Farm and Garden.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 414, 21 April 1904, Page 7

Farm and Garden.

OKIGHN&i;- ARTICLES.

FEED FOE THE DBY SEASON

■HE hob weather and dry period whioh usually prevails daring midsummer and early autumn is I%m usually very trying and critical tothe dairymen and those generally who I kejip stock, inasmuch as the hot winds dry • up all vegetation, and it seems almost incompreheasible why every dairyman and stockman does not have a silo. It supplies succulent feed during the drought of summer, also the winter perod. It furnishes a very oheap feed, eaves the entire crop, enables the farmer to keep twice &b many cattle as any oilier method of storing feed, prevents harm from a change from dry to green feed, and these advantages are gained. without special effort or expense. A silo is easily and cheaply built; it requires no particular skill to fill one, and there is no good reason why anyone who has stock should be without green feed the yesr round Succulent feed can be obtained under favouring conditions by growing; animal forage plants, whioh should be planted in early summer. Some time since some differentforage plants were tested with dairy cows, and the results obtained were very satisfactory, S«gbum proved to be the best forage plant for * midsummer 5 practically one acre of sorghum supplied, sum cient ! feed for five cows for one month. Tbe animals need in this test were not heavy milkers, but they responded very favourably while on sorghum, but one has to ha very cautious about sorghum poisoning, which has been found to exist only in the dry eeason when the vegetation is in a wilted condition and the p ant in an unhealthy state, and .only seems to exist in certain localities, When* cows ate fed on Sorghum 1 they will give better returns if they receiver a little braa or oats mixed with a little oil meal. The millets are good pasturage plants, also cowpeas, .are some cows that do not relish cowpejis,. Bat soiiing is to be preferred., \ A very good way to feed succulent corn is to feed it from a rack where the, animal can pull the forage. The importance of supplying succulent summer ieed'is 1 not nearly fully "•'•'&&? predated! by dairymen. They do not seem to realise the necessity of keeping up the milk flow during the critical season of the year j! and the. fact that when a pbw, OEce shrinks in yieldiog the fliw of milk it is very I difficult : to bring Her back to a normal flow; -, - .»

I 3 K FERTILISERS, Toe general use of fertilisers is becoming more aad more extended as people become more thoroughly acquainted with their merit and true value. Occasional! y those who deal in fertilisers may, in good faith, recommend cert Ma Compounds that they may have for disposal, merely because good res alts may have been obtained on certain land j but when used on different land disappointing results have been obtained j- and so some people hare bean too ready to condemn all fertilisers; and occasionally those who sell are unable to explain why bad results are obtained. But an examination of different soils shows that some soils may be well supplied with phosphoric acid, while in other cases it is present only in moderate quantities, whilst in other cases the greatest deficiency is potash. In some instances remarkable returns have been obtained from land by the application of potash where bone material had been used previously with not Buch good results. Still one must not be too ready to jump to the conclusion that phosphoric acid may not be necessary on the land, '• It iamuch more profitable to keep land iu good condition than to let it .get put of such cndition and then try to bring it back by one-sided fertilisation. 'The "teal point for farmers to know is just what kind is necessary to nae. Mixings the'materials used as fertilisers at home is a matter in which progressive farmers are vitally interested. Some -ye.^M-since Buoh a matter was cut of the question, because they did not know what they wanted and would have found difficulty in procuring raw materials at prices that; -would have permitted profitable home mixing. The interest of the fertiliser manufacturer of course lies in the of selling mixed goods, and the interest of the local agent is the same.. But many: large manufacturers realise that home mixing of the compound is ' b&uaWto be practised to some Pxtent, : alQu ' so .they off er on sale raw materials of good quality arid* at 1 reasonable dost. -Some taking advantage of that and are'makjng a considerable savingly home mixing, arid under the > inspection and guarantee j»f the constituents., the. farmer. ;can feel as cob Meat in regard ,to,- the ; . Equality of his fertilisers aV'hVcatt in regard to! the quality of any other supplies., j ******* wftl Questions frequently asked in regara^tl' 1 feitiHgera are s—What is'tle"'b%St nrana P j leli TßelSer to use bone or "rTclTgoocls P Do fertilisers exhaust the land P Havreg begun the use of fertilisers mast we coatiiraa use,? There is norbesfctbrand of fertiliser. The. value of a fertiliser, dependft upon the "amount and .kirif a oi plant food it contains. To obtain the best agricultural 'value, that is, the best returns from a fertiliser, it inußt be c i suited to the land, to the crop, and to the system of farming"followed; hl - No' simple s general rale oan be given toeover stxoh*; variety of conditions. The farmer must think for himself and exercise his own judgment, and if in doubt confer with; on.such matters.. -Thar "of the'question regarding bone and rock lief 5 in the availability of the phosphoric acid. It is a safe proposition that a pound of available phosphoric acid 1 frdm any sourco has the same agricultural value.' It maybe fairly estimated that under favorable conditions two thirds of the phosphoric acid in - ground bone is available, say to the wheat crop, to which it is applied, \ and the remainder to tne following crops. With spring crops the more soluble''forms of phosphoric acid found in acidulated bone and dissolved rook phosphate are preferable. Allowance mußfc.be made for the nitrogen contained iri tnV genuine bone goods, Fertilisers ought to be considered as supplementary co the other manures, and whea intelligently used as 1 such there is no danger cf toil exhaustion. On the other hand they offer exceptionally good opportunities; for .engaging in rational improvements of the soil. . r . v /iWhen fertilisers have been intelligently and properly; used there? are. no effects produced which absolutely require that the use of them be continued. • But where * they nave been so used it is at once 1 recognised that jfie profits derived from, their use are generally so great, that it is, found very advantageous to continue their -.xaidi'--' .;.."' [-A& '■'-■ '■-''■■*■" : ' \.y :\\*. ';:;,