9 



THE 



AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



and as the level of the subsoil water tends 

 to rise. This is what one would expect 

 from even a rudimentary knowledge of 

 micro-biology. Desiccation or dryness is 

 a foe to all bacterial growths— a fact to 

 be kept in mind in suppressing all forms 

 of disease known to be of microbic origin. 



Within the last twelve months 7,()(H,) 

 doses of the vaccine for the prevention of 

 this disease have been issued from the 

 Laboratory, a satisfactory oatput when 

 the disturbed state of the colony is 

 taken into consideration, and how 

 greatly stock farming has been hin- 

 dered or prevented in the northern 

 parts. The almost complete success 

 which has attended the issue of this pre- 

 paration, and the undoubted immunity 

 which its use confers upon young stock, 

 renders the fact the more strange that 

 many farmers are still unacquainted with 

 the preventive value of the inoculation 

 for quarter-evil. Only a few weeks ago I 

 heard of a farmer describing in public a 

 fatal form of disease which annually 



swept off numbers of his own and his 

 neighbours' young stock. Upon enquiry 

 an intelligent bystander elicited the fact 

 that the disease in question was simply 

 quarter-evil. Unrecognised as such, the 

 disease had resulted in the deaths of 

 scores of calves which might have defied 

 the disease and attained a profitable 

 maturity had the appropriate measures 

 been adopted. The present fall of the 

 year threatens to be a bad season for 

 quarter-evil. It will be advisable there- 

 fore, especially upon farms which have an 

 unfavourable reputation as regards this 

 disease, for owners to re-inoculate all 

 young stock at once. The remedy is 

 simple, and the policy of waiting until 

 the disease actually breaks out and 

 necessitates repressive measures is not 

 one that recommends itself to the careful 

 stock-raiser. Prevention is better than 

 check, particularly at a time such as the 

 present, when calves are at an enhanced 

 value. 



Winter Turf Oats. 



FOR SALE. 



THE Winter Turf Oats ordered by the 

 Department have now arrived, and 

 are on sale at 258. per 100 lbs. Applica- 

 tions should be directed to the Commis- 

 sioner -of Agriculture. 



The following description of these oats 

 is taken from The Mmj flower : — Two 

 years ago Col. L. D. Stockton ordered, 

 through me, from Floral Park, seed of 

 the Winter Turf Oat. His object was to 

 introduce it into Kentucky, believing it 

 to be the best kind for this part of the 

 country. Results show that he was not 

 mistaken in this opinion. The oat proved 

 a wonderful success, surprising everyone 

 with its great productiveness and fine 

 winter pasturage. It is fast growing into 

 favour, and i)romises to soon take the 

 place here of all other oats. 



('ol. StocktoJi fairly (ested the oats at 

 Kylewood, and I note results, thinking 

 that perhaps some of the readers of Tlw 

 MaiiJl,'>wcr, or their friends, might be 

 interested in it. The Turf Oats were 

 8own at Kylewood in September and 

 October, like wheat, from one an<l a half 



to two bushels to the acre. It germinates 

 quickly, and is of rapid gixnvth, furnish- 

 ing pasture in six weeks after sowing, 

 which will last until spring. It grows 

 l)etter in rich l)ottoin land, but will treble 

 wheat in any soil. It out -yields a,ny 

 small grain even in poor soil. In rich 

 sod land it will produce an incredible 

 amount. It stands the winter's cold 

 equally as well- as wheat or rye. It is 

 white in colour, and firm and solid in 

 grain. Grows tall like rye, and is not 

 easily blown down by wind The heads 

 are very long, sometimes two feet in 

 length, one seed throwing up over one 

 hundreti straws, all bearing large plump 

 heads of grain. It is cut just before 

 wheat. If pasturage is not desired one 

 bushel of oats to the acre is sufficient. 



At Kylewood last winter, on twenty 

 acres of the oats pasture, eighty-nine head 

 of cattle, weighing one thousand pounds 

 each, was pastured. They often subsisted 

 on the oats alone for two weeks at a time. 

 When the field was afterwards cut the 

 average was forty bushels of oats to the 



