AGRICULTURAL

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 86, 9 October 1915, Page 10

AGRICULTURAL

CLUB-EOOT. An article in tbe Journal of Agriculture, by Mr. A. H Cockayne, contains some very instructive remarks on clubroot, which during the j>ast season has been extremely prevalent in various parts of the Dominion, and especially eerious amongst swede crops. The disease, Mr. Cockayne points out, is extremely liable to spread rapidly over extensive areas, and a-s its presence seriously interferes with th© successful production of turnips, swedes, and rape, the adoption oi measures likely to restrict its distribution is much to be desired. After describing- the signs by which the disease may be detected, and giving particulars as to the cause of it — the life-history of club-root, he points out, was first described by the Russian plant pathologist Woronin, in the year 1878 — Mr. Cockayne gives £he names ot the plante which are usually affected The disease attacks only plants belonging to the turnip family, and in New Zealand has been reported as oc-, curring on the following cultivated members of the Crucif erae group : Cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, rape, mustard, swede turnip, soft iurnip, radish, and wallflower. Club-root is widely distributed, and has been found in all 'classes of soils in New Zealand. It is, however, most prevalent on the west coast of the North Island, and especially in the Taranaki and North Wellington districts. A veiy noticeable feature .with regard to club-root is the fact that its prevalence as a serious disease did not take place in Europe until the modern use of artificial fertilisers became general. Since that period it has been abundantly proved that the use of artificial manures of an acid nature increases the ravages of clubroot. "In the control of club-root," Mt. Cockayne says, "it is extremely important to note that the contamination of the soil ' over large areas from comparatively email centres of infection can easjly take place. . For my part, lam convinced that the greater part of soil-contamination takes place through the stock feeding on diseased crops, and being transferred to fresh ground. It would appear to be a good practice to try and limit this method of spread as much as possible, and not to transfer stock that have been feeding on diseased crops to land that will be Tequired for turnip or swede growing for some years at least" Mr. Cockayne says that liming is universally looked upon as the greatest safeguard that can be secured _ a-gcinst the a.fctacks of club-root. Lime in the carbonate state (ground limestone) is now generally preferred to burnt lime, but the dressing necessary for badly affected land is large, as much, as seven tons per acre having been advocated ; smaller amounts of from one and a half to three tons, however, have given good results in many parts of the world. The liming should be done in the autumn, previous to the sowing of the seed; the best results, in fact, have been secured with a heavy liming two seasons before a cruciferous crop was grown. Wherever feasible, basic manures should be u-sed. The Stratford paper reports that a Toko farmer has gold a line of lambs at the choice price of £1 per head, for delivery in Stratford this month. The expansion of the sheep industry is unlikejy to _ affect the development of beef-rawmg in New Zealand^ but with the dairy industry the case is different (writes Mr. J. L- Bruce in the Journal of Agriculture). To many experienced stock-breeders the problem presents itself — Can we breed fop both^beef and milk? Can _ high-class beef -producing cattle be obtained from purebred or crossbred cows which are capable o$ supplying milk equal to or in excess of that of an average cow in a good dairy herd? If so, is it practicable to attempt both the production of milk and tbe raising of beef- i cattle from the same stock? As a general rule ifc may be found the safer , policy to pursue a single purpose — either the production of butter-fat or beef, the > determining factors being expediency and ' the highest net return per acre. The cost of keeping pigs at the Rua- i kura Experimental Farm is found to be small in comparison with the returns « given. This is mainly due to the fact ! that^the whole of the pig food is grown on the farm. A great Seal of this food would practically be waste if not fed to Pigs. There has been a brisk enquiry 're. cently for Ruakura-bred milking-strain yearling Shorthorn bulls. In the last naif of August seven sales were made, and no young Shorthorn bulls available for service this season are now left. Eleven cows of the Ruakura Shorthorn herd, which .had registered under semi, official test, were entered last month in the Herd Book of the Waikato Dairy Shorthorn Association. The &11-the-ye*r-roumd activity of the dairy industry in Taranaki, and what it means to the provinoe, may be gauged by the fact that, quite apart from the ordinary butter-fat payments, suppliere' bonuses during last year totalled £100,000 from the factories within a 6even-mile j radius of Stratford alone. During last month,' perhaps the deadest month of the season, one of the Stratford factories paid out £20,000 to ite suppliers. "It has been said that basic slag does not affect^ cattle, but some farmers about this locality now think otherwise," says the Taranaki Herald. "One man had the slag sown during the recent dry spell, and, after letting it stand for four or five days, during which time there were two fairly heavy frosts, turned his milking cows into those paddocks. The result was that it caused the cattle to scour, and there was a heavy falling-off in the quantity of milk. Cows are fond of 6lag, and a_ farmer stated that erne of his cows, to hia knowledges iicked a slag bag with the same_ result as the first man. The heavy rain experienced during the last few dajs has, however, washed all the Blag well into the ground, and no bad effects oan now be caused by it." The Southland Times submitted the foregoing to the Chief Veterinarian. Mr. C. J Reakes, who replied thus: — "There is no doubt that cattle suffer more ox less if put on land- recently diessed with basic slag. We have been notified of several cases, where cattle have been put on land before a good heavy rain has washed the basic slag off the herbage, to too roots of the* plante.*' A land deal has just been settled which demonstrates conclusively the astonishing increase that has occurred in land values in mid-Canterbury, writes the Ashburton correspondent of the Star. About nine years ago an Ashburton' County farmer, who was desirous of securing a larger area, sold out a small farm of first-class land and completed negotiations for the purchase of approximately 1300 acres of medium quality country, which was practically only suited for sheep farming-, at about JB4 10s per acre. At that time his friends considered he had taken leave of his senses, and condemned the transact tion. - He settled on his new holding, and farmed it successfully until a few days ago, when he accepted an offer of £11 per acre, or a total of over £8450 in excess of the price he paid for the land. This deal goes to show that speculation in land has been a most profitable investment, and dispels the idea that the war and the consequent heavy taxation that has been levied on the land have been responsible for arresting and decreasing its market able value. Mr. F. G Horrell made some' practical suggestions to the Canterbury Sheepownere' Union meeting- the other day. There will assuredly be a dearth of shearers when the season commences, due tc so many of the young men from the country responding to thcix Empire's call. Tbe ■idea was for tho union to take in hand the organisation of shearing operations, w^th the object of making the available labour go as far as possible. This would appear highly desirable. "There is no reason why we should not. grow all tli6 sugar we need," declared 15r- Augustus Voelcker, the consulting chemist to the Royal Agricultural Society of England, in discussing the matter with a representative of tho Daily Chronicle." , "The boet sugar industry was successful • on the Continent because it was scientifically conducted. The sugar-beet can bo grown here a* well as, and ex en better than, hi Jtay. oth«r country." j