JANNARY 18, 1906 
(BY C. C. LILLIE.) 
SPEAKING in a general way, dairying may be 
considered as adistinct business when it is the 
leading branch of one’s farming. A person is 
more likely to make a success on the farm if he 
directs most of his efforts to one branch or 
speciality. With one the leading purpose may 
be growing wheat ; with another beef cattle, 
with still another draught horses and so on. The 
farmer in each case is governed by his partiality 
for some particular speciality, and also by his 
environment, climate, soil, nearness to market, 
&c. Whatever speciality he selects is his own 
business. 
It is not necessary that he confine himself 
strictly to this business, for instance, if his pur- 
pose in farming be wheat, he may have a fairly 
good investment in poultry, or pigs or horses, 
and yet bestow his principal attention to the 
business, his speciality, from which he derives 
the larger part of his cash income. So one isa 
dairyman when his rotation of crops is arranged 
to produce the largest quantity of food caleu- 
lated tu maintain in the best possible condition 
aherd of dairy cows from which he derives his 
principal income. 
Dairying requires Technical Knowledge. 
No branch of live stuck industry requires 
more intelligent, systematic thought than dairy- 
ing. To select, feed, breed aud care for a herd 
of dairy cows requires an intimate knowledge of 
the subject and of agriculture in general. It is 
worth any man’s ambition. The dairyman must 
be asiudent. He must study not only the cow 
and her care, but he must study crops as well. 
His success ay a dairyman depends upon his 
successful food crops. This compels }im to 
study the soil and to keep it ina high state of 
cultivation and fertility. 
No Slack Season in Dairying. 
Dairying differs from some other specialities 
in farming that it is a year round business. It 
gives the farmer and his family steady employ- 
ment throughout the year. This is one reason 
why some people object to it. They argue that 
if u farmer works hard through the growing 
season, he is entitled to considerable leisure in 
the winter, and they expect to have but little to 
do at that time. 
This, of course, is all right from one point of 
view, but it is not so from another. It is not 
commen sense for a farmer to complain about 
the small profits while he arranges his business 
* so that he can be idle in the winter time. The 
merchant works the year round; the manufac- 
turer reckons to run his plant twelve months in 
the year, and the banker would object to closing 
his bank for a few months even. Yet the farmer 
or some farmers at least take particular pains to 
have little or no income during a part of the 
year. oe 3 
Iam notarguing that the farmer should do 
more labour than he can atlord to do. It is im- 
“possible for a man 10 toil in the field day after 
day, working long hours, and to look after the 
business affairs of his farm practically. Very 
few men can do the work of two men for any 
period of time: hence, from a business point of 
view, itis clearly the duty of the farmer to em- 
ploy more labour, to toil less himself. He should 
do the planning and directing. . When he looks 
at the matter from this standpoint, he will then 
arrange his operations so that he may have a 
steady income the year through, In this respect 
no branch of farming returns a better and more 
uniform income the year through than dairy- 
ing, 
# Dairying. a Cash Business. 
One reason why dairying is'a°good business 
is because its returns arein cash, The dairyman 
need never run up & bill at the grocery store.. He 
_ marketed before he can pay them. 
“tubers out 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
ll 
need not ask his men to wait till some crop is 
He feeds the 
cow to-day, to-morrow she pays him back in 
milk, and every week or every month his bills 
are settled in cash without recourse to the bank. 
In {dairying the element of speculation is 
almost completely eliminated. The prices of 
dairy products fluctuate less than almost any 
other product on the farm. Some years money is 
made in fattening sheep or steers ; in others it 
is almost impossible to get out of losing. To 
be a successful fattener one must not only buy 
right, but he must sell right. There is an 
element of speculation, of uncertainty or luck, 
which is not to be found in dairying. I have 
heard of several men who have been compelled 
to mortgage their farms through loss in fatten - 
ing sheep and cattle, but who ever heard of a 
man who had to do this through loss in dairy- 
ing? 
It is no exaggeration to say that dairying is 
the most profitable branch of live stock hus- 
bandry. Probably, all things considered, it is 
the most profitable branch of agriculture. As a 
proof of this we find that individual dairymen as 
a rule have the best buildings, the best kept and 
the most productive farms, and are really the 
most productive men of the community. Dairy- 
ing communities prove that it is profitable, 
When iourneying through the country a 
person can tell when he strikes a dairy commu- 
cnity by the appearance of prosperity on every 
hand. Land in these sections has a higher value, 
and the very towns speak of the thrift of the 
surrounding country. F 
One can conscientiously advise a young man 
just entering on the business of farming for 
himself to put his money into dairying. Itisa 
safe, conservative, cash business, and devoid of 
speculation. It offers opportunities worth the 
ambition of any man. 
The Care and Preparation of Seed 
Potatoes. 
BY GEORGE SEYMOUR. 
The following questions are being asked every 
day :— 
iL. What is -the best way to keep potatoes 
intended for seed? 
2. Isit better to plant whole seed or cut ? 
3. Ifcut, what should be the size of sets, 
and what number of eyes should be left to each 
piece? 
4, What isthe best depth to plant? 
5, What width is desirable between the 
rows, and what distance should the sets be apart. 
6. How long should seed be cut before 
planting! 
It is proposed tu briefly answer these ques- 
tions seriatim;— 
1 Keep your seed in a cool, dry place, at a 
temperature of 35 to 4. deg. Fahr. As possi- 
bly no grower has cool storage, a good substitute 
is a piece of firm, dry ground, under the shelter 
of pines or other evergreen trees. Spread the 
thinly, and -turn often. Some 
growers recommend excluding the light. This 
is a mistake; the more théy are exposed to the 
light and, if possible, the sun, the harder they 
become, A tuber that has become green will 
resist an ordinary frost, and may remain exposed 
the whule winter on the surface of the ground 
without rotting. _ 
2, The -“Mmatter of outting seed or planting 
whole sets is largely a questionof £s.d. On 
“the question of cutting, nearly every one has 
his own method. Some say cut to ‘one eye; 
others‘say plant whole. sets;. while-some hold 
that the'stem ond does’ not: produce such good 
potatoes. as. the crown. Another: will:advise: to 
cut the crown off. It may~ happen that, under 
certain conditions, all these methols give sitis- 
factory results. But the question is, wht is 
best ullround? First, itis mot wise to cut t> 
one eye, unless the seed is very strong, the land 
a first-class potato soil, and in good tilth. 
Whole seed should be used if the ground is very 
moist, andthe weather warm at planting time, 
orwhen green manure is ploughed down on the 
seed, A large number of experiments havo 
proved that the stem end ofa tuber will produ :e 
as good potatoes as the crown. Do not cut the 
crown off, as from it is as a rule, tho strongest 
shoot starts. 2 
The rules to observe in cuttingseed are; First 
look for the well-formed eyes, which throw out 
the strongest shoots, and cut the tuber so as to 
have at least one to each set. For example, a 
line drawn across a kidney potatoe is cut soas 
to divide the two strongest eyes‘in the potatoe. 
The other method would be to cut it straight 
across, making a stem and a crown set of it. 
And another goas to cut four sets, giving each 
set one strong eye. 
3. Ina dry season, or districts with light 
rainfall, large sets are the best, as the plant in 
the early stages of growth depends largely on 
the parent tuber for moisture until well estab- 
lished, It is better to leave more than one eye, 
asall eyes do not throw out shoots. A large 
set with imany eyes is just as liable to rot aga 
smaller one with only one eye. It isthe con- 
dition of the tubers and the state of the land that 
causes seed to rot. Sets witha single eye should 
only be planted in well-prep wed land suitable 
for potatoe growing 
4. From 4 to5 inches has been found the 
most suitable depth to plant. From a series of 
experiments carried out over a period of six 
years at the Central Experimental Farm, Canada 
the best results were obtained from those planted. 
from 3 to 5 inches deep ina sandy loam. If 
planted shallow, early varieties, or crops in 
early districts, suffer from the potato grub. 
5. The width between the rows, and distance 
between the sets, must be regulated largely by 
the character of the land. On ordinary soils 
27 inches to 30 inches has been found a suitable 
width, and from 18 to 24 inches between tho 
sets. But on rich land thatretains the moisture 
and in districts with a good rainfall during the 
growing period, they may be planted as close as 
from 15 to 18 inches between the sets. 
6. Seed should be planted the same day as 
cut. Itis not necessary to use any material to. 
dry the cut sets, asacut tuber does not bleed. 
The potato is composed of starch, and naturally 
dries quickly; if it does not, it will rot if put into 
the ground. Do not cut moreseed than you 
can plant during the day, for if rain falls your 
work may be stopped for several days. If the 
seed gets wet, it will be liable to rot. After 
rain, donot start planting with cut seed until 
the ground is dry. 
A. NELSON, 
105 Paranz, 
~ opposit ae 
Norwood, °°" sist chars 
Cycle Builder 
AND 
: Importer. 
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