30 Journal of Agriculture. [8 Jan., 1907. 



collect in pools, for with the high temperature in these northern areas the 

 water becomes heated, and all plant life is destroyed. 



With the aid of lucerne and silage, dairying in these districts is making 

 good progress. In fact, I was surprised to see the quantity of milk coming 

 into the local creamery, and of home-separated cream going away by rail. 

 Fifteen cows are .milked on this farm. 



Farm Buildings — Some Novel Ideas. 



On the Northern plains the summers are hot, the flies troublesome; when 

 winter comes round there are cold winds and muddy yards to contend with. 

 To meet these inconveniences a large shed has, been erected covering the 

 whole of the yards (81 feet by 84 feet). It is built of forks and spars, 

 covered with straw and neatlv thatched, the thatch being covered with wire 

 netting. The. shed is closed in on two sides. The cows are brought in, and 

 stand about in comfort, quietly waiting to be milked, none of them requiring 

 to be bailed up. Everything about the shed is neat, clean, and tidv. A shed 

 of this kind is a good example of a cheap, but effective, covering, cool in 

 summer and warm and dry in winter, and one that anv farmer may con- 

 struct, and when done properly is not unsightly. 



Another shed which attracted attention was a straw-covered one, used 

 as a store for wheat, and capable of holding 1,500 bags of grain. Mr. 

 Gardom claims that in this shed there are no mice, no weevils, and that 

 no rain can get at the grain. On going through at the time o'f my visit 

 some 900 bags of grain were stored, and not a broken bag was to be seen, 

 a most unusual thing in ,a stack of wheat, for mice play havoc with grain 

 in the Northern areas. Around the sjied sheets of plain galvanized iron 

 are placed lengthways ; these sheets are 2 feet wide, and sunk into the 

 ground about 3 inches, thus preventing mice getting in. Above this 

 iron wire netting is stretched to allow free plav of air through the building. 

 The bags of grain are stacked five high on their flat, each row just touching 

 the other. This plan leaves interstices through which the air plays freelv, 

 and a cat (one is kept continually in the shed) can get around every bag. 

 The sparrows, another pest on wheat stacks, are kept down bv abundantly 

 feeding them on poisoned wheat during the months of July and August, 

 when feed is scarce; conseauentlv, none were to be seen. This storage 

 shed is well worthy of a visit by anv one interested in the matter. 



The losses of stock in the drought of 1902-3 proved a lesson to many 

 farmers to save their straw, and when travelling through the country it is 

 noticeable that on nearly every farm large straw stacks are fenced in for 

 future use. This farm is exceptionally well provided for. having six large 

 straw stacks, some of which are of Algerian oats. As this is nearlv equal 

 to hav for feeding purposes, a stand-bv of this kind is invaluable where 

 dairying is carried on, and the possibilit\' of droughts has to be "faced. 

 All the crops this year will be cut with the reaper and binder, the object 

 being to keep up a supply of fresh straw. The older stacks are fed out to 

 the cattle in winter; much of it is eaten, the balance being tramped down, 

 making manure, which is carried out to the lucerne paddocks and spread 

 over the low-King patches. This assists the lucerne, and prevents the soil 

 becoming hardened and caked. Where irrigation is nractised. the ore.inir 

 portion of the soil is washed out or used np bv the plant to such an extent 

 that the soil soon tends to become consolidated, and when drv it appears 

 more like half-burnt bricks. To remedy this, ploughing in green manure, 



