422 



THii. CIARDE-N AND FIELD. 



February, 1914 



Overstocktnf. 



The subject of overstocking may be 

 briefly adverted to. Apart from the 

 ill-effects of_^ continuous grazing, and 

 which become much increased when 

 paddocks are overstocked, and apart 

 also from the actual fouling of the 

 herbage by excess of animal dis- 

 charges, and by "the tramping of 

 many feet," there is the further dis- 

 advantage that the good grasses are 

 continuously eaten off as they shoot 

 into growth, and are thus prevented 

 from seeding. In this w-ay the extir- 

 pation of much wholesome herbage is 

 hastened. At the same time, useless 

 or actually harmful and noxious 

 plants which are not eaten by stock 

 \intil the pasture is bare of nutritious 

 grasses are allowed to seed, until 

 eventually the innutritious herbage 

 predominates, the good grasses having 

 been eaten out. A familiar instance is 

 the gradual usurpation of a pasture by 

 Yorkshire fog grass (Holcus lenatus) 

 where this grass has been sown with 

 sweeter grasses; the latter are eaten 

 down continually, while the fog is 

 neglected by stock owing to its harsh- 

 ness, and being a stronger grower it 

 soon takes possession of the pasture. 

 Again, the well-known rib-grass or 

 plantain (Pla'ntago lanceolata) being 

 much relished by sheep, is a useful 

 grass on sheep country; cattle, how- 

 ever, neglect it, and on cattle runs it 

 quickly becomes a nuisance, not only 

 on account of its spread, but because 

 its flat habit of growth entails great 

 waste of ground surface that could 

 otherwise be utilized by more suitable 

 grasses. Even in times of plenty, the 

 folly of overstocking is not less acute, 

 for then the noxious plants are left 

 still more severely alone to propagate 

 and spread their baneful presence over 

 the pasture, occupying ground that 

 would otherwise accommodate her- 

 bage of more nutritious character. 



Truly the factors operating towards 

 deterioration of Australian pasture 

 lands are many, and deserve thought- 

 ful attention and action on the part 

 of all concerned. At the risk of being 

 charged with uttering a libel on the 

 commonsense of Australian farmers, 

 a protest must be here entered against 

 the suicidal and wasteful practice of 

 l)urning off seeding grass during 

 bountiful seasons, a practice which 

 is carried out by not a few farmers 

 in some highly-favoured districts. 

 They fear bush fires, and instead of 

 mowing the superabundance of seed- 

 ing grass, and turning it into hay or 

 ensilage, as a standby for a time of 

 scarcity, they thoughtlessly resort to 

 the characteristically improvident me- 

 thod of the "firestick."— By S. S. 

 Cameron, M.R.C.V.S. 



♦ 



White Paint for Outside 

 Fences, Etc. 



The following is a good substitute 

 for white lead for the above purposes 

 (writes the Queensland Agricultural 

 Journal) : — 1 quart of skimmed milk, 

 3 oz. of fresh lime, 3 oz. of raw lin- 

 seed oil, li lb. of whiting. Put the 

 lime into a clean bucket, add sufficient 

 of the milk to slake the lime, add the 

 oil a few drops at a time, stirring the 

 mixture with a flat stick until the 

 whole of the oil is incorporated with 

 the mass, then add the remainder of 

 the milk and afterwards the whiting, 

 which must be finely powdered, and 

 sifted over the mixture gradually, or 

 it will go lumpy. One coat of this 

 will do for some purposes, but two 

 coats are required for good work. It 

 should be strained through a hair sieve 

 or coarse calico. The above quantity 

 will be sufficient for 100 square feet, 

 or 11 square yards. 



Harness for Horses. 



Whatever purpose a horse may be 

 called upon to fill, the harness or gear- 

 ing used should fit. exactly. In ill-fit- 

 ting harness a horse is bound to sufTer 

 in one way or another, and this affects 

 the animal's coitdition. You should 

 not be content with tackle which only 



fits fairly well, but see that it fits pei'- 

 fectly. A proper adjustment of the 

 parts has much to do with fit and com- 

 fort, but the vital parts, such as the 

 draught collar and the riding sadle, 



should conform to the anatomy of the 

 particular animal. Upon exactly the 

 same diet and general care one man 

 will keep a horse in good condition, 

 whilst another will have him lose con- 

 dition, even though the work is exact- 

 ly the same in each case, the reason 

 being that one man is in sympathy 

 with, the horse and the other is not. 



4 



Care of Horses' F«et. 



There is no doubt (says "The Live 

 Stock Journal") that many horses 

 suffer from foot troubles which would 

 have been preventable if properly 

 treated in the early stages, while some 

 diseases are the direct result of negli- 

 gence. In the first place, it is of the 

 utmost importance to grow a sound 

 and shapely foot, and with this end 



in view the feet of colts should be 

 systematically attended to at inter- 

 vals so that the bars grow strong, 

 with a good width of hoof, which 

 means that contraction, fever, and 

 such like ailments are far less likely 

 to attack such a foot than if it is 

 stilty and narrow. Of course, bad 

 feet are inherited, but much can be 

 done to improve the feet of horses 

 descended from parents with poor 

 hoofs if they are tackled as foals and 

 never neglected. This may seem a 

 formidable task, but it is worth 

 doing, and when a colt is accustomed 

 to be haltered, and to have its feet 

 picked up, two or three minutes at 

 intervals of five or six weeks will 

 suffice to keep ordinary colts' feet in 



good order. Thrush is a very pre- 

 valent complaint with horses, both old 

 and young, a sp'ell of wet weather 

 being one of the causes. This is, or 

 should be, a simple ailment, but neg- 

 lect turns it into a deep-seated and 

 more lasting one. In fact, its cause 

 is usually put down to "negligence 

 and filth," and there is no doubt that 



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