lo Aug.. 191:!.] General Nofis. 483 



GENERAL N0TE8. 



SUGAR BEET— 



The sugar licet production of the United States has Ijeeome one of the 

 great farm factors, and promises to utilize many thousands of acres of land, 

 especially in the irrigated States. Tiiere are now 6r factories making sugar 

 from beets. They have an annual output oi about 510.000 tons of granu- 

 lated sugar, and the area planted to beets aggregates almost 400,000 acres. 

 — Calif or)i'ian C ' idiivator . 



FEEDING FOR BUTTER FAT— 



It used to be held that the feeding had a considerable influence upon the 

 richness of milk, but more accurate investigations go to show that it has 

 verv little to do with it. The subject is discused by Dr. Crowther, of 

 Leeds University, in the Journal of the Board of Agriculfurc (London). 

 He finds that, provided the ration is sufficient to maintain the milk yield 

 and general " condition " of the animal, the composition of the milk can, in 

 general, be but little affected by changes in the nature of the foods. Even 

 in the case of underfeeding, the composition of the milk is, as a rule, but 

 little affected until the condition of the animal has been ^■ery seriously 

 reduced. The common \iew that turnips or brewer's grains give watery 

 milk has received but litle support from experimental investigations, 

 although the long-continued use of these foods will probably lead ulti- 

 matelv to a general weakening of the organs of the body, and result in 

 poorer milk. Ability to yield rich mrlk is born into the cow. and if more 

 butter fat is to be got from anv cow, it can only be done by feeding to get 

 a greater yield of milk of the same quality. 



TOP DRESSING PASTURES- 



For some \ears past, the manuring of second-class pastures has found 

 much favour in Great Britain, the application usuallv consisting of Thomas 

 phosphate, or of a mixture of ordinary superphosphate and lime. Re- 

 ference has been made to the matter in these notes. In the Massachusetts 

 Station Report, 19 10, the result of top-dres.sing cow pastures in America 

 is described. The manuring consisted of 500 lbs. Thomas phosphate and 

 300 lbs. low-grade sulphate of potash per acre. The author notes that 

 the preference of the cows for the forage of the treated plots resulted in 

 their being more closely grazed late into the Autunm than was fa\-orable 

 to their best development. Nevertheless, a thick mat of clover appeared 

 the following spring in place of a dull, lifeless, moss-infested turf, thickly 

 starred with "bluets"' {Honstonia cccriilea). In other pasture tests on 

 mowing land at the Station, the vield of grass hay was rather more than 

 doubled by the use of Thomas phosphate and potash. The proportion of 

 clover was increased. Altogether, the experiments suggest that trial appli- 

 cations of Thomas phosphate, or of superphosphate and lime, would be 

 desirable for many farmers in this State owning second-class land. Un- 

 less on soils of a verv light sandv nature, the potash can probably be 

 omitted. Winter is the best time to apply these manures, and stock 

 should be kept off until the herbage has been washed by rain. 



