THE LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 83, 8 April 1925, Page 13

THE LAND.

FARMING IN THE KING COUNTRY

SEASONAL ACTIVITIES

CROPPING AND CULTURAL

OPEBATIONS

THE POTATO CHOI'

(By " ANCHORITE.")

A mistake mack by many potato mowers is the tendency to allow this crop to remain in the ground after the tubers arc matured. They should be lifted as soon as they are mature and •B-lien the ground is thoroughly dry. If left in the ground after maturing, tlie tubers soon start i.o sprout and consequently their keeping qualities are very much impaired. Moreover, the sprouted tuber greatly depreciates the value of this staple food product. Liming the Land. April is probably the most suitable month for liming operations and this is best applied to ploughed ground as the weather speedily washes it downwards. With the exception of very sour soils tlie better results are generally promoted by light and frequent dressings as against heavier dressings at long intervals, say 7 to 8 cwt of carbonate ot lime or half this amount of burnt lime. The land should be thoroughly drained before liming to gain the best results. The question as to what form of lime to use is best left to the judgment of the individual farmer who would know the local conditions better than an outsider, but it is a distinct advantage as well as a saving of money to get the work done this month before carting is made expensive by bad weather conditions effecting the roads. If the lime lias to be carted long distances there is a saving in haulage in the case of burnt lime compared with the carbonate, as about 13cwt of the former is equivalent to one ton of the latter. (As a set-off to this, however, the burnt material costs about seventy per cent more than the carbonate.) In most localities the raw crushed limestone gives satisfactory results, but if speedy results arc desired the lime should be employed in the burnt form. The Cocksfoot Paddock. The April growth of cocksfoot leafage is a big factor in the following season's crop, therefore the harvested eocksfootpaddock should not be stocked until early in August, when the strength gained by the roots of the grass will off-shoot any grazing of the foliage during the late winter months. The paddock that is required for seed in January should be closed from about the 10th of September, and kept closed until the harvest is over. . . Lucerne. The last cut of the season has probably been taken from most lucerne paddocks, and in such cases the stand should be closed during the winter months, as the trampling by stock during this period of suppressed growth is highly injurious to the root system of this plant. The stands should now be cultivated' with a rigid-tined cultivator to a depth of about six inches. The plot should be harrowed, and then cross-harrowed, when the frosts of winter will mellow the open surface. Applications of lime are benciicial to the exposed surface; 12cwt of ground burnt lime, or say, 3cwt per acre of super may be employed with payable results. Where it is proposed to establish a new stand of lucerne, the site should be cultivated this month, well limed, and cultivated at intervals throughout the winter in order to thoroughly eradicate all weed growth. If cultivation is continued in the early weeks of spring, all seedling weeds would be destroyed, as well as promoting a good firm seed-bed for the reception of the seed or plants. Cropping Operations. In ploughing lea land a generous and deep furrow' should be turned, as too frequently the ploughing is of a uniform depth season after season. It is the better plan to vary the depth of the furrow each season in order to avoid the formation of a hard pan and to bring new soil into use. . The seed-bed for autumn sown cereals should be worked down fine underneath and left open on the surface. This system gives shelter to the sprouting crops, and also prevents the soil from packing on the surface. In the wheat growing belts of this Dominion, this is the period of greatest activity on the cropping farms. The earlier sowing of wheat may be light, say, li bushels to the acre, but ilie better months for sowing wheat in the North Island are May and June, when the ravages of the Hessian fly are not so apparent. Many farmers. "> this Island, however, produce good wheat crops from spring-sown seed, Where the ground has had the benefit of Hie late winter preparation. Oats may be sown now throughout the Dominion, and the general opinion is that Algerians invariably give the better results, and as a winter fodder crop t'ley are now conceded to be far superior «> tape barley. An ample seeding of W a " S wou,d be 2 ? bushels per acre. net and stiff clayey soils are greatly fc-mehtted by a winter fallowing whilst lift/ 0 fre quently leach badly if •ere, to fallow during winter, and for fiTiT 80 ," the latter are greatly beucgreen f L b , Ci " g cm P lo r ed »' growing a green catch-crop during this period. to. ni mn r i " fcstcd P add °cks should now annn, oUg,Pf, ' and after the young shoots I sIE i °? the P !ou g ]i «l surface sheep p arl . slloots durin S the winter and ea?\ Spnng - T],is acts i» the dual • gßfii: weed!" 5 the SheeP and eradl - clef!!J rai I 18 , on the P ro Perty should be that S f ° Ut before winter sets in in order thus ' t r Ol ; i V vat ers may readily escape, WEJK , * the soil fr °» becomfng OTAGO'S POTATO CHAMPIONS. NEARLY FOUR POUNDS APIECE. tie'ehn I ™^ o6B, which are claimed to be fcen f« Plon , B ° f Otago for 1925 ' have Cs» nffl ardde t0 the " ota e° Da % r «markahl ' a " d they are certainly of grown i™?r growtll - The Potatoes were fachof h */• A - Jensen - of Stirling, and 41b Tj,n Vo forw arded weighed nearly tfeidrf V% CaiUC Ollt of a field which wSJS, ?* 18 tons to the acre - The Arra P l r ll ? UJmitte<l for inspection are *ci»], M l,,, , aml one of the two tubers r<mnd "U oz wl,c » taken out of the

SHEEP COUNTRY SALE,

AREA IN THE MAXOAKAHIA

Messrs. T. Mandeno Jackson reports the sale of a well-known northern property, in the Mangakahia Valley, at :!,e .junction of the bridges, and the sale is important as being the first transaction in large country holdings that has taken place for a very considerable time. Mr. Harold Millington, of Papatoetoe, isi the purchaser, and Mr. Alfred Thome, the vendor. The property comprises 2700 acres, all in grass, and it carries ' over 5000 sheep. 700 cattle and also 100 milking cows. The property is practically all in paspalum, and is the show' property of the Mangakahia. It was formerly the property of Mr. Isaac Bayly. Messrs. T. 31andeno Jackson report that while there has been -..ctive inquiries for some time for sheep land. this is the first sale to materialise which involves over five figures. PUREBREDS-COW TESTING. Breeders of purebred dairy cattle could render no greater service to themselves and to the dairy industry than to belong to a cow-testing association. The leading breeders of purebred dairy cattle are giving more attention to records at tlift present time than.at any period in the past. Those with full understanding of the needs .of the dairy farmer know that there is a greater demand for cows capable of doing a good year's work than there was a few years back. The cow-testing association has established itself favourably in the minds of the dair.v farmers, and they are looking for cows that have made good yearly records. Many cases have come to notice during the past year in which grade cows from herds in cow-testing associations htive sold for more money than purcbreds from untested herds. A situation ot this kind should not exist or bo permitted to continue indefinitely. The grade dairy cow, which may be popular especially if she has made a good year's record, owes her outstanding qualities to purebred animals. The breeders of purebred cattle, however, have not selected their animals as closely as they should, and as a result I many find themselves unable to sell their purebreds at prices equal to jjood grades. What should the purebred breeder do in such a case as this? It is suggested that lie join a cow-testing association and eliminate all cows unable to produce at least 3001b of fat in a year. There are too many purebred animals below the 3001b fat mark. What excuse has a man who breeds dairy cattle if he does not produce improved .blood? It is a well-known fact that some breeders of dairy cattle will not join a cow-testing association, for if buyers come to purchase an animal from them they desire to see the records, and very often the records are so low that it would injure their sale. This is an extremely unfortunate position for a purebred breeder. Purebred breeders should take stepa to eliminate their low-producing, cows, for they are the ones to depress the prices of purebred animals. It will take some courage on tlie part of some breeders to do this, but the sooner they meet the condition and get their pastures filled with creditable purebred animals, the sooner they will be in a position to make a profit from, their herds.—Exchange. '