FIELD NOTES FOR OCTOBER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 5 October 1925, Page 8

FIELD NOTES FOR OCTOBER.

(By J. W. Deem, Instructor in Agriculture, Wanganui.) Pastures which should now be making good growth are producing very little, but the end of the month will be showing a surplus of grass. This is the .time that great care is necessary to see that stock eat the feed as evenly as possible. If there are any patches which' are neglected, the mower should. be run over them, cutting as closely as possible so as to bring away a clean sweet growth from the bottom. If care is given to this work it will be surprising how much more feed a pasture will provide. Cereal Crops. The general, cereal crop should now be well under way, but in some localities owing to the wet nature of the land or pressure of work, sowing will riot yet have been carried out. In-such Instances wheat may yet be sown providing that quick maturing varieties like, John Brown or Major are selected. ,Majbr was sown on. the ' Marton experimental area on two occasions in October, and crops equal to the earlier sown harvested. October is also a good month for barley, both Cape and Black Skinless. Oats lhav still bo sown, and quick growing varieties like Ritakurn are likely to give the host results. Late sown crops should, have 1 j to 2 cwt superphosphate per acre to push them along. Root Crops. The preparation of land intended for mangolds, carrots, turnips, rape and similai 1 crons should be pushed along. The earlier districts sowing will .'start any (time: after the first week, but in the colder and higher districts farmers should recognise that the seed is far better in the bag than in the ground until the land has been warmed un and is in a condition to receive it.’ The extra time is best spent in preparation. Turnips.

Provided the conditions are favourable all the white fleshed varieties take about 12 weeks from date of sowing to be ready for feeding. Several new varieties have been tested by the Agricultural Department, and fanners during the last few years, but up to the present nothing has been found to beat the Purple Top Mammoth, Bed Paragon, Lincolnshire Bed Globe, Imperial and Hardy Green Globe. The best practice is to divide up the area, sow a small portion .with Purple Top Mammoth, about twice the area of the former with Bed Paragon or Lincolnshire Red Globe, and the balance with Imperial or Hardy Green Globe. These varieties may all be sown on the same date and will be ready 'for feeding off in the order! named. On new land turnips are best, sown on the flat through every second coulter, using about Boz. of seed per. acre. On old land, especially if weeds are bad, the best results will be got from crops sown on' ridges 24 to 28 inches apart, seeding at the rate of one lb per acre. The wide drills allow of inter-cultivation. The turnip crop should be manured at from 2 to 3 cwt per acre; suitable manures are super, basic super, mixtures of half super with either basic slag or steamed bone-meal, and proprietary turnip manures. Mangolds'. The best varieties £ prd Prize-winner, White Sugar, Jersey Queen, Giant. Orange Globe, and Red Intermediate* the latter generally gives better results: than Long Red and is . a much nicer mangold to handle. Giant Orange Globe is a. vigorous germinator. Its greatest ..fault is its heavy' ,top; for this reason it wants'more room than Prizewinner, othertvifeb the " root development is retarded by the shading from the tops. Mangolds that grow heavy tops should always have more room; Prizewinner, owing to the fact that it grows a smaller top than most varieties, may lie grown in closer drills. Heart rot was noticeable among mangolds again last season, but not so bad as in the previous year. This trouble appears to be worse among yellow fleshed varieties like Prizewinner and Yellow Globe. . Where a- farm, er has been, troubled with heart rot he would be wise: to grow white fleshed varieties like White Sugar or Red Intermediate. Mangolds should he grown in drills 21 to 28 inches apart to allow of plenty of horse cultivation. Seed at the rate of 5 to 6 lbs per acre, and give a .liberal manuring. Mixtures of 3 parts super, one part Ephos or Nauru and one part bonemeal at the rate of' 4 to 6 cwt, plus 2 cwt kqinit. or 3 cwt salt per acre will be foiftid; very suitable. The salt or kain.it should be broadcast and' harrowed in, before the mangolds are sown. Most of the proprietary' mangold manures are a complete, mangold manure, and used at from 4 tb 6 cwt per acre give very good yesujlts." Cultivation for mangolds, should he deep and thorough. ! Carrots. The carrot crop likes deep cultivation and may he grown in a great variety of soils, hut does best in a free loam. For cattle feeding Matchless White, White Belgian and Sinclair’s Champion are still the best among the standard varieties. Unfortunately the Sinclair’s Champion variety has deteriorated during the last few years, and generally does not produce anything like the roots it used to. If any sized area is to he put in carrots, these should be sown in drills 21 to 26 inches apart to allow of horse working; on the other hand if the area to he grown is small and the cultivation to lie done by hand, they may be grown in drills 14 to 18 inches apart. Seed at the rate of 1 lb per acre, using a similar manure to that recommended for mangolds at 3 to 5 cwt per'acre. When carrots are' being grown for sheep feeding, the Gueramie variety is best. These should be sown,; for preference, in drills 21 to 26 inches apart at the rate 1 of lj lb of seed per. acre. They shoufd be given interycnltivation, but should not be thinned. About the mid. die of November is the best time to sow tliis carrot. Kales and Rape.

Early so wirings of these crops may be made any time after October 1, but' usually from the middle to the end of the month will be early enough. Iri most eases the later sown crop will heat the early sown one. On clean land these crops are best sow;i on the flat, hut where land is weedy, sowing nil ridges and giving inter-cultivation will be found to give .the best results. Rane and kale when sown on the flat should be seeded at fvom 2.11 b to 31b per acre; on ridges IJlb of seed is ample, Chou moullier on the flat and fib to lib on ridges. Ch“ou Moullier has an advantage over most other crops of the brassica family in that it is fairly resistant to club root and may he grown oil land where it would he very risky to attempt to grow rape or turnips. It takes longer than rape or budn kale to reach the feeding stage, being slower to mature, but, if not wanted for autumn feeding, may be left standing and led during the winter and early spring.

Rape and kales require front 2cw-t. to 3cwt. of manure per acre, and e'hou moulder an extra cwt. Where these crops are being grown for cow feeding ordinary rape or turnip manures will be found very satisfactory. On the other hand if the crop is being grown ;for lamb fattening pure phosphatie manures like basic super or mixtuies of half super and half ephos slag or Nauru will give excellent results. A medium firm crop will lie found- to fatten lambs hotter than a tall wetem one