SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3100, 13 August 1913, Page 19

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Ode Own Correspondent.) The improvement in the weather conditions mentioned in my last notes has been maintained throughout the weelsf and farmers as a consequence are jubilant. Work is being pushed ahead with vigour, and' a few more dry days will see terrace land ready for sowing. There has so far been an entire absence of wind, consequently the ground has not dried to any great extent. It is true that on the higher portions of the river flats and on the points of terraces there are grey patches which give indications of approaching spring; but, generally speaking, tho ground is still very damp. There is a decided spring in the grass, especially in sheltered situations, but on exposed positions tho severe winter has told its tale, and the growth in tho grass is very slow. Tho fact of the matter is that tho weather has battered tho grass well down into tho roots, ami it seems doubtful if the whole of the plants will recover. Although there is evidence of an early spring, it will bo well on in September before there is much grass. Dairy factories will find a difficulty in getting anything like an adequate supply of milk, owing to the majority of the herds having got into such lev/ condition. This is duo to tho shortage of feed and the severity of tho weather. Turnips are very scarce, and the writer knows of one instance where £6 per acre has been paid for a crop of swedes, which are to bo fed off with sheep. There is a little movement in tho stock market, and in the course of a fow weeks, if tho present favourable climatic conditions continue, thero should I>o a keen demand for store stock.

The Weather and the Farm.

Tho result of investigations of dairying have shown that' if the product of the cow is to be regularly maintained to the normal standard, she must he supplied with an abundance of succulent food throughout tho whole year. Usually, when the supply of succulent food is obtained from pasture, cows are frequently poorly fed; hence the necessity for a larger production of forage crops, which are frequently impaired by the effects of adverse seasons. In some instances late winter forage is exhauster! at the usual time. Cows are turned out on pasture l>eforo it is abundant enough to supply the demands, or when the plants arc so immature that even with sufficient bulk tho necessary amount of nutriment is not obtained. Frequently also on river flats floods interfere with a continuous supply of food, and leave a deposit of mud over tho grass or herbage, and several daj-s intervene before the plant grows sufficiently to provide a mouthful, with the result that the cows are not pufficiently nourished. Often, as the result of hcavv rains, the land is soaked and uoggy, requires undue exertion on the part of tho animal to move about, with consequent loss of pasture. Pastures are too often the only

Systems! Icnlly Feeding Dairy Cows.

source of succulent food, and the less suit* able dry foods are sometimes exclusively fed. Under such circumstances, where conditions are variable, the milk-flow is naturally interfered with, and the profits from the herd reduced; therefore the introduction of other new crops, or the adoption of a practice that will result in providing for a continuous supply of nourishing food, will meet with the approval of progressive dairymen. As to a, continuous supply of food by summer hand-feeding, the growing of various forage crops must have a bearing on summer pasture, and on the necessity of supplementary foods, when conditions aro unfavourable, so as to provide succulent foods for winter.

On getting a new implement always sea that tho bearings aro working smoothly, an<l that they aro kept well oiled, ne if onco allowed to run hot they will not work so well afterwards, and will probably wear quicker. All repairs required should be- put m hand as soon as possible after tho season’s work is finished, sothal'tha implement is ready for use when next fK quired. If put aside, some little detail that requires attention is probabiy forgotten, and loss of timo results. Tho best tirno to get tho drill put in order is immediately tho grain-sowjing is finished. It is then ready for rape-sowing. The same with tho binder. Any repairs to the canvases or reel—and these frequently require attention-should bo done the first available opportunity after the machine is drawn into tho shod. And this brings to mind a point which requires attention. Never allow a binder to remain from under oover a moment longer than can bo helped. Exposure to weather docs more to curtail tho lifo of a binder or a drill than average wear and tear w’ill do. Tho nuto should always be kept tightened, and a good time to attend to this is when the horses aro feeding at dinner-time.

Cure of Furra Implements.

In a month’s time the foaling will ho commencing, and a few Junta in re preventing navcl-iil will not be out o? place. Stock which aro not housed are less liable to tho trouble than are thoee which aro kept under cover. Now that stock have become more valuable —for those remarks apply to cows as well ns mares—careful stock owners have become convinced that in modern farm life disease germs must be guarded against in every operation, and particularly during and after parturition. Not only should tho darn bo flushed out with some antiseptic solution, but the offspring should also bo treated to the same end. A good plan is to allow the navel oord to bo ruptured in tho natural way, then to squeeze out the fluids ns completely as possible, and apply tincture of iodine to flu* oord and surrounding par-ts. A drying powder, consisting of equal parts of powdered gum camphor, starch, and alum, should then be applied at intervals until tho . cord is dried. Another plan is to dip tho • whole length of the stump of the navel in a solution made by dissolving two drams of powdered corrosive sublimate in one pint of boiling water, and colouring with two or three drams of tincture of chloride of iron. This is used twice a day until tho cord drops off. If the navel is not disinfected ■ and a germ enters, it soon causes swelling ' and soreness, which spreads to the joints, • causing stiffness, which leads to poor con- ; dition, and usually ends in death.

i NareMll.