THE SCIENCE OF CULTIVATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 413, 23 January 1909, Page 3

THE SCIENCE OF CULTIVATION.

THE MILLINC QUALITY OF WHEAT.

One of the important features vof scientific farming i 3 how to cultivate without unduly ' impoverishing the soil. Crops and the feeding of stock take nurture from the ground in the.shape of. phosphoric ecid, which forms an> important part in the formation of the pollen and protoplasm in the ripening' of seed. Mr. A. B. Wood, .the chomical analyst for Messrs. J. D. Cruickshank and Company, - Masterton, recently stated, to a Dominion representative that the absence of phosphoric acid—one of the most needful elements of farm fertility—was most marked on many a New Zealand section of land, showing that the area had become sterile to a considerable extent. This applied to many dairy and sheep farms, and it was a matter which required serious consideration by settlers. It was a fact also that, if the trouble ' was immediately investigated, it conld bo very soon set right. One often heard of a country being sheep or cow sick. This meant that'the place,was short of phospherio acid, 1 and, in the circumstances, it .was the farmer's duty to again put his land in pro- ■ per, reproductive ordor. Otherwise he would lose money through decreasing yields. The , soil could ho replenished'by the uso of phosphoric manure, said Mr. Wood, but whin using it .farmers 'should insist on procuring a, mixture which .would not only feed the ' growing crop, but would also form a stimulating nuclous for continuous cultivation. It was also necessary to keep a sharp look out for unit values, and the fineness of the manure. Some manure was so coarse that it would not mix with the soil in twenty yearSj while other manures had been mixed so long - that they-had lost 50 per cent, of their viril- • ity long before the farmer used them. Following is a table showing the amount of phosphoric acid removed from the soil by root and cereal crops and also by stock: — Percentage of phosphenc acid i - ' removed. Cereal. - per acre. Oats (grain) _. ... 25.14 ' OatsKstraw) , 5.07 Wheat (grain) ...- 49181 ' Wheat .(straw) ' ...', 3.07 ■ , Full crop, wheat, oats, roots, - and clover ... t 1601b. per acre *■ StockDairy cow (through milk), 12 to 15 lb. annually per acre. , Bullock, by time it reaches 11001b. in weight, 201b.. annually per acre. . , 2cwt. of hay, lib. annually per acre.

BRITISH SHEEP MARKETS. ' GOOD PROSPECTS. ' The agricultural writer of the London "Times" holds hopeful expectations as to sheep-prices in Britain in the spring.', Writing at the end of Novemhor, he said: —"Tho depressed state of the sheep markets is one of the most remarkable features of the year. I When a stock worth from 50s. to 70s. each in value to' the extent of '10s.' per Dead in the course of a twelvemonth, it might be supposed that there would be some apparent Teason for so marked a change. But it is difficult to suggest a sufficient explanation.of the heavy drop in the ' prices of sheep this year as compared with last. Flock-owners themselves are as much v at a loss for a solution of tho problem as others. It is true that the official statistics reveal an increase of about a million head in tho aggregate of sheep in the country and untO quite recently local reports indicated scarcity of keep in many but against these considerations 'has to bo "set a considerable reduction Jn,; the uimports of sheep and mutton,' so 'that' th'd' influencing causes in'eithor side would seem to discount one another." Probably the present depreciation is nothing more than a reaction following a_ period of prosperity, and if this is the case is inconceivable that- tho present low rate's can continue much longer. The position of i tho farmer-is strengthened by tho eontinuance of mild,, open weather.' There ■ has been such a vigorous and sustained growth of grass that up till now live stock of all kinds hive been maintained at little expense, and, moreover, have done remarkably well both in growth and in the development of flesh. The advantage of a productive autumn is that it ensures an abundance of keep for the winter months, and stockowners are thus relieved of the necessity of reducing their flocks or herds regardless of their market value. Instances are known of fat wethers having been sold recently at less money than they cost when bought in some months ago, and although fat amimals do not improve by keeping, appearances suggest that it might be a prudent policy to moderate the fattening process in the hope of obtaining in the spring higher prices than are likely to be current at the winter markets."

Although the price of British wheat (says the London "Times") will continue to fluctuate in v sympathy with variations m the supply, and periods of prosperity will bo interspersed with longer terms of uneventful trade, the hope for tangible and permanent improvement in wheat-growing as a source of profit centres iil the production of grain of enhanced milling quality. - It is within the bounds of possibility to increase the yield per acre by propagating the more prolific varieties; but gain obtained in this direction cannot be very great. On tho other hand, improved quality would mean a substantial addition to the revenue. For example, if the avorage British wheat iicre equal in milling properties to the best Manitoban grain, the difference would represent from 4s. to 6s. per quarter and sometimes as much as 10s., or about £1 per acre. Tho defect of homegrown iiheat is the want of what is technically known as "strength," or absorptive properties. During tho past eight years experiments with the object of rectifying this imperfection engaging tho attention of tho agricultural department of the Cambridge University. Proceeding on the Mendehan principles, Mr Biffon has met with promising success in evolving a type combining the yielding qualities of the English with the milling properties of tho Canadian wheat. The results of this year's trials are the most encouraging yet obtained, and Mr. Biffen feels confident that he will soon bo m a position to offer to British growers a wheat that will be at least equal m prolificacy to tho best standard varieties, and worth several shillings per quarter more for milling purposes, lhe grain from the new strains this year has been declared by experts to be equal in every respect to Manitoban hard No 1 the samples, indeed, being so similar both' before and after milling, and even when converted into bread,/that identification was possible only by reference to the register. It is well not to expect .too much, but the Cambridge wheat-growing experiments seem destined gTeatly to improve wheat growing as a source of profit, both by enhancing the market quality of the gram and bv raising varieties exempt from the destructive influences of rust. ■;*■;•;■..

NEW ZEALAND DAIRY ASSOCIATION.

PAYMENT FOR MILK. " On Wednesday the Neyr Zealand Dairy Association, Limited, paid £22,798 to milk suppliers, covering butter fat supplied during December. Similar payments for tho same month last year (says a Press Association message from Auckland) were £17,996, thus showing the substantial increase of nearly £5000.

MEAT INSPECTION.

AT WOODVILLE. ' The trouble with the inspectors and the Christchurch Meat Company'was brought to a close this morning by the County' Council cancelling all export licenses, and'granting only local inspectors' licenses. Had this not eventuated (says our Woodville correspondent) the company would havo closed down. Last week 80 pigs were rejected by the inspectors and every kill was seriously affected.