RURAL TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14428, 19 July 1907, Page 5

RURAL TOPICS.

AGRICULTURAL • AND PASTORAL

In tho United States, experiments have been going on for same years to teat the values of manures. _ Among tbo tests undertaken was a series to ascertain tho relative values of special .and mixed manures in a five-years’ rotation. Unfertilised piote have been left adjoining every fertilised cue, and for tho last eiglit years of the test tbs yield of wheat'on these unfertilised plots has been 9J bushels to the aero. Land fertilised by acid phosphate has averaged 20 bushels por aero for tho last eight yean?- By a complete fertiliser, consisting for wheat of 1601 b of muriate of potash, tho yield was raised to two bushels por acre for the eight-year period. Another plan was tried, that of rain forcing stable manure carried direct from the stable to the field with &ome carrier of phosphate, such a-s acid phosphate or oToand phosphatic rock, and leaving out the nitrate of soda and muriate of potash. A three-years’ rotation wars tried maize, wheat and clover.—and eight tons per aero of the mixed manure was applied to the land before tho corn crop was sewn. For nine yeans the average yield has been 62 bushels of maize, followed by 25 bushels of wheat, without any further manure being added. Tho increase in the clover yield is not stated, but the average increase iu value of the crops in three yeare is placed at 4.45, after paying for the manure, and tor the labour of applying it.

Plante, like animals, differ very much in their requirements and in their ability to secure that which they need. Cereal crops contain lees nitrogen than legumes, but they have more difficulty iu securing it. The autumn sown cereals are better able to supply themselves with the necessary ash constituents. The spring tillage for barley, oats and garden crops aids nitrification in the soil, therefore these crops have less difficulty in securing nitrogen. Barley, however, has a very short period of growth, and ie shallow rooted, and cannot fight for its food to the same extent as oats. Maize and tho root crops are not only spring sown, but have a much longer period of growth than tho cereals, and thus have command of tho nitrates produced during the whole summer. They have fairly good root development, but may not always' secure all the potash and phosphoric acid required for the production of a full crop. Tho striking characteristic of all the .legumes is the largo amount of nitrogen, potash and lime found in them. However, although they contain fully twice as much nitrogen as the cereals, because of the power they possess of making use of tho free nitrogen of the atmosphere, they have comparatively little difficulty in securing the required amount. On the other hand, they have difficulty in collecting potash. Consequently, it may sometimes happen that legumes suffer for want of unis constituent on the soil in which cereals would find an abundance. The fact that plants differ widely in composition, range of root, period of growth, and ability to gather that which they need from the soil, is the reason that the farmer must know how to intelligently manure the soil and plan the rotation of crops hb wishes to follow.

“ Popular Science Siftings ” illustrates a motor automatic shearing machine, which can be operated upon bv one man. Two or three machines can in a couple of hours shear a flock of 500 sheep. The sheep are driven on a platform, and held by straps while the wool is cut off. The knives are affixed to a rubber hose, which enables the operator to run them at any angle. They are worked by an electric or steam motor, which also runs the car bearing the apparatus. Tho inventor is working on a device which will also scour the wool at' the same time. If the motor shearer can he relied upon to do its work thoroughly, and for, say, three months without repairs, a revolution in shearing machinery .will follow. One machine could, at the rate quoted, do tho work of six of the present machines.

By an organised system of milk records and testing, now being actively promoted by tho Canadian Government, the Director of Agriculture expresses the conviction that it will be possible to increase tho average production of the dairy cattle of the Dominion by at least 200 gallons per head annually, which will mean £6,000,000 per year more into the pockets of the dairy farmers without any increase in the number of cows. No doubt it is a far cry to such au ideal result as this; but the Director is able to report tho formation, under the auspices of the Department, of 20 milking-testing associations in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and tho list is being rapidly added to.

Results of experiments at Danish experiment stations show that 121 b of whey from separator skim-milk cheese 1« equal to 11b of grain for pig-feed-ing, or 11b of skim-milk equals 21b of whey in feeding value. Experiments nt the Wisconsin station show a higher feeding value for whey, as it contains more fat and casein than that used abroad. A suitable slop may he made by mixing together equal parts of middlings or shorts, ground oats or barley, bran and corn meal, made into a slop just thick enough to pour well, and adding 10 per cent of digester tankage. 'Whey is then fed iu the same way as skim-milk, or may be freely mixed with tho slop.

For several days there has been nor’west weather in South Canterbury, and frosts have not been at all severe. Rain is badly needed. The weather is splendid for sheep-feeding, and any decent crop of turnips has brought hi good returns. Two of the beet crops _of Swedes about Winchester were sold for £7 15s and £7 an acre respectively. Clover shelling has been finished, and good yields have been obtained. Ono paddock of three and a half acres on tho Orari threshed out just over seven sacks, which, at tho present price of £S a sack, was a very payable crop.

Writing in the new volume of “ Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society” upon dairy research work, conducted in the northeast of England, Professor Gilchrist states th© conclusion that the 'moat economical method of feeding concentrated foods to milking cows is to make the ration largely dependent upon the amount of milk the cows yield, a decrease in the quantity of concentrated food as the lactation period advances making no difference to the natural falling-off. in milk yield. In other words, the full ration should bo given when cows are in full milk, and as they fall off in yield tho allowance should bo gradually curtailed until, at the end of the lactation period, it reaches the minimum necessary fo keep the cows m good condition.

Queensland's last wheat crop has given disappointing results, being only one-twentieth of that of New South Wales, and, as her annual consumption is estimated at slightly over 3,000,000 bushels, the State will require to import about 2,000,000 bushels in wheat and flour during the current year. In the first six months —Decem,-

her 1 to May 31—the importations were equivalent to 872,300 bushels of wheat and flour, of which New South Wales supplied 654,300 bushels. Rust, mainly due to heavy rain at an unseasonable period of the year, was tho chief disturbing factor to tho crop. The area under wheat was 114,575 acres, slightly below that of the three preceding years, and of the area reaped 51,185 were unaffected by rust, and (53,380 acres more or less damaged by the pest. Thus 55 per cent of tho total area was affected. During the past ten years tho nearest approach to this was 'in 1897. when 41 per cent of tho crop suffered, while in 1903 26 per cent of tho crop was affected.

The lambing percentage in South Australia has been exceptionally good, owing to the rapid growth of green feed just before the lambing started. Indications now point to that State establishing a record in its export lamb trade for this year. Last year tho number exported was 248,291.

Tho fifteenth annual mooting of tho West Melton Saleyards Company, Ltd., was held on Monday afternoon, Tho attendance of shareholders was /airly large. Mr G. Watson (chairman of directors) presided, and read tho annual report, which stated that the business for the year had been satisfactory, and the directors had every reason to look forward hopefully to a still further increase in business. The balance-sheet showed that the sum of £ll7 8s 3d had been expended in permanent improvement during the year, and that tho total income for tho year had been £832 17s Id, with an. expenditure of £621 2s od, leaving a balance of £2ll 14s 8d in hand. It was resolved that a, dividend of 74 per cent should be paid to shareholders on their paid-up capital. Mr 11. E. Hill was appointed auditor, and Messrs G. Bailey, Carter and Fincham were elected directors. Votes of thanks were given to the chairman and tho retiring directors.