RURAL NOTES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14043, 29 October 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

RURAL NOTES.

By Koradi. GOOD MILKING EWES. Ycrv little attention is paid to the milking qualities of ewes. Endeavours "re being made to increase their fecundity" by selecting for breedg ewes the progeny ok mothers that; art in the habit of giving birth to twins. It would seem as if the percentages ot births among ewes have been increasing of late years. TVrhaps more careful and intelligent management ma> have something to do with that, result biu selection has also entered in the -matter to a certain extent. Some ot the be among the first draft ot fats. Atrcr ££"£? P-ks. his ewe a ooodlv proportion of them m " doubles Thev, of course, have not done s^'well rs the singles, s.mplv boowe has had t^J"*^£ feed instead of one. But von litt o attention is paid to the fact. that £t taitrne time, some lambs are in owkj condHion than others, showing that some mothers, must have »*«» '™ hotter bv thcr offspring than others. Al"hW had, perhaps, the same.feed but some lambs look halt-starveu while' others have that fat, plump, apfor themselves they have *° " c P e, lf whollv noon the mother s milk. It thev "are-stunted att.oM».m « their career, they will take a lot ox £ft£ feeding to get them into thatcondition which the buyer• looks. T>icHriE freezmg lambs. Perhaps they among the first quality fembsTeveiTafter eating more than rtdFfair share of rape and turnips. It % worthwhile therefore, to endeavour to get good mothers-*wes superior milking qualities. This may be difficult Jin a big mob but _ on smaller farms, it should not be a very difficult matter to notice wbic*■£•»* best-mflkers. Thev should be niarked, white the poor milkers should be fat--3 and Void to the butcher Very often the ewe with a poor lamb is m Sod condition- itself, while the.ewe wftK a good. '**• ro , bn . st lan* w.U - b .° in much poorer condition. }."'» •" «" self "should be a help in cul mg. Then it is* surely worth while endeavouring to get rams from a good milking strain. It must be admitted that many of the lambs seen among stud sheep at pastoral "shows are often not what one would expect from bighlv br-d sheen, and as in stud flocks practically all tho ram lambs are kent for sale for flock purposes, there must be some which hare had had mothers, and conseqnentlv have not. in themselves, any power of transmitting milk producing onalities to their progeny. Of late years, a good deal has been hcn«l ef the influence the sire exerts in the character of -offspring. Espe^inHy in cattle it has be»*omc a reroenised thine that the sir* is a m«st important factor in improving tn«" dairv cow. It would be ;>!« well for sleep breeders to consider that side of the" question -•« nd endeavonr *o get ratr« of a milkir"' strain, as well as ewes with the same character. RAPE. The time has now come for the first sowing* cf rr»p*» \n be made. No doubt s :» cood de»l "of th"»t Ton. s>"d some kale, will be on* in durinti *hc next Tnonth. Tho limbing, g-ncrally speakin", is" a r">od one.' and a !'cod deal *" F feefl will bave *«» be provided for ib*»m di»rinc the early autumn mrntbs. Of all for*pp rromu. rn"« seed's to be ■"be most favoured in of its hcatinn "oaKties. often makinc Inirbj* unliealth'-. antl in 'smn>" eas"" causing a j»o«d deal of reortalit-. Ho«-<>ver. Ps s» fo»~iEe c»np. roie stands -♦. ihe te*» "f t»— W"- K" l * stands "Kliirp* nnd be**"'- t'i"~> raoo, "hnt Jt I« not «mch n gfnd K»!e. if it rtn»s ■»*• a" *vell. rives i» greater wiffb* r f fef'l than rape, and co*-o« ; n f-r fe«lin" l-»ter. (>Uin«:~n for »-r»n«> rnd kale ton. should bo c"*"**"!" "Rpno nr'wfw i m^ c S ft ■"•''ieh rn "-ell down inf•» the r~?I. breaking nn the ground. It is. a to** to a r-«renT to-»_ «><m«»'vaJlv" wheat. T 1 "? Ir*"'! »• enrirhed hv t'-e manure nut in with *he ranel j""I tl>" in "»*in" off t*** crop F «rtiH'o f •»*» land H«" th«M- dr«opir""s. The" the I?*-"** p"mber of roofs, j«nrl th*» fl«ptb to n-bicth. tk"V nnno* rate. botb «""! -»nd s"bs"i( ("'"table for "-J«v»t. A." it dn»s not pay to strnimT fillow '«nd "owadav". owin<x to its hinh pri<~»; » f - i« a -«*n«>d pl->n to m-t in rr«ne land plnur" ( ' o d and wrked.UP r-r"t of tfio lea. c> flint, a *"""d eron ''f Bhepp feed may be first of all procured. to he followed by a crop of wheat. Land plouehod in winter, lea land, may hj« *~"T>ar«>rl t«>. •»«lvan*:»«"; for raw. and ■*bis """laration .t«>™etber with beneficial effects of rape up n t'.'•"Wind, almost- "iiaranfee « : oed i-ron « f wheat to follow. Anot'»«*r rc'l:.»l "f crowinr rape, and c:>-e 1-».t"lv followed is to sow it on land thst has '•'"id turnips °n jfc'tli** previous wmv Freonent'v the tu-nios pre e-it'-n ;-ff ♦ oo late fc. a cereal eron to be put in. but there is olenty of time to get the land, rearrv. for rape. Moreover, grass takes well with rape, consent'entlv gra=s i« often sown" wit'i it. Stnbble paddocks, that have had a rotation of crops taken from them are- often f roared this w:»v. The latest combined manure and seed drills arc provided wi[fch a gra«s seed box mounted in front of the dril' so that tho whol» operation of sowing, raoo. manure and gr->Ks seed may be all done in one act. The ground should be wrked down fine, and should be consolidated with a roller or a clod crusher, liefore the drilling is d"ne. .Usnallv the seed is sown with all the coulters running as in crain, though sometimes alternate coulters only are used. Iq the former case the seed is run thinner in rows, than it would be with every other coulter running. Certainly it is the better plan to have all the co'dters going because the more ground that is covered with the plants the better for both the land and the plants themselves. The seed should be sown fairly shallow and chain barrows or light tine harrows should follow the drill. Sometimes a few oats are sown with the rane. Personally. I think the idea a good one provided that not too manv are sown. I have seen crops of rape looking as if an oat crop had heen intended, and a little rape had been sown along with it. instead of the other wav round. The oats help to keep the" lambs from sufferin-i trom the heating effects of the rape. Another plan is to sow mustard with the rape. In this case, a drill width should be left unsown here and there in the paddock while putting in the rane. In these vacant drill widths the mustard may be sown after the rape is well up, say three weeks later. If "mustard aiid rape are sown at the same time, the mustard conies to maturity before the rape is fit to eat off. Mustard is the best tonic for lambs on rape. No doubt when grass is sown with the raipc, it has a corrective influence, but to "nothing the same extent as mustard. An ounce or two of soft turnip per acre should alsb.be sown 'with rape. Lanibs''.win not touch them while there Is plenty of rape to he had, and they dome in for late autumn feeding. Some farmers have 1 given' up growing rape altogether, because they have had losses among-their lambs while feeding on it. In gowing rape it is well to remember this. In a damp season there is usually plenty of feed about, and that is when rape flourishes best. In dry

seasons, when it is wanted most it does not do very much. Jt is, therefore, not wise to deix'iid too muck upon rape. A breadth" of soft turnips should be put in to come in after the rape is eaten off, and if the season should be unfavourable to the rape, the- may take its place to a large -extent, being more reliable than a loragc crop. It a pc is generally sown at the rate of 2}lb. to 31b. per acre, although some growers put in as much as four and five pounds per acre. There are alx>ut 120,000 seeds in a pound, so it will be seen that three pounds an acre is a. large enough seeding. Superphosphate and bonedust makes a good manure for rape. Some nitrogenous manure in the slianc of dried blood should be added. This bjlend of superphosphate bone dust and dried blood often called special rape or kale manure, can be obtained from the meat companies. HOUSING TEAMS. The custom of turning out working horses into a, paddock at night has become quite a recognised one, in most parts of the Dominion. In the Old Country they were stabled, all through the winter, and also right through the summer in many parts. The. practice has not much to recommend it. Certainly the winters at Homo arc more severe than they are in Canterbury, and when snow is on the ground, the horses may be better in the- stable. But if it is fairly comfortable under foot, and there is shelter to be had, horses are just as well turned out at night, winter and summer. They have to be covered in any case, and that being so thev might just as well be allowed the "benefit of the fresh air. Even clipped horses take no harm through having to run out on the coldest winter's night, even when both wind and rain arc being experienced. In fact it is the clipped horses that seem to keen the healthiest. On many large farms where the teams have to be "continuallv camping away from the homestead, no stabling at all is provided for the draughts. They feed at feeders out in the open, wherever they mav be. Usually there are gorse fences* and plantations for them to shelter under when the elements are boisterous, but sometimes there is not even that comfort for them. They keep healthv and irell, as a rule - . Big deep covers" should be put on them, covers that come, well down over the chest, flanks and rump. The feeders should have a quantity of straw put round them, to bury the mud, or else a good coat of shinglo should be put down, so that they shall be comparatively dry under foot. Horses that aro kept stabled do not have the same freedom of movement as do those that are allowed at large all night. In spring and summer timo the grass thnt they get in the paddock is beneficial to them. It freshens and invigorates them, and cools the blood as well as cools the system. They should lie made to cat their dry feed as well, hut some grass is essential for their being in perfect health. The full ration of oats and chaff should bo given, if they- can be persuaded to eat it. When "the grass first comes-they will hang hack for it, but after a time they sicken somewhat of it, and come to their oats again. As far as the teamsters are concerned, I think that they prefer to havo their horses outside, except in wet or blowy weather. A stable is often dark for grooming, and when that operation is bein<x performed the dust hangs about. Out in the open more daylight is to be had, and the dust rises and blows away at once. In wet weather the teams are not .worked, so that the men do not have to groom them. No doubt a stable is a comfort and a convenience sometimes, for- l>oth man and beast, Tint it is certainly not an urgent necessity. A pood wool sited or granary is more io be desired than a stable on ' mostfarms. JOTTINGS. The rain which fell at the end of last week was not unwelcome in mostcases. The nor'-westcrs had caked the land and hindered growth, and the surface required a damping. The nor'westers did good, however, in that they hardened up the feed considerably and stopped the too rapid growth of crops. Many early sown cereal crops are looking almost too well. Last year they apear very forward, strong and healthy at this time, but they look better tliis season. There will be an immense amount of straw, if the average amount of moisturo falls between now and Christmas. If a dry time should set in, there will bo a danger of the rank growth-going to blight. AVa shall need to do a. good deal of threshing out of tho stooks if the crops continue as they arc going now. There will be such a large quantity of straw that stacking will be a long and tedious process. Those who aro still holding their last season grain are confident of being able to get 4s 6d a bushel before verylong. They aro certain that wheat cannot go below 4s a bushel, aud the fact that Australian new season's crop is being disposed of at up 3s 8d in Adelaide to 4s 6d in Sydney gives them hope that the price will rise to 4s 6d a bushel. At tho prices named there is not much danger of Australian wheat coming to compete with them. The jump in tho price of lamb is good news to those who sent Homo lato narcels, and is also a good sign for next season. At a meeting of the Executive of the North Canterbury Farmers' Union held last week a discussion took place on tho low prices received for meat last season. The fact that meat had jumped up in price so rapidly was looked upon as showing that there must be something radically wrong in tho manioulation of the meat at tho other endT Mr C. H. Ensor said that tho position appeared to bo that when farmers at this end were being told that the market was glutted in London, the people in London were crying out for meat. Mr Ensor said that the sheep throughout tho world liad decreased by 39J millions, while the wool and mutton consuming population of the world had increased by 87* millions. "There must be" lie said, "an enormous field still to exploit: but it was possible that tho coifrso of distribution had run into certain channels in which large interests were bound un which desired to keep it in the old grove. If tho producer would consider for a moment the present system of distributing his meat, ho would see that there were quite a number of individuals who would require a cut out of it beforo it reached the consumer. There wero the agent who ■=old tho sheen to tho dealer, tho meat merchant who sold to tho butcher, and he finallv sold to tho consumer. All took a cut out of it, and the farmer paid because he was simple Ims would not matter so much if the middlemen kept pushing tho market nto fresh fields, but there was a possibility that the meat merchant who sold to the English butcher found it in his interest to keep the meat supply in a channel over which he had some control. To say that supplies should be regulated from this end might suit the meat merchant, but would not help the farmer, as ho must send his sheep and lambs away when they were ready. With tho enormous scope thero was for increased distribution of meat, the best and most capacious store for the sifrplus stock appeared to be the bellies of the thousands of people who were now asking for a better distribution of the meat supply in London. Money spent in making New Zealand

meat reach the doors of those people would bring a better return to the farmers and the people of New Zealand than money spent in building largestores for the benefit of the meat merchant and speculator."