ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXX, Issue 1, 20 January 1925, Page 68

ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES.

IN order to ensure reply to questions, correspondents must give their name and address, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Letters should be addressed to the Editor. CHICKWEED AND SHEEP. N. Tilley, Takapau : — 1 I lost three ewes recently, and am somewhat puzzled as to the cause of death. In each case the ewe was in good condition and the mother of a thriving well-grown lamb. They were running on good pasture, mostly cocksfoot and dogstail. My theory is that the favourable growing-weather during the spring encouraged some weed to grow that is fatal to sheep if eaten. The enclosed weed is very prevalent this season : is it harmful ? The Live-stock Division ; T — The weed specimen you forwarded has been identified as ■ mouse-eared chickweed (Cerastium vulgatum), a close ally of the. common chickweed. According to certain authorities the chickweeds cause disorder to the digestive system when eaten in large quantities, but a definite opinion could not be given in your case without further investigation. CONTROL OF VARIEGATED AND WING, THISTLES. G. F. Bayly, Turakina : — On my property in the Turakina Valley a quantity of variegated and wing thistles have yearly made their appearance on the tops of ridges and in sheepcamps. This year they are exceptionally bad. It has been the practice of farmers generally to cut the variegated thistle and leave the wing thistle untouched, but I find that where the variegated thistles have been cut earlier in the spring the wing thistles have come considerably thicker. Is the only method of eradicating this pest to cut them ? As mentioned, the thistles practically appear only on the very 1 tops of the ridges, suggesting that the ground may be deficient in some plantfood, yet not sufficiently deficient to prevent the thistles appearing. Is there any manure that would help bring back the grass, and thus perhaps smother out the weeds ? The Fields Division : — - Both variegated and wing thistles are found chiefly on country that is broken by the tramping of stock or similar means, this providing a good seed-bed. Sheep-camps’ and gateways are particularly bad. The past season in your district being wetter than usual, the land was considerably poached; consequently thistles are very bad this year. Variegated thistles cover a considerable area of ground, and for the time being control the growth of grass ; then, the cutting disturbs the soil to some extent, and this further increases the area that is suitable as a seed-bed for the wing thistle, and the latter gets away before grass is re-established. Both these thistles may be controlled by spraying with a good weed-destroyer or an arsenical preparation, but this is expensive, and . generally cutting is considered the cheapest and most effective method. The fact that thistles grow well on certain parts indicates that the land is well'provided 'with plant-food, and most crops should do well after them. Top-dressing with a good phosphatic manure like basic super or super and lime would greatly strengthen the pasture and help to crowd out the thistles. . . REMOVING BEES FROM WALL OF HOUSE. ' - M. C., Dannevirke :■ — Bees have taken possession of the inner wall of a bedroom, much to the annoyance of the occupant. ' Will you kindly inform me how to dislodge them with safety to an operator who is totally ignorant of their habits ?•

The Horticulture Division :— The quickest plan to adopt is to strip the boards on the inner wall of the building so as to expose the combs. If the services of a beekeeper are not available bees can be successfully removed by proceeding as follows : Take a beesmoker and charge it with dry sacking, so that when lighted the smoke can be forced in at the entrances which the bees are using. Usually a few puffs of dense smoke will drive the bees to the honey, and they can then be handled without much risk of the operator getting stung. The weatherboards or other material can then be removed, the bees brushed into a box, and the combs removed. After the operation is complete block up all entrances, so as to prevent further swarms from taking possession ; and if the inside woodwork is smeared with carbolic acid or a pungent chemical this will act as a deterrent to bees again entering the building. If the operator is nervous a veil should be worn. RABBIT-POISON AND ROAD-LINES. . “ Cocky,” Feilding : — ' . Please let me know whether poison can be laid for rabbits closer to a public road than 2 chains. The Live-stock Division :—- Rabbit-poison may be laid right up to the road-line. Every precaution should, of course, be taken to prevent the possibility of accident (especially when strychnine is used) by giving or posting of notices. Section 15 of the Police Offences Act provides that poison shall not be laid on or within 3 chains of any highway outside of any borough or town district. This provision, however, does not apply in the case of poison laid 4 for the destruction of rabbits. If you desire a ruling on a definite case it is recommended that you consult a solicitor, as the matter may be governed by special circumstances. ■ ' PRE-MIXING OF FERTILIZERS. Palmer Bros., Whangamata : — . We expect to be top-dressing about 350 acres Of hill country this coming autumn with a 50-50 mixture of super and Nauru, plus i-cwt. or so of sulphate of potash per ton. Would you kindly inform us whether there would be any disadvantage in having the manure mixed at the works, assuming that some of it may not be spread for four or five weeks ? • The Fields Division :— There would be no disadvantage whatever in having the mixture made up at the works, as the constituents mentioned can be safely mixed, and if the material is kept dry no deterioration will take place over a period of four or five weeks. ~ . EARLY-CALVING HEIFER. " New Chum,” Waipukurau :— A grade Jersey heifer six months old got to a Jersey bull, with the result that she is due to calve when only about fifteen months. I would be glad of advice as to when she should be sent to the bull again, how long should she be milked before drying off, and whether any special feeding, other than good pasture, would be beneficial to help build her up. Would her calf, if a heifer, be worth saving ? The Live-stock Division : — . • • It would be as well not to mate the heifer again for at least six months or longer if she is not well grown. The period of milking would depend on the extent of the flow of milk when she calves. She should not be dried off too quickly, in case permanent injury is done to the udder. If the pasture is good and continues plentiful no other feed should be necessary, but a small feed of crushed oats and bran once daily would assist in building up her constitution. The calf should be worth saving. , r