FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 September 1939, Page 9

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(By

“Rouseabout”)

SWEDES AND MANGELS. MOST SUITABLE VARIETIES. The area devoted to root crops in New Zealand is in the neighbourhood of 400,000 acres. In the 1937-38 season there were 373,500 acres of swedes and turnips and 8250 acres of mangels. Most of the seed for these crops is imported and numerous strains, developed by different English seed merchants, are offered to the New Zealand grower who has little to guide him in his selection, states the latest Agricultural Bulletin prepared by the Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, and issued under the auspices cf the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. Definite’ advice for all circumstances cannot be given because reliable yield data for different districts are not available and because the existing strains are continually being changed or replaced by new and improved ones. The -consequence is that yield' data, where collected, may easily be out of date in a short time. In spite of the paucity of such data there is useful information which has been published in the Journal of Agriculture, by the officers of the Department of Agriculture and by the Agronomy Division of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department. This information, as well as the results obtained from trials at Lincoln College, has been used in the preparation of this Bulletin and may help the grower to narrow down the selection of those varieties which give fair promise of success in his district.'

Swedes contain about 12 per cent, of dry matter; They are grown successfully where the rainfall or soil moisture is abundant. For these reasons they are more popular in Southland, Otago, parts of South Canterbuy and in the high ■ rainfall districts in the North Island than in the drier districts of Canterbury and the East Coast of the. North Island. Diseases such as clubroot and dry rot in the wetter districts and insect attack in the drier districts are responsible for considerable damage to the crops. When healthy crops are grown heavy yields of roots which keep well into the Spring are secured. Aberdeens are a hardy turnip containing about 10 per cent, of dry matter. They are grown in colder districts About 75,000 acres are grown in New Zealand, the greater area being confined in Otago, Southland, and the footbill areas of Canterbury. There are numerous varieties and they are subject to the same diseases as swedes. They mature more rapidly than sweles and keep better than soft turnip's. No varieties of soft turnips available commercially in New Zealand are resistant to clubroot or dry rot, but since they are grown for early Winter feed there has not been the same need to develop resistant varieties as in the case with swedes and Aberdeens which are slower growing and which are expected to keep longer into the Winter or Spring. “Immune” is a new Swedish variety which is resistant to clubroot, but under New Zealand conditions it does not behave as well as the green globes. To produce high yields mangels require warm soil and good Summer rainfall. They will, however, withstand drought conditions better, are not subject to serious diseases and are more reliable than other root crops. As witlr swedes and turnips most of the seed is imported and numerous varieties are offered to growers. The differences in yield of dry matter per acre between the more common varieties are influenced by climatic conditions and soil fertility. Thus the Long Red varieties thrive under moist fertile soil conditions while the globes will outyield the long reds on lighter soils and under dry conditions. There is considerable variation between the different strains.

The Bulletin, copies of which may be obtained from the secretary of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Christchurch, gives details as to the best varieties of turnips and mangels to sow, having regard to such factors as soil and climate, and as to the varieties that have proved most disease resistant.

CANADA’S WHEAT CBOP. BIG SURPLUS PREDICTED. Canada will have a bumper crop of wheat this year. Hot, dry weather in mid-July caused some concern to Western Canada’s wheat farmers, but as the harvest season approaches -the propects are for a good crop, possibly the largest in more than a decade. Temperatures soared above the 100 degree mark at times in mid-Summer and crops drew heavily on moisture reserves. Scattered showers between the heat waves aided 1 in keeping precipitation close to normal records. Farmers have not had the worry of crop pests as much this season as in former years. Throughout the grain belt the damage from all causes to the new crop was less than 10 per cent, as July came to a close. Grasshoppers caused little damage, their flight being hindered by wet and cool weather earlier in the season, but they remain a menace so long as hot weather continues. Many fine crops are reported in the old western droughtlands, where good Spring and mid-season rains brought a reserve of moisture for the first time in years. Harvesting will be somewhat later this year, possibly a week to 10 days behind in many prairie districts. Better crop prospects and a world trend to lower values were reflected during July in lower wheat prices on the Winnipeg Grain Exchange, a trend that brought the lowest prices in six years with futures less than 50 cents a bushel. Farmers, however,! are protected against, the receding; values, the Federal Government, guaranteeing a minimum price of 701 cents a bushel for production up to, 5000 bushels for each grower. Canada, like the Argentine, will have a large wheat carry-over at the end of the crop year. The surplus will reach approximately 100,000,000 bushels compared with about 25,000,000 bushels last year. Overseas shipments were far ahead of last year. From July 31, 1938, to July 1-1, 1939, shipments totalled 112,945,000 bushels compared with 62,440,000 bushels for the same period a year ago.

ROBBING THE SOIL. AUSTRALIA’S LOSS OF FERTILITY “In the past few decades we have not played the game with the soil. We have taken out of enormous ‘areas more than we have put back.” These statements were made by the chief executive officer of the Australian Council for Scientific and Indutrial Research (Sii\ David Rivett), when he opened the Winter School in soil science at. the Waite Agricultural Research Institute at Adelaide. The school was the first of its kind in Australia, probably in the Empire. Among the 60 members of the school were 30 from other States and one from the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. All State departments of agriculture were represented. In the early days, said Dr. Rivett, there was some excuse for taking more out of the soil than we put back, because science had not reached the stage it had to-day. “It now appears, however, that concieuce, commonsense, and sound 1 , safe work are taking charge. Our bounden duty is to see that we pass on the greht areas in oui* country without any deterioration or loss of fertility.” There was a third of the country in Australia with an annual rainfall of less than 10 inches, he said. This area was of little value, but between this and the proved productive areas there was an intermediate third in which a great deal could be done with sufficient scientific study. In this lastnamed area, care would have to be taken to see that any process did’ not leadoto colossal loss of soil and the wrecking of potentialities now existing.

REARING OF PIGS. / OUTDOOR LITTERS THE BEST. In tests recently made in the United States, sows were farrowed, over a three-year period, in houses having in some instances, concrete, in others wood, and in still others earth floors. In ever instance best results were secured with earth floors. During the same series of tests some sows were farrowed indoors in crates, while others were farrowed in small field huts, the two being termed the “indoor” and “outdoor” farrowing methods respectively. Little mortality under each method was comparable, the deaths resulted from different causes. With litters farrowed indoors fewer pigs were crushed by the sows, but more died from pneumonia than with outdoor farrowed litters. Sixty per cent, of pigs kept indoors u,ntil three weeks of age developed symptoms of anaemia, while Very few of those farrowed outdoors developed this trouble. Pigs farrowed outdoors showed better live-weight gains, and even when indoor-far rowed pigs were transferred to field huts at three weeks of age they did not make such good growth as those which had been outdoor from birth. The conclusion to be drawn from these results is that it is very easy to provide too much protection for young domesticated animals, especially pigs, and that the variations in temperature, exercise and exposure to sun-light-promote a vigour in yoqng pigs which is of considerable value.

A REMARKABLE GRASS, EFFECTIVE SOIL BINDER. From time to time new grasses are discovered by agriculturists or “made” through cross-fertilisation by agristologists and win a brief season of popularity. A few only win a permanent place in the pastures of subtropical lands where the long-tried and well-proved English grass and clover species thrive. Among the few which have won a permanent place in New Zealand are paspalum, lucerne, subterranean clover, and, in the north, kaikuyu grass. Many others have been tried and, sometimes because they are aggressive species which choke out other species, and .more often perhaps because of their low palatability, they have lost favour. A new grass, which may possibly fall into the latter category, but’for which great virtues are claimed, is known as “Giant Star.” This grass, which is said to have been discovered in Kenya, Uganda, and Belgian Congo by a British agricultural expedition., is said to have great possibilities as a soil-binder on country subject to erosion, and at the same time produce a phenomenal amount of forage. 1 Research designed to select the most promising strains of this new species is being carried on on a South African experimental station, and it is stated that some plants have made as much as four inches growth in 24 hours. One plant spread over an area of 8000 square feet in 5| months. It is said to remain beautifully green in the driest weather without irrigation, the roots penetrating to great depth and thus being effective soil-binders on loose or slipping soils and producing an enormous weight—said to amount to 2251 b from a single plant—of fodder of high feeding value in a few months.

While this glowing report of the new “Giant Star” grass is alluring, pastoralists would be wiSe to exercise caution in introducing such a vigorous grower to their properties. It might readily prove to be so dominant that it would smother out more palatable species and even become such a curse as tall fescue has proved when its seed has been carried by rivers from the high and poor country where it is a useful fodder plant, to the rich low-land flats where it often becomes an uncontrollable menace.