INVENTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL INTEREST.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 50, Issue 5, 20 May 1935, Page 295

INVENTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL INTEREST.

Applications for patents, published with abridged specifications in the New Zealand, Patent Office Journal from 4th April to 2nd May, 1935, include the following of agricultural interest : —

No. 73352 Cutting-edge of plough-share ; G. M. Reynolds. No. 73535 : Spraying-apparatus ; M. D. Wibmer, J. C. de la Mare, and A. R. S. Chaplin. No. 73587 : Egg-cleaning device ; A. R. Betteridge. No. 72234 : Harrow ; A. S. Bevin. No. 72503: Cooling cream; M. Morison and A. Oates.' No. 72596: Harrow (cognate with No. 72234 above). No. 72999 : Tine for sweep ; W. R. Clough. No. 73543 : Wood-preservation ; G. Gunn. No. 73634 : Milk and cream cooler-; The Berry Engineering Works, Ltd. No. 73648 : Dewoolling sheep-skins ; I. Wilson, T. S. Bull, and C. J. T. Jolly.

Copies of full specifications and drawings in respect of any of the above may be obtained from the Commissioner of Patents, Wellington, price is., prepaid.

The Fields Instructor, Greymouth, reports that a Rotomana farmer weighted silage in rather a novel manner. He put in a stack of about 40 tons of silage, then immediately stacked from 10 to 15 tons of hay on top. Both hay and silage are of very satisfactory quality, and there is no mould in hay nor between hay and silage.

It is commonly agreed among sheep-farmers that hoggets do not readily commence eating silage, and in consequence the method successfully adopted by a farmer at Taihape is of some interest. The silage being utilized is made from lucerne, but, unlike the usual material from this source, is almost dry, and approximates the nature of heavily sweated hay. . There is an entire absence of any fluid exuding from the pit, and the silage, although quite green in colour, has a very pleasant aroma. Absolutely no difficulty has ever been experienced in regard to hoggets acquiring a taste for this material right from the start. The method of making this class of silage consists of mowing the lucerne and leaving it in the swath until it would be considered ready for cocking as for hay. 1 At that stage it is filled quickly into the pit and covered. There is no doubt that the resultant product is a very fine fodder for sheep. The method employed is indicated by the fact that the whole paddock on a recent occasion was cut, and when ready for raking one-half went into the ensilage pit, the remainder being raked and cocked for curing as hay. The latter was a splendid green sample in the stack. Report, Fields Superintendent, Palmerston North.