ ing- the training of a collie 1 ' • *•**!#.< •13 by -an experienced American sheep-man. In order 'to secure the" best results with dogs as workers " the writer says they should 1 be broken by the one who is to handle them. He has a dog that he is willing, to work or show in competition with any dog in the country. In this the writer, no doubt, is displaying pardonable American pride. What he recommends seems, however, sound common sense. Never kick, a jollie, and never call him to you for punishment. Make him "lie down" where he is and go to him, otherwise if you call him to you he h -liable to suspect you, and become a 6ulky dog. His first lesson should be to "come here." Use it whenever you call to feed him, and he will get in the habit of coming when called. Next teach him to "lie down" by saying "lie down" and preas-ing down with the hand. Be very thoroufijn with this lesson, and make hirr keep his position white you go' any distance from him and stay any length of time. r He should be taken amongst the sheep from the. first and learnt' to know them. If you keep ihim with you constantly he will soon . try to- help you in whatever he sees you j doing. By encouraging him when he does right and scolding when he does not please you he will soon .learn to do as he is told- But remember, says the writer, that "lioking" spoils more collies than all the other tilings combined." Never try to teach more ttian one thing at a tame, and Eec that that- is well learned before you try' to make him learn another. Patience and peres&verance wilt make a good work dog of any bright and well-trained dog. Possibly the constitution and disposition of collies , in America, is different to those bred in New" Zealand; because nearly all of our best ' sheegdogs; absolutely need a periodical ""licitJng"- ! to" rrial£o £bern promptly -eSey .the'diree.tions'Of their master. AGRICOLA. \ ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. .f'l ; By Agbicola. ■ "Novice," Shannon., writes: T intend trying a few acres of wheat. Not having had experience of this crop, and as- there is little or none grown in this district, X 'would be greatly obliged if you could advise me through the columns of your valuable paper. The land is light, loamy soil, and f airly dry. I took f very good crop of oats off it last season. What I most particularly wish to know is (1) Is September to late «o put in a, crop? (2) "What variety would you recommend? (3) What quanity of seed to the acre? (4) Would you manure? (5) In new country like this i« it necessary to treat the seed with bluestone or formalin? If so, which and Jiow applied? Answers : "(1) No : September is not too late for your district. (2) Sow b Tuscan variety of wheat, which is the most suitable for late sowing. (3) If drilling in the »>eed l^lb to the acre is sufficient, but for broadcast sowing two bushels should be applied. (4) Y«s, for the soil you describe, and especially as you had oats offi the same land last jear. ' Put on about 3cwt to the acre of superphosphate when sowing the wheat. (5) Yes." Be sure to str.»p your whsat wit-h blue-stone or formalin before sowing. Formalin is now considered the better. Mix lib of formalin to 20 or 30 gallons of water, and mix with the seed wheat about three-quarters of a gallon, per bushel." t , "Farmer, ' Balfour.— The best - plan to adopt in order to lessen scour in lambs is to change your pasture and also let your lambs have a bite of dry feed— hay preferably. The following dose given twice 'a week has been found beneficial in lessening bowel inflammation in lambs : — Lysol. one small teaspoonful to half a pint of water, and give in doses of one tablespoonful at a time. Turpentine and castor oil in small doses have given good results. j