510 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Aug., 1918. 



REIVIIflDERS fOR SEPTEMBER. 



LIVE STOCK. 



Horses. — Feed stabled horses well; give green stuff if available. Continue 

 rugging to encourage the shedding of the coat; good grooming will also be 

 beneficial. Give hay or straw to grass-fed working horses. Feed old and badly- 

 conditioned horses liberally. In foal mares due to foal early, if worked, should 

 be turned out to paddock. Stallions doing stud duty should be fed liberally. 

 Equivalent amount of cracked Indian corn (maize) may with advantage be 

 substituted for oats, if latter grain is scarce. 



Cattle. — Cows should still be rugged, but coverings should be removed 

 frequently, in order to enable the animal to get rid of the old coat; or, better 

 still, a good curry-combing may be given. Continue hay or straw. Look up 

 treatment for milk fever in Year-Book of Agriculture, 1905, and treat cattle 

 accordingly. Give calves a good warm drj' shed. Give the milk to young 

 calves at blood heat. Have feeding troughs or buckets clean. Don't over-feed. 

 Feed regularly with regard to quantity and time. Provide a good grass run, or 

 fine hay or crushed oats in a box or trough. Give a cupful of limewater per 

 calf per day in the milk. The problem with many at the present time is how 

 to rear calves without milk. This can be done very well by starting them on 

 new milk for a fortnight, and then gradually substituting the milk with one of 

 the calf meals on the market. To these it would be advisable to add two or three 

 tablespoonfnls of cod liver oil. The following meal is in general use in Ireland : — 

 Two parts, by weight, of oatmeal, 2 parts maize meal, 1 part pure ground lin- 

 seed, all finely ground. Scald with boiling water, and allow to stand for twelve 

 hours. Start with new milk, then gradually substitute skim and J lb. daily of 

 the meal mixture per head per day, gradually increasing to 1 lb. or more. In a 

 month milk may be dispensed with altogether. The crushed oats, fed dry, have 

 been found to give excellent results. 



Pigs. — Supply plenty of bedding in warm well-ventilated sties. Keep sties 

 clean and dry, and feeding troughs clean and wholesome. Sows may now be 

 turned into grass run. If pigs are lousy dress with kerosene emulsion or 

 sulphur and lard, rubbing well into crevices of skin, and disinfect sties. Con- 

 sidering the present high price of pork, there should be a good margin of profit 

 in fattening pigs. Worms are very prevalent at present, and may be treated by 

 giving 2 to 10 grains of Santonin in form of pill, or from half to one teaspoonful 

 of oil of turpentine in milk or castor oil. 



Sheep. — Wherever early shearing is possible, and shelter available, all sheep 

 to be disposed of can be fattened earlier, if shorn. Sheep or lambs not good 

 enough for freezing also thrive better after being shorn. Where insufficient know- 

 ledge of grading cross-bred wool exists, draft the coarse sheep from the fine before 

 coming into the shed, and shear and bale separately. Clean all daggy sheep before 

 bringing them on to the shearing board. Avoid deep and careless skirting. Only 

 dense seedy parts, and heavy frilDs and stains should come off fleeces. Press in a 

 box press, which forms square sides to bales, and avoid round bales, called " Sew 

 Downs." Pack in all possible. Brand boldly and neatly on the long and narrow 

 side. Clean carefully all straw, chaff, &c., from shearing place. Cut back all 

 misshapen feet when noticed during shearing. Mark all " duggy udder " ewes 

 for disposal, and all black-marked and inferior-fleeced sheep. 



Yard and go through all well-bred Merino-Lincoln cross lambs before offer- 

 ing to exporters. Select, ear mark, and shear all best sorts for future breeding 

 and shearing. Buyers will find shafty, well bred, fine to medium grade wools, 

 disappointingly scarce for years. 



Poultry. — September is one of the best months for hatching for winter eggs. 

 Incubators should be kept going, and broody hens set. Care must be taken to 

 keep down vermin, as they now breed quickly; use sprays in houses and Insecti- 

 bane or Izal in nests — nothing stunts chickens quicker than vermin. The food 



