AGRICULTURAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12480, 17 September 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

AGRICULTURAL.

¥he following list of stock sales eliould be handy for reference: — Albury.—As arranged (on a Monday). Fairlie. —As arranged (on a Monday) , Geraldine.—Every Wednesday, at M'undell's yard,*- and at Fanners' yards. Pleasant Point."—Fortnightly, alternat' Mondays. St. Andrews. —Second Friday of n/. month (alternately with Studio hi • Sttfdholme.—Second and fourth Vri in each month. Temuka.—Fortnightly, alternate i day*. Washdyke. Fortnightly, il.~ Tuesdays. Waimate.—First Friday in m»n:l> The prospect of being able .to purchase . jam with the brand of a Government department on. it is within.-the reach of a; householder, a London paper. A company started a jam factory -at Drogheda ' some tiine ago, and the establishment has .. now been "taken over by Sir Horace Plunket's Department of Agriculture, r A very convincing testimony to the value of kale is supplied by Mr H. Ford, manager. for Mr G. A. M. Buckley, Lagmhor, Ashburton, in a letter dated- August 13th last, to Messrs Kaye and Carter, Christchurch :—" The thousand-headed kale seed I had for seventy acres was a marked success. Never been anything like it seen in Ashburton County, and several farmers went to inspect it. The seed was sown on January sth and 6th, stocked April ,'-17 th with 2500 lambs, exactly -to the day month, drafted 2874, all passed the Islington works as prime, averaging 361b to 521b. Thai result was good enough." No time should be lost in preparing the ground for the ensuing season's crop.

ARTIFICIAL SELECTION. As some results of seed selection, report states that in France and Germany sugar beets now. produce twice as many pounds of refined sugar per acre as they did before the improvement- of the sugar beet was undertaken in a systematic-manner: that is, with the same soil, the same climate, and the. same kind of fertiliser. Some seven years ago the Illinois Experiment Station undertook' to improve the quality of lndian corn in this way. ' They had analyses made of the very best corn they" could find for a high percentage of protein. They found that good corn; contained "about 9 per cent, of protein. Then they planted rows from the ears' (having the ■Jiighest percentage of protein, and, after but years' careful selection, they !had some corn that showed ail average of over 15 per cent, protein, or 2 per cent- higher than that Of wheat. This is an amazing achievement,. for if Indian corn; can be produced richer in protein than wheat, it will be an immense benefifc.and advantage In .the feeding of cattle, the production i o£ bacon, and even in the nourishment of human beings. The Minnesota: Experiment Station- has had a similar experience with flax, for in six years' selection they have effected an increase of 20 per cent, in, the length of fibre and in the yield of seed of the flax plant. ~

- FARM MOTORS. At the recent show of the Highland Agricultural Society, Mr John Scott, of Edinburgh, exhibited one of his motor .cultivators, two- motor ploughs, and a variety of attachments for agricultural motors. The motor.cultivator shown was a three-spindle machine of 20 horse power, with .the cultivating apparatus detachable, so that the machine is converted into (1) a motor tractor, wihieh._will haul a three or four-furrow plough, a mower, a reaper and binder, a lorry trailer carrying three to five tons, etc.; or (2) a stationary engine, which will drive a threshing machine, a grinding mill, a pump, a. sawmill, .a dynamo, etc. But, while thi? machine, priced at £3OO, is designed U perform these manifold -duties, its unique feature is its rotary cultivating l apparatus for making a complete seed-bed at one operation, one man. completing the whoV work of cultivating and seeding lit, if i' calculated, a cost of about 4s an acre Qne-of. the motor ploughs was a 14 hoire- ' power tractor, with a two-furrow p'.o"g? attachment, and capable of taking tine' furrows. A special point is the patent" method of attaching and raising and lowor ing r the plough, the motorman beinj r\ the same time the ploughman. Its cnrstruction shows several other novelties, p-itis-a three-wheeled tractor, with a single broad driving wheel in the rear, and two -front, steering wheels;, one of the latter being made to raise and lower for trave 1 - ling m the furrow. The other motoplough -was a 12 horse power tractor, en, pable of taking a two-furrow plough. Iv the.main, its construction is similar to the other, but if anything simpler, and the price is only £l5O. Both of these ma- : chines are not merely motor motor ploughs, but-motor tractors, and they® also serve as stationary engines; One of the attachments for agricultural motors shown by Mr Scott was a simple mowing apparatus, which he carried on the front of the tractor, so that the machine can cut its own way on entering a field. DAIRY PROSPECTS.

The secretary of the North Island Dairy Association thinks that the prospects of the dairying season, just beginning, are veiy hopeful. Those who are able to speak with authority predict that should the growth of grass be even a fair average one, the output of dairy produce will considerably exceed that of last year. Stock. generally, are in excellent condition; as the winter haa been and diairy fanners are confidently expecting a successful season. While the prices obtained in England for New Zealand dairy produce are not likely to reach the high level attained two or three years ago, the view taken by those wibose business' it is to watch the London, market .is that there is no reason for alarm on this score. Tfte quality of New Zealand butter has earned it a commanding reputation at llome, as recent cable messages have shown; and in spite of the .competition from the Argentine and other quarters, this. reputation ought not to suffer whilst the: valuable system of grading established t>y the Government continues in force. ". Our advices show that there is an un-. limited' demand at Home for New Zealand butter at Is. This means that so long as . producers are willing to take 9d cash f.o/b. at Wellington, they will have an unlimited demand for their butter." . BUTTER AS A MEDICINE.

-Butter is so common a commodity that people use it and scarcely ever_ think What wonderful value lies at their haiid in the pats of dainty yellow cream fat. Of course, they know it is useful in many branches of cookery, and that without its aid the table would be bare of its thinlyrolled breafl and butter, its delicate cakelets, and its other accessories. Beyond these uses the value of butter is a- thing only vaguely thought of. But this delicate fat is as valuable as the dearer cod liver oil for weakly, thin people, and doctors have many times recommended the eating of thick slices of bread, thickly spread with butter, as a means of pleasaintly taking into the bodily tissues one of the purest forms of fat it is possible to get; Bntter is a carbon, and all excess of it is stored up as fat in the body. ft gives , energy and power to work to those who eat it heartily. So it is not economy at. table to spare the butter, even to the healthy folk. Tor anyone afflicted with consumption butter cookery, if plenty of fat can be digested, is one of the best ways of curing the disease if it is in its early stages or of keeping it at bay .if advanced. Butter is not a simple fat, composed of merely one sort. It is a mixture of no less than seven different sorts of fat, and no more complex oil can be taken than this is. IMPROVING THE HERDS.

Mr J. G. Harkness, secretary of the National Dairy Association (North Island), in conversation with a " New Zealand Times" representative, said:—There is one question of vital importance -which has for' some time engaged the attention of those who wish -well to the dairying industry—namely, the necessity for the systematic improvement of the dairy herds AH authorities seem to be agreed that the time has arrived when-this question must be : -faced in earnest by. dairy farmers. Some farmers have already set about this duty—the men who conduct their business fen scientific principles—but the great majority have so far neglected it. "It must be remembered, when we feel inclined to -blajne farmers in this matter," said Mr Harkness, " that the industry has grown

so rapidly that the people concerned in it have had to employ cows of any kind showing a profit. For instance, about 100,000 cows are being milked daily in the Taranaki province, and you will see what that means when, you realise that this is an industry which ilias grown up within eight or ten years. But, admitting all this, it must be recognised that' the farmers ought now to set about improving their herds on some systematic plan. If this were done, the output of dairy produce could be increased' by at least one-third of the present quantity without any increase in expenses. _ The farmer "ought to test every cow in /bis herd, and it is only the man who does, that who gets the best results. If you want to see the effects of the present system, you have only to compare the number of cows supplying any particular factory w ith the total number of pounds of butter-fat paid for during the season at that factory, and this will at once show what the average is for each cow,, and that it is considerably below the standard." INFLUENZA IN HORSES.

Mr W. J. Colebatch, lecturer on veterinary science at Lincoln College, gave-a lecture before the Canterbury A. and P. Association on " Influenza in Horses." He said that the complaint had long been known as a dangerous one, and the rapidity with which it spread and the various forms it assumed had made it respected and feared by farmers. The term " influenza " had in the past come to be used loosely to describe almost any inflammatory complaint in the horse, but science (had now reduced the different forms of influenza into three classes—ordinary catarrhal fever, "pink-eye," and the form which involved the lungs and lung coverings. All these were primarily caused by the same organism, but they were often complicated by other organisms which took advantage of the horse's lowered vitality. There was no doubt that the organisms might be found in the healthy animal, and could be carried about for a long time .before developing the complaint. The organisms could be made virulent by anything that lessened the vitality of the horse, and the low, dark, damp, cold stabjes found I in many places constituted a standing danger. The vitality could' be reduced by over-working, insufficient feeding and too tine breeding, while stallions were very liable to spread it. -He knew of one stailion that had suffered from a severe form of influenza, and had been used afterwards iii spite of his advice to the contrary. As a result Ihe had been called in to attend case after case of the complaint, almost invariably traceable to the .stallion. After dealing with the symptoms of the first form of influenza, Mr Colebatch said that six weeks should be allowed for recovery before the animal was put back to work. Otherwise a relapse was probable, and there were more deaths from relapse than from the original complaint. Pink-eye was a more insidious disease. It was less infectious, slower in, development, and more fatal. Various dangerous com-, plications . might result, such as kidney complaint, rheumatism and heart weakness. The same applied to the third form. The disease wanted to be taken in time. The animal must stop work at once, and be ,put into a dry, well-lit, well-ventilated loose-box. It must be kept warm, with n good rug and bandages on the extremities. Bug and bandages should be removed every day, and the parts hand-rubbed. The animal's appetite should be coaxed, and its. drinking water' slightly wanned He would not advise any farmer to use medicines without expert advice. What was reeded was to control the fure, though it had to be remembered thai •he fever had to run its course, and to deal with the complications as they arose

THE GARDEN. Do jjot attempt to work the garder or sow any seeds when the soil is so we' is to stick to the feet. When rains have beaten down the soi 1 *-'o that it will bake hard with sunshine -r drying wind, run the fork or cultivator •iver it os soon as possible to break up ■he surface. Ce'ery should be grown as fast as possible from the time the first leaf appear? -hove the crronnd until finally moulder t>. Tf is better to sow this crop a littl' '-■ ie, than too early. _ Radishes and small salad should be sow "or succession. Spinach will require tf '7O thinned immediately it is through the =urfac-e: Large leaves cannot be hat-u-lrere the plants are crowded, therefore icive each plant as much room as possible. Lettuce seedlings must be protected from

insect pests. Give them plenty of space T f the plants are crowded in the seed-bed. shin them out; if the seedlings are starved they cannot make robust plants. Give all plants in the "open garden all the assistance possible, by sprinkling a little fertiliser along the rows, and hoeing it in.

Rhubarb planting should be finished as soon as possible. Dig deeply, working plenty of manure in the ground, and having planted the roots, cover them with long strawy manure. The holes should be about 2ft deep, and 4ft apart. Make the plants moderately firm in the holes. Cucumbers may now be started. Heat and moisture being the main factors in successful growth of these much valued vegetables, it will be necessary to ensure a range of 65deg. to 70deg. by night, and 75deg. to 80deg. by day. Shading should be avoided until it becomes absolutely necessary, as plants which have been grown too much in darkness are rendered very susceptible to the ravages of insects and mildew. As these plants are expected to supply us with fruit throughout the ■summer, close or crowded planting should be avoided, and to secure a good foundation they should be manipulated and tied in at least twice a week. Light cropping it all times, but especially when the plants are young, should be strictly enforced, and the "fruit should be cut before it attains

its full size. When required for special purposes tliey may be grown to a large •size, but for quality, fresh, quickly-grown fruit, with the flower attached, cannot t>« surpassed. When sowing seeds of annuals just stir tfie soil so that the seed can be covered according to its size. After sowing, which should be done as evenly as possible, shake over it fine soil sufficiently to cover the seeds. After the soil has been sifted over the seeds to the proper depth, gently pat. down the covering over the seeds, thus nreventing them from becoming dried no. A neat label placed 1 to_ mark where the seeds are sown will finish the task until the first crop of weeds appears. A large number of seeds are, however, best treated by sowing in boxes, and subsequent, transplantation, and this specially applies to very minute seeds. In such cases the soil should be sifted, and it would be an advantage to sterilise it before using, by subjection to heat. In this case thin sowing it even more called for than when sowing in the open borders. The boxes must be shaded and kept from the direct rays of the sun. Window Plants.—Plants kept in the windows should be turned every morning, or the light, striking on one side only, will .draw the plant to that side, so that all its branches-and leaves will turn, toward the window. The water in the saucers should r.ever be applied' to the plants. In cutting slips of any plants, always choose the youngest branches, and cut off the slip at the, junction of a joint or leaf, since the roots shoot more readily from such joints. If you follow these directions, and put sufficient sulphate of ammonia to just taint the water applied to your plants, you may cultivate with success almost any plant, even though you are an entire novice.

In repotting window plants good soil is of tlia first importance. Plants in small pots should be put into pots two sizes larger. The fresh pots should be quite clean and dry, and sufficient broken

liotsherds put at the bottom of each pot to ensure jjood drainage. On the potslievr 1 *; put a layer of moss, or pieces of turf, to prevent the fine soil washing clown among the crocks and stopping the escape of surplus water. - Next put some of the compost in and make it quite firm by w-essing it down with a short, blunt stick. The amount of pressing or ramming m»st be determined by the character of the soil. If this is very fibrous and spongy much T !immi'-2 is needed to press the fibrous

Tnn'evin" , s ns close together as possible. The plant should then he put in the pot, keeping it as near the surface as possible. so that the roots have a good depth of fresh soil under them. Next fill around the roots with fresh soil, and make this as firm as the ball of the plant. This is where so many go wrong. They put ths fresh soil around the ball of the plant and leave it loose, -while the soil in the ball of the plant is quite firm and hard. The result is that when the newly-potted

! plant is watered the water passes quickly through the loose soil, but does not moisten the old ball, where the roots are, - with the result that the plants flag and the foliage turns brown and dies. Therefore, when repotting plants, make sure all the fresh soil is pressed as firm as that contained in the ball of the plant. Fuchsias, zonale pelargoniums, heliotrope," etc., should be cut hard back at once and left for several weeks, to form and push out fresh shoots. When these are about a quarter of an inch long shake the plants out and repot them. Ferns should have nearly all the soil shaken from their roots before they are repotted. ~ The plants will not want much water for several weeks after being potted. Give a little when the surface soil is dry, just a sprinkle; too much water at this time is worse than too little, but as growth advances .more will be required.

A CREATOR OF NEW PLANTS.

The very remarkable work of Mr Luther Burbank, a Californian scientist, and indeed a creator of new fruits and plants, is described by W. S. Harwood in " Scribner's Magazine." Mr Burbank has evolved more marvellous plant life than any other man:—"On a wind-swept mesa he finds a wild flower of some native beauty, but insignificant in size, and, in the main, uncomely. He takes this flower, and gives it a new life, increases its size, doubles its, vigour, hastens its springtime' appearing ; or, if it suits him, he transforms it utterly, producing a flower unlike anything which has yet blossomed. He takes a small, unpalatable fruit, inferior in size and lacking in nutrition, and iryikes it over into another fruit, large, rich, toothsome, beautiful." Indeed there seems to be little that he cannot do in the way of changing the size, shape, colour, or qualities of any flower, plant or fruit:—"He lias created a white blackberry, large, luscious in flavour, beautiful to look upon. He has made rhubarb yield the entire year round, in garden, or tinder glass. Not satisfied with either the choicest plum or tlie apricot, he joined the two and produced a new fruit, naming it, from.its parents, the plumcot, a rich, rare fruit, unlike father or mother, surpassing both. To a plum which needed richer flavour and flesh, he imparted the taste of the Bartlett pear. He made a new plum wliii-h would bear lavishly, and yet endure long on the.market stalls."

Looking into his methods, we find nothing like secrecy. All his triumphs have been gained by carefully and patiently observing the laws of Nature and by experiment. Selection, combined with breeding, explain the secret of his success:—"At the outset he may breed together two separate flowers in order tc create what may be termed a working basis, sprinkling the pollen 'of - the one flower upon the stigma of the other, and thus producing a new flower which perhaps breaks away from the form and character of either parent. Following up this conic* the selection of the very best : flowers created from a series of such breedings those that approach nearest the ideal to ward which he is working; and so the ivoi'k progresses, always the best plants selected for further work, the best in form, in vitality, in colour, in genera! character."