FARMER'S COLUMN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 288, 16 August 1882, Page 3

FARMER'S COLUMN.

FARMING NOTES BY " Y."

At a time when many now comers are arriving in the district, most of whom lack experience of the peculiar and to some extent exceptional circumstances affecting this cbast, I am satisfied that, if I had leisure proportionate to my desire, to give them the benefit of the older settlers experience, I should occupy more of your space than you would cave to afford me. But as this is a country district, dependent maiuly upon farming and farmers, I hold that the latter, when they can find an advocate, have a right to claim some indulgence at your hands. I have often thought that, in proportion to their stake in country districts, matters affecting farmers' interests receive very little attention. Tho local politics of a town or borough council, whose sayings or doings are of comparatively little interest outside their immediate circle, are published at length ; while matters affacting tho welfare of the whole district, such dry and prosaic subjects as caterpillars, rabbits,' and small birds, or the comparative merits of different breeds' of cattle or sheep, seldom occupy many lines. I assume that the reason why the farmers receive comparatively so little literary attention, is because they are as a class a non-advertising body : that as country newspapei'3 must live, and as their sustenance take 3 the form of advertisements, so it is only natural that, newspapers should most incline to those who best support them. .1 see that Mr. Obas. Pharazyn, a gentleman'of Jewish descent and parsimonious habits, and by no means a friend of newspapers, is 'strongly recommending New Zealand farmers to advertise their wool in tho United States ; others have recommended farmers to advertise their frozen mutton in London, and, if .it be true that farmers aye behind the times and loso money by a neglect of advertising, I have no doubt you will be happy to afford them every opportunity of retrieving their error. To proceed to business. Many of your readers will be sorry to hear that several of our settlers on the open land have suffered severe loss ,'by the plague of thistles. These have grown so rank and so quickly as to completely smother and kill the grass underneath them, with the result that the farmers who have suffered most, havo only been able to carry half their usual quantity of stock through the winter. These thistles have destroyed a really good sole or sward of rye-grass and clover ; doing most damage on rich land near the edge of the bush, especially whore the red clover was sown somewhat thickly. In the bush, those settlers who so wed rye grass ha.ye in ninny cases simply lost their labor and money. I know of several farmers in the Ngaire district whose cleared laud carried absolutely no stock — nothing but thistles. In fact/ cocksfoot seems to be tbe;only grass which can' contend with thistles in bush land.- It is simply a question of cocksfoot or nothing; and in such a case, no farmer would long hesitate which to choose. I gather from some of tho older settlers that— (l) If yo.u keep a good coat of grass pasture on open land in the autumn, you will not suffer so. much from thistles the following summer; (2) That field which has been, umcli affected the previous year, generally has fewer the next j< (3) Tho earlier you plough, $he more thistles you will have on cultivated land; (4) TJiat grass stands against them better than clover, .and in bush laud nothing but cocksfoot can hold its own. Those whose experience in other- 1 parts of Now' Zealand is altogether ' different to that herein set

forth, will no doubt think, as the writer at one time thought, that thistles would not trouble him after the first year ; that ,tbey sweeten the ground, make summer feed for sheep, and are but a blessing iv disguise. On this coasfc the blessing comes in such a questionable shape that they may, and very probably will, learn to wish that the disguise had been less complete. Like gorse or furze, which ou this coast is almost the uuiversal hedge, spreading but little, growing fast, aud in a few years making a close breakwind and good fence. But how few of those who come from elsewhere, where gorso is a continual trial and a nuisance, spreading en all sides every year in spite of clipping, proving itself a hard master, or at best a moat expensive unruly servant — how few of such persons can bring themselves to believe that it is really the best and most efficient fence. Yet there is a large majority of the community between Wanganui aud Taranaki who, after long experience, have unhesitatingly declared in favor of gorse fences ; and despite my own previous prejudice, well grounded, but fonuded on different data, I am almost persuaded that the majority are right. I do not despair of African box- thorn proving ft formidable rival. Again, take the"* case of fern. From Napier to Wellington there is hardly a settler who has not killed fern with sheep and sheep alone. On this coast I could 1 mention the names of at least a dozen settlers who, one and all, started with tho firm belief that they could do likewise on I this coast. JZx toio discc omnes, says the proverb, and so it is. It is difficult to persuade oneself that fern on the East Coast differs from fern on the West Coast. Yet so it is : Every mau who has tried to kill fern with sheep on this coast has failed, and iv most cases has had to buy this experience somewhat" dearly. But there will be some yet who will try, I have no doubt. Seeing that ploughing is just now in in full swing, it may be interesting to know what saving in labor dan be effected by double-furrow aud treble -furrow as compared with single-furrow ploughs. At the inter-colonial ploughing match, held at Werribce, Victoria, Mr. Thomas Bath, of Ceres, "tested the draught of ploughs with the Ballarat Agricultural Society's dynamometer. There were • four singlefurrow ploughs tested, each ploughing the same depth and width. li'Calman aud Garde's obtained first prize, registering 399J1b. The other figures were : T. Robinson and Co., 435; Lennon, 40*2 j Hornsby, 427^. In the double-furrows, T. Robinson and Co. were first With a register of 474, aud the others were Williams Casterton, 024 ; T. Bobinson aud Co.'s other ploughs, G22 and 583 ; and Lennon, CG7. The results of the triple-furrow were: First prize, T. Robinson and Co., 839; M'Calmau and Garde, 1042VLennon, 9G4£. Cocknell's tooth disc harrow was awarded an extra prize of' £8, this being the only award made for agricultural implements other than ploughs. From which it would appear that there was ouly 12llis. difference between the lightest double and the heaviest singlefurrow plough. A result which seems simply astounding. I cannot help believing that- there is a future before amodification of the Yankee gang plow iv this district, and hope to see oue tried here before long. The very short mould board, which is suitable for the tough prairie 6od, is out of place here, otherwise I thiuk it might work well. Ido not kuow how fern root. would suit it. • - I recently witnessed a Yankee fcorn drill and a Reid and Gray, both "sowing Champion and Defiance wheat at the Lakes, now tcnauted by Mr. J. S. Caverbill. At the time I saw them the drills were making capital work, but the Yankee machine, though only covering sft. Gin. as against Bft. Biu. of the Reid and Gray, was I thought tho belter design. It was much lighter, so that two light agricultural horses did tho work easier than three thoroughbred Clydesdale brood mares in the Reid and Gray. The Yankee drill .might have been doubled iv span, and in the nunlber of drills which were being sown without being as heavy as its New Zealand rival. The saving, effected in seed' iilolie was enough to cover the cost of the machines in the first year. Barely one bushel to the acre was sown last year, but a capital crop was reaped. Besides it circumvented the sparrows, and that in itself is no small boon. By the way, a small bird plaguo threatens ; and though My. Cavorhill as yet prefers sparrows to caterpillars, I venture to doubt whether ia a few years he will not be convinced that though caterpillars are bad, too many sparrows are- oven worse. It is some comfort to know that they are more easily poisoned. One of Mr. Fantham's best cows died the other day of puerperal fever. She has probably taken as many as if not more prizes in her time thau any other cow iv New Zealand. I append a list of performances : — Moss Rose (Canterbury Herd Book) — Calved July 10th, 18G7. .Diod, August 4th, 1882, ' of puerperal fever. Gained the following prizes at the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association :—: — 2nd prize in 18G8 ; Ist prize iv 18G9 ; 2nd prize in 1870 ; highly commended, 1871 ; 2nd prize, 1872 ; 2nd prize, 1873 ; highly commended, 1874 ; 2nd prize, 1875 ; Ist prize in milk class, at Cambridge, 1878 ; 2nd prize iv milk class, 1879. This year she was beaten by her half-sister Veuus. Moss Rose produced eleven calves, eight bulls, and three heifers. Many of which have been very successful in New Zealand Show Yards. The most successful is Rosebud. She has .gained the following prizes, and has also beaten her dam, whenever shown in the same class — A>t Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, 2nd prize, 1873 ; Ist prize aud champion, 1874; Ist prize aud champion, 1875 ; 2nd prize, 187G ; Ist prize and champion at Cambridge, 1877 ; highly commended, 1878 ; highly commended, 1879 ; 2ud prize at Auckland, 1879. Rosebud's stock whenever' shown by Mr. Fauthani havo gained prizes, In my next I hope to have a few words to say about some of the well-bred stock iv the district.

For remaindku of Reading Matter,

she Fourth Pauis.

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