AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 41, 18 February 1911, Page 12

AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

r A SERIOUS LOSS. Recently Mi. F. Searancke, of Otaki, suffered a serious loss in his milking herd, and it was reported in several papers that, being short of food for his cows, he had turned about seventy head into a clover paddock, with tho result that a considerable number of the animals wero "blown," and thirteen died. The statement as to being short of feed is resented by Mr. Searancke, who writes ■as follows to the Otaki Mail: — "As a number of people in Otaki and elsewhere eeem to tbink that it was through carelessness in putting starving cows into a clover paddock that we had 60 many 'blown,' I would feel obliged if you would publish a true report of the way in which we sustained our loss. For the paifc fortnight, or longer, we have, after each milking, turned the cows into a sevenacre paddock of clover for not more than ninety minutes — not because we wore short of i'eed , we have abundant — but just to keep the clover down, and to keep the milk yield up during the dry weather. On the morning of our loss we milked the cows as usual, letting them out into a grass paddock as they were milked. After we finished milking, we put them on the clover as usual, but only left them there for half an hour and ten minutes. When we turned the cows out they all seemed alright ; they went to our far paddock as usual, and, of course, we had not the slightest idea anything svas amiss. Later we were told that two cows were dead at -the back of some shelter bush, and on going there we found five within a few yards of one another, and all very close lo a small stream. On further soarch we found v/e had lost no less than, thirteen, but since then we find the correcS number of cows lost is fourteen. Only two cows 6ecraed to be properly 'blown,' the rest are almost normal in size." The fruit and vegetable gardens in connection with the Tuarangi Old Men's Home at Ashburton are (says the Canterbury Times) the means of effecting a considerable saving to the cost of maintaining, the Home. All classes of vege- I tables are grown, including tomatoes, marrows, pumpkins, peas, potatoes, onions, parsnips, turnips, beans, pie-mel-ons and cucumbers, and when it is considered that the entries of the institution at tho recent flower show at Ashburton i were_ awarded several first prises in <ompetition with the entries of professional gardeners, it will be recognised that the old men, who are in charge of the gardons, know their business. Mr. Knight, the master of tho Home, expects that tho pumpkin and marrow crops will yield fully a ten, and these~~are carefully put aside and are used as diet during the winter months. The fruit trees are all more or less heavily laden with fruit. Somewhat belter progress was made with the harvesting in North Canterbury last week, the iveather having taken a more favourable turn. There is now a comparatively small quantity oi grain in the fields. The rain having almost invariably been followed by warm sunshine, it is found that little or no damage has been done to the' grain. Good headway is now being made with the threshing, and it is expected that a large quantity of grain will be in the market soon.. The _ potatoes and all other root crops are in. excellent condition, and the beans promise to be a good crop, the stalks being well podded. Some excellent crops of wheat have been reaped in Geraldine, Orari, and Winchester districts, yielding up to 40 and 45 bushels per aero. A well-known, agriculturist estimates tho average yield at thirty bushels. Upon the killing of wild oate, a practical correspondent of the Melbourne Leader writes: — "Just after harvest, as soon as the crop is cut, and before the surface gets sun baked, stir deeply with the scarifier, and afc intervals again scarify till the ground is stirred to a depihof about throe inches, so as to give the wild oats'a. chance to germinate, und ' when' sufficient growth has taken place feed off with stock. Repeat the operation, and the surlace to a depth of three inches will be clear of wild oats, but underneath that depth they will be tho same as when last ploughed down, antl they will retain their vitality for any number of years till again brought to the surface. Therefore, after the surface has been onten off, plough the land to the depth it has been formerly ploughed, thus bringing up all tho buried wild oats to the surface. Then with occasional scarifying and seasonable rains thoso oats thu,t were buried, but now brought to light and encouraged to grow, can be fed off, and the land, if not perfectly clean, will be safe to crop with wheat for several years. The reason many fail to eradicate the pests is that they spell the land, feed off all wild oats, get the surface perfectly clean, but neglect to plough up tho oats that are four or six inches under tho surface. They are under the impression that they will rot or die, but this impression is an erroneous ono." A Victorian potato grower claims to have discovered an' efficacious remedy for Irish blight, and all diseases to which tubers are subject. For two years he has made it a practice to treat all his seed before planting vvith a solution of bluestone, and he says ho has been unable to grow anything but healthy potatoes under this system. The bluestono treatment prevents the diseased seed from germinating. In rows in which diseased seed was planted the previous season he placed, healthy seed this season, after subjecting it to the bluestone treatment. The resultant crop was quite healthy. The popularity of the Holstein deepmilking cattlo in New Zealand is becoming very pronounced (says the Sydney Mail), and the demand is now very much greater than can be supplied locally. As a result buyers have looked to this State | to supply their wants, and Mr. A. C. Lamond, of Brundeo, tho well-known breeder of Hclsteins, in this State, has been applied to for for more than he can supply. Some liitle lime ago ten, heifei-3 were shipped to the North Island of New Zealand in fulfilment of an order, while, by a. boat which left at tho end of last month, two young bulls and j two heifers have been despatched, and I a sale has just been effected of twenty j cows and heifers and one bull, which will bo Shipped in abaut a week's" time. Messrs. Dalgety nnd Co., Ltd., acted for the purchasers in all these cases, and report that they still have a number of clients in search of similar catile. In tho ! cases abovo-rnenlionod the animals comprise calves just weaned, heifers, and i cows, high prices having been paid in all ! cases. Touching on the richness of the Jersey milk, the question naturally suggests itseif: Is the richness of milk peculiar to the breed, or has it beon grafted into it, as it were, by careful selection in breeding of both Eircs and duins. There is an old idea that the smaller the breed thebetter will be the milk of the Jersey cow. This is due to tho care and attention is to bo traced to tho care and attention given to the breeding of .tho cattle by the island farmers, for just on ICO ,>oars. Also to thp system of feeding their young stock, assisted by tho climate conditions of Ihe Channel lslan/ls. Tho Danes, aro also following on similar lines to tho Channel Island farmers, and no doubt in time the Danish red cjittlo will be wonderfully prepotent in the .matter of r& producing their lich dairy qualities. Some large cheques havo been mode by agriculturists at Pukekohe this year with potato crop?, and a record season lias been eKporiencoif. It ii estimated that the local growers havo recounted for approximately £15.000 for poinroiv. The nature of the soil is such that an earlier crop tlian elsewhere can be obtained, with the result that Pukekohe-gvou n potatoes roach the nnrket in the early pait of the soa^on, when hi^h prices prevail. At the beginning of the sparon growers wore netting from £8 to £10 a ton, and the crops ranging from nine to t\\ elve tons per aero, so it will be kcon by theso figures that a handsome return was being obtained. Al tho present time about £'o j ,>er ton in being obtained, and some of the later crops are working out, at twelve* tons to tho Pcre. The district has bceu free from blight.