ON THE LAND

Feilding Star, Volume 10, Issue 4033, 16 September 1933, Page 7

ON THE LAND

News, Views and Comments PASTUHES AND CHOI’S Warm sluing 1 rain which lias fallen intermittently since Sunday’s hurricane has been of immense values to crons and pastures .says a report from the Waikato. There is now vig'oious growth everywhere. Paddocks which a. few weeks ago looked withered, are now clothed with a sward of luscious grass, and if such rapid growth is maintained a few weeks hence .will see ensilage making commenced in earnest. This is time of the year when dairymen require to keep an eagle eye on tilth milking cows, especially for that now common complaint blowing, which is largely caused li\- cows consuming young clover. A QUEER BIRD One of the queerest buds is the churkey—or, as it is more commonly known, the turkeywyandotte. it is half a chicken and half a turkey. It has the head, the, puffed chest, and the wattles of the turkey, while its legs and the shape of its Id resembles the chicken. When it is angry it cries, “(lion —glon -—cluck—cluck,” so that a person out of sight cannot tell to what bird he is listening. TOP DRESSING There seems to be this year a tendency on the part of a number of pastoral farmers in Otago to break up a portion of tlieir main grass areas with a view to growing' green crops, such as rape-, kale, turnips, and sometimes oats and barley, to serve, for fattening lambs or nroviding extra winter feedThis change is largely owing to the failure of certain types of grassland to respond to top dressing. It is proved, says a lending .authority on the* subject, that the best responses .to top dressing are obtained from good English grasses, and that the indigenous grasses, such as dSatothon.ia, ibrowair-tep, elite., give poor results. BOBBY CALVES Allegations of unnecessary cruelty to bobby cplves are contained in a report, submitted to a meeting' this week of the general committee of the Wellington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals by its inspector. Mr R. A. Nicol. In the northern district lie found (lio conditions very unsatisfactory and that a great, deal of unnecessary cruelty was caused by lack of feeding and of shelter. Although it was difficult to obtain proof as neighbours were unwilling to give evidence in court, he was satisfied that iu some, if not in many cases, calves received no food from the time, they were born until they were slaughtered, perhaps three or four days later. IN NORTH OTAGO The wheat crops in ’North Otago are beginning to suffer from the unfamiliar spring drought, and rig-lit through Otago the. pastures that made good early grow are thirsting for the rain that seemed, to be coming this morning. Country folk find some consolation in the fact that the dry weather is of inestimable benefit to the lambs that now dot the paddocks of the coastal farms.

HIGH SCHOOL FARM

”J think that it would he tragic if we were turned down at the present juncture,” remarked the Rev. E. L, Frost at this week’s meeting of the Napier Secondary Education Board in discussing the reply which had been received jo the board’s application to the Government for assistance in connection with tlie; Napier Bows’ High School farm. In replying to the request-the department stated: “It, appears from correspondence on departmental files that the question of approving the proposal of the board to establish a school farm was postponed until the Government’s policy roc'a.rding the purchase of school farms bad been decided, as several -other schools lad made similar applications. Owing to the financial stringency there is no present nrosppef of favourable consideration being

given to such proposals. Apart altogether from tlie 1 - merits of the board’s proposal, and apart from any consideration of the reasonableness or otherwise of tlie items listed in the schedule the department is -unable at tin present time to consider any

expenditure in connection with lib- further provision of school farms. “It seems strange to me that t-lie Government will spend money in developing, farms on the other side of the river but will not help us to teach the boys the way to farm correctly.” said Air AY. T. Fester, principal of the school.