FOR THE FARMER.

Franklin Times, Volume XX, Issue 80, 14 July 1930, Page 8

FOR THE FARMER.

AGRICULTURAL TOPICS. | (Conducted by “Agricola.”l BEWARE OF THE BULL. If properly treated the average hull is not likely to become cross. and may be kept in service for a number of years. The unfortunate part is that many of the sires, whose daughters have proven outstanding, have been sold to the butcher just at the time they were becoming valuable. To-day more than ever before mature sires arc being used, and it is having a beneficial effect on every breed. There are sires 10 to 12 years of age in active service. Safety in handing the hull must he given consideration. Every year we read of men losing their lives when handling the bull, hut it is not : always the most vicious animal that does the damage. The gentlest, hull may surprise his caretaker, conse- | quently no chances should he taken. I some breeders claim Thai a paddock ! should be about four times as long as it is wide, as the bull will take more j exercise in a long pen than lie will in a short one. Above all, walls of the ! paddock must he strongly miill. It there is a weak point the bull w'ill find

When it comes to handling, a good strong staff should be used. yet it never pays io ho rough. A bull seems to be on the look-out for a person who ill-treats him. On the other hand, the attendant must be firm.

PASTURE MANAGEMENT. ! I Normally, at this period of the year the grassland-farmer is busy carrying on important work which was commenced earlier in the season. If harrowing and top-dressing have not been completed, then these two tasks will call for attention. . On most farms there are certain paddocks which are'more suitable than the others for providing late-winter and early spri>T feed. A special point should he made of harrowing and topdressing such paddocks in good time. Usually the paddocks which are suitable in this connection are those which are well drained and covered with a pasture containing a considerable amount of rye-grass, and possibly also are provided with some shelter, Young pastures recently sown, at times being soft, are prone to lie unduly broken i up with harmful effects if used much ! for winter and spring grazing and they ! should be used more than is necessary j l'or preventing tbo growth liecoming detrimentally long. With such pasj tures the aim should he to obtain a i happy balance in respect to severity of ! grazing—to prevent the growth beI coining so long as to bring about undesirable shading of any species, particularly the more slowly establishing' ones, and at the same time to graze not more closely than will serve to avoid the harmful shading effect, and in such a way as to minimise as much j as possible “poaching"’ of the ground. If a farm possesses pastures showimx evidence of current infestation : with grass-grub, then, when possible hay and roots should be fed out on the infested areas: the additional stocktrampling and consolidation which results is. not to the liking of the grubs, 1 and the hay may contain viable seeds ; of valuable’ pasture species, which on | germinating will tend to repair the ! ravages of the grubs, and thus build j up the pasture again. ! II is not. - generally .advisable to ap- ! p]y soon after each other lime in any of its forms and any of that group o 1 phosphates which are chemically alike, and which include raw rock phosphates, Island phosphates, and African phosphates. These phosphates are all relatively low in availability to crops and slow in their action, and become more markedly so when used on 1 land which has received lime. Lim- | ing carried out. in close time proximj itv to the application of basic slag may be expected to reduce the speed of ac- • tion ot* tin* slug wlu.'ii tli6 question | arises whether lime should be applied before phosphates or phosphates boI fore lime in the same season, it may he taken as a general rule that it is i preferable In do the liming first. Bui | it is doubtful whether it matters much I which material is applied first. From Inquiries received it is clear that some farmers are inclined to look upon lime as a suitable substitute or alternative for phosphates. This is

not Hie case; lime may at times serve j to make phosphates more effective and I profitable, but it will not fill the lunc- ! tion of the phosphates, i in many districts pastures (parlic- | ularly those containing a good deal of 1 rve-grass) if shut up towards the end of Alay or early in June will provide a j substantial amount of fresh grass towards the end of July and during Aug- ! ust. The amount of July-Augusl feed I obtainable in Ibis way can he increased J by the use of nitrogenous manures on j the grassland. Iml wliellirr such use j of nitrogenous manures will prove proI fitable depends on a number of circumstances which vary from tarin lo farm. For instance, if a suitable pasture eon-

j taining a good deal of rye-grass is av ailable, the use of nitrogenous manure i is more likely lo prove profitable mi il Ilian on an old pasture containing little rye grass. Again, if a farmer is faced with the likelihood ol a shorlage of winter feed Ihe use of nitrogenous manure is apt lo he ot much more value to him than were he boiler supplied willi winter feed. The value <>f ensiluuv as a winter feed for dairy cows has been fully established by its widespread successful use in Ibis eonneelion in previous seasons. The amount of good qualify ensilage that should bo fed will

depend to a considerable extent upon • the amount of feed the stock arc able to obtain in their grazing. Those who have had experience in the feedingout of roots and hay may obtain some guidance from the fact that Jib of grass ensilage equals in feeding value approximately 21b of roots, and that 2All) of grass ensilage equals in feeding value lib of average hay. The position should not arise in which animals wall be called upon to maintain themselves on ensilage alone. Rather should the ensilage he used lo supplement pasture in the ration, just a.s hay or root are ordinarily used in that way. In overseas trials ensilage has been fed with success to dairy cows in amounts ranging up io -iOlb daily, but under New Zealand conditions ft should seldom be necessary to a I tempt to feed so much, for usually smaller quantities will he sufficient to supplement the feed provided by the pastures.

Ensilage has been fed with good results to sheep when used as a supplement in the ration at the rale of about 21b daily. Present experience is too limited to enable us to say what is the maximum amount which can be fed daily to sheep.