NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3526, 11 October 1921, Page 8

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Carbonate of Lime or '•Lime'?

It was suggested in the House by a southeni member of Pallia-

mem. recently that the Minister of Agriculture should endeavour to see that lime salt's are controlled, so

as to ensure a supply of burnt lime worthy of the name, instead of the carbonate of cheaper quality sometimes (so it is alleged) substituted. This is a fair demand. Bulk: samples might readily be taken, and a guarantee given that the crushed limestone analysed, say, 75 to 90 per cent, carbonate of lime as the case may be. tend possibly its mechanical condition certified, a farmer could then compare the carbonate with burnt lime made from similar quality limestone. Approximately ICO parts of limestone yields on burning 56 parts ot burnt lime, so that the dressing required can bo estimated. There will always oe | some diversity of opinion in regard to which is tile better treatment for land—burnt lime' or the carbonate—and the matter revolves round local conditions. Burnt lime when it slakes is slightful soluble in water (lime water), and falls into ! a. very fine powder—a. great, desideratum—- | but the carbonate is insoluble. So slaked lime is thus somewhat better mixed with a soil when rain comes than is the ground ! limestone, or carbonate of lime, and a : email application, it is reasonable to i suppose, will act faster, but it. will be j sooner exhausted. Lime, whether applied ! as slaked lime or burnt ground lime, is j soon converted, as (he carbon di-oxide of the air and soil displaces the water and carbonate of lime is formed. But when | ground limestone is applied it contains the j carbonate of lime ready made, so that you j get carbonate of lime in the soil in next to no time, whatever form of lime is j applied. Given equal quality of limestone, i therefore, the best form in which to apply I lime is largely a matter of expense. LimeI stone ground property, etc., should, close to the limestone mills, be the cheapest ; form <bf liming. If carriage is a material j matter, no doubt the burnt crushed lime would be the best to use, as with ordinary | samples it requires about 1J tons of ground | limestone (carbonate) to supply as much | “lime” as one ton 'of burnt lime. If | poorer quality stone is crushed than is burnt in the kiln the farmer pre-supoosing all is serene must be largely working in tne dark. Then, too, the question of thorough burning should be insisted upon, ; otherwise one pays for burnt lime and "may have a big proportion of ordinary limestone. Then too, the mechanical. Condi- ; tion of crushed limestone is of import, and worth noticing, although the grinding of | this is usually fairly good. It is when you buy burnt lime and the stuff does- not ! slake down that one realises thev are up | against “it.”

Tailing Lambs.

A good lambing seems like'.v this season.

and as every coin is wanted great care should be taken in the marketing- and tail-

i ing of lambs. Castration ; should bo done quickly, but with no roughI n©s» or jerking. The two testicles should be taken at once. Clip the purse firmly ; with httimb and finger of the left hand, ; and with a sharp sterilised knife cut about j one-third of the purse. Crip both testicles : with the teeth. Pull gently, but fairly ! quickly, assisting at the same tijne with title thumb and fingers. In the event oi j one testicle failing to come in sight after ! pressure, do net waste time bruising the lamb’s crutch pressing and feeling for it, but pass it out, leaving its tail long as a j .mark. Later on this lamb may. be tried again, perhaps at shearing time, when all I such lambs should he carefully examined. | If the operation cannot then bo comi ploted put the lamb on one side to bo ; killed for rations. On no account allow j him to get back amongst the ewes. The | tail should bo cut a medium length, say, j about two joints from the butt, and should always be cut at a joint. The joint will | quickly be found by pressing the tail be- | tween the forefinger arid thumb of the I left hand. Once this method is acquired j it will be easy to out a tail the proper I way, and it will heal much more quickly | than if the bone is cut between the joints, j If half a joint is left it may nutrify and i give trouble later. The dressing used ] should be some recognised disinfectant. ! Be generous with the disinfectant, and I avoid undue roughness, releasing the lamb j gently on to its four feet, and not ilist anyhow. .See that the board is of a ! height which will permit the men catoh- ’ ing lambs to hold them easily, and not j bunching the lamb on the rail anyhow, j In fact, the less weight on the rail the { better, as, although possibly easier for the I “catchers,” it is worse for the lambs, and 1 it is the latter one .must consider. Per- ; sonally the writer prefers erecting tem- | porary yards on clean ground against the ! fence near the paddock where ewes and j lambs are pasturing.

Planting Potatoes.

j The time for planting early crops of pota toes depends on frost occur

re rices, and should be as early ns these v.-jll neneit (says horticulturist W. IT.

| Taylor). For such crops deeply worked i soil is essential, also good drainage, both I being necessary to secure sufficient warmth ! in the soil. Where available, a moderate I amount of stable manure should br worked ] in. its condition to bo in accordance with the nature of the soil. For very light soil ! the manure should be in the state known I as “fat" ; for heavy land, littery: and for j the medium classes of soil, in a fair state j of decay, but not wet. Stable manure ' from corn-fed horses is considered a oom- | plete manure; no other will bo required | at this time, but it shouhld nol lie given in excess, or it may promote a luxuriant top growth at the exp- use of the tubers and establish conditions favourable to blight. Failing stable manure, apply superphosphate and bone dust loz of each per square yard, equal to 2ie\vt per acre; sulphate of potash, ?07. per square yard, equal to )vu- acre. Many potato growers make the mistake of planting sets too tar

apart. The amount of .seed per acre depends on several factors, but relatively heavy seeding is profitable. The potato crop makes its principal growth during - ite summer Tt, is therefore important that the plants are sufficiently close to thoroughly cover and shade the surface of the ground. This prevents the growth of weeds when it is no longer possible to destroy them. It also reduces the loss of moisture, which is essential to the proper development of the tubers. The distance of the sets in their rows depend on the variety. Early kinds of potatoes have a small leaf system, and may be planted from 12 to 14 inches apart. I,ate rarities make a more vigorous growth of haulm, and must be placed from 15 to 18 inches away from one another to avoid crowding. The spacing that produces the best, results ,'n the majority of instances is 27in between the rows, and 15in or loin between the sets in the rows. Assuming the average weight of the sets is 2oz, approximately 15cwt of seed will be required to plant an acre.

Handling ttia Bull.

The best way is don't handle him. Put

a chain on him. and hang" it on a wire stretched hetwo posts—one end in a box stall, the other at tha

exeremiiy of the exercising yard. The chain should be just long enough (says Farm and Fireside) so that the bull can put his nose to the ground, and no longer. Take a common cow chain, put the end that goes around the cow's neck around the bull’s horns. Pass the other end through the ring in nose. Cut off the bar. aitd attach chain to run to wire, passing the wire through the last link, and the hull walks back and forth and gets all the exercise he needs, and r.o one can possibly get hurt. Be sure there is a strong and free-working swivel between the bull and the wire. It takes only a couple of minutes each day to take care of him. AURICULA. ANSWERS TO CORRESOXDEXTS. By Agbtcola. ‘Georgetown,” Invercargill, writes: “(1) At what age or time is a lamb classed as a sheep? (2) Are the terms ‘lamb.’ ‘hogget,’ and ‘sheep’ definitely fixed by ihe age, or merely recognised to give an idea of the age? (3) Do any recognised authorities give definite views as to when a lamb should no longer be termed a lamb and classed a sheep?” (!■ The term “sheep” embraces all grades of the species, although one can truly say that "a lamb becomes a sheep when it is a hogget.” (2) and (3) There is no fixed time in deciding when a lamb becomes a hogget. It is largely a matter of custom of the locality, and whether lambs are bred for fattening or for grazing, etc. For instance, lambs in some districts are known ai lambs till they are weaned, then during “wintering” as hoggets till shorn. Agatn, the advent of the freezing works has flattened out old ideas, and we see “sheep” frozen as lambs up till about Juno, just because they have still their milk teeth (or no incisors) arid carrying their first growth of wool. The terms used in sheep nomenclature serve, if used aright, to indicate about the age of the animal. Further north (the works having closed for the season) sheepmen speak of hoggets, while southwards (our works perhaps in full swing) we talk of lambs, although of same age. All works having closed, it. is only the butchers who cry “lamb” till the spring lambs come in. “Jersey,” Timaru, writes as follows: “(1) 1 have a Jersey cow. due in about three weeks. I am afraid of her taking milk fever. Would it he advisable to milk her. say once a day. before calving? Would it have any harmful effect cn the cow if I were to do this, and would ir he likely to avert the fever if she was liable to take st.’ (2) \\ iuit s the cause of a macrocarpa tree, about three years old, going brown all over?—not a dead appearance, only brown intend <>£ givon. ii not. fl»*;itl, as the top is green, and is growing slowly! The tiees on each side of it are nice and hentlhy—finite green.** (1) It should riot be n.-fesa-i'y io milk her unless the udder is unduly distended (hen. say. the last day. when perhaps a little milk might lie taken away without harm. X,... rather that she has exercise and laxative foods, such as clover, young grass, etc. ■See that the bowels are'free, and it may he as well to administer jib of Epsom salts two days before .“calving. to make sure the bowels are open. ! snailv there is not much cause for alarm unless at. her third or fourth oalf, when the precautions indicated should advert ail danger of fever. (2) If looks os if the drainage is indifferent, or the roots affected by some undercurrent of water or stagnant water, which v.ould ---on cause this tree to “peter” out.