FIELD NOTES FOR FEBRUARY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 27 January 1926, Page 7

FIELD NOTES FOR FEBRUARY.

(By J. W. Deem, lustructor in Agriculture, Wanganui.) The main cereal crop will have been harvested by the end of January, although some may still be in stooV. Where the material has been stacked it should either be thrashed at once or left for six to eight weeks in the st >ck to allow the grain to harden up after the sweat in the stack. If is not good practice to sow stubble land down to pasture, but on many farms ibis cannot be avoided. Who n tliis is necessary the land should be ploughed as soon as possible and alio vcd to lie up to the weather to destroy weeds, allow the stubble to rot, and give the soil the benefit of the sun. Eebruary is a good month to sow both temporary ami permanent pastures provided the land is moist enough to allow of proper working. fields sown towards the end of February get well established before, the cold weather sets, in. Grass sown after a cereal crop should get a liberal dressing of fertiliser not less than 2cwt per acre. Owing to the dry weather experienced during the past two months, farmers will be anxious to get some green feed as soon as possible, and, provided the land is ready and there has been sufficient rain to cause germination, the sowing of cereals or mixtures of cereils and tares can be pushed along. If feed is urgently required, barley will give the quickest result —Black Skinless or Russian. The former is much the quickest and provides most feeding in its early stages. For late autumn and winter feeding Algerian oats or a mixture of half oats and half barley w>K be found very suitable. If the land is inclined to be sour, sow one-third each of oats, barley and ryeeorn. Where the field is to be grazed right through the winter, it frequently pays to sow S or .lOlbs per acre of Crimson Clover with the'cereal. This provides good grazing in the spring and allows a good residue to be ploughed under. If the crop is to be carried through for hay or ensilage, mixtures of oats and tares .1 bushel, or oats 2 bushels and Italian or Western Woltli Ryegrass 1, bushel, plus or 4lbs Red Clover, are excellent mixtures. The addition of Red Clover to the latter mixture will provide good stubble grazing or material to be. turned for green manuring. From the end of February until the middle of March is usually the safest time to sow permanent pastures. Lucerne.—Eebruary is a good month to destroy grass and weeds on stands, and, where necessary, this work should he carried out by means of a cultivator fitted with suitable teeth. If other implements are available, do not use discs for summer cultivation. Young crops sown about the end of November and in December will be ready for their first cut in February. It is very important that this cutting should not be done too soon, and, unless the crop is being smothered with weed or there is a heavy crop of weeds threatening to ripen seeds, the lirst exit of young lucerne should be delayed until the new growth is coming away from the. crowns. About this time a fair number of the plants will be showing m bloom and the leaves will be dropping. Too early cutting of young lucerne retards root growth. If weather conditions are suitable, give the young lucerne a light cultivation with the tine harrows or light cultivator after the crop has been removed.

Where available, supplementary feeding of dnirv cows will be in full swing, and where . different green crops are available, it is advisable to mix these as much as possible so as to balance the ration. Maize and lucerne or maize and pens go well together, or if maize, lucerne, ami soft turnips are available, it is good practice to feed the maize er lucerne or both in tin* evening and the soft turnips in the morning. Soft turnips carted out one day and fed the following morning are much better from the point of view of the quality of the milk than if fed straight from the field. Tf other feed is available GOlbs of soft turnips per cow per day should be the inaximuin. .