NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3215, 27 October 1915, Page 10

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

No hard-and-fast rule can be laid down as to whether land should

Ploughing— Shallow or Deep?

be ploughed deep or shallow. The depth must be determined by the nature

of the farmer’s soil, while the nature of the crop to bo sown has also to be considered, some crops feeding deeper than others. As a general rule, deep soil can stand deep ploughing, but not always, -as, for instance, when first bringing such soil under cultivation; although sooner or later deep cultivation is advisable. In practice it is best to plough new land comparatively shallow, ana go little deeper every year. The sub-soil sots a limit as to the best depth to plough. Usually it i» best to stir the subsoil, but not to bring sit to the surface. Shallow soils may, however, be gradually deepened vear by year by ploughing slightly deeper; lout it'is risky ploughing a thin soil deeply, and it may be stated as sound practice to work* the soil as deeply as its nature will permit, and. if shallow, persistently turn up a little fresh soil each year, and thus en-. deavour to deepen it and so increase the feeding area for the roots of the growing crops. Roots penetrate deeply if given a chance, but they feed mostly in the tilled soil, and the object should bo to work as deep as the varying soils will permit. The matter of the draft in ploughing is worth attending to. An authority states that it takes 55 per cent, of the total draft in ploughing to cut the furrow slice, and 12. per cent, to turn it, leaving, therefore, 33 per cent., or <v third of the power used absorbed in friction of the plough solo and land slide. A blunt share makes ploughing as hard for three horses as a now point does for two, A plough not sot properly requires over so much more energy to move it than when in proper trim. A plough, In fact, fitted for its work and properly adjusted should run in the soil as though if liked being there, and should require but little holding.

Faiiiuc a en'e to mother the ornh-an lamb.

.caning tt> uw Motherless I omho

o to uiubiiur Lire oipruui lain o, resort must be made to the .expedient of the bottle mpf.hnrl T/vpa** millr rm n n

Lambs. metnod. We s milk, on an average, is nearly twice as rich In fat-content ns (he milk of an ordinary cow, and it is an advantage if the

milk of the cow is fresh and a high-tester. For the hand-feeding operations a bottle and rubber nipple and a patient attendant are necessary. It is a simple matter to teach the lamb to suck the nipple, and caro should be taken to keep bottle and nipple clean and sanitary by rinsing in cold and then, hot water after each feeding. Cow’s milk should not be diluted The amount, of milk fed may be regulated in proportion to the well-doing and general condition of the lamb. Small feedings and often is the best method, as the lamb's stomach is small During the first few days or so the lamb should got but a few tablespoonfuls of milk every two hours, the amount being increased as the animal develops greater capacity. The milk should bo warmed to about b2dcg—that is, about the normal temperature of ewe’s milk. Do not on any account boil the milk, as this renders it harder of digestion, and will possibly result in death through the constipation of the lamb. The first four weeks it is necessary to be careful afterwards the lamb can take caro of itself fairly well. When two or three weeks’ old, they should be encouraged to eat a little grain and roughage. Stunted lambs will never develop into good sheep, and the period of infancy is the time when e -J am k should bo pampered. The most rapid and economical gains arc made when the lambs are little follows, frolicking about with their mates, and at the present prospect of high prices for all fats it will pay to feed hay and grain, etc., at as early an a = e _ as possible, as they will not suckle the mothers so hard then, and so materially reduce the condition of the ewes. It should bo possible to arrange “creeps” or “breaks,” so that the lambs can get the first pickings and bo kept always putting on flesh.

Horns are the of offence and de-

Calves— Dishorning.

fence by which wild cattle protected themselves; but the cow, as a domestic ani-

mal, has no further use for them. It would perhaps ho a mistake to interfere with the pure breeds of cattle; but with ordinary dairy herds it is only necessary to note the condition of fright and fear common euough where horns are worn, and the effects natural therefrom on the milk-flow, to be satisfied that the practice of dehorning should be more general. Careful observation has shown that ihe dehorned cow is not affected by the operation for more than two or three days, and then not to a great extent. The best time, however, to dehorn is when the calf is less than a week old. As soon as the knob or button begins to appear, the hair is cut close over it about the size of a threepenny piece. Caustic potash m the stick form is then moistened and rubbed on until the blood show's through the skin After a few minutes the operation is repeated. and the work is done. The potash should not be made soft and then pasted on, as this is unnecessary cruelty. A stick of caustic potash may be obtained from any chemist. It should be kept dry, as it is exceedingly soluble in water, and will dissolve ever, in the atmosphere, obtaining moisture from the air itself. While using the stick, the lower portion of it, held m the fingers should bo wrapped round with strong paper so as to prevent injury to the fingers. Keep the stick when not in use in a glass-stoppered bottle. If the work is carefully and properly done, a little dent or dinge may be felt in the horn for a few days, and where this occurs no horn will ever develop.

Second-cuts, as the result of careless shear*

Careless Shearing.

ing, are known to all who have been associated with sheep at this time of the

year. Matters, perhaps, are not as strictly supervised in the shearing shed as was once the case, the main object being to get the wool off with reasonab'e despatch and care, and avoid fault-finding if possible. A contributor to the Wool -Record (Bradford) directs attention to the manner in which combing wool can be spoilt by careless shearing—the staple has been cut just below the tip, and not, as js usually the case, near the skin. It seems that this trouble is caused in opening up the fleece at the point of the shoulder or on the neck. With either machines or blades a careless shearer frequently cuts off the tip of the wool at the point of entry, and does much the same when he is following around the body. As ho gets to the end of Ins blow he drops his elbow slightly, and this raises the cutter or blades, and leads to the staple being severed just below the tip. Some of the damage in connection with machines is also done by allowing the cutter to run in wool which has already been removed and is lying bunched up against the animal. Small matters, per* haps, to the shearer, but worth the attention of the sheep-owner, who must study the demand of his market if he wishes to get the best value for his wool. AGRICOLA.