Farm and Dairy.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 505, 24 January 1906, Page 2

Farm and Dairy.

ORIGINAL ARTICLES.

[All Rights Rkskbved.]

GROWING HIGH GRADE CORN. IK the first instanoe the most essential points to consider are:'' moderately fertile soil, good seed and thorough cultivation, A poor soil grows too many small ears, and a very rioh soil produees very large ears which laok uniformity, it is necessary for one to grow their own seed, employing the most approved methods. Seleoting twenty-five to forty ears of oorn, they are planted, eaoh ear in a separate row. The seed of this part of the field or the immediate vioinity of the breeding plot, having been properly selected, eaoh ear is examined and recorded by taking the length, oiroumferenoe at butt and tip, weight of ear, oolour of grains, number of rows of oorn, grains in a row, shßlling, and weighing oob. Eaoh ear should be reoorded separately in a careful manner, so that future orops of the breeding system may be oompared and improvement noted. Ears from the same former seed are not planted in rows adjoining, but are arranged when planted that there will be the greatest possible degree of orossing of these ears. The seed bed should have been previously ploughed to a depth of from three and a half to four and a half inches deep in a general way, but whioh may be varied to suit the surrounding conditions of soil and moisture, and well harrowed and rolled. As soon as the oorn is up above the ground and of sufficient growth, eagle olaw oultivators, four shovels on a side, are used to kill the weeds and loosen the soil around the tender oorn plants, and continued from time to time, if possible, otherwise large shovels are used; but the small shovels are preferred, as they do not destroy oorn roots bo bad as large shovels, and they leave the surfaoe of the field more level. In selecting oorn for seed or show purposes, the rows are carefully inspeoted and the ears examined. When an apparently suitable ear is found, the husk may be opened on the under side of the ear, so that it can be. put baok it not suitable. In that way a large quantity of seemingly suitable ears may be selected and carried to some suitable place where a more careful examination is made T any portions of the oob exposed at the top of the ear should be dipped off olosely to the grains, and with a stiff brush the silks and dust may be separated from eaoh ear, giving the entire exhibit a clean and unform appearanoe.

DISEASED JfIIJIT. Mint is liable to be destroyed in all kinds of soils and under all conditions of growth. The disease known as canker is o&used by s profuse growth of a small parasitio fungus named Pucrinia mentbse. At the present time the spots are of an orange yellow colour. This is the so-oalled Uredo stage. Later on in the summer the spots become black, and the entire plants will be oovered with a kind of black, snuff-like powder, consisting of the spores or seeds of the parasite, - When a bed of mint is attacked

by this parasite, tfca best thing to dp is to pull up the plants by the roots and burn them; and then make a fresh bed in a different part of the garden. In making a new bed, the ground should be deeply dug, and an abundant supply of old deoayed manure worked in at the same time, as this herb is a very gross feeder. Excessive drought, a'poor soil, or a very light soil, will, in many oases, bring about an attack of oanker, therefore it would be a very good plan to make a fresh bed every two years. Liquid-manure applied jin the growing season will also be very beneficial. Its presence may be seen by a growth surrounding the stems between the leaves as shown in the sketch. This growth gradually attacks the leaves, causing them to curl up, while the stem when it is quite girdled by the fungus withers and dies.

SHADING PLAJiTS. During the summer amateurs often find the exoessive heat of the sun a souroe oi trouble so far as the raising of young plants is concerned, Seedlings that are just prioked out and placed on the benches in the greenhouse are, in many instances, lost simply through want of shading from the heat of the sun. Now this oan be very easily prevented by bringing into use the simple contrivance shown in the accompanying sketch. It oonsists of pieces of stiok with a small headed nail driven in at one end. These are either lightly taoked on to the front of eaoh stage in the greenhouse or stuok into the soil into the flower pot; in the latter oase the lower ends will require to be pointed. A newspaper is then laid over them, holes being made for the nails to pass through so as to prevent it slipping. This simple arrangement will effectively shade the plants from the hot-

test sun, and also save the amateus the loss, trouble and annoyanoe which would ooout if no shading were used. It is in these oases that the value of an arrangement suoh as is described above will be appreciated. Hard-wooded plants suoh as camellias, azaleas, ericas, primulas, etc, make muoh more satisfactory growth if they are shaded up to the time the flowerbuds are set. Newly-potted plants, especially if their roots have been muoh disturbed, recover the obaDge of soil qmoker if they are not exposed for a week or two to bright sunshine, while in the oase of fresh rooted outtings it is most essential that they should be plaoed out of the reach of the sun after they have been disturbed at the roots until they oan bear it without flagging. The making of ensilage is increasing in favour every year, Taking one season with

another, ibis plan of harvesting the crop, is probably done at a third less oost than hay-making, and this is a consideration, The hay ia about a long time in wt seasons, and requires labour and attention the whole time, but ensilage Btaoks may be set up whether the weather be wet or dry. It will be necessary, however, to provide hay for horses, and also a little to go with the ensilage for dairy oows and calves in winter. Fattening oattle, too, thrive the faster on hay. In mowing ensilage, it is highly important to out at the right time. If too soon, bulk in the orop is lost; if too late, the Btoms and bents of the various plants become bard, and are not sufficiently impressible in the staok. Make no bottom, staok the green material as firmly and oompaotly as possible, and put a roof on the rick, as for hay, and there need be no more trouble taken so long as some covering is put on the roof to keep out the rain. It is, however, desirable that the staok should be set up at different times, be added to, Bay, onee a week, so as to allow settling to go on thoroughly. Excellent materials for ensilage are clovers, tares, lucerne, sainfoin and grasses.