SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2929, 4 May 1910, Page 20

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Otjr Own Correspondent.) Farmers who are short of turnips are naturally jubilant at the line weather which has prevailed during the past week. Although grass has not made much headway, it has not gone back any, with the result that the turnip crop is being conserved. Having travelled through a great portion of Southland during the past few weeks, I am more than ever convinced that turnip crops are light, compared with previous years. It is quite true that one drops across some excellent crops, but these are more generally the exception than the rule. In certain areas, generally not more than three or four miles square, one sees crop after crop of turnips that look well, and, all things considered. may be classed as good crops. The best of them, however, are not standing feeding, and farmers, almost without exception, complain of the short period of time necessary to eat off an average break. Of course the bulk of turnips are nowadays put in with the ridger, but there are still some sown broadcast, and the result in most instances is highly satisfactory. I have heard farmers condemning the ridger, but „when you come to question them on the subject you will find that it is due to prejudice. Some of those who are condemning the ridger are those who for some reason best known to themselves failed to ridge the land sufficiently deep. One farmer I know of cannot be prevailed upon to let the ridger into the soil, the result is that it runs along the top and makes little more than a mark. The effect is that the clods are left in a row in the centre of the ridge, and it is hero the seed is sown. How any sensible man can expect .a crop of turnips sown under such conditions in a dry season passes comprehension. Needless to say, this man’s turnips are an absolute failure this season ; and need he wonder at it? If any one watches the turnip crop closely he will find that the best results are invariably obtained where the ground has been well worked and the ridges made sufficiently high that the soil from the one board or disc overlaps the other. The soil thus turned up is moist, and gives the young plant a fair chance of resisting a probable drought. Some very interesting details of farming in Holland are given in a report by Professors Fraser and Brann, of the Illinois Experimental Station, who paid a visit to that country last summer. From this it appears that Holland but eight million acres, only one-third of which is really good land, large tracts in the eastern part being merely peat or barren sand. This comparatively small area of land has developed important things agriculturally. The size seems .no hindrance to progress, as over five million inhabitants —noted for their thrift and cleanlinessmake their living on this small area. Their exports are £2,904.000 worth of butter, £2,498,000 worth of cheese annually, or a total of £5,402,000. Most of the farms are owned, by the men operating i them. These energetic farmers keep their places in the best condition, and drive to town in substantial, well-finished, two-wheel vehicles, behind sleek, cobby, active horses. The farms vary somewhat with the locality, lut are usually of about 60 acres, a.nd on farms of this size the live stock usually consists of about 22 cows, 9 heifers, 40 sheep, 15 pigs, and one or two horses. Of this land about 24 acres are devoted to meadow, and the rest to pasture, dairying being conducted on a purely grass basis.

Phe Weather and the runup Crop.

Dutch Fanning.

For the past two years a farmer in England has been using wool filters. They have proved entirely satisfactory, and he strongly recommends their use to anyone who is anxious to gain the reputation of being a vendor of clean milk only—that is, thoroughly free from dust, particles of dirt, hair, etc. Many to whom he has recommended the idea speak favourably of their reliability. The filter consists merely of a thin layer or film of cotton wool, and this is said to collect or abstract a largo proportion of the dust or dirt which may be present in the milk—a greater proportion, in fact, than would be collected by finely-perforated muslin. To test the efficiency of wool as a filter, he had repeatedly run though milk which had already passed through a muslin filter, and on examining the layer of wool it was easy to see that the ordinary method of filtration had failed to abstract all the sediment from the milk in the first place. Many dairyfarmers and others to whom be recommended the use of these wool filters obiected on the score of the extra cost involved, for, of course, the cotton wool material can only be used once. But this cost is very slight, and is indeed comparatively insignificant when it is considered how"thoroughly clean and,free from sediment the milk is obtained. . The filter ot whatever make or description, will not restrain microbes from passing' through it m the milk, but it will keep out dirt dust, and hair and all other foreign material such as can be seen with the naked eye. these, however, are of little'significance compared with the dangerous impurities which may become dissolved in the milk and therefore incapable of being removed by filtratlo .”; Perfect cleanliness throughout, _ and strict attention to the hyglmio principles of milk-production can alone prevent this.

Wool Filters for Milk.

Some exceedingly practical advice is tained in. a paper on ine Treatment of Wounds in Live Stock,” read before a meeting of a branch of the Agricultural Bureau. South Australia. We quote the following“ Accidents are constantly occurring among live stock, and the impossibility of getting veterinary assistance forces a farmer .to, be his own surgeon. There arb .fbui* ‘‘kinds of wounds: Clean-cut,- torn,, bruised, and A clean-cut wound running .lengthwise with the muscle is the easiest to manage. First, see how deep it is, make sure there ie no foreign substance in it. and then stop the bleeding by applying hot or cold water. If a large artery has been cut, tie it. Put a teaspoenful of carbolic acid into a quart of

Wounds in Stock.

water and. let a little run over the cut surface. If the wou id is not deep the edges of it can be drawn together by silk thread steeped in the solution. If the wound is across 'he muscle or an inch or more in depth do not put in stitches, because the cut ends will move below them. Torn wounds should have the bleeding stopped as described, and then be cleaned by letting water run over them. Do not try to. sew them ap. If the wound assumes an un-' healthy appearance, use acetate of lead, £oz; sulphate of zinc, goz; carbolic acid, 1 dram; and water, 1 quart. Clean the wound with water, and apply this lotion twice a day. Punctured wounds are the worst of all, because they are liable to have foreign substances, such as hair and pieces of wood, within, causing inflammation and sometimes mortification and death. To treat these, probe the part to find the depth and direction of the wound, see if there is any foreign substance n it and remove it. Clean it as well as possible, then dip a piece of soft muslin in a solution of carbolic acid, 3 drams to 4oz of water, and press this to the bottom of the wound. Let it remain a few hours, and then draw it out and put in a fresh one. Do this three times a day. When the wound begins to produce matter the danger is passed. Clean it out twice a day and inject a little of the carbolic acid lotion used for cut wounds. Bruised wounds, if bathed with acetate of lead, £oi to one quart of water, several times a day, will not became inflamed. Sometimes matter will collect, and the parts will swell up and become soft and puffy. In such a case, open the wound, and inject a little of the following twice a day:—Zinc chloride 2 dams, water one quart. If it leaves a thickening, rub with the following ointment, every second weak:—Biniodide .of mercury 2 drams; lard, 30z."