662 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. [Seft.2, 1^20. 



To Utilise Prosted Maize for Stock-feed. 



" "We are desirous of stacking for stock feeding through the winter a crop of, 

 maize, which had cobs in the milky stage when tlie whole crop was badly 

 frosted. One stack already in the shed is sweating and heating badly. Any 

 information would be welcomed, whereby the maize could be saved for 

 feeding stock." 



The foregoing occurred in a letter addressed b}' an Inverell correspondent 

 to the Department recently. The Chief Inspector of Agriculture i-emarked, 

 in reply, that maize that has been frosted should be cut at once, and allowed 

 to cure in the field in stooks of about ten to fifteen bundles for one to two 

 months. The cobs should then be husked from the stalks before stacking. 



In this particular case, the farmer should husk out all the cobs from the 

 stalks in the field, cut and tie the stalks into bundles of about twenty stalks, 

 put up the bundles into stooks in the field, and leave them there until dry 

 enough to stack. This would not take more than a few weeks in a dry 

 autumn and winter. In a very wet winter the stalks might never, of course, 

 be fit to bring in, but in such a case they would not be so badly needed as feed. 



This method of harvesting maize in the dough stage to obtain both grain 

 and fodder (even when the crop is not frosted) cannot be too strongly urged 

 for the Inverell and Northern Tableland districts, where the autuunis are 

 usually dry, and rough winter feed for cattle is often scarce. 



Considerable care must be exercised, even after the removal of the cobs, in 

 determining the fitness of the fodder for stacking, in order to a\'oid heating 

 or spoilage. A mixture of one part of air-slakecl lime to three parts of fine 

 salt, distributed as evenly as possible throughout the stack as it is being put 

 up, at the rate of 10 or 15 lb. of the mixtui-e to each ton of fodder, will 

 prevent a certain amount of spoilage without affecting the palatability of the 

 fodder. Practically nothing can be done for fodder when it has actually 

 gone far through heating. 



Protection of Honey- yielding Trees. 



The advantage to be gained by apiarists combining in bee-keeping localities 

 to prevent indiscriminate ringbarking on leasehold land and other Crown 

 land is evident. Very connnonly it is the best honey trees that are 

 desti'oyed, while useless timber is left to comply with the conditions imposed 

 by the Lands Department. In several districts where apiarists have com- 

 bined to protect themselves, applicatio» has been made to the Lands Depart- 

 ment for preference to honey trees to be ensui'ed on land being thrown open 

 for leasehold, and this lias been granted. Sometimes a man has been 

 sent by local apiarists during ringbarking operations to see that the work was- 

 carried out according to the conditions. In the first week's operations in 

 one particular area, several leaseholders were reported and subsequently 

 fined. Needless to say, the whole locality benefited by the foresight of the 

 local apiarists. Apiarists should see that good honey trees are protected on 

 all forest areas and reserves. When a number of good trees are left on the 

 land, an improvement for both the grazier and the apiarist is the result. 

 The conditions under which land is to be leased are defined before the land 

 is made available, and bee-keepers and the general public should protect theii- 

 lights by assisting the Lands Department to see that the conditions are 

 observed, and, if not, that the case is reported, so that the best timber may 

 not be destroyed. — W. A. Goodacrk, Senior Apiaiy Inspector. 



