July, 1913 



Feeding Wheat Crops off by 

 Sheep. 



Tile practice of feeding oil 

 the early, wheat crops is one 

 which is followed by many 

 farmers who combine sheep-rais- 

 ing- with wheat-growing, writes the 

 Agricultural Ciazctte of New South 

 Wales. This practice, when dis- 

 creetly , followed, has m'uch to re- 

 commend it. It also requires con- 

 siderable judgment upon the part 

 of the farmer. Wheats cannot be 

 fed oR advantageous^ indiscrimin- 

 ately. There are many, points to 

 be taken into consideration. Wheat 

 grown upon light open soils, and 

 sown early, may be advantageous- 

 ly fed off. 'The tramping of tlie 

 stock consolidates the soil, to the 

 advantage of the crop. Soils which 

 run together at the surface and 

 contain a fair proportion of clay 

 may be serrouslv injured by the 

 tramping of the sheep. Soils which 

 are rich in vegetable matter, and 

 are what are termed rather strong 

 for wheat, if sown early should be 

 fed 'off. The \heavv growth induced 

 prevents the access of heat and 

 sunlight, resulting in weakened tis- 

 sues at the base of the stems which 

 often precedes a lodged crop. The 

 eating oil of the excess of leaves 

 aids in preventing rust and other 

 diseases, and strengthens the straw 

 materially. 



During seasons of good autumnal 

 and winter growth crops may 

 grow too rankly. Such are very 

 susceiJtil)le to frosting, and if at all 

 practicable shoidd be grazed. 

 A\Tieat such as the T/ammas, Fifes, 

 and others, w^hich have procumbent 

 leaves and stems during the win- 

 ter, and stool freeh', are more'suit- 

 able for grazing. Many of the new 

 wheats have a more erect habit of 

 growth, and stool sparsely ; such 

 cannot be grazed to the same ex- 

 tent as the former. In districts 

 where dry early summers are the 

 rule, wheats .should be grazed 

 in the winter, but should be let 

 run up no later than the end of 

 .Tulv. In districts where the rain- 

 fall can be depended uj^on through- 

 out the early summer, they may be 

 grazed later. Generally speaking, 

 for grazing ofi, wheats should be 

 sown early. Some soils are suf- 

 ficiently forcing to compensate for 

 earlv sowing, and may be sown 

 later, ^\^^ere wet winters are the 

 rule, heavy .soils, owing to too 

 much consolidation by tramping, 

 are not suitable for grazing. The 

 crop .should not be continuously 

 grazed for a considerable period. It 

 is preferable to subdivide sufficieilt- 



\y to ensure the eating off to the 

 ground within a fortnight. Stakes 

 and wire-netting make an easily 

 removable sul)di\ ision f^nce. Sheep, 

 when turned into large areas of 

 rank crop, trample and spoil more 

 than they eat. Sheep should be 

 taken out during wet weather. All 

 areas should be thoroughly har- 

 rowed, to loosen the surface, after 

 being grazed. The food supplied by 

 early sown or winter-proud crops 

 often proves very acceptable for the 

 sheep during a period when green 

 food is not plentiful. The laxative 

 effect aids the digestion of dry 

 grasses and other fodders. Care 

 should be taken, or excessive 

 scouring may be induced in some 

 animals. Sheep in poor condition 

 should be fed cautiously for a few 

 weeks. pAves and lambs, if judi- 

 ciously fed, are much benefited by 

 a change on to young wheat. 

 <$> 



Prolific Pigs. 



The Irish pig is expected to pay 

 the rent. In America the same 

 useful animal may be trusted, to 

 buy a farm. 



Not long since two men were 

 driving by the home of a success- 

 ful farmer. As they passed the 

 house a thrifty liCtle sow pig 

 cro.ssed the road between them. 

 They remarked about the beauty 

 of the little animal, and the older 

 of the two remarked : — " You may 

 not believe me, Init I can take that 

 little .sow and in four 3'ears with 

 her increase buy the best 80 acres 

 there is in this neighbourhood, and 

 have enough pigs left to stociv up 

 the farm and pay a good . share of 

 the expense in their keeping." 



i\t first thought the statement 

 does not seem po.svsiljlc, but a little 

 figuring will prove it is not far 

 from the truth. 



We will suppose that the sow aind 

 all her female increase will farrow 

 for the first time when thev are a 

 year old, and will give birth to a 

 litter evervy six months thereafter, 



and that each litter will average 

 six pigs, three males and three fe- 

 males. 



At tli^; end of the first year we 

 have the sow and six pigs — three 

 males and four females. In 18 ' 

 months , the sow has a second lit- 

 ter. This brings the total up to 

 -seven sows and six males. After 

 two years have gone this sow has 

 her third litter, and each of the 

 three sows of her first litter also 

 farrow. This gives us a total of 

 19 sows and eighteen, males. In 

 two j'ears and a half the three 

 sows of her second litter are old 

 enough to iarrow. This, brings onr 

 number up to 40 fem.ales and 39 

 males. In three years the sows 

 of the first, second, and third lit- 

 ters will farrow, and in addition 

 the nine that were born to the 

 three of the firs| litter. This in- 

 creases the number to 97 females 

 and 96 iiiales. Thus it goes on in 

 progressions till thg end of four 

 years, when we have a total of 

 508 females and 507 males, pigs 

 enough to buy a good-sized farm. 

 — Wallace R. Sherlock, in Farm, 

 Field, and Fireside. 



4 



Rabbits. 



A Victorian farmer adopted a 

 simple and effective method of des- 

 troying the rabbits which occupy 

 extensive warrens in his cultivation 

 paddock. Around each of the 

 warrens he erects a yard with 140 

 yards of netting. After starving 

 them for a time, he "feeds them" 

 — to u.se his own term — with jam 

 and strychnine. When indications 

 point to all the occupants of the 

 warren being destroyed, the netting 

 is raised, and others permitted to 

 take uj) their quarters there when 

 the process is repeated. This may 

 be carried on indefinitely, or till 

 the rabbits in the paddock are 

 eradicated. 



4 



Milk weighs about S% lbs. to the 

 gallon, varying a little, according 

 to the per cent, of solids. 



IMPERIAL HOTEL 



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