POULTRY YARD

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1931, Page 24 (Supplement)

POULTRY YARD

BY

G. H. AMBLER

’ SEED GERMINATION. EFFECTS OF FERTILISERS. The effect of fertilisers on the germination of seed was referred to by Dr. H. E. Annett, of Matangi, in an address to the annual, conference of the Institute of Chemistry at Nelson. Many observations had been made on the subject, he said, during trials _ carried out by the Department of Agriculture. When 1 cwt. of superphosphate an acre was sown with turnip -seed, he continued, it reduced the germination to t>7 per cent, of that obtained when lewt. had been mixed previously with its own weight of limestone. When 2cwt. of superphosphate an acre was sown alone it reduced the germination to 47 per cent. He suggested, therefore, that the reaction between super and limestone was worthy of more detailed chemical study. “It would be interesting to. know at what rate dicalcic phosphate is formed in such a mixture,” added Dr. Annett. ‘‘The general impression is that the reaction is very slow. At the Imperial Chemical Industries research station at Jealott’s Hill, England, the problem will shortly be .studied in detail. , I fancy, too, that we may have to revise our ideas regarding the special value of monocalcic phosphate, which occurs in super, over dicalcic phosphate. Experience in New Zealand shows that the mixing of lewt. of superphosphate with 2cwt of limestone does not reduce the availability of the phosphate. This is contrary to what we thought a few years ago.” MACHINERY ON THE FARM. CARE AND ATTENTION. With the high price of farm machinery at the present time it is not only essential to purchase an implement most suitable for the work required, but also to give it every care and attention. Three of the most important points are adjustment, lubrication, and protection, says an Australian paper. I If these points are neglected, there will | be rapid depreciation, breakages, and loss of valuable time. For implements such as harvesters, binders, and combines, when not in use, good shelter is most important.

The harvester is a machine winch has more wear and tear than any other, therefore it is necessary to use plenty of oil. Before commencing reaping, this machine should have a thorough oveihauling, all oil holes should, be cleaned out and a little kerosene put through them to make sure that they are free from dirt, etc. Care should be taken with movable bearings, not to adjust them too tightly. _ _ The binder needs care similar to a harvester, and the canvases should be removed at the end of the season and hung up in a mouse-proof shed. The combine should be cleaned out as soon as the seeding is finished. Remove the stars and soak them in water for a day, and then clean them with an old brush. If this is done as soon as seeding operations are finished, it will prevent undue corrosion. The plough and cultivator do not require much attention, except oiling daily. Harrows should be sharpened occasionally so .that they will stir up the ground and kill any small weeds which are growing on the fallow. If the farmer has a small blacksmith shop he can do most of the 1 epairing himself, and thereby save unnecessary expense.

VALUE OF SLAG. LIBERATION OF MINERALS. It is suggested in Field, Farm and Fireside, that the favourable action of basic slag when applied _to English meadows in autumn or winter is due partly to the lime and other mineral constituents in the slag which set free the potash in clay soils, so that slagged o-rass-landk benefit from the potash thus liberated as well as from the phosphoric acid in the slag, the result being seen In the increased growth of clover, a plant which is known to be responsive to dressings of phosphate and potash. This advantage, says the paper, is limited to soils of a clay type, and it is well known that dressings of phosphatic manures, either slag or superphosphate or ground phosphate on certain types of soil, fail to produce favourable results on ' gritss-lands. What is the reason? It may be because the natural stock of potash in a heavy soil has been already used up by previous cropping,' or that the soil itself is poor in potash as in the case of sandy soils. In such cases, the evident remedy is to apply a potash dressing in addition to that of phosphate. The form , of potash suitable for the purpose is a low grade potash, the 30 or 20 per cent., which are cheap and,contain besides potash a percentage of common salt beneficial to grass lands. The recognition of the value of potash in addition to phosphate to grass land on light soils and also to heavy soils in certain circumstances has led fertiliser manufacturers to put on the market a mixture, of phosphate and potash .m various forms and proportions, which have the advantage of being convenient to apply evenly on the land. STOCK FOR FATTENING. BASIS OF PURCHASE. Those farmers who specialise in the fattening of cattle must necessarily 'be good judges of stock. And not only must they be good judges of the properly finished article, but also have a good eye for the potential possibilities of store cattle. To buy the right type of stores, and at a moderately fair price, is half the battle. The man who cannot buy well will not sell well. There are times when the shrewd purchaser of stores finds it to his advantage to stock as heavily as he dare without overstocking his farm. It is futile to buy dear stores in face of the falling market for fat stock. But it must be done, sometimes unwittingly, nevertheless, Part at least of any possible profit in fattening comes in very often through shrewd and economical buying. There are two classes of stores, generally speaking, from which the ca,ttle for fattening are drawn, remarks an English stock dealer. There is first the thoroughly well-conditioned cattle that are commonly of the so-called “kill or keep” category. These require but a few weeks’ feeding, as a rule, to become fat. The purchaser of such cattle must have a good eye on the movements of the meat trade; and be prepared to sell when markets are firm or rising. . The otter class of stores consists of

younger and less mature animals that take longer .to fatten. The overturn in the latter case is less than in the former. The transactions demand rather less hard-headed judgment. The room for improvement in individual animals is much greater; and the stockowner may contrive by means of careful and economical feeding to gloss over certain of the small errors of. judgment he may have committed in the purchase of the cattle. ■

Some cattle are hard to feed compared with others, and as a rough guide to quality, you can never do better than try to avoid beasts that are thin-flesh-ed, hide-bound, and angular in shape.

PROFIT FROM PIGS. GOOD TREATMENT NEEDED. It is not unusual to find men running pigs who treat the animals more as a nuisance than as a source of profit. And, as might be expected, it is these people who are most persistent and loudest in their complaints concerning the inadequacy of the financial returns obtained from pig raising. Pigs are like all other classes of live stock. Only when they are bred with due consideration for the purpose-for which they are used, and fed in a rational manner, can they be expected to give satisfactory results. To let them look after themselves is to deliberately court disappointment. A pig requires only half as much food to produce 11b. of pork as a steer does to gain lib. in weight, and only twothirds as much food to yield lib. of pork as is necessary for a sheep to produce lib, of mutton. Cows drop one calf annually; a sheep may have two lambs; but a' sow in 12 months can farrow two litters, varying from eight to 12. TROUBLE WITH PIGS. WORM INFESTATION. > _ If a pig is out of condition, with arched back, dull eye and generally unthrifty appearance, it is fairly safe to assume worm trouble. A bulletin issued by the Ohio Experiment Station throws a good deal of doubt on many familiar specifics commonly used as remedies. Experiments were directed mostly toward ascaris suum (round worm), a common parasite of the small intestine of the pig, but observations were made of the effect of specifics on other para-

sites of the alimentary tract. Until recently the damage accredited to ascaris suum had been limited to digestive organs, for the adult worms live unattached in the small intestine. Recent investigations, however, indicate that the larval forms may develop in various organs and tissues outside of the digestive tract, thus acting as foreign bodies, and occasioning injury. This worm is probably the cause of numerous troubles that affect young pigs. The result of experiments showed that simple purgatives have little value in removing worms. The number removed by them is very small compared with the total number present. Santonin was fairly effective, and was more efficacious in repeated doses of five grains on alternate days. The santonin was administered in half the regular feed in the evening of the first day, no feed being given in the morning. The next day one feed only was given, and in the morning. On the third day five grains santonin were given in half the regular morning feed, followed by half a teaspoonful of salts in regular feed in the evening. The most effective remedy, however, was oil of chenopodium. To get the best results it must 'be administered to each pig separately, preceded by a fast. A device for holding the mouth open and a dosing syringe are considered advisable tools to use. In the .evening IJoz. Epsom salts were given in feed. Next day no feed was given, and in the evening five cubic centimetres of cheno- " podium. with 30 cubic centimetres of castor oil were administered. While mineral mixtures were not found effective in getting rid of worms, their value for digestive purposes is not questioned.

PLANTS FOR ENSILAGE.

FEW UNSUITABLE SPECIES.

Almost all kinds of herbaceous crops are capable of being made into goqd silage with the exception of those of the brassica, a family of plants of the cabbage tribe, which are too succulent, give rise to obnoxious smelling silage, and are generally unsuitable.’ Although many crops can be converted into silage, it does not follow (recently remarked an English authority), that all are equally suitable. An ideal crop for ensilage should satisfy the following conditions: (1) It should be easy and cheap to grow so that its cultivation does not interfere with that of the other more important crops, and if seeding and harvest occur when other crops do not require attention, so much the better; (2) it should be a reliable crop, not subject to great variations in yield, so that the farmer can calculate with reasonable certainty upon his supply; (3) it should be easy to harvest, capable of 'being cut with the grass mower, easily carted and quickly chaffed for filling the silo; (4) it should be easily capable of reaching the required degree of maturity for ensiling, since immature silage, is liable to be sour; (5) the silage produced should have a relatively high food value, should be digestible and contain a reasonable amount of albuminoids; and (6) lastly, it should provide time for weed destruction, either before sowing or after harvesting. UTILISING BONES. CONVERSION INTO MANURE.

A good way to utilise bones, if the quantity available makes it worth while, is to pack them in a barrel with layers of wood ashes and keep the mass wet until soft enough to spread on the ground as manure. Any barrel, no matter how dirty, will do, provided it does not leak. Put 6in. or Sin. of dry wood ashes in the bottom, then the same depth of bones, afterwards more ashes and more bones, in layers, until the cask is nearly full. Pour in sufficient water to cover the whole; close the sack and let it stand for six months. The bones will then be soft and the mass may be dug out with a spade. If the material is too moist to conveniently distribute, lay it out in a shed to dry. The ashes from burnt rubbish will do, but they must be kept dry until wanted. If small casks are used the process is longer, as less heat is generated.

HIGH-CLASS BEEF. RETENTION OF CALF FLESH. > To produce the highest-class beef animal, he must, in the first place, be well bred; and, secondly, every care must be exercised that what is termed the calf flesh is never lost at any period of his life. If we trace the life-history of the large proportion of the fat cattle exhibited and sold in our fairs and markets, says an English paper, we will find that little attention has been given to the retention of calf flesh. Granted that much improvement could, and should, be made in the matter of attraction to breeding from good pedigree sires, there cannot be a doubt but that ordinary stock, if properly attended to from their birth, can be fed to become a higher class of beef animal than what the large majority are at present. In many districts, after being insufficiently reared as calves, the young animals are badly fed and left out exposed to wet and cold, to commence their second year robbed of the natural flesh they ought never to have been deprived of and which no amount of good feeding can ever replace.