FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume VII, Issue 488, 16 September 1899, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

The weather continues fine, clear; breezy day.-- being followed by cool nights ; in faat, on low lying lands, slight frosts have been experienced during the past week. Such a lengthy spell of fine weather is umuuil at this time of yea', and coming after a dry winter, duTng which the rainfall has been abnormally low, it is causing some anxiety, respecting tho ensuing spring and summer. With the land in its present dry condition, and with but small stores of moisture in the subsoil, a. dry, hot summer would be a serious matter, aud something of the sort is not likely, all the indications pointing _ that way. Under such circumstances, it is of the utmost importance to get any grain or grass seed iuto the land, and established as boon as possible, the late town crops being the greatest sufferers in a dry season. With such splendid weather every opportunity has been afforded for woiking the land, and in the majority of cases this has been taken advantage of. The chief cause of delay has been where the turnips have remained late on the land, and consequently the plough has had to remain idle until the stock consumed them. However, large areas of grain have been sown during the past fortnight, and given another week of fine weather most of it should be out of hand. With the advance of the month potatoes for the main crop may uow be planted, Derwents being still the favourite with growers and also with the consuming public. Great care should, however, be taken in the selection of Derwent seed potatoes, this variety being apt to run weak, throwing out spindling shoots which can nevrr prodtico large and sound tubers. " Like bege s like," and a wellslnipcd, smooth-skiuncl potato, with eyes but slightly sunk, and having stout, vigouroua buds, makes the best seed, and for s'ze a medium potato sliced in two from crown to stalk will give the best results. Uncut potatoes arc less liable to rot in wet land, but too many shoots are sent up, resulting in a large number of small sized potatoes. In addition to the Derwents, numbers of new sorts are on the market some of which are likely to prove valuable. Among those tested for some sea-ona iu Waikato may be mentioned the White American a prolific, and particularly good keeping potato, but for big crops to be consumed in a reasonable time, perhaps nothing bea*s the late American, which is edso very fine flavoured. But whatever variety is chosen all need liberal manuring, and no crop pays better for it than the potato. In this connection it is fortunate that such a well-balanced fertilizer as the Wcstfield Special Potato Manure is obtainable at a reasonable figure. Prom three to live cwt of this manure per acre (sown broadcast after the potatoes are ploughed in), will ensure a good crop in almost any s.ei'on, and although prices for some time past havo not offered much inducement to farmers to spend money in manures, matters may be quite different during the cusuing season. It must, also, bo borne in mind that in addition to the first crop of potatoes, a liber tl manuring leaves the land in splendid heart for gras3 or gram crops. The markets are improving, fat stock being on tho up grade ; also stores, the latter being at full rates This i» par ticularly the case with cattle, tho increasing scarcity of which is becoming a matter of general comment among griizien. Tho general slaughter of calves that has taken place in most dairying districts during the past two season, is now making its "effect felt. Pigs havu paid better, aud thero was no inducement to rear calves, but even fat pigs will not provide a supply of store cattle to replace tho steady drain upon herds by butchers and exportern. Henco the shortage nowfelt not only in tho Auckland, but also, in the Taranaki districts.

Our dairymen will have to rear their calves, for which for some years to come remunerative prices are pretty well assured. Produce is selling better, though prices arc almost unchanged. Butter is about the best line, being in brisk demand at fully late rates, even keg lines, if fair quality, are moving freely. There seems to be a general feeling that in sympathy with the Home market good butter will be at full rates during the comiug seaeon. Eggs are wanted, chiefly for pickling, at 61 per doiwn. As eggs can be preserved for a few months with so little trouble or risk (a mild solution of salt and shell lime, with «i little cream of tartar added, being all that is required), settlers should put up at least a portion of the spring Lying, lOd to Is per doz. being generally obtainable about Christmas.

Twine in Chaff.— Dariug the present season a number of deaths have taken place amongst horses chiefly carriers' teams, m a couutry district in Victoria. It was discovered that theso deaths weie caused by lumps of twine accumulating in the stomach, causing inflamation, and iu most cases eventual death. Further inquiries have proved that in many cases tho twine binding the sheaves togethor it cut up with the chaff. It must be a fairly common] practice, as heaps of the twins may bo gathoied from the feeders. Hungry horses consume it, but horses not too hard pushod reject it.

White and Brown Egos.—lt is generally thought by household authorities that brown-shelled eggs are superior to the white-shelled varieties. An investigation has been made into the relative merits of the two kinds of eggs at the Californian Experiment Station, with the result that the imprefsion that brownshelled egg* are richer is not born out by chemical analysis. Further, a physical examination proves that the main points of superiority, though extromely Blight, aro possessed by the white shelled eggs. But pi-Hctically there is no difference, so far as tho food value is concerned, botweeu tin: two classes.

Bot-fly among SiiEEr. —Tho bot-fly is just now causing terror among sheep, and flocks may frequently be seen running together in a mob, with thoir noses close to tho ground, and pointed towards a common centre, in order to escape its attention. Tho troublesome conditiou it causes when the larvie have attained their growth is recognised by a variety of complicntions of different parts of tho animals, including ' grubs in tho head," parasitic nasal catarrh, orcena, nasal glent, etc. Professor W. J. Maiden says:—"No hotter method of keeping off tho fly has been dovised than to place a block of rock salt behind a board through which an opening sulliciently large to admit of the sheep's noses to be thrust has been made. If the hole is smeared with tar the sheep's noses will become covered with it, and tho fly will be kept away."— Stock Exchange.

Thk Mice Plague in Victoria.— Some idea of the hordes of mien in ,tho mallee country (Vic), s«ya tho Wimmern Star, will be gleamed from the fact that no fewer than 1835 of the little animals were recently found under 150 bags of wheat on tho farm of Mr Livingston, at Pepper Plains. The damage done by tho vermin is almost iuorediblo. The mice gnaw clothing, books, and even the bed clothes after tho inmates have retired for the night. It is found impossible to cope with them.

Inoculating Treks for Cancer.—The Paris correspondent of the Daily News announces that Dr. Bra has been luooulating forest trees with the culturo of human cancer, and killed them with cancer. He was led to theso experiments by discoverin" a similarity of a diseaoe in trees to that of cancer. Dr. Bra, we are told, doee not conclude that animal and uegetablo cancels aro caused by one specific fungus, but he thinks a number of diseases of plants aro extremely liko diseases of animals.

BERKSHIRE Pigs.—A purebred berkshire pig killed at Christchurch, _ last week was considered tho finest specimen of tho breed ever hung up in a shop in Christohurch. Although the animal was only twenty mouths old its dead weight is 5001 b, and in spite of its Hizo it is wonderfully fine in the bone, while the rind is little thicker than a kid glove. That the pig had put on flesh quickly was evidenced by the fact that the iuside was no larger that is usually found in a six-months'-old pig, and the quality of the meat is perfect, there being a ver? small proportion of fat, to the quantity of lean shown. Measurements taken give nine inches of solid lean through to tho ham bone, the depth of backbone and meat at tho shoulder is over a foot, while it is ten inches through at the haunch, seven inches from the rind to the kidneys, and ton inches through the ribs. Influence of Dung- on Roots.—The effect which is exercised by farmyard manuro upon the quality of root crops grown by its aid is well shown in the results of an investigation conducted at the Bangor College. Two lots of swedes were grown with different quantities of farmyard manure, but with similar allowancss of artificials, namely, 3cwt superphosphate and kainit per ncre. The one plot was dressed with 20 tons of farmyard manure per acre, and the other with 12 tons, whereas the latter produced a yield of 28 tons Mcwt 621 b, the crop from the former' weighed 28 tons 3cwt 441 b per acre, a difference not by any means adequate to warrant the application of the extra 8 tons of dung. The most instructive part of tho experiment, however, relates to the influence of the respective dressings upon the composition and keeping qualities of the roots. Analyses showed that the roots grown on the hoavily manured land contained 89 4 per cent, water and 10. G per cent dry matter, while those grown with 12 tons farmyard manure contained only 88.3 per cent, water and 11.7 per cent dry matter. In order to test the keepin* qualities of tho roots, twelve rows from each lot were left standing until March, when it was found that there were very few unsound roots in the light manured plot, but that almost one-fourth of the roots in the heavily manured plot were rotten. The result is decided and significant. The Lambing Season in Canterbury.—The Christehurch Press has the following reference to the lambing seah m in Canterbury :—The present seasou's lambing—should the weather keep fine during the next six weeks or so—ought to materially assist in romedying tho present understocked condition of tho province. If the results from the Canterbury flocks, so far as the lambing has already taken place, can be taken as any sort of critorion, the percentage should be the bighost for many years past. Though the winter has boon severe, tho abundance of feed has enabled the ewes to come through the season in first-class condition and the new lambs are healthy and strong. There v.ro no complaints, so far, of the death of owe?, such as took place in the spring in Canterbury during the three previous years, as there has been no difficulty in providing suitablo feed. From information wo have gathered wo learn that the results of the lambing in those small flocks where it is partially or wholly completed are exceedingly satisfactory, in almost all casus ranging from 100 to 120 per cent., and it is probable that there are or will be higher returns than thes". It is remarkablo that thero were but few deaths among tlm lambs which made their appearance during tho recent snow storms, but this is accounted for by tho fact that tho snow was drythat is, it was frozen, and thawed very slowly, and tho piddooks did not, there fore, become wot and sloppy. Another thinir that is helping to keep down the 'death rate among both ewes and lambs is the greater care that is being taken of the flocks during this critical period. Tho present value of sheep has of course been largely responsible for this, and no doubt in future years the smaller sheep farmers will find that this attention is profita"ble, and it will bo more generally given.

Hints for Dairymen.—A praotical dairyman, writing to the Melbourne Leador, says:—Feed the cows liberally on wholesome, succulent food; givo them pure water to drink ; treat them with kindness ; adopt dry milking, wash the udders and teats bofore milking ; get the milking done as quickly aa possible, taking care that it is properly done ; cool the milk down to aa low.a temporaturo as possible, and observe tho strictest cleanliness in regard to everything connected with the cows, tho milking shed and the dairy. These are somo of the duties that bolong exclusively to tho farmer, and the neglect of any one of them cannot fail to have a prejudicial effect upon the quantity and quality of the butter. Pure raw material must bo supplied to the factory manager or be cannot, no matter how great his skill may bo, produce a first-class article. The onus of providing the pure raw material rests upon the farmei, and he should take every precaution to carry out his portion of the contract in a thoroughly satisfactory manner. Tho health of cows, what they eat and drink, and the treatment, whether kind or otherwise, to which they are subjected, afl'octs tho milk before it is drawn from the udders. It is therefore of the greatest importance to pay special attention to the welfare of the animals, and sue that they are provided with plenty of suitable food and pure water Milk'coutains a very largo percentage of wator, and if this is foul when absorbed by tho cow it will not be puro when yielded up to the milkor. Yet so little rogard is paid to providing a pure supply of water that cows are compelled to drink liquid that is full of diseaßO germs. Abundance of -wholesome, succulent fodder should be provided. The milking hours should be regular, and the cows driven quietly.

Mulks on the Fahm. —It is interesting to learn, writes " Talpa," the Sydney correspondent of tho Australasian, that several mules havo recently boen secured for the Hawkesbury College farm. Tho Minister for Agriculture haa an impression that mules are more useful than horses for certain classes of farm work, and ho desires that compnrative trials should he instituted, with a view of proving whether it will pay farmers in this colouy to use them instead of horses. "Well, "bettor late than nover." It is very strange that, mules, and donkeys too, aro so little known in Australia. Tho mulo is a genuine boast of burden, and when well treated, is' as docile and tractable as the horse. I have seen teams in Missouri that could stay better,>nd do harder work, than any horses even foaled. They could plough and cultivate, or go in waggon or buggy, and while horses doing the same labour on hot days were much opprossed, the mules never seemed to turn a hair. In the Southern States of America the farmers nearly all prefer mules to horses. They arc very hardy animals, and far handier with their feet on rough ground than draught horses of any breed. Iu the timber regions of

America one may seo mules or bullocks working where hordes aro entirely useless for lodging purposes. Mules have small feet in comparison with tho horso, and in cultivating crops they will hardly over d imago a plant It is said, also, they are not. so particular about their food as the horso ; but this may be questioned I havo fed aud watered many ecoros of mules and thoy wero generally rather dainty in their food, They have a habit of lettiug you know it, too, when their food is not to their liking by a display of their heels. It is always a safe plan to feed a mule from the ftont. instead oi going up to bis head from behind. Thoy aro very tricky, and for wisdom, a horse is Bimply nowhere with the mulo. When they hoar the dinner bell ring it makes very little difforeneo to them whether you desire to finish tho furrow or not. The uo-to duto mulo turns in the row and tnakes straight for the stables. If he bo not unharnessed very speedily, ho will take the plough or harrows'right along with him, and such sights, which aro quite common in nome parts of America, are very amusing at times. I would not venture to predict a great future for tho mule in New South Wales, or any part of Australia. Where very special work is required, demanding nerve aud stamina, the mule will often surpass horse ; but, at the best, thoy aro slouchy in gait and style, and never to be compared with any useful, actiye breed of horso iu the performance of ordinary farm work. The most useful work for which the mule is adaptod in this country is in carrying sugar cane over the rough iuolines of the northern rivers, or in toiling over the wheat-growing ureas with the soarifier. The mulo is not by any means a good plough medium, for ho lacks the weight required to steady the draught, and neither is he extra goodiu tho saddle, because of the drooping shoulder. Altogether, the mule is a most useful animal, and deserves the encouragement of the Agricultural department, but bo has faults us well as tho horse, which must not be over-looked in comparative trials.