RURAL TALKS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10756, 30 April 1913, Page 2

RURAL TALKS.

(By RUSTIOUS.)

At 'the time of writing the weather is very favourable for harvesting clover seed. Calm days make the work very much more pleasant than windy weather. Fogs and Blight drizzles hindered for some time, but thoee who took advantage of every opportunity that offered iiate managed to get their clover saved in good condition. Luckily, it does not suffer much from bad Weather if it is turned as soon as a fine spell comes. The heaps of clover remain damp next the ground, and they wfll never dry out unlesss they are turned, especially if the stuff is at all heavy. At this season of the year dew# are heavy, and work at clover stacking cannot commence early in the morning. Some hours have sometimes to elapse before the clover is sufficiently dry to commence operations. The .time,. however, will not be wasted. Straw is required to build the stack upon, and some is also needed for covering. This may be procured and carted to where it is needed in the morning, and there will then be no delay during the remainder of the day. The afternoon is the most valuable part of the day for saving clover seed, and it is then that the work of stacking should proceed uninterruptedly. Clover will not save itself if the stack is topped off with nothing else, therefore a good quantity of straw should be placed on top for a roof. It is not, of course, advisable to stack clover unless it is dry, but if the weather will not allow it to dry out thoroughly it is sometimes put in small stacks, and it will often come right, particularly if drying, windy weather sets in. However I would rather leave the stuff out till it dries on the ground, than risk putting it into stacks in a wet condition. Patience will often be rewarded by the clover getting thoroughly dry even after a lot of rain. Wet does not damage it, unless there is a great dpal of rain. In fact, some rain is said to improve it, and to make it shell more easily than would be the cose if it got no rain at all. This season there is every prospect of a good return from clover crops. If this should prove to be the case, farmers will be somewhat repaid for the poor crops they had last rear, particularly those who Jiad crops in heavy land. The clover returns last season, from the light land, were better than on the rich land.. The wet weather was accountable for that unusual result.

Chives are such very good property it the "present time that farmers will find that it will pay them io give them •very attention. A short time ago numbers were killed, as it was considered that they were not Worth the rearing. That cannot -be said of them this autumn. There is money in them, and good money too, particularly if they have been well done by. Calves are just like children, they must be given every chance if they are to thrive. The same thing, of course, holds good with all young animals. Common-sense should tell one that it is no use giving calves food that can only be flieißsted and assimilated- by much older animals. They should secure a whole milk for a time, at the very least. for a, week or two. Then the whole milk may be gradually withdrawn, skim milk being •übstituted, and at the same time a substitute being added to make up for butter-fat "which has been withdrawn. Linseed is about the best substitute for butter-fat that I know of, for feeding calves. One may buy prepared fooas, and oils just ready to bg added to the skimmed, milk. But 9 prefer linseed to any of them. It is a simple matter. to boil some either every day when it may. be added to the milk while it is hot, or ' occasionally using some of the Jelly that forms after a good boiling. Calves like some fresh p -een stuff as soon as they can pick ior themselves. Young grasses and clover are good for them, being nutritious" and easily digested. 7 A little rape is also relished by them, and is a very good form of food for tnem.' In fact the greater, the variety the better, provided that the stuff is young and tender. It will be found that calves will not do on the coarse, rough feed that is suitable for older , cattle. One sometimes sees calves turned out with older cattle on what is recognised as good rough cattle pasture, but it will be noticed that while the older cattle will fatten on this coarse stuff, the calves will go back in condition on it. r nie small potatoes that are picked up when the work of potato tugging is in progress are suitable for almost all classes of stock, but more particularly for pig#. Cattle will eat them, and horses will derive benefit from them in moderate quantities, but the most payable method of disposing of them is to boil them with grain for the pigs. There is always & danger of choking when feeding them raw to cattle, but there is, of course, no chance of that when they are boiled for the pigs. In their raw state they are soon tired of by pigs, but if they are boiled pigs will eat a good quantity of them. Moreover, boiling seems to increase their food value, besides making them more palatable. There is some work entailed in boiling, and there is also the cost of fuel to be taken into aoeount, but even eo I believe that the improvement made in potatoes for pig feed bv boiling them, more than pays for labour ana fuel. All disease is killed in the potatoes, and there is no chance of its b.eing spread when using pig manure if the potatoes are oooked before being fed. This in itself is an important consideration. Lambs in the yards are selling at rates that amount approximately ,to ibout 6d per lb. TTus is a very good price and farmers are satisfied with it. The skins are now getting to be quite a* factor in the prioe of fat lambs, and their increasing value no doubt has something to do with the good prices | that arc being paid for fat lames in the yards. This season, as well as for several seasons past, farmers have noticed that they get better prices in the yards than they do on the farm or at j the works. This accounts for the in- I crease in the yardings of fat lambs, particularly at country sales. As time ! !joes on this business will increase, un- j ess the buyers form a ring; as they are sometimes accused of doing. The least suspicion that they are laying their heads together with the object of doing away with competition among themselves will injure the growing fat lamb sales in our saJeyards. When farmers see lines being out up among the different buying firms, though the sheep have been knocked down to one man, they feel that they may not be getting for their stuff all the money «nat tn*y should- Such things are difficult to prevent, but fanners are against tactics of that sort to a man.

Hie cows are near beginning to go off In milk, and the time is approaching some feeding will have to be resorted to. It may not be necessary to give roots just yet. In fact, mangels are not yet ready for eating, though swedes are now getting ripe enough for that purpose. But a little hay night and morning will be of assistance and will help out the grass, which is not now as good and nutritious as it was a few weeks hack. Tlie nights are getting chilly, and a little dry feed will be appreciated by stock, particularly cows in milk. Jerseys should be covered now, as they will not stand tho cold as veil as Shorthorns. A good many Jerseys are now to be seen in the country, particularly where dairying is a staple industry. "Even where it is thought inadvisable to keep Jerseys wholly, a few are included in the herd, to give the cream and butter a better flavour. Jersey cream is easy to oonvert into butter, because the fat globules are large, and Jersey cream always gives butter a rich yellow colour. But Jerseys are not so robust as Shorthorns, and now that the nights are getting

chilly they should be given no mo little extra attention and should be rugged almost immediately.