Agriculture Bainging., &c.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 10478, 2 December 1895, Page 4

Agriculture Bainging., &c.

HINTS TO FARMERS.

WIDE TIRES.

The extent to which the value of wide tires has comes to be recognised, remarks Cadman's Rural World, is shown by the fact that during the last twelve months the Legislature of nearly every State in America haa been asked to pass a Bill providing for their compulsory adoption. The State of New Jersey has already adopted a law of this kind, and it is reaping the benefit in the possession of the best roads in the country. With wide tiros in use even tbe present country roads will improve, for tires serve as rollers to make the road bed compact instead of cutting deep ruts, as do heavily loaded waggons on narrow tires.

To avoid ssowring in calves, they should be fed, as nearly as possible, in the manner in which they feed naturally when with the mother. The quantity should be small, and the meals frequent. Milk should never be given cold, but in temperature similar to that which flows fr jm the udder. The temperature of a calf's stomach is 98 deg. Sapposing we feed it with a liquid at 5g deg., that liquid mnst be raised to 98deg. before digestion begins. A delicate stomach refuses to do this, and rids itself of the cold mass in the form of scour. Sour milk is quite unfit for young calves, and separated milk should have a little linseed jelly added to it, so as to compensate for the fat re* moved.

A Nelson resident claims to have discovered a simple and inexpensive chemical process for improving a potato crop, so that one acre will yield twenty-fonr tons of potatoes.

It is said that the most effective remedy for lice on horses or colts is sperm oil. It will promptly destroy every louse and nit and also remove dandruff, dirt, etc., leaving the skin clean and the hair in nice condition. There is not the least danger of taking off the hair or injuring the animal in any way.

The following is a receiptf or preserving posts : — Take boiled linseed oil and stir in it pulverised charcoal to the consistency of paint. Put a coat of this over the timber, and there is not a man that will live to see it rotten. Posts subjected to the action of water are variously treated. Sometimes the ends to be placed m the ground are dipped in gos-tar ; sometimes they are permeated with coal oil. A mixture of 40 parts chalk, 50 parts resin, and four parts linseed oil melted and incorporated, with one part sulphuric acid added, is recommended for this purpose by German scientists.

Professor Roberts, of Cornall, in a recent address told a rather f uniiy story in connection with feeding a lot of hogs. He used to feed about 600 a year, and used whey largely. The man whose business it was to look after them on one occasion allowed alcoholf ermeutation to start up in the whey, and ail tbe bogs, about seventy in the lot, got on the booze. The professor describes it as a study in animal husbandry' and moral philosophy cop bined. There was the funny hog which would tickle the others and run along and langh. There was the fighting hog that would show his tusks and snarl, and then there was the sluggish hog that would lid on the ground and grunt. *

The practice of crushing oats, etc., before feeding to horses is gaining ground amongst farmers and there is strong evidence in its favour. To test the relative merits, one of tbe great London omnibus companies baa tried the experiment. Of 6,000 horses employed one half wore fed on crushed oats and cut hay and straw, and the other half on whole oats and bay. Tha ration allowed per day to each horse was : Crushed «ats 161 b., cut hay 7£lb , cut straw 2£lb. The quantity Under the old system was : Whole oats 191 b., uncut hay 131 b. A daily saving of 61b of food was effected. The saving was nearly 2£d per day for each horse, which was equal to £62 10s per day for the 6,000 horses. The condition of the horses was described as decidedly in favour of those fed upon crashed oats, cut bay and straw.