THE FARMERS' COLUMN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1029, 2 April 1884, Page 6

THE FARMERS' COLUMN.

THE HARNESSING OF HORSES. Mr John Phillipson, in his excellent little book, "Harness as it is and as it should be," has come very seasonably to the aid of those interested in the welfare of the horse. Mr Phillipson treats historically and scientifically the whole question of the harnessing of horses for riding and driving purposes. The comfort and . suitableness of collars, bits, and saddles to the horses on which they are used he holds supremely important, and shows that in many cases the sores caused by illfitting harness are more painful and irritating to the horse than the muchabused bearing-rein. Crupper docks or carriage use he is strongly opposed to ; blinkers, he is convinced, injures the exceptionally powerful sight which horses have, and are, as wholly modern inventions, quite superfluous except in the case of exceptionally nervous animals ; gag bearing-reins he denounces as barbarous inventions. With great fairness, however, he admits that simple bearing-reins and blinkers may in extreme cases be necessary; and, in fact, he treats the whole question without any of the bitterness of a partisan, as the following quotation will show: "Why, then, should we use blinkers at all, except for horses that have been rendered nervous and unsafe by harsh or injudicious treatment, and to prevent accidents must be blinded' with- blinkers, which are not only objectionable on account of their weight, but because they mar the beauty of the eye, one of the horse's best features ? It is a question somewhat, difficult to answer; but on the other hand, blinkers have such a body of supporters- that the balance of evidence, or opinion, against them is not sufficient to justify their total absence, although I have not the slightest hesitation in asserting that they may be safely dispensed with in nine cases out of ten. As a proof I have only to point to the 3000 horses employed by the Midland Eailway Company and 2000 by the North-Eastern and London Companies. These animals are neither troubled by blinkers nor crupper docks* and in performing their daily wor,k (which is as heavy as that done by any other class of horses) instead of exhibiting nervousness or unruliness, they show a degree of sagacity and docility only possible with unobstructed eyesignt and perfect freedom of limb."

GLEANINGS.

If a ewe loses her lamb, milk her for a few days, and mix a little alum with her salt.

A G-erman paper says that a roof can be made fireproof by covering it with a mixture of lime, salt and wood ashes, adding a little lampblack to give a dark colour. This not only prevents fire, but, it is claimed, also in a measure prevents decay. All the roup pills you may give will not keep your poultry free from roup so long as they are exposed to dampness. Roup is nothing more nor less than a heavy cold, and is the result of exposure. Keep your fowls warm and dry.

Varnished waggons should never be housed in a stable or where any stock is kept, for the ammonia which comes from the manure kills the life of the varnish, destroying all of the gloss. It is always best, if possible, to keep varnished carriages and waggons in a building away from the barn. Surface manuring, says Column, is especially effective on sandy soils, and a light dressing yearly is far more beneficial than heavy coatings once in three or four years. But the best results on sandy soils is when they are dressed with a compost of manure and clayey muck. Dry sand is recommended for keeping apples and potatoes in a sound condition. Into a barrel filled with them sand is poured until all the interstices are filled with it. Parties who have tried this method say the contents of the barrels are preserved until spring in a better condition than by any* other means they have tried. If crops are not kept free from weeds fertilisers are lost or do more harm than good by furnishing food for the weeds. This was clearly shown by some recent experiments made by Sir J. B. Lawes, of Rothamsted, where a plot of mangolds planted for forty years on.the same ground was much more thrifty than the main crop, which had been heavily manured. The experimental plot was kept exceedingly clean, while in the main crop, owing to the wet season, the weeds were numerous. For farm implements of all kinds, having metal surfaces exposed, for knives and forks and other household apparatus— indeed, for all metals likely to be injured by oxidation or " rusting " — take any quantity of good lard, and to every half-pound or so add of common resin (" rosin ") an amount about equal to half the size of an egg, or less— a little more or less is of no consequence. Melt them slowly together, stirring as they cool; apply this, with- a cloth or otherwise, just enough to give a thin coating to the metal surface to be protected. It can be wiped off nearly clean from surfaces where it will be undesirable, as in the case of knives and forks, &c. The resin prevents rancidity, and the mixture prevents the ready access of air and moisture. The above is a capital thing for keeping bits and stirrup-irons free from rust. A new' 1 method of washing butter has been patented' in Germany. As soon as gathered in the churn in particles about a tenth of an inch in size, it is transferred to a centrifugal machine, whose drum is pierced with holes and lined with a linen sack that is finally taken out witlf the butter. As soon as the machine is set in rapid motion, the buttermilk- begins- to es-

cape; a spray of water thrown into the revolving drum washes out all foreign matters adhering to the butter ; this washing is kept up till the wash water comes away clean, and the revolution is then continued till the last drop of water is removed, as clothes are dried in the centrifugal wringer : the dry butter is then taken out, moulded and packed. It is claimed that the product thus so fully and quickly freed from all impurities, without any workiiig or 1 kneading, has a finer flavor, arOma and grain, and better keeping qualities, than when prepared for market, in the ordinary way. " Anglo- Australian " in the " European Mail " writes : " 1/arge quantities of frozen mutton from New Zealand, amounting altogether to over 3000 carcasses, were, on October 6, destroyed by order of the London port sanitary authorities. The meat came by the Mataura, and I am informed on behalf of the Haslam Foundry and Engineering Company, that the cause of the meat turning bad was that it had not been carefully frozen before being packed in the freezing chamber. The refrigerating apparatus worked well during the voyage, and a portion of the cargo was landed in good order. To lose three or four thousand sheep after sending them to England is a serious misfortune for anybody, and the London public may 1 claim a share of the misfortune as theirs, for they have lost the opportunity of buying the finest mutton in the world at a low price. It will be a national misfortune if this mishap should check the enterprise of colonial breeders and shippers. Eortunately, against this isolated mischance may be placed the success of many ventures of the same kind, while almost simultaneously with the failure of this shipment of mutton occurred the successful importation of fish from New Zealand, to which we referred in our last. On this subject a correspondent writes that he bought some of these fish, although prejudiced against them by the warnings of a jealous fishmonger, who looked unlovingly on this fresh nail in the coffin of the ' fish ring,' and found them ' most delicious. 1 A well-known correspondent of the ' Eield,' we observe, writes to say that he will only be too glad to have the chance of buying some of the ' next lot ' at double the price which he paid for samples of the last. This is most cheering, and will go far to remove the effects of the failure of the mutton cargo per Mataura."