296 Journal oj A^^nmlturc, \"iciona. [jo April. 1911. 



Fodder Crops, Koo-wee-rup. — R.G. writ.,-s : — '• The land I am going on 

 at Koo-wee-rup Swamp has been drained and under grass for about ten years. 

 It appears to be sweet and in good condition. What would be the most suitable 

 rotation of crops to grow for fodder?" 



Answer. — Sow the following mixture : — i bushel, stout white or Bonanza 

 oats; I bushel, barley; 5 bushel, vetches; 5 bushel, field peas; and 5 bushel, lye, 

 per acre. This could be followed with maize, and then root crops, such as man- 

 golds, sugar beet, swedes, 6tc. The best manure for the oats, itc, would be 

 5 cwt. superphosphate, 5 cwt. bonedust, and 28 lbs. sul])hate of potash per acre; 

 for the root crops use 5 cwt. superphosphate and 2 ^^^t- sulphate of potash, and 

 top dress with 14 lbs. nitrate of soda after thinning. 



Robbing Hives. — Brighton writes : — " I have put my swarms in patent 8- 

 frame hives with supers, with 24 i-lb. boxes in top. When will I be able to 

 take the honey? What should I leave for winter use? In what frames are the 

 brood nests?" 



Ansiver. — The honey in the i lb. sections should be taken whenever they arc 

 well filled W'ith comb and the honey capped over. The length of time it will take 

 the bees to finish them depends entirely upon the strength of the colony and the 

 nature of the honey flow. Under the most favourable conditions a colony will 

 finish a rack in 10 to 14 days, but it usually takes much longer, depending greatly 

 upon the honey-producing flora of the locality. The lower box containing the 

 eight frames is called the brood-chamber and this should be full of honev at the 

 beginning of winter, otherwise the bees cannot be expected to be in a thriving con- 

 dition in spring and may actually die of starvation, as the consumption of honey 

 from July to September is very heavy. If all the frames are very well filled and 

 sealed in autumn one or two of the outside combs might be taken. Most bee- 

 keepers, however, prefer to leave the brood chamber intact. If honey other than 

 i-lb. sections is required an upper storey with frames should be used in place of 

 the section rack. 



Best Hav Varieties of Wheat. — G.J.F inquires as to best varieties of wheat 

 to grow for hay. 



Answer. — Bunyip, Firbank, Jade, Le Huguenot, Marshall's No. 3, and War- 

 den's. 



Manuring Wheat, Ultima District. — -H.T. asks how much manure should 

 be used when sowing wheat. The country is mostly sandy red loam and tim- 

 bered with " Big Mallee " with a mixture of Hop Bush, Buloke, Pines, and Box. 

 The rainfall is to 11-12 inches. 



Answer. — Manure with superphosphate at the rale of 40 lbs. per acre. 



Colic. — J.K.K. writes : — " Please recommend a drench for Flatulent and 

 Spasmodic Colic ; also state how the\- may be distinguished. What injection is 

 used for Spasmodic Colic?" 



Answer. — Briefly, it may be stated that the prominent symptoms of Spas- 

 modic Colic are sudden and acute pain with distinct intervals of rest ; whereas, 

 in Flatulent Colic, the pain is not sudden or (in the first stages) acute, and there 

 are no intervals of rest. There is suppressed breathing, a tympanitic condition 

 •of the flank, and switching of the tail, which is usually carried erect. The 

 violence of movement noticeable in Spasmodic Colic is not present in Flatulent 

 cases, although there is an immense amount of discomfort and the animal is con- 

 tinuously moving, and turning the head around towards the flank. For Spas- 

 modic Colic use the following drench : — Raw Linseed Oil, i pint; Tincture of 

 Opium, I ounce; Spirits of Nitrous Ether, i ounce. An injection, per rectum, 

 of I to 2 gallons of luke-warm water is advisable. For Flatulent Colic an ounce 

 of Bi-carbonate of Soda in one and a half pints of water is a remedy always 

 at hand ; or one may use a drench composed of Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia, i 

 ounce ; Oil of Turjientine, i ounce ; Tincture of Ginger, i ounce ; in a pint of 

 raw linseed oil. 



Brushing. — P.J.D. has a horse which brushes badly in both front feet. 



Answer. — Lowering the walls of the hoof on the inside, and using bouts, is 

 the best treatment. 



Butter Fat. — W.S.B. writes : — " How much butter fat, without cousitlering a 

 balanced ration, can a cow make from (a) 1 ton of good oaten chafi^, (/') 400 lbs. 

 of oats?" 



Anszuer. — The amount of butter fat a cow will make is indejjendent of the 

 fat contained in the food, and cannot be estimated in the manner suggested. The 

 amount depends upon the inherent characteristics of the cow, and the amount of 

 milk secreted. The quantity but not the rjuality of milk can of course be in- 

 fluenced by the feed, and so, indirectly, the amount of butter fat obtained will 

 increase. 



