EXPERIMENTAL FARM WORK.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 19 February 1926, Page 4

EXPERIMENTAL FARM WORK.

PROGRESS AT STRATFORD. AN INTERESTING FIELD DAY. The value of the work completed and projected for the future at the Stratford Demonstration Farm is stressed more and more on the minds of a large number of farmers from the surrounding districts after each of the very instructive and interesting field days held, when Mr J. W. Deem pilots the company round and points out the nature of the tasks being carried on, the kind of crops growing, and the various troubles against which they are fighting, which to obviate or overcome is one of the great objects of the farm. Yesterday the number of farmers attending—and if farmers from further afield realised the value of the day more would have been present —was very satisfactory, and included men from the district down to Eltham, to Riverlea and Opunake, and north to Waitara. All took a keen interest in the place, all they saw and heard, and left satisfied that the afternoon had been- very well spent. In welcoming the farmers, Mr Deem expressed his regret that Hon. O. J. Hawken, Minister of Agriculture, who had promised to he present if it were at all possible, had found that pressure of public business had prevented his attendance. He added that he was very anxious that the Minister should see "the farm, and hoped that, realising the value of the work, he would give them more assistance. Going first into the fields close to the house which were laid down in pasture, Mr Deem said that there were two in which experiments had been made in regard to top-dressing. One had been put down in 1918 in temporary pasture directly after ploughing, and by means of liberal top-dress-ing had been -so well maintained that it was good enough for anything today. Basic slag had been used —on one part 3cwt annually to the acre, and on the other 6cwt biennially—and it was proved that, taking; a series of years, the former was the best treatment. On one portion, in order to test whether kainit, a mineral potash, was better than the phosphatic manure, this Jiad been tried, but the general result showed that phosphates were what the land required. Two cwt of kainit had been used, and it had made an improvement on the strip where it was applied. On the coast lands, however, Mr Deem considered slag was the best for top-dressing. In the second paddock, also put down in temporary pasture in 1918, a crop had been taken off before putting permanently into grass, and the 'result was eminently good. It had been top-dressed regularly with slag, and the cows, he considered, were feeding better where the slag had been used every year. • Nauru phosphate had also been tried and good results secured, but .the slag was the best generally. The Nauru was also slower acting. In that naddock the dairy cows were grazing, and it was generally agreed that the type of cow had improved very much, and that now it was a very good-looking herd. It was gratifying also to hear from Mr Deem that the returns from the milking shed had very materially increased, and now were well over the 3001bs per cow mark. It was proof of the care taken with’them and the value of liberal, judicious aud balanced feeding. Referring to the crops, Mr Deem said that this season the weather had been cold and wet at sowing time, and seeds were very slow in germinating. They discussed ploughing up and resowing, hut he felt sure ' the seed would come, and . consequently they waited and eventually secured good takes. Some farmers had not this faith, and had consequently been put back very seriously. Had'they done so on the farm the crops now would not have been so well advanced. The carrots sown included the jmain crop of .Sutton’s Matchless White, a good plot of Barr i_b alls, and new varieties under trial—St. Valerie, Nantes Improved, Gurande (a small variety used largely for sheep)—and a small patch of White Belgian and Sinclair’s Champion. The manure used had been a mixture of- super three parts, bone one, Nauru one—scwt per acre.

The mangolds were sown on November 9 in 28-incli drills, with a mixture of super three parts, bone one, Nauru one—6cwt per acre, plus kainit 3cwt per acre. The varieties sown included two that had given great results in the competitions, Sutton’s Prizewinner and Giant Orange Globe, and in addition there were new varieties —AYibolet Dana, Siladstrip, Taartroyie. Ovoid Giant, White Night and Danish Strying. These varied in colour and flesh. The Danish varieties tried were proving very good. Mr Deem stressed the importance of keeping the edges of plots clear of rough growth, for he said it harboured caterpillars and other pests which would prey on the young plants. Fodder beet, a Danish preparation, a cross between a mangold and red beet, had been tried out, and would prove a welcome addition to the fodder plants. Chou Aloellier, of which a good proportion was grown annually, was an excellent fodder for dairy cows, and was proving better than turnips. It took no club root, fly or other' troubles, and rave an enormous amount of feed for the autumn Find winter; 3cwt of basic super had been used on the crop. There was an area of 2’r acres this Year.

Of swedes a fair amount had been grown, but it had all been badly infested with club root, especially -in the hollows, where conditions were favourable to the disease and where the sun did not pe?ietrate. Tn addition the wet spring favoured the pest, and the growth of the fungus that was the cause of the club root. When the sun got to it a cure generally was effected. Tt was noticeable that there was no trace in the Chou Aloellier. They had experimented with treated seed, a hot water treatment, to see if they could cure the tendency to dry rot and club root, but the latter had been as bad as ever. However, further tests would be made. There were also a series of _ tests made to prove the best varieties of turnips, and those tried were Purple Top Afammoth. Red Paragon, Hardy Green Globe. ATailaud Plat Purple Top. Oste- Sinadinm Medioum, Long Red Head. Funish Long Yellow, Wibolets White Flesh. Snowball. Greystone Round and Yellow Tankard. Those which did best were the last three.

Manurial trials were also made with them, trying out two of super and one of slag, two of super and one of Nauru as against basic super. Generally sneaking, the last had proved the best.

One of the great- problems which faced the committee when it took up the farm in a verv rough state was the blackherrv. which infested a large portion of the area. By judicious ploughing, cropping, and grassing this has now been practically conquered. The last crop put in was oats and tares, and this finished the pest, and next year the portion where blackberry

was worst will he put down in pasture. Three years ago it was covered stumps and blackberries. _ The secret of netting rid of this noxious weed is ploughing and close, heavy cropping. CLOVER TRIALS. The experiments in various types of clover which were begun two years ago are being continued and proving very, interesting and practical. The value of frequent mowing when the growth was more than required and of using tine harrows was shown in this area. The New Zealand and English wild white clover had established the perennial habit, while the imported Dutch variety was actually an annual. _ A few weeks ago the wild white strips were a mass of bloom, while the imported showed hardly any. ENSILAGE. The effect of cold winds was demonstrated by a stack made mainly from oats and tares, in which the exposed part had hardly “cooked” at all, and consequently did not consolidate like the cooked portion away from the wind. In a case such as this the mis w take was often made of putting more soil on the high part. _ whereas it should be put on that which wa6 sunk. A FINE PERMANENT GRASS. Timothy, said Mr Deem, coming to an area of that grass, is one of the best and most permanent of the grasses that could be need, and it would pay handsomely always to have some in the mixture sown. The pasture seen had been down about 29 years, and was still good and excellent for ensilage. “You could uotV go wrong on timothy,” he added, clusion. _ PEAS FOR FODDER. A very nice healthy-looking crop of field peas, the Partridge variety, were inspected. These, it was explained, made excellent fodder for pigs, and ■were very good for the dairy herd. They also cleaned the ground excellently, and made it in good condition for putting down in pasture by discing and rolling. Sowing of peas was best about October; and 2cwt of basic super had been used. LUCERNE TESTS. The result of the experiments in lucerne had. practically proved that lucerne was not well suited to the Stratford district because of the wet conditions and the excessive amount of labour required. The lucerne paddock is not looking well, and in parts has gone right out. THE PIGS. A short inspection was made also of the piggery, where a, fair number are reared and kept, and all are doing well. COMPLIMENTARY. After a very welcome afternoon tea had been served in the dairy shed — which, ’it may be added, was, as always, scrupulously clean and sweet, and well open to the fresh air—appreciative remarks were made by Mr- E. Walter, M.P., and acknowledged by members of the committee.

Mr Walter, in proposing a vote of appreciation, emphasised the good work done since the farm had been taken over in a rough state. A portion of the work done was to show the farmers of Taranaki “what not to do,” and this was one reason why, in the farm balance-sheets, large profits were not shown. He said that the result of his experience and observation convinced him that the best method to be adopted by the farmers was what he would term “easy” farming, that was the getting of the pastures in perfect condition and keeping them there, and not breaking up an acre more than was necessary. He did not advocate too much of the intense farming, and considered there was more profit in the method -advocated than in that in which the land was contirfuallv broken up and cropped. The close pastures would do a lot towards choking out the weeds. While he appreciated, what the Government had done for . the farm, he considered a more liberal subsidy could be given, .and added that he hoped the Ministers would take an opportunity of coming to see the farm and the work being done. In conclusion, he expressed the thanks of all to Mr Deem and to the committee for the good work they had done and were doing. Mr Deem thanked Mr Walter for his kind and appreciative remarks. A few remarks were also made by Messrs E. Marfell, J. H. Were and J. B. Richards, and a valuable afternoon gathering terminated.