THE FARM INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 403, 12 January 1909, Page 2

THE FARM INDUSTRY.

SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE.

SOME INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS.

- the' ise of manures. Some rather interestingexpenments in the •way .-of scientific . .agriculture our special correspondent) are now being made known in Wairarapa,''"wherb many farmer* make a practice of the intense'study of their lanils, A farm section?is.something Jike a human being. It is subject, to deadly-periods of inertness, according the seison. and the manner in which it has laboured.The .same sort .of physic does all, soils, 'any, more, than the same sort of'physic.'iuits allmankind. . It frequently • happens, a . patient .is treated by his ' the wrong sort of 'disease : -altogether, Wdi only too 'often the same ;cqntoion\ofotiMgs;«ia& m the treatment of the:soiLby^tjieJarmer: The rule should be, therefore, so : 1 for as scientific agriculture is concerned, for the farmer first to know his'soil -by ahalysi'^ ; and then he will be fully..capable, of judging',how. lit should be "treated. v . V.

, These were the; conditions under' which-'a number ,of experiments- have just been'com- - peted m:\Vairarapa by various farmers who' placed themselves m communicatiohiwithvMr.- . : A. ,J3,. Wood, agricultural chemist for-Messrs. ' - ttt P rulc ksbank and Co.,- Masterton.-- Mr; Wood is.from the Etruria Chemical Works, btaiiordshiro, England,, with-a wide experience of'the scientific treatment of .soils. He ; has- conducted experiments on some, of tho most important of the Wairarapa"and Mas-'ft terton farms with a large .amount of sucoess. The results .are somewhat, interesting.-; .-■■ ■ There were several experiments conducted V on the 'Te Whiti farm of- Mr. H. (Morrison.- '■ whose manager-is Mr. A. Turner, athorough'"practical and scientific.tiller of the soil. TheTe■■■■■ Whiti land was formerly totara and inatai bush ■" country,i and- the soil is rich inide-'- '* cayed vegetable manure-and potash, 'fho . best- section —that -near the banks of-" the-' Taueru River—had \£een: beautiifully'.worked:';' just like a garden. l It :ivas skipi-ploughcd- • :and then-ploughed again, and;-although Mr/. : Turner's neighbours;-informed .him' that he • would find his. soib.clog or "run together,' l - he "kept to his book." ; The manure-used was' basic slag, and-bonedust, 140 pounds to the < ■> acre. The rape seed was sown on November 9, and the_ crop,now.;is described as the finest * ■ rape crop in ftew Zealand.-.The rape averages 36 inches in -tiGigiit ; nearly all over; tho-fieldy ■; and, the section.is now running 42; sheep lathe acre...(.Last. week when seen.-,there - was -. ■; only a portion :of.-their white -backs distinguishable,: as they advanced • in- line through. 'A-.' the; luscious' crop, yin. which the leaves .were-; considerably larger.'than. those of , cabbages.- ■ This crop ,will last- up to June or July,-.and the. cost of the, manure.; was - only"ss.'-per,--acre., . Mr. . Turner, says that not a ■ seed missed, and ;h£ mixed ithe manure himself. It appears that the proper plan is.forrfarmers-v t6 mix their own manurcs, as .in other cases . .they frequently;'are placed in- possession of ;.' which has lost.a,considerable amount of , its virility, . , : iOn;, another-f-section, deficient in" lime, : tlie' i. mixture was 'basic;: slag,, bonedust, y guano, -v : . and kainit, 140 ; pounds: to- the acre. Kaimt is utilised; .■<>n ; sections which are dry, io. that \t ft. may absorV;ithe ..moisture, -ivhich -r is'-bidly:- ;; required. , Tha.i.rape crop. on the section/is-js coming ,a-w_ay splendidly, and the!same ex.--* cellent results are, noticed on .two other crops..; Mr: Turner does not believe in sowing air -tno manure and seed together, as-by-so-doing-a ; . pprtipn of-the seed is invariably burnt jniwnat may.ije termed a hot-bed. The proper-way is fo--j seow half-vthe manure-with.the se?di, : and then:. half later. .Labour, however, .is iso.;dear?;in 'New, Zealand ; that': numbers of farmers "sow ' ■ manure and seed together,, , ...the■ load-seldom;has achance of provingtit jtruo productiveness.,»„'( a i •'

j It., is -_nofc generally known' that..there;- are about..twenty.'.different' .kinds; of - basio slag, i ■ when; Buying-farmers should ahpaiys ■ iisk foiV.an analysis of the contents; .they-.should,-jin- fapty iiisist. ion, .kno,'wing, ..the.* degree l ;.of ~ fineness.^-."The 'finer the;: manure v.the ;mofe : - quickly it wiU become .assimilated witE the |. soil.. Some tonedust, as big as peas, would be years before it would 'be of any use. to the earth. ' : y- ■ ■ -—*■ ' The.next place visited.was Mr. ; C: ;Hofin-wood's,-olivine Opaki Plain. ,• The land'rwas 'stony "and-dry, but it had not-held a:plant of ti-tres; for .thirty- years.'- -The'-soil-'was. very .deficient .in ;potash,"and 'consequently was treated .with basic'slag and kaiiiit, 1001b. to the.'acre, and then sown 'with oats'.;,' It was: the. third successive, crop of oats; yet' the 'yield.'was--fully-.-thirty-five"bushels'"to"" the .acre before the gales got:to'woi;k. 'Ths crop,- however, jstood very firm.';„lt;had : _no' smuts,, although the. crop, adjoining; which was. not" treated--td manure, was overrun' with this' pest, and- in addition showed stunted growth, to a'considerable' degree'. : ' Another interesting experiment was conducted- on 'a seven-acre-field of-poor shingle ; soil'on the Opaki, which last autuinn was treated withi 3cwt. to the-acre ;of-- ( Gruick; shank's, manure.' ! The field has carried. t\vo rams .'to the acre since last .March, ; while from three, to five con's have been put o'njo keep the, grass down. ■ At-tho present ..time there is sufficient feed for- another two 'sheep to the acre. Other farms visited inihe vicin- . ity. were those of. Messrs.- A. Buick,' whero there' were some very fine crops,- ranging from forty to sixty bushels'to ilie acre. 1 The manuro'nsed was basic'slag and'kainit. Mr, 6. Gaskin used boriedust. -superphosphate , and kainit for' his' oat ■ crops, and: bphed,\fsl and slag forhis'rape. Tho land . wa's stonj : andv light, ibut the ; crops' ; are very, ■' very 5 , .good. Both-Messrs. Buick and Gaskm'werewell pleased with the results of their exneri.ments, which had cost them from 4s. 9d. to ss. per: acre.-'.Mr. W. Mowbray had a splendid wheat;;crop of fifteen' acres. •Superphoa-, phftl'e;and-slag were-used, 2cwt."to the;aore, , aCa -t'lie' wheat field- was a .veritable' picture. ■-Messrs. Percy Bros., who had ono of tho ibest oat crops, ■ if not- the "best,-iii district, used basic slag and kainit, while Mr. IV. Cameron, on a rape and grass crop in; the same district applied basic, slag, bone, and Jkainit. Mr. Mackay had some splendid crop's or mangolds, rape, and carrots. The manure used was nitrate.of soda, • slag,; and bonedust. . .Among -.pther oat 'crops, "with " good yields were those■; of the estate of the,-' late! E: Buick ; (managed by- Mr. TV. D. Watson), Platts and-TVrightson's, • and E. P. Cafnero.a,- all on the Opaki;' TV. Kibble." white, ;pn the Upper Plain ; -TV. Perry, on tHe Taiifatahi; A.- Martin- M'Dougall, ■ TV. and G.liHume, and Holmes Warren, in tha lower iVaHey; and H. Morison; •in Grey.•town. . . The hole phase of this important' development- o! scientific agriculture, is;well .worth, the attention of all practical farmers,- and: 8, commencement cannot be;niade . .

FEILDING SHOW.

GFtE/sT STOCK EXHIBITION NEXT !i MONTH.

: ENTRIES CLOSE FRIDAY. 1 The Foilding show, to bo held on February -2 and 3, will renew the interest in agricultural shows—ill interest which, of course, always wanes through the holiday- season. Feildihg claims to be one of the .chief fall stock centres in the. North'lsland, .and no doubt aims to bo the Addingtonof the' north, There are some powerful-: natural features about Feilding that justify-a ■ belief that the Feilding of ,tho future'will bo a place of vast industrial - importance. Ita wide area' of rich soil—soils mainly ploughable, a matter of great value in these days of' high farming—and its convenient situation for railage facilities, would enable Feilding to struggle along, even !if-times-were so'bad that the rest of the country ; had to close down. . At least, that is the.view of tho typical' Feilding man;' However, no dreams of the future are necessary to picture the importance of thoFeilding Show. That is a fact that is already present, and will,. it is said, become nil the move convincing when February 2 arrives, - The, schedule provides; amply for all classes of' stock, ~and':as . the; word' "Feilding"- on. a prize. card is .proof.;#', laurols won-: in keen contest, .stock oiviwrswill, not bo backward in sending uloafi theil

beat ' animals. It was. Feilding that had the -courage lately to challenge the sheep : world'' to ■a, fleece'; contest. :'That'-event has not matured; for the present season, but it will ripen all-right next year;-and tho incident _ servea ■; to show the vigour of Folding's : ideals. • • 'The ;■ competitions also at FeUding. are always witnessed by a crowd quick to appreciate merit; and this should encourage -good ifiplds.■ Tho ram fair 'follows on February 4. . There is. not much timo to waste, for ontrios for tho show closo this week-ron Friday, January 15—only three days henco.

HARVEST PROSPECTS.

A SOUTHERN REVIEW. : A review, of-.tho harvest outlook that wil, v, | interest readorsispublishedin the 'currenl . issuo, of the "Otago Witness,": la additior to . vho points' touched, on, it; may be.moil- ; tioned'that the average of oat crops of th< ; ■ last , ten years . has been 39J bushels. Wit! fair harvest weather this season, the yielc - will; probably quite. : realise, the full 'forty bushels:.: Birds have been extremely rapacious. ' Yet; in 'spite-.bf this 'super-abundanci ' . of birdsj natural fo^--tno. : caterpillari ;>,phave in North Canterbury been unusuallj , active.: ' Tho~ area affected, however, was only limited. v Rain and ! wind ■' have ; - alsc added a-isfulk measure. of ■ support to. thf inclement elements of . the - season's--condi-tions, so -that -although the prospects hac been'dnusually bright, there have been latei drawbacks,- which will bring the crop savec below; earlier expectations. Tho referenco .to tho prospect of oat crops' in harvested ; instead f6i a grain- is a point that affects the future of chafi very.considerably; for 'the' present prospect ii in the direction of a big output'of chaff anc * . a demand '.perhaps below the average; _ 1 : . i largo- areas aro diverted to .seed tho price; ,of chaff later, on may, after'all, ,be payable Here; is - the - "-Witness's" reference to th< harvest question •; ~ return of - corn and ' green crops -sown ror'intended to 'be .sown' in the current iseasori' in tho;Domimon,'.which wat published .'in the' New Zealand .Gazette oi . December 23,: possesses 6ome interesting features. j i Although wheat-growing .has ceasec to. be. the chief.branch of farming -in Nen Zealand, it is of tho first importance to th« ■ majority of..- the community/ as providing ( the^'staff-.of .:life.' Itr-has -received' mow attention from : tho farmer, too, this yeai than -for-I-sevcral years past, * the area; ir wheat being/stated in .the return .at 251,005 acres (including .824 acres returned as be- ;: inj» intended ;• for stock-feeding:purposes) This area is 57,581 acres greater than last year's, and -closely . approaches that :■ oi 1904-5-r-viz;, 258,896 acres," ..which; in turn was tho largest sinco tho season '1599-1900— ■ 270,4-12 acres—but the: 1898-9 area of 400,889; acres is not likely to bo approached ai : long, as tho conditions of- agriculture anc markets remain as without radical change.. "Reports fromi the principal wheat-grow-ing - districts: indicate that the crop.' has suffered, some injury -in ' somo . localities fron the dry. weather of October and November while iin others: damage has' been caused t< > heavy crops by the ram and wind of Christ mas ; week. It is still'^-anticipated/'how v ever,';:that-.tha;' yield^of'grain' up; to - the i average, which for the last 1( years is 31i bushels ; per. acre.-' On ■-. thu .. pasis the flrop, .if Eafely :, liarvest«d, ; Tv , iir pro dues about; 7,880,000 bushels,' and 1 estimat ■\ ing thc' food requirements of. the Dominioi at sis bushels, per head of population, ant ;; :seedi-at;500,000' busheb,> ! a surplus' is'showi -;°f ; 'iipwi^4s'.;..of• V/l^OOOj'OdO': bushels.availabli . for - export.. -. This ■ estimate - • assumes las year's crop to bo practically cleared off b; tfetimo.tie.riew^becomesaVailable,:'Already • bow-ever, :■ there;; is;, 'mention' - ofvimportatibi ;■ thii may -be .upon such;: a 'scale; as' to disturb! al though - it-is ;unl]kely that Not Zealand farmers will hold out . for such - price as will ; throw thomarket into the hands o - tne.;'Aiis.traliahs.:;:':-The,;valM 'season wil bo fixed by -tho -London -price less the' cos af. marketing, but this will, liot' bo readil- . accepted-by.growers. -. ;•* . ' "The total area; in; 0at5—729,011 acres—ii tho. largest recorded for New.'Zcaland. : Tli< incro'aso-..on'--last season's area is 51,36! I. s er gsi( ; : - and; occurs '^mainly ( iri. oats ; irit-endec ; for; chaffing -button -this point' there- musi always-bo some :uncertainty,-"as "groweVs %il be guided ;by- market 'eonsiderations in fiia.ll] deciding whether- to' chaff or'to thresh tHcii . ro P s - ■ Ona'thing is'certain—that thf-ro 'Tvi] bo;a ;very; largo'surplus for export in om ; form or another. ■. ■ The" internal; dertland wil v ; much smallei. than that bf last; year,-whei tho destruction' of grass caused an abnorma .:demandpfpr :chaff, while tho.'Australian-de ; mand ;was increased by drought-. {.'Neither, o theso outlets can bo count-ed 'upon this-se* son,, and;-the.,consideration that tho favour of; last' winter- and spring ar-i not ;likely, to t>e-repeated does hot. otter raucl ....compensation: r-Tha.disposal.', of\the.oat croi will be • ono of the t-ougbest.- problems. fo the. farmer during the year/ , - j-high;price-of barley last. season ha :" a d ',the offect of -increasing tho area sow) for threshing.by 13,020 acres—nearly 37 pc , ; «ent.;. .Tho crops are reported to; bo-ver ■P r °inismg);;and, the increased yield will; ni doubt causo a„decrease in-; the prico. ■ Rye , t ?% 6 >and '• 'tares:;; show siiiall v -increases chiefly;"jn.-cultivation 'for /threshing • biit' tlier . ?? a, substantial decrease iri" ; peas,'. beans; ani linseed. Hops also have a reduced area, a might m expected ; after -the low-, price of la's seasons crop: Potatoes showAa'small in ■ crease,' not., sufficient/caiise / any glut; ii the.; market,..although ' the main crop-is. a P r fsent m a healthy stato of growth. ■■ ■ • There is a marked decrease of 16,28 acres in _turnips, occur! ing; chiefly -ih Canter ■ bury;.;while the increase.of. 51,028' acres ii Tapo. is mainly accounted. for "by • Canterbur f. n d. Otago,- though Hawke's Bay : and W6l lington. also -show a .substantial increase- ii th« cultivation of this valuablo.fodder crop Tho increase in - mangolds .-is; encouraging but beet shows a small reduction. Th figures relating to the minor crops, presen .no .noteworthy \ features. ; The' total; are; under; corn, and green crops, shows an in crease of. 160,303 : acres upori; last yea'r's rf tunij and is evidence .of- tho ; strong treni towards the growing of crops. for the fatten , ing ot stock, ; nearly .two-thirds af- the ir creaso being in oats- arid green' crops. .

FEILDING'S PIG PROBLEMS;

Sir,—Mr. Anderson, of the North Island cacon Company, omitted' a few very impo'r-: ;;■ tant points_ when you interviewed him: re ;; tho prtco of .bacon. , In'the'first?place;they 'W- «°: 2^ eri; c T on £ : - they.. weigh /.the. r. I lve l'-haveL'-lulledvpigs'for , sis repeatedly weighed the offal, and '.I ,have .never, "seen . ope yet.that-went ,20-;per,':cent'; - About' 17 .' P° r OMt.. i3,the .average.': So the' per: cent/ compensates-then, for,head, etc.' : '' * inipbrtaht ;pi,irit 'is/ they -'do ~ not-pay .3}d,; for ;pigs 2001b:. 'weight.'l -have ■ seen myself PJSMeigli.l7olb;;r'and' the'offner.'- , P ■ ° r - A ■ '±' ; you/will/insert /■ •P® aboyo in the interest.of,fair.play —I : am" .etc.,;.' • V'. a '■ • ' . , . JOSEPH whittle:Awahuri, .y ■ Fcilding, January.'. 10; .'1909.'

PAHIATUA AND BACON.

It is; reported that the.' iriilk suppliers iri - the Pahiatua district are . "agitating, for a coOMrative' bacon ; factory! to 1 be : started near ■ the.railway- station, - :Jf ahi a tiia](writes ,a' cor- : iesponderit). . _: This'' moVemcntVon the. part of the. farmers,, is. probably;, the., outcome, of "the lowering •of " price of pigs by . the proprietary 'companies,. but ;if the farmers wish tol ; Be successful with - their scheme they - will : find ;it, /necessary; for thorn ;.to -proceed .oil - different lines' from : what, have beeii pursued ifc 'ifarmers'- 00-operativo bacon, com-, panies; -which' have failed from 'lack of. support from-their.own people; The. results of. '■ the, Wppdville, Carterton, ..and.' Eltham, comJ panies were dire 'illustrations of the ineffec-' ..tiveness-'pf•.farmers'.'.co-op'eraive .'ideals, and in" future, ::.wheh') any of* these schemes are put on the market, a system of loyalty will need , to. be observed among the pcoducers.vif their idea is to have a chance of a successful: consummation. :.