640 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Oct., 1916. 



view of sand trouble this year horses which have been paddocked nil the winter 

 should not be put to work until properly conditioned and any sand accunuilati n 

 got rid of. A course of three or four bran mashes, after a twelve hours' fast, 

 followed by 1 to 1* pints of linseed oil, is helpful. Repeat in two or three days, 

 if necessary. Colts to be gelded should be operated on before hot weather sets in. 



Cattle. — Except on rare occasions, rugs may now be used on cows on cold 

 and wet nights only. Continue giving hay or straw. Beware of milk fever. 

 Read up method of treatment in Y ear-Book of Agriculture, 1905. Have cows' 

 milk weighed and tested for butter fat. Rear heifer calves from cows giving 

 satisfactory results. Give calves a warm dry shed and a good grass run. Keep 

 calves ' premises scrupulously clean and regularly disinfected with Phenyle or 

 floors sprinkled with quicklime. Feeding vessels must be kept clean. Skim milk 

 should be scalded, unless it is known that the cows are healthy. Give the calves a 

 regvilar quantity, and do not overfeed. Better too little than too much. Give milk 

 at blood lieat. Dehorn all calves, except those required for stud or show purposes. 



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

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

 turned into grass run. Read articles on breeding and feeding and housing in 

 Journals, April, 1912, June, 1913, and May, 1915. 



Sheep. — Prepare for dipping. Ascertain exact contents of bath before mixing. 

 Powder or paste dips have the most lasting effect, particularly where the lice 

 have been bad. Hold sheep in the bath not less than half a minute; if badly 

 infested, longer. Submerge heads twice, but allow them to rise quickly — jmost 

 deaths after dipping are due to gross carelessness in holding sheep under too 

 long, the dip wash being taken "in on to the lungs. Dip rams, full grown sheep 

 first, while bath is full, lambs last. Yard sheep over night. Dip while empty, and 

 avoid excessive fouling the drainer. Commence early in the day, and allow sheep 

 to dry before nightfall. Avoid travelling long distances to and from baths, and 

 dipping sheep while overheated. Do not roughly throw sheep in. Avoid filthy 

 baths ; this increases a dead tip in hot areas. 



When constructing new dips, remember moderate-sized ones are most econo- 

 mical, just as efficient, and can be more easily emptied as they become fouled, 

 and if they are near water can be quickly filled. 



Poultry. — Provide plenty of green food and shade. "Watch for vermin; 

 spray crevices of perches and houses with crude carbolic acid, 1 in 50. Keep 

 water clean and cool, and out of the sun. One packet of Epsom salts should be 

 given to thirty birds through the mash. Remove all male birds from the flock. 

 Infertile eggs are preferable when pickling, or when placed in cool storage. 



CULTIVATION. 



Farm. — Plant main crop of potatoes. Cut hay and silage. Weed early 

 potatoes. Sow maize and millets. Weed tobacco beds, and water, if dry. 



Orchard. — Ploughing, harrowing, and cultivating to be continued. Weeds 

 to be kept down. Secure, pinch, and spray grafts with water. Spray frequently 

 for codlin moth, pear and cherry slug, and peach aphis. Plant out citrus trees. 



Vegetable Garden.- — Hoe and mulch surface. Suppress weeds. Water 

 where dry and hoe afterwards. Disbud and pinch back tomato plants. Sow 

 celery, French beans, peas, lettuce, cucumber, melon, &c., seeds. 



Flower Garden. — Water and mulch. Cultivate and keep down weeds. 

 Thin out weak wood from roses. Prune early all flowering shrubs that have 

 finished flowering. Lift and store bulbs. Plant out dahlias and chrysanthe- 

 mums. Liquid-manure herbaceous perennials. 



Vineyard. — Field grafts require careful attention in the way of removal of 

 suckers and scion roots. Cultural work, such as scarif j-ing and hoeing, should 

 be actively pushed forward, so as to provide as good a " mulch " as possible 

 during summer. Proceed with tying up, stopping and topping. Avoid excessive 

 topping, summer pruning being usually more injurious than useful in warm, 

 dry climates. Cincture Zante currant vines after flower caps have fallen. Apply 

 second sulphuring just before blossoming, wlierever Oidium was prevalent last 

 year. 



Cellar. — Same as last month. 



