May 35, 1906 
y 
4f 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
——- 
aréll Advanced hefore the seed is put in. Un- 
dothtedly a dressing applied in this way has a 
‘marked effect on the cereal yields. especially 
with oats, | : 
“Under Sonth. Australian conditions the best 
ime to apply lime is just previous to working 
the cultivator on the land after ploughing. In 
this way the lime gets well mixed avith the soil 
ty means of the after svorking between then 
and seeding time, and with lime, as with every 
‘othe® manure, even distribution is a very 1mpor- 
tant matter. 
“Action or Limg.-{ have indicated already 
several ways: in which: lime acts beneficially in 
the. soil, and would-here just summarise as 
followSir- Sst 8 
=¥"Tt-nota “directly as a plant food, and con- 
lime cannot yield 
v Y 
‘sequently scils deficient in 
full results. ~~ : : : 
2 It acts indirectly in Jessening the adhesive 
effect of ‘a stiff clay soil, This rendering of a 
soil more friable when dry 4s one of the most 
marked’ properties of lime. Fariners are familiar 
with the tendency to puddle: which clay soils 
have when rain falls or when they are worked 
wet, and, what ig worse, their setting hard as 
bricks afterwards. A good dressing of lime has 
marvellous effect in checking this, 
3. On sandy seils, however, its action is quite 
the reverse. There i tends to ind or consoli- 
date the soil. Thusits action on light, friable 
soils is to increase their cohesive powers. 
4, Lime, too, liberates or unlocks the dormant 
lant food inthe soil, setting it free in forms 
Available to the plant. One of the important 
ingredients. <f soils acted onin this way 18 potash. 
The different minerals in the so’ which contain 
potash are acted on chemically by the lime, and 
the potash is set free from its dormant form 
and made available by the plant. The form in 
qwhich lime acts most powerfully in this zespect 
fis as unslaked or caustic lime. . 4 
5. The, action. of.Jime, on, peaty soils, or those 
gich inorganic matter, is of a twofold nature 
Wirst of all, it helps very: actively in the decom- 
position of the vegetable matter, thus rendering 
the,nitrogen it gontains available. — 
Such soils, too, often eontain acids which ‘are 
injurious tv plant growth, and by applying lime 
athey are converted into forms harmless to the 
plant.. Hence, in all“ peaty soils, it will be at 
once recognised how ‘important it is to give a 
good dressing of lime. : 
6. Bus other classes of soil are found in the 
oyer-acid condition, and here, just as with peaty 
soils, it acts as a corrective, neutralising the 
acidity, and making the land fit for plant growth, 
"All lands reclaimed from water, or on which 
water has lain for a considerable time, should 
be Jimed, and the sweetening effect of the dress- 
ing will quite justify the laber and expense — 
7, One of the most important processes going 
on in the soil is what is now known as nitrifica- 
#ion. During the greater part,ot the year this 
rocess is going on under our climatic conditions 
very ictively. This is especially so when working 
for, fallow. ‘The presence of carbona‘e of lime in 
thesoil is a necessary condition for this impor- 
jaunt process of nitr fication. ; cae : 
In applying lime, attention must be paid, 
just as with other manares, to its purity. The 
quan ity: to apply per acre will depend on the 
nature of the soil and the purity of the lime. 
fo many the process may appear an expensive 
one; but Lam quite convinced that many svils [ 
have: already examined are deficient in lime, 
while others would be much improved in their 
hysical condition by its use.. AS ‘0 whether it 
s expensive or not will depend cntirely on the 
ield got from its use and this suggests that 
‘ach farmer must find out for himself by exper 
mentewhether or not it will-pay him to apply 
this important manne, « . é 
2 
« 
Kitchen ‘Garden. 
The preparation of ground for all main erops 
should be carried out as expeditiously as 
possible. This is an important operation on the 
plains, and success depends chiefly on the 
éhorough manner in which the soil is worked. 
All kitchen garden ground should be trenched 
to a depth of 18 in. every fourth year, with a 
good deep ordinary digging in intermediate... 
seasons. In manuring, a heavy dressing—and 
too much can hardly be applied—should be 
worked in at the time of trenching, which will 
last, as far as the subsoil is concerned, until 
the four years’ rotation expires. The manure 
applied in the intermediate seasons depends 
upon the kind of crop to be grown. For 
instance», after trenching and heavy manuring 
any fibrvus-rooted vegetables mry be planted, 
but not root crops. ‘The former include cauli- 
flower and all others of the brassiers family, 
lettuce, spinach, onions, leeks, etc. The latter 
branch includes beet, parsnips, carrots, radishes, 
salsify, and scorsonera. Aithough the soil may 
not be tuo rich for these roots, its condition, 
being newly charged with vegetable manures, is 
not suitable to the growth of elean straight 
roots without fangs, tbe absence of which is 
their chief recommendation. Fibrous-rooting 
plants, on the contrary, delight in searching the 
soil in all directions. and filling it whenever the 
manure is within reach with hirsute roots. 
ee 
To Exrract a Sprinter —When a splinter 
has been driven into the hand, it can be extracted 
-by steam. Filla wide-mouthed bottle nearly full 
of hot water, place the injured part over the 
mouth and press it slightly. ‘The action thus 
produced will draw the flssh dowo, and in a 
minute or two the steam will extract the splinter 
as well as the inflammation. 
—<— 
Established 41885. 
RFR. Be. Day 
29 Gouger Street, 
Bedding 
‘Manulacturer 
(Wholesale and Retail) 
Re-Making a Speciality 
Country orders promptly attended to. 
A Trial Solicited. 
H. WARD, 
BOOTMAKER 
Rundle Street, Kent Town 
* * KOK * 
Repiits a Speciality 
dtedq. 
Diseases of Farm: 
Animals. °* * 
No. IL 
Breed and Type. 
Certain types of horses are markedly suscep- 
tib’e to particular forms of disease, Weed or 
*¢ shot of grease” (Lymphangitis), chronic greasy 
heels and canker of the feet are seldom ‘seen in 
other than coarse skinned and heayy-legged 
draught horses. Amongst light horses, cracked 
heels are usually only met with in’ coarse bred 
and fleshy-heeled specimens, and but seldom 
in clean-boned fine-skinned ‘horses claiming .. 
thorough-bred descent, ‘Navicular disevse is a 
rdre amongst cart horses, though it is a common 
enough affection cf light-bred animals. Amongst 
other animals the proneness to milk’ fever of 
deep milking types and breeds of cattle may be 
adduced in this connection; and in Australia it 
has been observed that the disease of the lym- 
phatic glanns of sheep called multiple abscess, 
or lymphadenitis, is largely confined to “‘come- - 
backs.” In sheep, it is the lightly-bred m rine 
and other fine-woolea types that more quickly 
qualify for the “foot rotting” paddock, while 
the liability of line-bred shorthorns and: other 
pedigree cattle to contract all and sundry con- 
gtitutional affections is notorious. o4 
Conformation. 
Many instances of conformation predisposing 
to disease could be mentioned, bnt a few will 
suffice. Ponies are seldom roarers; it is’ the 
Jong-nec'ed and fine-throated horses that usually“ 
develop this disease= Qn the other hand, ponies * 
and round: barrelled horses of all sorts appear 
to be prone to broken wind ; while those of the 
epposite build—* herring-gutted ° horses are 
well known t> be bad doers and liable to attacks 
of diarrhoes and other forms of indigestion. The 
assoviation of sickle-hocks with curb, or calf 
knees with brushing and speedy-cutting, of 
sloping pasterns with break-down, of upright 
pasterns with ringbone, fetlock soreness (arbritis) 
and knuckling over, and of narrow upright muley 
feet with nayicular disease, are more than mere, - 
SHULL : they are oftentimes cause and"), 
ect. ; ae san” 
‘Color, 3 
While the truth of the old saying that ‘a, 
good horse cannot be a bad color, may be 
admitted, there is ample justification for the 
statement that horses of good-color haye more 
robust canstitutions and are Jess liable to disease, 
than “off colored” unes, 
meant that, no matter what shade it should be” 
d stinctive and pronounced. Brown, with tan 
ugzle, bay with-black po:nts, dapple and tleae——~ 
b tten grey, and dark or liver chestnut, are 
faverite colors. and are characteristic of many: 
great families, amongst which the grey .“‘Snow- 
dens,” ths brown “ Sinygglers,’’ and the ticked- 
chestnut “ Sir Hercules” descendants are still 
famous in the land, not so much for their color 
as for their hardy family, characteristics which » 
accompany it. Mealy bays or browns with rusty ; 
manes, and fawn legs: washy chestnuts with 
yelluw many, tail and leg featliering ; and hyht : 
niushy rouns, are types of bad colored horses 
frequently met with, and almost as often found 
to ve soft and ckituery, full of funk, and withous : 
 buttum.” ; P 
ai Ene =e ; 
Lhe absence uf pigment in the skin would 
appear to have sume infiaence in determinine 
: ¥ 
By “good” color ig. 
