RURAL TALKS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15557, 6 March 1911, Page 5

RURAL TALKS.

(By RUST!CUS.) It is stated that Bordier wheat does not. find a great deal of favour with millers. If this is true, it is rather a pity, because Bordier wheat has pi overt itself to he an abundant cropper m districts which suit it. One big drawback with it is that it blows out very easily. Tuscan wheats have proved themselves to be good wind-resisters, especially Solid Straw. It is a good plan to grow 6uch wheats ns Red Chaff, "Velvet, Peail or Bordier in conjunction with such a wheat as Solid Straw Tuscan. Should a quantity of grain ripen together, the easily blown sorts should bo cut out. first, leaving tho Solid Straw to stand till the other i finished. Tuscan wueat will cripple down in wind, and if it is dead ripe the heads will break off, but it will not blow out. In fact, it has to be thoroughly dead ripe before tho wind will do much injuiy. Solid Straw Tuscan has oho been roughly handled by millers and othei buyers! but thcro is a conflict of opinion between them ar, to its milling qualities. Somo millers maintain that it decs not suit for milling purposes, whim otuers claim that thev find no difficulty wun it. mixed with other main. No domic all Solid Straw is not alike. Tnero oro finer samples cn fnine farms than tnero are on others. There is almost ss mucji difference between some samples of this wheat as there, is between two altogether different varieties or wheat. It is a liberal yielding wheat, and, bull: for bulk, threshes out better than any other kind. It grows in Hook, during a wet reason, very readily indeed, otherwise there is not much fault to be found with it from tho grower s point of view. It is a suitable wheat for export purposes. It. is a pity that it is such wretched stuff to work with at harvest. Another variety of wheat that giow3 badly in the stook is Carter’s Cross, which had a good vogue a few years a®o. It also shakes easily, and is not liked by the miller. One good point in its favour is that it statics up well in rich, swampy spots. Rod Chaff is a good wheat for the colder localities. Tlic-ro is still a good deal of harvesting to be done there, and no doubt hopes are being expressed that the weather will continue fine for some time to come. _ On rich warm land Red Chaff is very liable to go down and to get blighted. Pearl is a good selling wheat, and a very satisfactory cropper. It is liable to run a good deal to straw, and, therefore, it often does well a,s a second wheat crop. The land is not then in such good heart, and the Pearl seems to prefer it that way. Velvet is a desirable wheat to grow, but it is not everywhere it can be produced in a payable way. Both Pearl. Red Chaff and Velvet sell readily. Tho most of the Canterbury harvest lias been saved. The bulk ot it is in good condition, but there is some which was threshed out of the stook before it way dry, during the catchy weather. Some samples have been offered, which are practically unsalable just now, as they are too wet. Remembering what the weather was like last season, some farmers were afraid to risk leaving their stuff out in the paddock any longer than they could help. Plenty of push is a good characteristic at any time, and particularly at harvest, but there can bo too much haste made. It is not often that grain gets properly spoiled through a wet harvest, consequently the exercise of a little faith and a good deal of patience will pay handsomely. Those with harvest on the late side have been having an excellent run during the past fortnight. Reaping, stoolc tlireshing and stacking have been going on from daylight till after dark, and many thousands of pounds’ worth of stuff' has been saved, and saved well. One or two “locals” have appeared comparing the harvest this season with that of last year, and in one instance at least the farmers were accused of being caught napping last year. The apparent insinuation is that we were dawdling last harvest, and wore caught by tho rain when we ought to have had our grain saved. The imputation is not deserved as far as the majority of farmers are concerned. Tho reaping taking my district as an instance, was only about hall' way through when the rain came. There had been no time to thresh or stack, even if the grain had been fit. IJ. was not in proper condition for either of those operations, except in a few instances. The rain camo and hung about for days and weeks, giving absolutely no chance of doing any further harvest work beyond keeping the stooks upright. The standing grain sprouted badly, in fact it was tno worst. There may have been a few in tho earlier districts who wero caught napping. Those few will be found In any locality. Farmers, ns a rule, are far too wide awake to be caught by the weather, once the stuff it fit for putting away, and the ripe crop is all cut. The trouble is that they are often too anxious to get their grain saved, and they run it into bags and put it into stacks before it is ready. Tho use of artificial manure with tho grain crop is daily spreading. Some still cling to the opinion that manuring is c nly a waste of money, and that by working the soil well equal results will be obtained. Wherever grain growers who disbelieve in manure can bo persuaded to try a block with manure, they have changed their minds. There is an impression abroad that manuring will cause the grain to ripen too quickly and spoil the sample. Such is not

the case. It causes the grain to ripen earlier, certainly, about a fortnight, but that does not spoil the sample by any moans. It improves it instead. It is quite tho proper thing to'do, to work tho soil thoroughly, but some manure, except on very rich land, should be applied. The manure will nearly always pay .for itself both in tho quality and the quantity of the grain, and it serves a good purpose in bringing tho crop in for the harvest ten days or «. fortnight earlier than would bo the case if no manure were applied. The digger plough, and superphosphate, have almost revolutionised agriculture in some districts during the past few years. Farmers who have threshed are hurrying their grain away as soon as they possibly can. They are selling their wheat at about 3s Id, and their milling oats at about 2s per bushel. If sonic of tho wheat that is being bought k being exported, as is said to be the case, the easing of supplies may cause tho market to rise after a time. If it does not rise higher than 3s per bushel there will be a great temptation to ship, when the cheap freights become available. Many fat lamb buyers ate now looking round for lambs fat and to fatten. The prices that are being paid per pound are not, in some cases at least, sufficiently high in the opinion of growers, seeing that the price in London is so good. It is claimed that wool is not so valuable as it was last year, and- there is not as much of it as there is later on in the season. Still, the difference, about a penny a pound, is greater than it should be, and some consigning will he dene on owners’ accounts. Rain is needed now to bring away rape and turnips, and grass. If it does not come econ feed will begin to get scares again in a short time. The law compels occupiers of land to cut down Californian thistle before it seeds. While this may prevent the pest from, spreading bv means of tho seeds, it is doubtful if it does anything towards killirg out the thistle. Messrs Begg, of Hi!lend Station, in Otago, have a considerable quantity of thistles to deal with, and they have found that where thistles have "been left alone they die out much quicker than where they have never be«-n cut. They*can point to many places . where the thistles have died out where they have never been cut, while in places where cutting has been going on continuously the thistles are very flourishing. Cutting begins when the flowering does, in December, and

continues for months. What seems to anger settlers more than anything else is the fact that they are compelled to keep the thistles down on their properties while on Crown lands the pest is left to grow and seed at its own sweet will. Cutting during the flowering stage will not ultimately eradicate the thistles. They must be kept chopped off at all seasons of the year, and if possible the cutting should be done under the surface of tho ground, so that the plants may have no chance of breathing. One big objection to Italian ryegrasß is that it does not last except on good land. It is annual or biennial in character, and is at best only a very temporary grass. It is now claimed" however, that a perennialised Italian ryegrass has been produced, and it may be procured in New Zealand. The price is huge, 19s Gdper bushel of 20!b. Messrs Garton Bros., Limited, have bred the grass, and they claim that it is a great hay preducer, is rapid in growth, and for dense succulent herbage is unrivalled. Messrs Garton Bros, are bringing out a new series of breeds of forage crops, and perennialised Italian ryegrass is among them.

If a straw stack is intended to stand it is worth while raking it down and putting a number of ties across it to prevent the wind blowing the ton off. A good builder will take -- the straw as it leaves the mill and place it butt outwards, forming a good roof. Of course there is r>o time to straighten the straw out very thoroughly, but a good deal in that direction may be done by an expert and quick builder. If the stack is raked down well it will not need thatching. Unless rain comes to make the turnips grow a good deal of straw for chaff will be needed in the winter. Oats are now too dear to feed to sheep. Molasses make a good substitute. We like to think that our country is earning a reputation by means of its agricultural and pastoral industries. Mr Dunlop, the Scottish agricultural commissioner, states that from what he has seen its fame in those directions will ultimately be eclipsed by its renown as a resort for tourists from all parts of the world. Perhaps the Government is, after all, not wasting money in . opening up its beauty spots, but those in need of roads, bridges and railways certainly envy much of the money being spent for the benefit ofi holiday-makers.