Rural Notes.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14238, 2 July 1910, Page 3 (Supplement)

Rural Notes.

(By "Koradi.'"')

JUL j." VvOiVK. July k looked upon as being the most aovoi'j itoiith or the it is very ci'ier. the -svi'cte&fc, ana Tho cckicsc, ac-d tdl-i-ge <-i>?ra'iioii3 have iVonoantiy to be on account oi raai acid '.Vet:. Tbo diiioS consideration is tiw stock, and It lh ixiaicst csediesa to say that stock thit i» v,-e!l looked alter uow, both as Towards fwjti a:ud shaltor, wiil coma <nii the- test when the spring feed is available. Allow beasts to get krr-ettti-ttitio.ved, and tJWy will require a lot of (food fe«.l in vhc spring to bring tb.&xu ap to decec.'i storo ooadition. And :'f •.ht-y_ have feiyj alloyed to get poor durig M?.y sad .1 una they -rill i'eoi tho Dad weather vasty much when it cornea, Vr'jiafcw wJis&u may still be sown <;ti dry Icuid, b:rt generally speaking it is nor batter to defer sowing till n«x<> month. The weather will be getting warmer, juid good growth will bo made right away, whereas grain sown now stands a chance of being rotted by tho ' w<it, cold soil. Tho paddocks already Down should be surface-drained with a E lough, the furrows being run down the ollows to the natural outlet. Ploughing for spring and for roots should be gone or; with as fast as possible. Thise pulverising and mellowing effects of frost are now thoroughly appreciated by a!) fanners, and, therefore, the i?loo?'h will 1» kept going as much ««• posaible, especially in lea iand. The d'2op ploughing of*stubbles is sometimes Koria on with during tl'is Month for for aye* and root, crops to ba sown in epim r j, and munmer. The weeds will, of course, cotao away in the spring 011 all stubbio land that is ploughed now, but, they must be worked out thoroughly hitforo rape or turnips are sown. Lea land, ploughed now, should work down easily and well in s» few months' time. If a digger plough is used it will be fit for sowing as soon as spring sets in. So;r.o ground had better bs ploughed diteply for mangels as soon as possible. Sonne farm-yard manure, if it. is availably, shoiild be ploughed down in the mange! patch so that it may get in-wirpw-atcd with the tjoil before sowing titt.lo conies. The deei>er the manure is worked into the soil the better, so that the long roofs of the rnanyola ma.v find plant food vrhsn they penetrate fcha Boil. It is better to grow a small patoh well, than to to put in a lot of ground in an indifferent fashion.

The making of a fair quantity cf farm-yard manure may easily be txeompltehM en moat farms during the winter, especially where cows and 'horses are kept. Instead of permitting both man and beast to wade around in a sea of mud when tho wet weather comes, a few loads of straw spread about will make things dry and comfortable, and aloo turn out a quantity of farm-yard manure. This will result in some of tha fertility that has been taken from the Jand in produce, being returned to the ground in tho sluice of manure. In order to make the basb manure, the stuff should be heaped up and covered with earth or ssuid to prevent rapid fermentation, and the escape of valuable gaseou.s matter. If fermentation goes on too fast the manure will becottia cold and soft. The composition of farm-yard manure varies very considerably according fco the feeding that the animals get that helps to prcduoe tho manure. The amouafc of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash that a ton of farm-yard manure contains may, however, be put down ap considerably less than £i. It would seem, therefore, as if farm-yard manure is not worth bolhwrinjr with. But it must be remembered that farm-yard manure has advantages that are not possessed by Artificial manures. It supplies the soil with a welcome quantity of organic matter, t-kua adding humus. It loosens •tiff land, and makes light land more retentive.

Nothing much caji be done with the cheep this month except to see that they hays plenty of feed. Turnipa for tho ewes will now he necessary. Tho §rass pnddocks should not be eaten own too bare, or they will not be at their best when lambing commences. ParMeric? that are in sheltered situations should be saved as much as possible ro that they msi'y he available if rough weather comes while lambing is In places bvrob:ng will "ommence shortly, hut only in a small way. Dairy cows will begin ti> come in •hcjrtlir.' and t-hev must be kept in fair condition during this month. Roots and hay may he given them, so that tboy may he strong when calving time edmes, and so that the calves may also fee a jj<vod order. Now that pigs'are rot bo valuable as thay were, while dairy and store cattle are all the time rising inline, it is probable that more calves will, be reared, than has been the case during the past few years. Tli<; calf r>ens should be sunny and warm, and iV.ean. The outlook is promising for keeping heifer from good milking cows, 'PST'oeially if they are aot hv pui'eVred bulls of a. .milking strain. A -• .Iwimy? -,-i beef hiv* been for some time, and it seems fairlr certain that jrood store and h.i nattis will lie in good demand .in the coming Spring.

THere fa a tip* l <7 for ftKrcvipjljou'fc 'tTi<> country, n.Tirl h )Vt»~ r*lan.+,e<l as o'pporfctmity ocodvh,• or fev/ wnsto corners, may Tiny pfc ?o™e fntvro f-imo. On hrcfc.-m. Wl< fno'mtfs. Inr^h. rr.tK-v 1j« nroPf.;:'mr planter], nnd t-T?;9v U"TI bp yprv valuable Rom© clay. Ori pritiMn lornlities fit»"!>.l.7rt>tus, anr] vnriws kinds of t*in'as tnav lie Tibiripil at miy ti«lo row for sVltor. ornnmenf- fircwvl. or for sawn timber flt. "orno d'?+,int rlatn.

C!i-SH-PTiHin> i'q work that is suitable +o th!« tenr-on "f tV> venr. mid s>ho"irl Tic nnshp' l on W'fK .ill srtepd because tlir> (-•"i.son wiT shortly, "onie whpn +pnrr> nnd " ,,nn " wnr'- will oVim fir<it attention, f-r'ibb'nr l, "lour fho Iwipp linns is a wo-1c tt'VimiTr! not bp npivlppt-pd whp* 1 nlnrit* nre» sir* Ml. Tf tKoy nll^n'orl fn nirp r +T, rt n~rvf ( rst -T r»fr vIT r»l"nfq n*""' +VMc tlmxr r>nr Tm r>lf>nr*>i<v7 A .»««r nT>l n fa. fr*v v*"> t>«r l 0 n . ISf^TlcTlC^ lip ntv l lwnprf. nrtrl j - TT'x w f|T HffhtJ n»l----""-J** """My cutting tbp flmnnor roots undrrnp.ntb.

RAPE FOR PIGS. . Pigs, throughout their growing period, will do very well if fed on lnungeii;, which should be peeled and fed to them. If they can get nothing olse they will also fatten on them, although they will not do nearly as well as when given grain for fattening purposes. Store pigs also thrive very well 011 turnip sheila. They will grub them out of the ground for themselves, and they prefer them to the whole turnip. Rape is a capital food for pigs at any time, 'but more particularly in the summer, before the mangels are fit for | use. If only a few pigs are kapt, a few } rows of rape in the gs-rden heavilv j mi'nursd and sown early will halp. oiit * the skim milk and odds and ende'frcm; the house. -An armful of nvpo t>iveri I once a day will be found to answer Very | well for pifra- that are four or five j months old. Rupo is better for pigs j than c-lov-tu-; they trill make faster prb- J rrjoss upon it. Rape will gi'ow up j aerain two or throe time* in n Reason ! after 'beipT cut, and i«, therefore an ! ©ponwii™' forage plant to grow. It 1 in nhout tho cheapest green fodder! pinnothere is to j.rrow. and it leaves the I lnntf in priori condition afterwards. Tho j ivirs may bo turned into a plot of rape j when the nlnnls are a foot or more' hl-'b, buf the adnata must be ringed j to r,l-,-!«;•!• f. <■■■ ":i bbiny, out the plants-. T'k-v re -»-if:iV-f:il feeders, and! ♦hay must be put ori small breaks.

which may bo made by having; some 1 moveable huruit.-.-. made, suitable for | holding pigs. 1; the pijjs ai\i.so ; and given a- littio grain as v>eli,' vhey ; will bo found to put 011 weight vi-ry ; fast. ' I

HOME-Slil-AiiATßl)' CREAM. j For a vsry long tinie diury factories j succeeded in blocking the home- ; separator. They would not' receive J home-Jop&Kated cream,, and- they were : backed up by the officers of the Dairy ! Department. No doubt there are many ; iw.viDs why it is desirable the milk ; should be separated either at the fac- f tary or at a creamery. It must be j much easier for a factory to turn out ; good butter when the quality of. tho • cream is all through alike, and when ! it has all arrived at a certain stage of ' ripeness. Our butter has got a "good ; :o,i:;io 0.1 the London isorkot, and we ; hove been persistently told that this ; good uaiuo c&nnot be xaaintained with ! bv.if.'jr manufactnrsd from heme-separ- i ated croam. It is very easy to under- j stand that the bcttar-makor's task of j turning out a good article is rendered ! very difficult whe:: li" gets say a bun-, <lrod d*'fTer<-j:t I'its "of :

and possessing different stages of ripeness and temperature. The cream from aoir.e of thx* intnis inp.y. not kuvo been kept in a cleanly manner; there may be foreign matter in it, and germs of tlio wrong sort. But there are many farmers who cannot manage to get to a creamery each day,' whereas they can easily separate 011 their own farnsrs once or twico a day, and take the cream to tho station two or three •times a week. In order to ."keep' a creamery scing properly there must be a number of fairly big slipplies in the locality. Farmers with only a few cows find that it doe? not pay them to tako their small lots of milk to the creamery, especially if they have anv distance to go. They, therefore, do their own separating, sending all cream OTer- and above what they require • for their ov.-'.i uso to the factory. Others, of eov.".c, make up their own butter, and lit:ji it to local storekeepers. Factories have found that in order to keep going they must receive these small lots of cream from the farmers. No doubt tho butter made from home-separated cream is sold and used locally as much as possible, while tho best butter made from creamery cream is sent Heme. At any_ rate we are told that home-separ-ated cream turns out butter of a lower grade than the factory separated article.

One of the difficulties in dealing with Lome-separated cream is the fact that if two lots of cream of different ripeness are churned together, the one will turn to butter grains in the churn before tho other. It is often said too, that thick cream is preferable for making up at home, and thin cream for sending to tho factory. Thin cream will be found to be preferable for both purposes. In thin cream the ripening goes on more evenly than in thick cream, thus producing better butter. It is said that the best butter is made from cream that will make three or four pounds of butter to a gallon of cream. Warm cream as it comes from- the separator should not he mixed with cold cream. As far as possible tho temperature should be the same in both lots when the mixing is done. No doubt a great deal can be said against the home-separation of cream for the butter factory. A creamery can paste'irise all the milk received, and cool the cream properly. A factory can ripen the cream evenly at a suitable temperature and in other ways have everything just right for turning out a first-class article. ' But home-separation has come to stay. Farmers must learn to treat their milk and cream properly, and to' send it regularly to the factory. IMPORTED BOYS.

A good deal has been said at Farmers' Union meetings and in the Press about the absurdity of importing town boys into New Zealand to take up rural occupations.. At a recent Conference of tho South Canterbury Farm3rs' Union it was decided to approve of the echo me to introduce a few boys on trial, although it was'recognised" that they were town lads and not country youths. The President expressed the opinion that it did not follow that because these lads had never been at farm work they would not be successful at it. He was sure the boys would find employment.

If the experiment is to he confined to lads drawn from the rural districts of England the scheme would lose much of its usefulness as far as the hoys are concerned. The' circular issued bv the Labour Department tells us that the town lads, whom it wishes to import, have been employed in the towns as porters, messengers. and the like. That mean?, I take it, that tlioy have .grown too -)ld for that work, and that their places have been taken by younger boys. The y-r.uiijrer boys have been obtained nt a cheaper rate. The big boys have been pushed out of their employment, tho inevitable result of getting too birr for wh?.t is purely'.hoys' work, snd they have failed to find work in any other direction. They have not

learned a trade, and are tlms forced into the laiiks of unskilled lab:;ur. Mr 'Hedge v. it k thinks that some 01 titi-m. the most intelligent and willing of then:, help to lill tile demand' for ho\s jji tito ru;ii 1 districts of Now /'rabo no doubt that they iUL *».!« loam something of the work. If they will consent to settle down to country life, and are of the right stamp, there can he no donbt that hey will soon learn their business. Almost any boy has tobe taught his work, and town lads should not be much more difficult to "teach than country boys. Very often' tiiey onter into their duties with a greater zest because everything is fre?h to them. It would be a pity to demn_ the scheme, wliieli is to bo tried only in a small way. Already a great many boys have been applied for by farmers all over New Zealand, showing that they are willing to risk the boys being laissuitable. And for the sake of the lads themselves the immigration sehem is worthy of a trial. The chances are they will do no good for themselves at Home, wlule they may h-eeome prosperous out here. The towns are taking up a great many boys, although the girls are competing with them for places there. In the

country the boys do not come into competition with tho girls, yet they are not "uffjrient in numbers to fill the demand for them. One difficulty in the immigration scheme may be that of police surveillance. If the boys are to be under close police supervision, both the farmers and the boys may kick against it.

. THE DISCARDED HORSE. Apropos of Mr. W'ithell's pauer. and the discussions it, roused, the folicwing lines from an old American journal will Ijo read with interest, if not with some amusement: — "Every little while they tell us that the horse has got to go; First the trolley was invented 'cause the horse went too slow. And they told us that we'd better not keep raisin' colts no more. Allien the street cars got to motingthat the horses pulled before I thought it was all over for old Fan and Doll and Kit S posed the horse was up and done for— But he —ain't—went—yit! 'When the hike craze got started people told us right away, As you probably remember, that the horse had saw his day: People put away their buggies and went kitin' round on wheels; There were lots and lots of horses didn't even earn their nieiils. I .used to stand and watch 'em with their bloomers as they'd flit, And I thought the horse was goin*— —But—he^—ain't —went —yit! Then they got the horseless carriage. and they said the horse was done, And the story's been repeated twentv times by Edison, Every time he gets another of his batteries to go He comes whoopiir out to tell us that the horse don't stand a show. Ayd you d think to see. these chauffeurs as they go a'chauffin' it —But—he—ain't—went—yit 1"

JOTTINGS. the news that wheat is on the rise again m London and Australia, and that the markets may maintain a steady and a fairly good price for some time to come has been welcomed by farmers, the report that the Chicago market ii excited owing to tho drought in the wheat belt, is not looked upon r.s being a rehaole indication of future happenJecaufe American operations seem to be able to manipulate'rises and falls s.t their own sweet will. jYTerchaittn are inclined to view existing reports from America with a sood deal of caution. Farmers have, however, hardened their ideas of value owing to the report from_ Chicago. ' Tho future process of prices in London must be governed a good, deal by tho crops which are now approaching harvest. The ''Trade Review" has the following regarding the money market:—■ The products of the Dominion have continued to come forward freelv for export and realisation, and the" total value Oi shipments for the season, when it comes to be summed up, promises to be far in excess of anv previous record. The imports have so far been on a reduced scale, but there are indications that the .June quarter when complete will exhibit some measure of return to a higher level. An excess of exports over imports for the quarter is. however, sssurad, a movement which will further assist the financial nosition. At the. meeting o? the Rank of New ZehlancL held on the 17th instant, a cheerful and sanguine tone as to the prospects of tho Dominion characterised all_ the utterances. An oninion, not quite unanimous, was. however expressed to the effect that while money was in ample supply at reasonable rates there were indications that a. lack of confidence enterprise and'development. "Whatever the cause may he. it certainly appears as if the slow and cant-ions pace that was, perforce, adopted dunng tho recent period of financial stringency has not vet been abandoned. "Festina lente" seems -fco be still the motto."