On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 20 August 1914, Page 59

On the Land

GENERAL.

' The Federal quarantine regulations have been altered, permitting New Zealand wool to enter the Commonwealth, provided each consignment is accompanied by a certificate that the wool is produced in the Do- * minion.

' It is to be urged on the Government that the High Commissioner’s weekly reports from London should include references to pork and bacon. The armors Union Conference resolved in this direction last week. ‘ '

‘ There is close of 100,000 acres of sand land on this coast which might be reclaimed by afforestation,’ observed Mr. E. Campbell at the Farmers’ Union Conference last week, when supporting a Marlborough proposal that the Government should supply nursery stock ■for tree-planting on waste lands at cost price for orders of not less than 500 trees. The proposal was agreed to. A well-known Taieri farmer, when spoken to with regard, to the supply of feed for stock, stated that so far as the Taieri and Middlemarch districts are concerned feed ‘has become very scarce. Many farmers are selling off their stock in an unfinished state, and in consequence prices are being kept at a low figure. 'Without doubt, the farmer said, those who were able to hold their stock for another six weeks or two months would obtain, a very much better price for it.

Denmark has been termed the paradise of the small proprietor.- Nearly two-thirds of her population make a living and a good living from the lanp, one-half of the agriculturists being their own masters. The secret of success has lain in technical education and co-operation. Every farmer, big or little, belongs to one of the great co-operative associations, which guide him in the care of land and cattle, and dispose of his produce to the best advantage without the needless waste of competition. The result of the system has been to make Denmark one of the richest countries in Europe, in proportion to her size.

Burnside, Wednesday, August 12. —Fat. Cattle. — 214 head penned. The bulk of the yarding was made up of cattle of good quality, a fairly large proportion of which were bullocks. The yarding proved more than what the trade required, consequently prices opened 15s per head below last week’s rates, which were maintained throughout the sale. Quotations: Best bullocks £l2 15s to £l4; extra, to £l7 2s 6d; good, £ll 10s to £l2 10s; light, £8 15s to £lO 55,; best cows and heifers, £7 15s to £8 15s; extra, to £lO 17s 6d ; good, £7 5s to £8 ; light, £5 10s to £6 10s. Fat Lambs.—A small yarding of 674 penned. The quality was very poor. The demand for prime lambs was good, but low quality lambs suffered a decline of Is per head. Fat Sheep.—32o3 penned, which contained a quantity of excellent quality sheep. The sale throughout lacked animation, and had it not been for the fact that freezing buyers were operating there would have been a severe drop in prices. Heavy-weight sheep sold at 2s 6d to 3s below last week’s rates, and medium quality at Is to Is 6d per head lower. This drop is in sympathy with the fall in the prices of skins, and is represented accordingly. Quotations: Best wethers, 23s 6d to 255; extra, to 28s; good do, 21s to 225; medium, 19s to 20s; light, 17s to 18s; best ewes, 21s to 235; extra, to 25s 9d; good, 17s to 19s ; light, 14s to 15s. Thirty-seven fats and 81 stores penned. Fat pigs sold at late rates, but the demand for stores was not quite so good, and prices were slightly easier. •

SEASONABLE HINTS

Over-feeding is a great mistake, for not only do fat hens lay f fewer eggs than those in lean, hard condition, but a large proportion is unfertile.

Chickens should be well attended to. Groats, Hempseed, and other nutritious food should be given for a change, but poultry-keepers should beware - of too ; much variation, as this often produces bad results. Make it a rule to continue any diet upon which'the young- stock seem to be doing well. ■ f

FARM SEPARATORS

A number of good reasons exist . why a farmer should own and operate a cream separator*’ While addressing a meeting of Illinois dairymen .C. E. Leo/ of the College of Agriculture of the University of Wisconsin enumerated the following; 1 here is little or no loss of skim milk which, of course, has a high feeding value. -1 There is less danger of introducing such contagious diseases as tuberculosis into the herd if the milk is skimmed at home and only the milk produced upon the farm is fed. * Time is saved by not hauling whole milk to the factory. Less products have to be cared for upon the farm. There is a wider market for cream than for milk.

TO INCREASE SUPPLY OF MILK.

Removing the horns of cows lessens the danger of injury and increases the production of milk. In an experiment with ten cows at the - Kansas Agricultural College it was found that for the first five days after dehorning the cows lost an average of one-half pound of milk a day. At the end of the fifth day they began to return to their normal flSw, and in a few days eight of them were giving a substantial increase. The greatest gain was with the cows that had been hooked and driven away from their feed previous to the dehorning. Ihe two that did not increase in production were the ‘ boss ’ cows of the herd. / -

A GOOD LIME WASH

Take one bushel of quicklime, and slack it with boiling water, covering it during the process to keep in the steam. Strain this through a fine sieve or very fine bagging, and add to it two pecks of salt dissolved in hot water, Gib of fine whiting or powdered chalk, and 21b of good glue, dissolved in boiling water. Then add 10 gallons of hot water to the mixture, stir it well/and let it stand for a few days, covered from dust. It should be put on hot. About a pint of this mixture will cover a square yard of outside woodwork. It is much cheaper than ordinary paint, and answers as well for dressed timber, brick or stone, and is better than paint for undressed timber, like slabs and split posts and . rails. An ordinary whitewash brush serves for applying it to rough work, but for neat work a’paint brush may be used. This wash does not rub off like the common whitewash, and it retains its brilliancy. For the- dairy buildings the white is suitable, but for walls of the house or other parts where a glaring white is not desirable, coloring may be added. ‘