ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, 2 August 1917, Page 46

ON THE LAND

. GENERAL. A private company has been formed in Nelson, to acquire and plant a large area of land with pinus insignus, Oregon pine, and Californian redwood". The idea is to sell the timber for fruit cases, joinery, and other purposes. The company has started work and hopes to have 100 acres planted this season. There are only 1386 acres of Crown lands open for selection in July, but there will be 16,282 acres available in August. Most of this land is situated in the Auckland district, and comprises chiefly grazing land in areas of 22 acres to 704 acres. There are also a number of sections in the Wellington district, ranging from 100 acres to 200 acres. The principal selections available in the South Island are two grazing runs on Mount Burke, Lake Wanaka, Otago, and a section on the Tripp Settlement, South Canterbury.

A resourceful farmer, says the Scientific American, has found a new way to use dynamite that saved a nearly matured crop of potatoes in a badly flooded field. Unusually heavy rains filled all the neighboring drains and ditches, so there was no relief for the flooded field; and in this emergency the owner put down a number of holes Bft to 12ft deep with a post auger, and exploded a charge of dynamite in the bottom of each. This opened up passages into the sandy subsoil, through which the water drained rapidly, and the crop was saved, although many near-by crops were ruined bv the excess of water standing in the fields.

Burnside market reports last week;—Fat Cattle.— There was a medium yarding, 149 being penned. The quality, taken all round, was better, and a good sale resulted. Best bullocks, .£2l to .£25 15s; medium, £l9 to £2O; light and unfinished, £ls to £lB 10s; others, £l2 upwards; best cows, £l6 to £l9 10s; medium, £l3 to £l4 10s; others, ’£lo upwards. Sheep.—2l7o penned; a smaller yarding than the previous week. Competition was good throughout, and prices were better than previous week for all wellfinished lines. Best wethers, 50s to 53s 9d ; good, 46s to 50s ; medium, 44s to 46s ; good useful wethers, 37s to 41s; light and unfinished, 29s 6d upwards : best ewes, 40s to 42s 9d ; medium, 36s 6d to 38s 6d.

At Addington market the offerings of fat stock were the smallest for some time. The fat lamb season is now over, and there were only half a dozen races of fat sheep. Store sheep, which were mostly ewes, sold well, and there was a good demand for well-grown hog gets. Prime fat cattle of good weight met with a keen sale at advanced rates, but light and unfinished sorts showed little improvement. The prices were above the export level. Fat sheep showed an advance of Is 6d to 2s per head on account of the shortage. There was again a fair demand for store cattle, and pigs of all classes sold exceptionally well, porkers being dearer. Fat Sheep.—Extra prime wethers, to 56s 6d; prime, 38s to 46s 6d ; lighter, 33s 3d to 37s 6cl ; merino, 30s to 36s ; extra prime ewes, to 45s 6d : prime, 36s 6d to 40s 9d ; medium, 31s 6d to 365; lighter, 28s to 31s; hoggets, 24s to 29s 3d. Fat Cattle. —Extra prime steers, to £24 ss; prime, £l3 15s to £2O ; ordinary, £9 15s to £l3 10s ; extra prime heifers, to £lB ; prime, £lO 5s to £l4 ; ordinary, £7 17s 6d to £lO ; extra prime cows, to £l7 12s 6d ; prime, £lO 15s to £l4 ; ordinary, £8 17s 6d to £lO 10s. Pigs. —Choppers, £5 to £8 10s ; baconei's, £4 to £5 10sequal to 8d to Bjd per lb ; porkers, 50s to 74s—equal to lOd to 10£d per lb; medium stores, 45s to 50s 6d ; smaller, 25s to 355; weaners, 17s to 225.

SPRAYING HINTS. Do not. use too strong a spray mixture. When using a poison alone, use lead arsenate.

Spraying enormously increases the quantity of marketable apples. Spraying increases the value of apples by probably 70 per cent. - "„'•..-. J Measure your spray tank. Too many people think they have a 100-gallon spray tank, when it holds only 80 imperial gallons. Spraying causes the foliage to remain healthy, and the leaves to be retained late in the autumn. The blossom of the following year depends largely on the tree retaining its leaves until well into May.

TO FATTEN PIGS. A good, cheap food to use with boiled potatoes for the fattening of bacon pigs is a mixture of one of wheat, one of barley, and one-half of white peas. The latter improves the quality of the bacon immensely, rendering it less likely to waste in the pot by boiling out. Mix the grains and have them ground finely. Feed at a temperature of not less than 60deg. Keep the styes clean and avoid all underground drains. Douche the yards daily with cold water, and sweep out with a hard brush. With regard to the forcing of the young pigs, nothing is better than new milk. At this time of the year it may not. be an economical food, but if increase of growth and meat alone is considered there is nothing to beat it. If the object is to fore© them economically, then take the cream off the milk and supply the deficiency of fat by the addition of food containing a high percentage of oil, or, better stilt, add a small quantity of cod liver oil to the food. For three or four weeks after the pigs are weaned at seven or eight weeks' old, skim milk is fed with solid food mixed with it at the rate of about 121 b to 151 b of milk to lib of grain. This mixture fed sweet and warm provides a moderate change from the sow's milk, and, being palatable, nourishing, and easily digested, produces thrift and highly profitable gains. As judgment dictates, the grain portion of the ration should be increased until the pigs are about three months old and thriving well, when a cheaper ration, such as pasture or green fodder in summer and roots in winter, may be gradually substituted for a part of the milk and tho grain.

THE VALUE OF SKIMMED MILK. Many poultry rearers do not realise the" value of skim milk as a food stuff". Its rich bone and fleshforming properties make it an excellent food for chickens, and it can either be mixed with the soft food or given them to drink with good results. Skim milk can be generally bought from farmers at a small cost, and therefore makes a cheap and most valuable food for either chickens or ducklings.