10 May, 1916.] Poisoning Crows. 279 



vessel, whicli in turn fits into the wooden hopper. By agitation any- 

 straw, cocky-chaff, backbones, or smut-balls rise to the surface and may 

 be skimmed off. After four to five minutes' immersion the perforated 

 hopper, which works on a swivel at one end, is pushed up clear of the 

 pickle, drained rapidly, and the contents emptied into a bag attached 

 to the bag holder. With this pickler seven to eight bags an hour can be 

 pickled by one man. {See Figs 1, 2, 3, 4.) 



There is another machine, in which the perforated vessel is attached 

 by a pulley to a steel upright over the barrel. The perforated vessel 

 can be raised or lowered, and it is on a swivel, so that it can be swung 

 out from the barrel, filled, immersed, and swung out this time over a 

 bag holder; the grain being restored to the bag after draining by 

 releasing a false bottom in the perforated vessel. 



To any farmer who is not satisfied with the results obtained with 

 his present method, or who spends most of his evenings at seed time 

 bending over a cask, or wielding u shovel, a modern pickling machine 

 is worthy of his earnest consideration. 



Machines of the perforated vessel type are in operation at the several 

 seed stations of this Department, and have proved satisfactory in every 

 respect. 



POISONING CROWS. 



B^ H. (J . Churches, Dairy Supervisor . 



Among the many pests that the man on the land has to contend with, 

 the ubiquitous black crow may be placed well in the van for doing its 

 share of destruction. Its cowardly attack on young lambs is well known 

 to every sheep-owner. Small young pigs are also liable to attack, and 

 as a cunning and daring egg thief the crow can take first place. That 

 this pebt, however, can be poisoned in fairly large number*— especially 

 during lambing season — has been proved by Mr. J. F. Jager, a local 

 grazier at Swan Hill. The method adopted by him is to use, for pre- 

 ference, the freshly skinned carcass of sheep or lamb, flay it well, and 

 smear evenly all over with S.A.P. rabbit poison, partly remove the en- 

 trails, smear them also, and replace. The fleshy side of the skin may 

 be smeared in the same manner, and hung over a log or stump near at 

 hand. If the carcass is treated while the animal lieat is still in it, so 

 much the better. This method of ]X)isoning crows i? superior to '• bait- 

 ing " with strychnine, or the practice of mixing strychnine and fat, the 

 birds being generally able to disgorge the strychnine bait before it ha. 

 time to have a fatal effect. 



A tin or two of S.A.P. kept in secret places in the paddocks can be 

 used on the carcass of any dead or dving slioep that may from time to 

 time be found en the usual visit round the run. 



