Practical – – Agriculture.

Lake County Press, Issue 2393, 14 September 1911, Page 2

Practical - - Agriculture.

ORIGINAL ARTICLES. j (Bv r.S.C.I Specially written for this column. I Ail Rights Reserved. | THE SUCCESSFUL GROWER. i The grower who has his growth ot ■alfalfa well started is more than half way on the road to success. While the selection ul seed bears an important | part m successful alfalfa culture, the I preparation of the seed bed is only of secondary importance because the suc- | cessftil grower plans months, even i years ahead in getting his held into shape because the crop will remain on the land from live to seven years.

Under these conditions he cannot afford to neglect the details of the seed bed. Money and time spent in the preparation of the seed bed instead of me purchase of a large quantity of seed will insure better stand, and this uocld be instrumental in extending the crop. .Not until this is fully realised and appreciated will the tanner be content to put the seed into properly prepared ground. : The held should have been ploughed j long enough to enable the soil to be worked down and settled, and to fill with water. A loose, open, porous soil may be just the thing for potatoes root crops or corn, which contain a | large amount of food in the seed, and i which conic in contact with it, but this soil is entirely unlit for alfalfa seed. I The farmer who sows his seed on fresh j ploughed ground, with slight pulveration, can hope for nothing but failure lin securing a stand. The first considj oration in handling the field should be to gel rid of the weeds. Nothing will be of greater service in this respect than to begin early and persist in keeping them down after ilie crop is sown.

I' K I', \ I<J ( S G RUl’ The 1 111-1 t hoiee of a pieviou? nop |is a well cultivated potato field, fins I intis the soil m good coiuiition by tou- | serving watei, and makes the suit aidLow. Weed and grass seeds arc made !u germinate and are then killed. bccond to a potato crop, i would • ugge-t one whicii has been cropped to lieid pea-. I be peas should be seech d thickly enougli to smother must of the weeds and then alter the crop |is Harvested the lieid should be 1 ■.1..1 II \ 0.l Ir,i in ii• ■. . I. i .IV ilii• lia > ■ /I■ l f• I 1

plmijj'iK’n I rum nvr i«> m\ im iir.f gaw |). i He iteld shocld lie left ill this uneven condition during the winter until early spring . soon as ilie soil is dry cnmieii to work n should be well dished and hallowed. Jlu> hastens the phy.sn al improve meni, compacts the sou, loosen. lire surtace to pievi-nt ov.ipoiaiton, ami incline-, the soil to warm mme rapidly, thus starting the germinal an) ol gra- and weed and If the ground become-, weedy the disk and harrow should be continued as often a- required to kill them, because thev aie easdv kept in check while voting. Continue this treatment until seeding time , When it is deniable to put a stubble lieid in shape bn- allalfa. it should be ploughed earlv. II this cannot be done it should be disked at once. Ihe disked Held should be ploughed later without much trouble, while the disking causes foul seeds lei germinate. When the seeding is done soon alter ploughing, the proper seed bed may only lie math' hv disking and harrowing, and even the use of a sub-surface

cker is desirable. When such is the se the use of a disk is essential, hell se a seed I><■< 1 is prepared which is m turned under hv ploughing. Ini' such treatment a six inch bed will assured while with a single ploughs' llit- bottom 01 the soil will be *se, cloddy, tilled with trash, and t cunm cit’d v illi the soil below the ■imh line. Kirin connection with the i.-mi is preferred, so as to permit .hilary rise of water; a mellow cover Mies the -mil and lakes up heat so it rapid germination and growth ult-.

TOP DRESSING PASTURES. An Lngli.-h authorin' -ays tin* seleej turn of fertilisers for top dressing I grass lands must he determined iarge- ! iv by the character ol has which U is desired to produce, and it should also | be varied according as the hay land is permanent or used foi hoed crops. On lands which are used in rotation j lor hoed crops and where, the produc- I Hon oi hay is the object, nit rale ol i soda should he (he most prominent I among the fertilisers used; and while | the nuantuies which it will pay to ap- 1 plv must, of course, vary with the conditions. the following mixture per acre is suggested in the report: —Nitrate of soda i 7silss to aoolhs. superphosphate S"lhs to inolhs, high grade sulphate of potash solbs to toolhs. For [ similar land, where a huge proportion of clover m the hay is desired, the following mixture u| materials is sug- 1 gested : --Superphosphate toolhs, basic slag 4<>lbs, and high-grade sulphate

ol potash Solhs to joolbs. These util- i tetials should he mixed with and ap- | plied either hue in the autumn or very | earlv in the spring. For permanent hav land.-, as well as lor those ti-ed in rotation, nitrate of soda should Ire prominent it the production ol market hav is the object.

The quantity of this fertiliser which i may he used must be determined large- s ■ v by experience An application | 1 win hj max be salely u-ed on some soils |i or in some finalities will iau.se the grass to lodge seriously in others, v Ihe Usual range in ipiauititx w hi< hj e til i\ ' li. • i > i'i \ll f-1 Ii I > ■! ~. I I , ... .1

in.iv hr pmlitaulv u.-cd is imm about ti i Splb to _'sollr per acre. The follow- ja ruixtuie ol materials i- recommended In with much conlidetiee; \itrate of so- jn nud.i i S"lb to .tyilli, basieslag ;onlb to is toolli. and high-grade sulphate of po- i e .ash 7.511) to loolb. !■ or the permau- j b ait hav land,-, where rich hav in elov- I ,i 'f is desired, an annual application of lasie slag, .(noil) to (XH.III. and higli- j p grade sulphate of potash, to w joolb w ill, it is believed, give good ! U tops'. . j j, hj Six nart - ol oil with one ot tut pen- d ine rubbed on horses where hol-fiics j ire pestering the animals, is found a 1 cl

good preventative; carbolic oil used mmiii.uiv has been found efhciem. Successful farming' calls for continu- | u- and carelul consideration of evert i detail, a thorough understanding of | 111e land, and an untiring energy to j improve the methods of c ultivation. Without reasonably accurate records of each cow in the herd no farmer | ..a expect to improve his standard oi j production. 1 here is nothing that I iiclpj out like the figures when it ] comes to gracing up the herd, j In using a curry-comb, sec that the j teeth are not bent. Such a comb is an instrument of torture. Teach the .my-, to use it gently, many horses arc given ugly tempers by cruel and (tireless currying. Soil that lias produced a crop of 1 -cabby potatoes should be used for j some other crop for several years, because the scab pores live over in the sou and will attack subsequent potato crops for live or six years afterwards. When clover fails to grow to perfection the prime cause is that much of the humus of the soil is worn out and .1 acid condition exists that is detrimental to clover. Such land should ..we a liberal application of lime well worked in with the plough and harrow. While cream is being ripened, be careful to keep it from the sunlight, as this bleaches the surface of the cream and causes butter of an uneven color to be produced. Such butter is of ;i streaky, unappetising appearance. and there!ore its market value is lessened. Jerseys, Guernseys. Ayrshrcs," and Holslcins are the recognised dairy breeds. The Shorthorn cross with the Jersey is a useful cow, as, while there is a satisfactory yield there is also a ■mease of some weight for the butcher when no further use exists for her as a milker. One of tiie effects of the use of salt ■si land is io increase the capacity of the soil for tetaining moisture. About one barrel per acre has been known to benefit grass during periods of bought, the salt being applied in May. Kainit contains a large proportion of -all as well as about 12 per cent of potash, and may ire used in preference.