RURAL RIDES

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21198, 23 June 1934, Page 18

RURAL RIDES

TOO MUCH RAIN THE POTATO POSITION [By H.A.M.'J The province has had too much rain. Patches of it, possibly, could do with heavy monthly downfalls, 2 but rain such as we have had this ; last few months is seriously retard- ■ ing -tillage operations over a very ; wide acreage. To June 22 (the • shortest day) this year the rainfall recorded in Christchurch _ was 14.62 ; inches, as against 8.35 inches for >• the corresponding period last year, and no less than 2.32 inches of last year's figures were recftrded in the three weeks in June. This means . that, up till June 1 of last year, only six inches of rain had fallen, and it can be understood that there was no hold-up in preparing the soil for crops. The 14 J inches so far this season, except for the deluge 1 last month, have been spread • in 1 moderate falls all at sufficiently 1 close intervals to give _ farmers little chance to get their wheat sown. The varying effect on heavy and light land of this position is particularly noticeable. On heavy land, such as in the Halswell, Tai Tapu, and Greenpark districts, a large area is turned over with evidences of very little recently _ sown crops, while on the lighter soils towards the main south railway a good deal of young crop is to be { seen well through the ground. The I light land appears to be having its j turn this year, after three seasons of uncertain, if not altogether really unfavourable, weather. It is true that tractors, working long hours, can prepare a good deal of ground in a hurry, but through various causes there are fewer tractors in action titan before the slump. Perhaps the better times have assisted a recommissioning of a number, which were temporarily laid aside, but in any case no period of fine weather can bring the cropping programme up to the stage that it was 12 months ago. At the moment it would seem that the carry-over from the 1935 harvest will not be heavy enough to concern the Wheat Purchase Board. The Green Hills The other side of the wet weather effects are to be seen on the Port Hills. The greenness of the hills in early August, as a rule, is the I prelude* to the general spring, but _ at the present time, practically j mid-winter, the hills are greenerj than they generally are. in late i August or early September. They j are showing a great flush of j growth, the maximum of sun they receive combining with the moisture in a manner that is denied to the flats. A motor run round the foot of the hills towards Kaituna is like having a little of spring in advance. The Dairy Herds The Halswell district is really the dairy farm of the city. Most of its rich lands are carrying herds for that purpose. It is rather notable that some of the best land in Canterbury for dairying should be at the door of tbp city. One result, of this proximity is that the city should receive low priced milk, which it does as a matter of fact. There have been occasions in previous winters when herds were low conditioned as a result of feed shortage. Such is not the case this season. Mangles and turnips have been grown plentifully, and are being carted out liberally, although it is early for the sugar in mangles to be at its best. There appears, also, to be a good supply of hay. Most of the herds are rugged, a great advance having taken place ' in this useful practice in recent years.

The one unsatisfactory feature is ■ the rain soddened condition of the lower lying flats. More rain, apparently, has fallen in the district than further inland, on account of its- proximity to the liiils. Green Manuring A number of paddocks of blue lupins on the medium and lighter land towards the railway indicate that the benefit of green manuring is being increasingly appreciated. For removing the effects of some crop pests green manuring is also especially: valuable. A .Springs county farmer told the writer yesterday of an experience of some years ago in this respect. He encouraged trouble in the first place by taking three consecutive crops of wheat off a 10-acre paddock, and the third crop was so infested with take-all that he threshed only 15 bushels to the acre. He was advised that this was the end of that paddock for wheat for a good few years to come. He summer fallowed the paddock, sowed it in rape, which he ploughed in, regretfully in view of its fattening value. Then he sowed it in Hunters wheat and threshed 70 bushels to the acre. He sold the crop at 6s a bushel, so the 10 acres returned more than £2O an acre. He had no occasion to regret the "loss" of the rape and the lambs that he did not fatten on it. The Potato Crop Potatoes are grown fairly extensively in the. Springs county. Digging has been interrupted a good deal by the broken weather, and any dry spells are being taken full advantage of to get the crop out of the ground. The weight of the crops is satisfactory, but there are instances of harmful effects from the wet condition of the ground. Several potato .growers with whom the writer discussed the removal of the embai'go against the importation of New Zealand potatoes into Australia ar& gratified that this long-standing absurdity has been removed. The cause of the embargo, in the first place, they realise, was purely protective. Perhaps it was natural that Victorian growers should want the Sydney market to themselves, which, on occasions, enabled them to secure as much as £25 a ton for potatoes no better than New Zealand could have supplied at the same time for £lO or £ll a ton. The burden of their complaint, however, was that New Zealand potatoes should be branded as diseased in order to secure this exclusive market. The official announcement to the effect that the knowledge now available of powdery scab Is Bjiflieient to .the

Commonwealth lifting the embargo represents a discreet retirement from a position taat was becoming more difficult to maintain. One grower yesterday said that the really satisfactory feature of the negotiations was that the New Zealand Government refused to see anything but the direst ills happening to our ■orchards from imported citrus fruits 'while the Victorian potato crop was menaced by imported New Zealand potatoes. It is rather singular that the knowledge of how to deal with powdery scab was discovered in Australia simultaneously with our. recognition that imported Australian oranges would not play havoc with our orchards.