24 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Burning-off Grass. 
A correspondent writes for suggestions 
on the good or evil of burning- off grasses, 
This is one of those scores of country 
questions so easy to ask, and so difficult 
to answer. All is dependant on par- 
ticular conditions. Writers who attempt 
to Iay down hard and fast rules in 
response to queries sooner or later make 
fools of themselves. Perhaps on this 
particular question, one cannot do better 
than quote from Mr. Fred. Turner’s 
excellent work on ‘Australian Grasses.’ 
He says :—‘ I am in favour of burning off 
annually, under three such conditions as 
the following—First, where grasses and 
other herbage fare much diseased with 
parasitic fungi; second, where there is a 
predominance of ‘spear,’ ‘ corkscrew, 
‘wire, and ‘three-awned spear’ grass , 
and, third, where rank growing grasses 
are abundant, which is generally on wet 
or undrained land, for along with this 
coarse growths many noxious plants and 
fungoid pests are destoyed. Pasturage 
treated in this way becomes more healthy, 
the fire acting as a disinfectant, and con- 
tagious diseases disappear,’ Of course 
burning may easily be made expensive by 
the destruction of valuable seeds and of 
edible timbers. But judicious burning 
is often of great value in the prevention 
of suckering. The <uckers caught young 
every year or two are held in check, 
where if they got a start they would cost 
alot to wipe out. It is interesting to 
notice that the blacks used to burn the 
country very freely before the whites 
came to Australia, and so make improved 
pastures for the kangaroos and wallabies 
they wished to possess, Large areas in 
Tasmania, which are now overgrown with 
bush, were a hundred years ago clear, 
open forest, and the change has been 
directly traced to the discontinuace of 
the annual fires by the rapidly-dying 
aboriginal people. In New Guinea 
to-day the natives still burn to make 
their hunting grounds more attractive. 
ao NRE ec ES ERA OREN TET 
Depth of rib, together with the well_ 
sprung rib of a wide horse, means heart, 
lung, and digestive capacity. 
November 1 1908 
Cultivation of Legumes. 
It is evident that the value of lezumes 
on a farm is not yet fully realised. 
Lucerns, where it can be grown, has 
always proved itself superior to other 
fodders for both milk and fattening, and 
on a few farms cow grass er red clover 
has given good results ss a substitute for 
the longer-lived crop. Kew farmers 
whose land will grow lucerne fail to make 
use of a portion of their area for that 
fodder. But those whose land is unsuit- 
able as a rule confine themselves strictly 
to wheat or oats for hay. Where there 
is much stock-feeding to be done the 
most economical plan of working is to 
have a stack, even if only a small one 
of some leguminous crop to feed 
with the bulkier hay. Probably the 
advantage of a mixed ration will never 
be impressed upon farmers until the im- 
provements have been demonstrated by 
local experiments. When such will be 
undertaken by the department no one 
can say. In the meantime it is unlikely 
that any great advance will be made in 
feeding methods. One kind of hay is 
regarded as beiug as good as another, no 
matter what its composition. The one 
great drawback is that growers are fre- 
quently restricted by the climate to one 
or two species, and when it is an annual 
that has tobe grown a difficulty at once 
presents itself in the curing of the crop, 
A wise alternative, in such eases, is to 
dispense with hay, and convert the crop 
into ennsilage. It can subsequently be 
fed with oaten or wheaten chaff, and the 
effect of the mixture is an improvement 
in quality. Where cow grass can be 
grown hay-making is an easy enough 
matter, but with any of the fodder peas 
or beans, ensiling will be found the best 
plan. 
There may be a profit in keeping a 
poor animal, but there would be a yreater 
profit in keeping a goodone. How much 
more does it cost to feed a sheep that 
shears 12 Ib. of wool than one which clips 
only half that amount ? 
The sore shoulder in horses is usually. 
caused by the dirty collar. 
ee Ta 
Miscellaneous Items. 
__ — 
Desirable qualities in a herd are fixed 
by a long line of careful selections and 
breeding. 
Two important factors for the brood. 
Sow are proper food and plenty of 
exercise, 
Learn to judge the build of a good 
horse, what points are favourable and 
why. Good horses are needed on the 
farm as much as any place. 
Clover is a very valuable feeding crop,. 
because it contains so much of the 
element of protein, which jis the element 
in reeding crops that costs the most. 
All stock on the farm soon tire of their 
ration if fed exclusively on one class of 
feed. A variety stimulates the appetite 
and is more palatable, and the stock get 
more nourishment from the food. 
It is said that the real worth of any- 
thing is just what you could get for it 
That may be the market value, but there 
are many things on the farm in the way 
of a good animal for which we could not 
get the real worth. 
Always in Season. 
“Boshter” Beer, 
A Temperance Tonic, brewed from the 
finest hops grown, matured in our cellars, 
_ A SPLENDID TABLE or SUPPER BEER 
Cased and sent all over the State, 
Awarded Two First Prizes, Adelaide. 
First Prize and Silver Medal, Sydney. 
Co-operative Mineral 
Waters Co., 
ANGAS ST., ADELAIDE. 
TEL. 76. 
NEWMARKET 
Hairdressing Saloon, 
28I RUNDLE STREET. 
GEO. K. A. GOSLIN. Manager: 
(Late with R. McCubbin) 
Under new management. Completely 
renovated. No waiting, Cleanliness and 
civility maintained. 
Best Brands of Tobacco, Cigars, and 
Cigarettes stocked. A trial solicited. 
' All papers. Agent for the ‘ Australian. 
Gardener,’ a ve. 
