Agricultural.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 24, 24 December 1874, Page 3

Agricultural.

It has long been a custom when a cow failed to breed to drive hpr some miles ! away to a bull, and the plan is generally successful. Recently an Irish breeder followed this plan with some cows, which had failed to breed for several seasons, and they all became in calf. The ancient poet Virgil speaks ofa similar practice as bein°* in use in his day, and also of Feducing°the auantity of feed and the condition of le aniirial as a means of procuring fertility. We know of no modern practice that is so effective as these old ones. It is reported, as said by Dr Voelckner, chemist of the Royal Society of England, that the escape of ammonia from fermenting heaps of manure goes on but slightly. That while the escape is great from the heated central part of the heap, the ammonia is absorbed by acids formed by the decomposition and by the water present in the heap. All this goes tf) show that the manure heap should be kept well covered with absorbents, and that an occasional sprinkling with water is beneficial. Besides, good will result from copious sprinkling of ground gypsum or plaster. A' plant grown from a single grain of barley at the Waiaru Valley, has been left at our (' Express') office, the extraordinary increase of which may be stated thus — Fifty-four heads bearing an average of thi rty--two grains of barley-corns, making a total of 1,723 grains, the produce of a single seed. There are many plants which bear seed in perhaps even larger numbers, but when we look at the value of corn crops, it is well to consider whether a smaller quantity of seed sown at proper intervals would pot yield much larger returns than the system now pursued. A great discovery was made by Mr Parkes, who has probably gone deeper into the study of the philosophy of draining than any other person. He «tates that even in a clay soil a fourfeet drain is more efficient than one of two feet. This he illustrated by the following experiment: — He Gaused a drain to be dug four feet deep in apiece of pasture. At the bottom be laid tiles of one inch bore, On these was rapimed hard clay two feet deep, and on the pl^y was laid another row of inch tiles, and the trench was filled up to the surface. After a heavy rain the lower or foupr feet tiles not only commenced running first, but the flow of water was much greater than from the upper tier, and continued longer. But this was not all. Another drain of four feet was opened parallel with the other, at 24 feet distance, and served in the same way. It then appeared that the first drain had drawn off the water to the extent of 24 feet, for the second drain had a very inferior flow from it. Mr Parkes says, experience has proved that a soil surcharged with water cannot perfect crops ; that excess of water is an impediment to the due mechanical division of the active soil ; that it diminishes the fertilizing power of any species of manure ; that it lowers the temperature of tbe mass of the bed ; that it precludes the free entrance and exchange of the atmospheric air ; that it prevents the free descent of rain through the soil and its timely evaucation.

The advocates of deep cultivation will read with satisfaction the following remarks made at a recent meetine? of the Maidstone (England) Farmers' Club. Mr Barling said he should confine his remarks chiefly to the principle ofploughing. Ploughing wasamechanical action, which was to bring about another action — a chemical action. A remark had been made that evening to which he attached much weight. It was possible to cultivate well without ploughing — that was, thatby moving the soil sufficiently they could bring about fertility without ploughing. It was thus brought about. The organic matter within the soil was capable of being dissolved and brought into a soluble condition if it be sufficiently exposed to the oxygen in the air, but if they kepp that organic matter sealed up by earth— it might be kept as many generations as they like — they would get nothing from it. The more they broke the soil and let in the oxygen of the air, the quicker would the organic matter, which they, or perhaps the grandfathers, had placed in the soil, become soluble, and the food of seeds which had been placed in that soil. The question of steamrflloughing as against horse-ploughing seemed to come to this — it did not matter how they ploughed, whether by animal force or the force of machinery. They might plough by turning over the soil or by breaking it up, but whatever they did their object w^s to let in the air. In advocating deep cultivation, Mr Barling said that if they broke the soil low down — he did not say turn it over — they altered the condition of that soil ; they rendered it warmer, upon the whole. If they laid the thermometer on the land, it would be found that the better and the deeper the soil was broken up the warmer would be the land, and temperature was one of the. elements favorable to the life of plants.: Mr Paine had remaaked that they could pot get rid of water by deep cultivation, but it would be better distributed, and land that had been thoroughly and deeply worked would, generally speaking, be mo ist, but not surcharged with water. Moisture was one of the elements upon which vegetable life so greatly depends; an# ex-

cess was, however, harmful, but a certain quantity was needful. The land being warmer and m.oister, must, upon principle, be greatly improved by deep cultivation.