SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 19

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Just as we were beginning to congratulate ourselves on having got through the lambing_ season without anything in the shape of a bad spell of weather, we were (on Friday afternoon) confronted with a storm which, while it lasted, was noted for its severity. Fortunately, paddock-lambing was well through; but it is feared' that runholders on the high country will be heavy sufferers. Lambing must have been fairly general up country, and 1 , unfortunately, the cold appears to have been more intense there, so that there is every reason to believe that the mortality among Jambs is serious. Farmers have been complaining of the losses sustained in the ewe flock during the lambing period, and in most instances this can be traced to a _disregard of the ordinary precautions, which every intelligent farmer now takes in the matter of seeing that in-lamb ewes whilst on turnips are given exercise. The only proper course to adopt with breeding ewes during tibe time they are on turnips is to see that they are driven off the' turnip break on to a lea paddock every evening, and kept there until the following morning. If there is a straw stack in the lea paddock for the sheep to nibble at so much the better. It has been found that the mortality has not been confined' to ewes alone, but hoggets and wethers have also succumbed. A post mortem examination almost invariably reveals inflammation, mostly of the intestines. This is easily accounted for when it is remembered that the composition of the turnip is largely water.

The Weaihcr and The Farm.

A- .««,oi vv.'o«tr' ; agriculturists this season ave experienced eonsiderible difficulty in reducing round from which turnips nave been eaten off-7-especi-ally by cattle—to a proper tilth. Tha most modern make and design of implements faii to reduce the clods to a moderate size, and it not infrequently happens that the crop is sown in a mass of largo clods, with the result that the eeed is not sufficiently well covered to protect it from the birds or to provide for the seed taking root. A clod-crusher, constructed cf nine or" 10 weatherboards firmly nailed on to a few pieces of scantling, is all that is required. A sreat many farmers havo not yet realised the necessitv of a thorough preparation of the-soil, which, after all. is one of the chief factors of successful plant growth. Soils that are badly run down by continuous cropping- may be restored to their original state of productiveness by the use of fertilisers; but the caus<of small returns is not always due to a lack of fertility. Many conditions 'may "prevail which prevent the plant attaining a healthy development. Better conditions, obtained by drainage, liming, eto., may be necessary before the plant can avail itself of further additions of plant food. Thft more perfect the condition of the soil is made, the better will plants be able to oibtain -*he highest development. There will, then, be greater conversion of food into crops. Our soils are the medium in which we can at pleasure convert potash phosphoric acid-nitrogen into crops; therefore, is it not .E>,dv-i£>a!b , j Bto keep t:ho medium in the bisrhest state of efficiency? Feed your crops as you do your animals, not merely to appease hunger, but that the highest returns may be obtained. Give them a rich, palatable, well-balanced ration that they will" readilv take.' and be, in consequence, invigorated and developed.

t Preparation of ; the Soil. p

Breeders of stock recognise several laws which apply to all animals. Anions? those are the law.! of " heredity " and " atavism." Tiho former is expiauieu 10 a certain extent by the phrase " like begets like." This law is reliable only when dealing witlh purebred stock of i known breeding and fixed traits of character. By atayis-m, on the other hand, is meant a reversion to the type of some more or less remote ancestor. The occurrence is commonly known as " throwing back. J ' The "result is the revival of some tendency which had previously been eliminated by persistently breedintr against it. AH domestic animals have . their origin

Heredity and Atavism.

in some wild species. (Through manygenerations past breeders of " cattle have culled out animals that showed undesirable characteristics, and bred only from such as. possessed those which it was sought to Eerpetuate. In this way the various breeds ave been formed and perfected, but behind 'them all lies their wild ancestry. If stock are permitted' to breed indiscriminately they tend to revert towards their original types with amazing rapidity, thus showing the potency of this power of "atavism," or "throwing back"; or, in other words, the strength of the blood of the original species. Where a breed has been kept pure for a long period the tendency to atavism is held in check.

The season is approaching 1 when dairymen will again experience a diffiCare Prevents culty in guarding their milk Tainted Milk, against taint. From a bulletin just to hand I notice that the Dairy Department of the Wisconsin College of Agriculture is now receiving nailk and cream from over 200 farms, and that from 15001 b to 20001 b of butter, 1001 b of cheese, and a small amount jf ice cream are made daily. In addition 100 gallons of cream are pasteurised, bottled, and marketed each day. Printed regulations are sent to all patrons supplying this product regarding the sanitary care of their milk, and each farm is occasionally inspected 1 by a representative of the Dairy Department. It really requires little eare and attention to maintain milk and cream in a clean, sweet condition even during hot, sultry weather. All that is necessary is to properly clean the cows, the milk cans, the shed, and to efficiently cool and care for the : milk. The following regulations pertaining to sanitary management of the herd and care of the product are observed by patrons of the university creamery:—All milk cans should be washed first in cold water; then thoroughly cleansed with warm water, and. finally rinsed in scalding hot water. These cans should be washed as soon as rcoaived from, the creamery and kept in a clean place protected from dust and bad odours. Exposure to direct sunligbt is especially beneficial. Each cow's udder should be thoroughly cleansed before milking, and the hands of the milker should--be absolutely clean and dry. The milk should he strained through one thickness of clean, white flannel, and then should 1 foe quickly cooled nnd well aired. Pouring or dipping the- milk several times ivom one can to another rapidly accomplishes this purpose- "Warm milkshould never be poured into- cold milk,: nor should the nisrht's milk be 'mixed' with the morning's milk. <Milk should never be exposed to foul air in the cowshed pr >n dirty cans before ■ it is delivered to the factory. Bloody milk or that from a sick cow should never be mixed with wholesome milk. The milk from a newly-calved cow should not be mixed with the other until a full week after the cow has calved.