AID TO FARMING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 16 November 1929, Page 16

AID TO FARMING.

SOME USEFUL SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE. Writing in a Hampshire paper, C. E. Lloycl, a regular contributor on farming matters, gives interesting ' points lie noticed on a tour of the Midland Counties and Wales. He says: In a recent tour the writer came across many features of interest to Hampshire farmers. One was struck in the Eastern Counties by the excellence, in suite of the long drought, of the wheat‘crops. The straw was well grown, and ears were full and rich. Barley and oats varied, although in some districts the latter were excellent. The systems of cropping vary considerably, also methods of farming and live stock breeding. At ma,ny shows were to he seen interesting sidelights that provide valuable information. For instance, one came across a most instructive, educational and demonstrative exhibition staged for the first time by a County Farm Institute. Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and University of IVales were nre sent. Some of the most instructive features were the egg-grading and marketing sections, and the poultry (live and dead) display, where you could see charts of rationing for laying stock and’ chickens. All these points are something new to demonstrate, as everv season one comes across a new method. One saw some interesting clean milk charts showing how the production of any particular district compares with another. There is no. doubt that our milk production is going steadily up, and more, and yet more milk is being daily put upon rail. One also saw remedies for every kind of crop disease, and, further, some new methods, of preserving small fruits. This is known as the three-course system; it embraces the method of air and watertight bottles with new kinds of rubbers. The effect of this bottling is most satisfactory. The second method is called the dry, or oven. method, where the bottled fruit is put into an ,oven, and then, when thoroughly dried, is placed in a temperature of 1.55 degrees. The third is by the usual methods of sterilising. These formed most instructive displays to .everyone, no matter yliat part of tjhc country they lived in.

BUTTER AND CHEESE MAKING. There were excellent methods being demonstrated of butter and cheese making. Th,ese formed new ways in certain details of machinery. Another very instructive item was a demonstration of turves, showing a plot of turf grazed, half grazed, and in full growth. This exhibited, the effect of rotational grazing. By this illustration the expert can tell the quality of the turf, the length of grass left after being grazed or half grazed, and the methods to employ to improve the grass. A rieriod of resting is, of course, necessary for many meadows and grazing grasses, and then the expert can tell the right moment to feed off grain. The question of grasses is an important one as now so much arable land is being put down to grass, and if you are going to populate the land with the best of live stock it is of utmost importance that the food on that land should be the best obtainable. So much can he done to food grasses for grazing by the practical farmer by artificial methods, such ps manuring, judicious rolling, and so on. At the Cambridge Research Farm we recently learnt a great deal about grasses. Tests were made for grasses over two years, and the purity of the year’s grass put against that of lust. During the last year a test was made of perennial rye-grass against last season’s. The average purity for the season under review was lower than in the previous one, and the percentage of samples containing 1 per cent or more of injurious weed seeds was higher than last year. Germination again showed an improvement. and is in fact a high record. ITALIAN RYE GRASS. With regard to Italian rye. grass, there is an improvement in the. purity of the seed. There is a smaller percentage of injurious weed seeds than before, and germination is almost identical with the previous year. There is a marked improvement in cocksfoot, and samples were almost free from weeds. Germination is also improving. Timothy shows little change from last year, although there is a decrease in average purity. Meadow Fescue has improved both in purity and germination .and there is no increase in ijijurious weeds. There is a falling off in quality with Dogstail, but germination

is about average. Hard Fescue and Tall Oat .Grass are above tile average in purity grid germination. Clovers are found to be excellent mediums for a test. The purity of all samples (for the .season under review) of red clover was found to be below the average. The percentage of samples containing 1 per cent of injurious weeds was higher than the last test. White clover was level with last year, but samples of wild white clover were not so good. Trefoil was above the average, but lucerne was of poorquality, botlr as regards purity and germination.. The average of crimson clover was good.