On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 21 January 1915, Page 59

On the Land

GENERAL.

A farmer at Fairlie has (the Timaru Herald reports) refused an offer of .£4O per acre for his potato crop. Referring to means of eradicating Californian thistle, at a recent meeting of the Mackenzie County Council, one member said that he had known this plant to grow even through concrete.

iThe Californian thistle, which up till now has been generally regarded as a very undesirable noxious weed, is proving exceedingly valuable to farmers in the Hawke s Bay this season, as the sheep are feeding on them. Mr. G. P. Donnelly has expressed his intention of sowing 4000 acres with this thistle, and says he will pay for all the seed he can get. According to returns prepared by the Department Agriculture, the total number of bales of hemp graded during December was 6645, as compared with 14,496 for the corresponding month of last year, a decrease of 7851 bales. For the twelve months ending December 31, 1914, the number of bales graded was 98,244 as compared with 166,550 for the previous twelve months, a decrease of 68,306 bales.

Two of the best crops of potatoes in the South Canterbury district (says the Herald) are to bo seen going up the Fairlie line, one being close to the Levels Railway Station and the other adjacent to the Cave Railway Station. The crops are remarkably even and well grown, and present a pretty picture as they are seen now, in flower. For one of them, six acres in area, the owner is said to have refused £2OO.

The harvesting of the pea crops in various parts of the Marlborough district has disclosed the fact that the yield this year will not be one-half, or, as in many cases, one-third of the average returns (says the Express). Leguminous crops in areas recently affected by the flood have benefited from their inundation where the water receded quickly, but in some cases the commercial value of the plants has been considerably reduced.

The Department of Agriculture, Industries, and Commerce is in receipt of a. cablegram from Mr. C. L. Tacon, Buenos Ayres, who is visiting South America on behalf of the New Zealand Government to inquire into the prospects of sale of New Zealand fruit, advising that there is a profitable demand for large colored apples, and that shipments should be made from March onwards. The greatest care should bo exercised in the grading and packing of the fruit, there being complaints in this respect in regard to last year’s shipments.

At Addington last week there were again large entries of fat stock, and the attendance was good. Fat cattle sold at previous week’s rates, exporters again operating. Fat lambs. also made previous week’s values, averaging 6d per lb over all. Fat sheep were firmer by Is per head, and there was keen competition fOl- - sheep, especially for forward lambs. Very forward lambs, 15s 9d to 16s fid; fairly good lambs, 11s 6d to 14s 6d ; ewe lambs, 13s 9d to 13s lOd ; extra heavyweight lambs, to 25s 6d ; tegs, 20s to 255. Fat Sheep. — Prime weight, 22s 6d to 26s 9d ; others, 18s 6d to 225; prime ewes, 19s 6d to 24s 3d; others, 12s to 19s; merino ewes, 11s 6d. Fat Cattle. — Ordinary steers, £7 15s to £l2; extra steers, to £2O 2s 6d ; ordinary heifers, £7 to £9 10s ; extra heifers, to £ls 7s 6d ; ordinary cows, £5 17s 6d to £8 7s 6d ; extra cows, to £l4. Price of beef per 1001 b, 32s 6d to 42s 6d ; extra, to 455. Pigs. — Choppers, 50s to 70s; light baconers, 45s to 52s 6d ; heavy baconers, 55s to 63s ; extra heavy baconers, to 70s (price per lb, 5Jd) ; light porkers, 30s to 345; heavy porkers, 36s to 40s (price per lb, s|d) ; best stores, 28s to 555; medium stores, 18s to 275; small stores, 12s fid to 17s; weaners, 6s to 12s.

There were average entries at Burnside last week, when prices of all animals of good quality showed an

improvement over previous week’s rates. The yarding of fat sheep (2102) comprised, mostly ewes of moderate quality, very, few really good wethers feeing forward. For prime wethers the demand was good, and prices for these were firm, while medium quality and light sheep were lower in price by Is per head. Quotations: Best wethers, 26s to 28s; good do., 23s to 245; medium and light do., 20s to 21s 6d; best ewes, 25s to 28s; good do., 22s to 245; medium and light, 17s 6d to 20s; There were 156 head of fat cattle yarded, of which a fair proportion were bullocks of good quality. On account of the smallness of the yarding, together; with keen competition from freezing operators, the sale throughout was a brisk one, and prices advanced fully 15s per head compared with previous week’s, <rates; Quotations: Best bullocks, ,£ls 10s to £18; medium, £l2 to £l3 10s; light do, £9 10s to £11; best cows and heifers, £lO 10s to £l2; medium, £8 to £9 10s; light do., £6 5s to £7. Fat Lambs.—23o penned. The quality showed a good improvement on the -last week’s* yarding, and prices hardened Is to Is 6d compared to late rates. Quotations: Best lambs, 18s to 21s; good do., 17s to 18s 6d; light, 15s to 16s 6d. Pigs.—79 fats and 54 stores were penned. The demand for fats was dull, and prices ruled lower. Store pigs met a fair sale at prices equal to previous week’s rates.

VALUE OF VARIOUS FOODS.

Foods that contain a large proportion of filling material with a small share of nutriment are known as bulky foods, while those with a high proportion of nutriment in small bulk are said to be concentrated. Some bulky foods owe their filling material to fibre, as hay and straw, while others owe it to water, as roots of various kinds. The ideal diet is . on© that contains bulk and nutriment properly balanced. Pasture grass is a bulky food, but good quality grass in spring is also highly nutritious, which explains the rapid improvement of all live stock on good grass. A field that carries its stock well in spring may not do at all so well at the end of summer, although being full of grass, because at that time the grass becomes more fibrous as well as less nitrogenous, so that the feeding balance is disturbed.

Another point of feeding which is obvious, but which, like many obvious things, is frequently overlooked, is the necessity for continuity in nutrition. . It happens very frequently that farm animals have alternate periods of feast and famine. The contrasts may not be violent enough to throw the animal out of health, but they certainly prevent that progress that is so necessary for profitable feeding. The diet of live stock is all the more appreciated and beneficial for occasional changes of food, but the changes should be changes of flavor, and not ups and- downs in the scale of nutrition. Profitable feeding involves a continuous sufficiency of nutriment, and in all changes of food this point.should be kept in view. There are different influences that affect the digestibility of a food. The stage of growth of a crop is an instance. Experiments have been made in feeding hay that was saved %om grass cut at different periods. The results always showed that the earliest cuttings gave the most digestible hay, and the later the cutting the less digestible was the hay produced. Another consideration affecting digestibility is the proper proportioning of the different food constituents. In some experiments with horses it was found that only a moderate percentage was digested when the feeding was hay alone. When oats were added it was found that the digestibility of the hay was improved, and the improvement was greater as the proportion of oats was increased up to the normal working allowance. Digestibility again varies with the class of animal. It may be stated as a general rule that ruminants—sheep and horned stock—digest their food more perfectly than horsed.