768 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Dec, 1918. 



Cattle. — Provide succulent fodder and plenty of clean water and shade. 

 Provide " lick " in trough, consisting of salt 20 lbs., lime 20 lbs., superphosphate 

 5 lb., and sulphate of iron 1 11). Limewash the cow bails, it helps to keep down 

 flies. Provide calves, if possible, with good grass run, or lucerne hay or oats in a 

 trpugh. 



Pigs. — Supply short bedding in warm, well-ventilated stjes. Keep styei 

 clean and dry, and feeding troughs clean and wholesome. Sows may now b€ 

 turned into grass run. Sows suckling young should be well fed to enable them 

 to produce plenty of milk. Give young pigs pollard and skim milk in separate 

 trough as soon as they will take it. and keep tliem fattening from the start to 

 get them off as early as possible. Give a tablespoonful of bone meal or super- 

 phosphate per 100 lbs. live weight in food daily. If pigs are lousy, dress with 

 kerosene emulsion or sulphur and lard, rubbing well into crevices of skin, and 

 disinfect styes. Pig breeding and feeding should be very profitable for a long 

 time to come, and it should be safe to launch out now. Plenty of water should 

 be available for them to wallow in in hot weather. 



Sheep. — Ewes, after a season such as this, will come in season well to time. 

 Merino and fine comebacks, November and December; crossbreds, January and 

 February ; pure British breeds, February and March. Be sure of ample rams 

 running with them. Join best rams first. Breed from every good ewe possible. 

 Keep in view wool production as well as lamb and mutton. Meat and wool will 

 always be amongst the foremost commodities in demand. Two-tooth ewes, if well 

 grown, can be bred from, but they should be well treated throughout. Use rams 

 with width and substance, and never inferior-fleeced ones. Rams work best at 

 night and early morning. With large paddocks it may be necessary to yard 

 occasionally. Purgative drenches, worm pills, &c., must be given to all lambs, 

 weaners, or grown sheep showing unhealthy discharge, and in persistent cases, 

 second and third doses. Healthy sheep are rarely fly blown. 



Poultry. — Separate the sexes ; the cockerels should now be fattened and 

 marketed. Grade the young stock according to age and size, otherwise the younger 

 birds will not thrive. Avoid overcrowding. Do not force pullets too much with 

 animal food; build them up with a good variety of food, but avoid maize, and 

 give but little meat. Increase the green food ; thoroughly spray houses and 

 perches with an emulsion of kerosene and soapsuds, or a solution of carbolic acid 

 1 in 60. Keep water vessels in shady spot, and renew water twice daily. 

 Moisten dust bath. 



CULTIVATION. 



Farm. — Get all crops harvested and stacked as soon as possible. Horse-hoe 

 maize, potatoes and other summer crops. See to insurance of stacks of grain 

 and hay. 



Orchard. — Keep the soil well scarified and weed free. Cultivate after 

 irrigation or rain. Do not allow the surface to become caked. Spray against 

 codlin moth, poar slug, vine caterpillar, and woolly aphis. Summer prune 

 strong growing shoots and laterals. 



Vkoetable Garden. — Plant out all seedlings, when ready, from former sowings. 

 Stir and mulch the surface. Dig each plot as it becomes vacant. Sow seeds of 

 cauliflower, cabbage, peas, French beans. Kohl Pvabi, &c. 



Flower Garden. — Keep the soil moist and cool by watering, hoeing, and 

 mulching. Stake tender and lengthy plants. Water and shade young plants. 

 Sow pansy, Iceland poppy, cosmos, aster, &c. 



Vineyard. — Summer bud or Yema grafting may be practised in January, 

 though February is the usual month. (See Journals, January and February, 

 1916.) This is" the slackest month in un-irrigated vineyards — all ordinary work 

 should be completed before Christmas. It is only exceptional operations, such 

 as scarifying after rain, sulphuring in case of odium, or spraying for downy 

 mildew (see Journal for November, 1917), that must be carried out. In irrigated 

 Tineyards the application of water, and the cultivation it necessitates, require 

 attention. 



Cellar. — Fill up regularly and keep cellar as cool as possible. Towards end 

 of month commence to make preparations for the coming vintage. 



