RURAL RIDES.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20523, 16 April 1932, Page 20

RURAL RIDES.

A MAGNIFICENT PLANTATION. (By H.A.M.) (No. LXXVII.) The writer's wanderings the other day diverted him from the usual subjects which form the basis of these notes. This was to the magnificent 100-acre plantation of Mr Jas. Deans, at Homebush, Hororata. There are many homesteads in the Dominion pleasantly set in clumps of native bush, but not many that compare in all-round charm with that at Homebush. It is a happy blending of the native and the exotic, laid out with a taste that speaks of an artistic temperament and a gardening skill by its originator. As the years have gone on the forest has been extended and diversified in its character by the inclusion of many of the more notable trees of other countries. For instance, the Canadian redwood is to be seen growing with the same majesty as on its native heath. Then there is the graceful Wellingtonia from the Pacific Slopes of America. Many of these two notable specimens are of tremendous height, and others again are passing through a lusty youth. The beautiful cedar is growing to perfection, and close by the homestead are some magnificent specimens of the eucalypti. The larch, Oregon pine, pinus insignia, and the popular deciduous trees such as the oak, ash and poplar provide a variety of colouring of infinite grace and charm. The autumn tints are now setting in, and the Scottish gean, with its brilliant scarlet, and the poplar, a mass of gold, Btand out in striking relief against the background of green. On the hillside flanking the homestead is a patch of native bush, of beech, panax, etc., a development from a small clump that existed when Homebush was originally taken up. There are numerous walks through the plantation, which permit its beauty to be thoroughly explored—one through a magnificent setting of larches, planted away back in the 50's of last century. Under the jealous care of the succeeding generations of the Deans family the good work is being carried on, the forest being extended to the non-tillable areas on the steeper hillsides. A run through Homebush makcß a pleasant interlude. Timothy. Timothy is not regarded as a grass of leading importance as far as feeding value is concerned. Moreover, it has generally been regarded as suitable only for heavy land. This theory has been exploded in Canterbury as on light land, with a very low rainfall, such as in some parts* of the Mackenzie Country, it grows prolifically. At Homebush there is an eight-year-old paddock of Timothy that has given a tremendous quantity of feed this season —much more than the average pasture. Timothy is exceptional in that a crop of seed does not impair the quality of the hay. This is an advantage that should not be" ignored when estimating the feeding value of Timothy pasture. » A Useful Bed Clover. On Mr .H, Oliver's farm at Hororata is a field of red clover, which was originally sown 18 years ago. There have been intervening crops of cereals and roots, but whenever the land was sown down again the clover vigorously asserted itself, and when seen by the writer the other day it provided a very thick sward. On one or two farms in South Canterbury, notably on the old Waikakahi Estate, the same permanent type of red clover is to be seen. In the Morven district one field has had it established between 30 and 40 years. The late Mr McLean, it is recorded, imported considerable quantities of seed from England, and it is assumed that he secured one of the best red clover strains, which he sowed on Waikakahi. This clover seems lower in the crown than the ordinary red, and this may have something to do with its virility. Chaff for Winter. It is just a little bit difficult to understand why chaff should be at such a bedrock price. In no part of the province is there to be seen the normal number of oat sheaf stacks and there is no reason to suppose that the oats have already been chaffed. The lifeless market dismisses that suggestion, and in any case chaff-cutters have not been busy. It might be supposed that the increase in the use of horses on the farm—and this is also undoubted — would absorb more hard feed, and that there will be a much greater demand for chaff for ewea this winter. All things considered, therefore, the stage

would seem to be set for a demand for | chaff. Perhaps with the approach of the colder weather the shrinkage in oats production will become more apparent, so that in the meantime farmers who are fortunate enough to have a surplus of chaff on hand would be well advised to adopt the advice of the late Mr Micawber. THE WHITE BUTTERFLY REMEDIAL MEASURES. Complaints of the destructiveness of the white butterfly arc numerous in the Poverty Bay district. The secretary of the local A. and P. Association forwarded some specimens to Dr. J. Brydon Hogg, 8.5., B.Ag., chief agricultural instructor for the Wanganui Education Board, and in reply the following letter was received: — "Mj experience of the pest at Home has been that of the three varieties, all are very damaging to crops of the cabbage family, these including moat of our farm crops such as swede, chou mouellier, etc. They have also been known to attack silver beet. These being allied to the mangold, it is not unreasonable to suppose that, failing their natural food, they may turn to the latter in certain districts, with results not lightly to be contemplated. "Being such a serious menace, no method of treatment should be neglected which may serve to lessen the spread of the insect. Where newlyestablished, as in Poverty Bay, it might be possible to do much by destroying the caterpillars by spraying or handpicking. Four ounces of salt to tho gallon of water is a good spray, while good results have been reported with a spray of ono cake of Sunlight soap to two gallons of water, plus a small percentage of black leaf 40. It has also been suggested that a little milk added to tho soap and water will aid it to stick to the leaves. "Destruction of the cocoons where harbouring near crops is also recommended on a small scale. In small areas of cabbage plants tho dipping of the plants in arsenate of lead solution before planting out is advisable. "Of course the above methods of treatment are only practicable on a small garden scale, field operations being too expensive for spraying, etc. The Department has, I believe, ordered from abroad numbers of the butterfly's natural enemy, ono of the Ichneumon flies. There are a number which prey on tho butterfly and cocoon, the most successful being Apantelcs Glomerata. I would suggest that as soon as some of these are to hand that you apply for some for release in the Bay, and if the pest is only just appearing much might be done by the parasite to check the spread. Specimens I have received of the caterpillar, cocoon, and butterfly all show varying characteristics, while all are undoubtedly of the cabbage white species. "I have recently received a specimen from the Main Trunk area, and, being non-existent there a few months ago, one can appreciate that it will not b« lpng before it will spread entirely throughout our farm lands, with results too serious to contemplate. As before stated, it is best to tackle the pest before it is definitely established, and much might be done in the late autumn to destroy the resting cocoons, which will not hatch now till tho following spring, atid in tho early spring destroy, while still numerically few, the caterpillars on garden crops. I Tegret that I am unable to givo you any definite specific for the completo eradication of the pest, but we can only hope for good results from the parasite to bo introduced.'' Figures now coming to hand make it apparent that all previous figures have been surpassed for Hawke's Bay certified perennial ryegrass harvest this year, says the Napier "Telegraph." .The yield off 4569 acres, which acreage has been threshed, was 11,236 sacks. There are still yields off some fifty acres to be threshed, and some of this seed may bo abandoned. So far as machine dressings are concerned, 7328 sacks, containing 51,296 bushels, have been treated in the machine dressing stations and tho yield has been 3994 sacks, containing 31,952 bushels. The percentage of loss to date is therefore 37 per cent. There is still a considerable amount of seed to be machinedressed. At the rate she is going the four-year-old Jersey heifer, Woodland's Felicie, the property of Mr P. J. Peterson, Waitara, gives promise not only of breaking the New Zealand record but also the world's production record. For the last few months she has consistently produced over 1001b fat, each monthly effort showing a slight .increase over the previous period. The culminating point was her latest monthly return of 112.301b fat, and she now has 656.451b fat to her credit in only 195 days. The present New Zealand record-holder in the Jersey breed is Holly Oak Annie, C.O.R. 10561b fat.