THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



413 



Further on, the farmer is told that he 

 himself may do the mixing if he keeps 

 in mind the following formula for wheat, 

 oats, etc. : — 



Nitrogen ... 4 per cent. 

 Phos. acid ... 7 per cent. 



Potash 4 to 9 per cent. 



This means : — 



Nitrate of soda ... 27 lbs. 



Dissolved bones ... ,56 lbs. 



Muriate of potash ... 20 lbs. 



This seems, however, a very small 

 quantity to apply to an acre (of course, I 

 may be wrong in my calculations), and 

 does not at all agree with what farmers 

 are told to use. 



To me it appears that if I apply 150 lbs. 

 muriate of potash to an acre I am giving 

 120 per cent, 'according to Sibson) of the 

 pure salt. 



I have not written above in any 

 carping spirit, but simply because I can- 

 not understand the figures, and I wi-^h to 

 master them. A reply through the 

 Jou-^nal will oblige. — Yours truly, 



Sunday's River, 



Jambs Thobrold. 



BRANDING OF CATTLE AND 

 HORSES. 

 Sib, — Nothing is more unsightly — 

 on a horse especially— than a smudged 

 brand : nothing is more unsatisfactory 

 than an indistinct one, on any animal, from 

 whatever cause. And yet it only wants a 

 little care to produce a uniformly good 

 result, and this is almost sure to be at- 

 tained if an observance of certdin rules 

 and conditions is kept in mind, 



1st, The branding iron.— This should 

 be made of a piece of metal If to 2 ins. 

 wide, and i to | on the back, and tapered 

 to ^ on the face. This piece of metal is 

 bent or welded to form the letter or figure 

 required, and a handle of iin. " round " 

 iron, 3 to 4 feet long, attached. When 

 the iron is finished it should be neatly 

 filed up to not more than ^ih. on the face'; 

 this leaves a clear sharp line on the skin 

 when Ihe brand is applied, 



2nd. Formation of the letters or figures. 

 — These should not be elaborate— instance 

 the letter M, this should not be made M 

 but IVI, not G, but Q and so on. 



3rd. Applying the brand. — Have the 

 iron red-hot, the hotter the better, a mere 

 touch is then enough. This is the 

 principal part of the business, not to press 

 the brand into the skin, and so set up an 

 infiamniatioii, which is the cause of a 

 smudged brand, and yet the cautery has 

 to be sufficient to cause the hair to peal off 

 wdieu healing. I do not agree with any 

 healing medium being applied after 

 branding. 



4th. Before applying the hot iron have 

 the beast's leg lying in a natural position, 

 so that the design, figure, or letter may 

 appear right when the beast is standing 

 up ; and, if possible, do not put the brand 

 across tivo colours. If the beast should 

 be say red-and-white, on the part to be 

 branded, put the brand on one of the 

 colours if possible, even if its position 

 should be shifted a little, as it is always 

 more distinct. 



5th. Brands on cattle should not, if at 

 all possible, be made on the rump, as this 

 is a part of the skin which is valuable 

 from the merchants' point of view, and a 

 brand does more damage to a skin than 

 most people would credit, and one has to 

 see a finished tanned and curried article 

 to realize the fact. — Yours, &c., 



Ctncinatus. 



A serious deterioration in the pasture of 

 parts of the Argentine R public is wmpkined 

 of by sheep breeders. On s. ran ttitancias it is 

 even said that only one-tenth of tlie stock at 

 one time carried can now hi supptrted, the fine 

 grasses liaving been eaten out and destroyed. 

 The cnly remedy is thought to be lucerne. 

 The sowing of various grnni seeds is suggested, 

 but this would be less satisfactory than the 

 growth of lucerne. 



It is stated that in Columbia (South America) 

 landowners troubled b\- the prickly pear 

 (Opuntia sp.) have found a cheap and effective 

 means of destroying the plants. In the rainy 

 seasrn busliy lianas or creepers, growing rapid- 

 ly and producing dense foliage, are planted 

 round the clumps of prickly pear. When they 

 cover them completely the! are (ut down and 

 luinit in the summer. :M ist of the prickly 

 pears are destroyed, the operation being re- 

 pe.ited at a later date. A third burning may 

 >onu times be necessary. It is essential that a 

 deii^e growth of vegetal iun be obtained over 

 all the pears, so that the heat will be sufficient 

 to affect the tissues of the leaves. The com- 

 mon d'oliohos would be very suitable for this 

 purpose. 



