lo May, 1909.] Ansivers to Correspondents. 335 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



The Staff of the Department has been organized toalarire extent for the purpose of fi^iving information 

 to farmers. Questions in every branch of affriculture are tflatlly answered. Write a short letter, givitig as 

 full particulars as possible, of youi- local •■onditions, and state precisely what it is that you want to know. 

 All inquiries must be accompariiid liy ihe name and address of the writer. 



Xavei. RfPTi-RE. — R.C. and J.T.G. ask how to treat foals suffering from navel 

 rupture. 



Answer. — Cast the foal on its back and carefidlv manipulate the rupture 

 until the contents have passed back again into the abdominal cavity. Great care 

 is necessarv that this is complete and only a sac of skin is left. This may then 

 be drawn together tightly, as close to the wall as possible, in a ligature of waxed 

 cord. In the course of a few days the portion of skin will drop off, and if the 

 reduction has been carefully done, the inflammation resulting will block up the 

 opening and healing will take place. 



CoNTiNXOUS Breeding from Make. — H. McC. states that he has bred two 

 foals from a medium mare, 7 years old, and has stinted her for a third foal. He 

 asks whether it is advisable to keep breeding from her every year. 



Answer. — No harm will arise from breeding continuously, taking into con- 

 sideration the age of the mare. 



Cleaning Oats. — P.S. states that, among the oats threshed in his district 

 this season, there is a small percentage, in some cases, of barley. 



Answer. — The only economical manner in which barley can be partially 

 removed from oats is by grading, which removes all foreign seed as well as cracked 

 and immature oats. There are numerous types of graders on tlie market. 



Harvesting Maize. — E.S. inquires when maize should be harvested. 



Answer. — When maize is intended for grain the cobs should be allowed to 

 remain on the stalks till about the middle to end of April. No harm will come 

 to them in this way, and there wall be no necessity to artificially dry them. 

 When the cobs are subsequently picked the husk should be removed and the cobs 

 placed in a "crib" with wire netting sides to allow free access of air. After 

 Tt.maining three or four weeks in the crib they can be thre-hed by hand or by a 

 mechanical sheller. If intended for silage the maize should be cut with the cobs 

 still attached just at the period when the grain is in the milky stage. If maize 

 intended for silage is left to completely mature cobs, it becomes too dry and 

 fibrous. There is no variety which will yield both grain and green stuff for silage. 



Growing L;;cerne for Seed. — P. E.S. asks how to grow lucerne for seed. 

 Answer. — Lucerne for seed purposes is grown in the same manner as for 

 fodder. It is customary to kee]) the second or third cutting for threshing on 

 account of it being more free from weeds. When the seed pods are fully formed and 

 becoming drv, which can be found by examination of a number of plants throughout 

 the field, the crop should be cut with a mower or scythe. The threshing may be 

 done in any small machine or by flail. Threshing destroys the plant for feed 

 purposes by knocking all the leaves off. The stalks may come in useful for pigs 

 •or drv stock. Lucerne seeds always ripens unevenly, and the best that can be 

 done is to seize the moment when the majority of the pods are matured and then 

 cut and thresh shortly after. It may need a season's experience to judge the 

 correct moment for cutting for seed. A germination test of 100 seeds in wet 

 flajmel or blotting paper will be a good guide as to the vitality of the seed. 



Grasses for Mountain Spurs. — X.Y.Z. writes : — " Please let me know of 

 a good hardy grass to grow on the north sides of spurs which have become bare. 

 Average rainfall is about 26 inches, and the country is used for sheep. The soil 

 is good, but in places is very shallow, resting on limestone. Frosts are fairly 

 severe." 



Answer. — For thin soils with a calcareous subsoil on mountain spurs at an 

 elevation of 1,500 feet and with a rainfall of 26 inches, the following grasses 

 .should be tried to cover the parts that have become bare with fresh vegetation : — • 

 (i) Tall Oat Grass, Arrhenatherum avenaceu7n, Beauv. [Avcna elatior, L.) ; (2) 

 Golden Oat Grass, Triseium flavescens, Beauv. [Avena flavescens^ L.); (3) Crested 

 Dog's Tail, Cynosjirus cristatus, L. 



The seed of Nos. i and 2 is oft^n impure, and that of No. 2 especially is 

 rather dear. No. 3 is perhaps the most generally suitable, and might be mixed 

 with (4) Sheep's Fescue [Festuca ovina L.). 



To give the best results, the pasture mixture must include seeds of some 

 leguminous plants. Three suitable for the conditions given are : — (5) Common 



