THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



11 



No. 14, Vol. III., Mr. Jus. L. Webb, 

 M.R.C.V.S., gives an instance of the 

 disease in the Mooi River District. He 

 further describes the nature of the disease, 

 the predisposing causes, and systems of 

 treatment. — Ed. Agricultural Journal.) 

 Licks of sulphur, salt, and bones are 

 freely provided. Incidentally Mr. Hall 

 stated that he intends buruing the 

 bones in future, as a precaution against 

 anthrax and other diseases. The crushed 

 bones which one buys, he remarked, 

 may come from animals which have 

 died from disease, even from anthrax, 

 which is so infectious that the beasts 

 which die from it should be burned in 

 quicklime, without even the smallest 

 puncture being made in the skin. The 

 precaution of burning the bones, he 

 admits, may be unnecessary, but, as it 

 entails but little trouble, he considers 

 that it is advisable to take it. When the 

 calves are two months old they run out 

 during the day. Morning and night after 

 they have finished sucking they are given 

 a bite of forage. 



Ticks. 



Noticing a few odd ticks on the udders 

 of the cows, I asked Mr. Hall what he 

 did to get rid of them. 



" We spray them," he replied, " with a 

 paraffin mixture. The ingredients are 

 three bottles paraffin, two of water, lib. 

 of soft soap, and a small cupful of tar. 

 The water is made hot, then the soap is 

 added, and then the tar. After a thorough 

 stirring, the liquor is strained through 

 butter muslin, and the paraffin is then 

 added. Two or three sprayings during 

 the summer is quite sufficient to keep the 

 udders clear : the ticks do not bother the 

 dtock on the ears or elsewhere. 



Winter Feeding. 



" Now for some information as to the 

 feeding in winter." 



" In the first place I send all the herd 

 with the exception of the cows for milk- 

 ing, and a span of working oxen to a 

 bush farm in the Karkloof. I believe 

 greatly in a change of pasture. I think 

 the change, both in going and coming 

 back, acts as a tonic, and promotes the 

 general health." 



Ensilage. 



" And for feeding the milking cows 

 that do not go away ?" 



"ihe food that comes first is mealie 

 ensilage. I am fully convinced that for 

 this district, and, perhaps, for the most of 

 the cattle districts of the Colony, that no 

 better or cheaper fodder can be produced- 

 I make round stacks of about ten feet 

 high on steddles of six inches of rough 

 grass. I try to build the stacks as quickly 

 as possible, beginning, if convenient, on 

 a Monday, and finishing by Friday or 

 Saturday. Some weight their stacks with 

 earth — i use stones. By-and-bye I expect 

 Colonists will use elevators, but without 

 them ten feet is quite high enough for 

 lifting the heavy bundles. For ensilage 

 I plant white mealies — horse tooth — 

 about Christmas, and yellow a fortnight 

 later. The crops are ready to cut when 

 the mealies are beginning to get glazed." 



" How would the cheap American 

 broad tyre low-wheeled wagons do for 

 hauling the mealie stalks to the stacks ?" 



" .Just the things wanted, and I shall 

 give them a trial soon." 



I may here mention that the soil of 

 Mount Arrochar is of strong, loamy 

 character, somewhat similar to the soil in 

 the neighbourhood of Estcourt. 



Mealie-Hay. 



" Mealie-hay is also an excellent fodder. 

 I plant and cut the mealies exactly as if 

 for ensilage. The stalks are stood in 

 stooks, with a wire or grass rope round 

 the upper part to prevent the wind from 

 blowing them down. At the end of the 

 winter the juice may be rung out from 

 the inside stalks. There is one serious 

 disadvantage attaching to mealie-hay, 

 however, and that is, that the stooks must 

 be opened out and dried after rain, and of 

 late years, rain in winter in this district 

 has been freqiient. To shorten the time 

 for that risk I always feed the mealie-hay 

 I make before beginning on other fodder." 



English Grass. 

 " I have given a good trial to English 

 grasses, but none of my experiments have 

 been successful. The last tried was 

 Sutton's meadow mixture, but after two 

 years only cocksfoot and red clover 

 remained, all the fine grasses having dis- 

 appeared." 



Lucerne. 

 " Lucerne in years of ordinary rainfall 

 gives grand hay and grazing. I have 



