PUMPKINS FOR SHEEP.

Mataura Ensign, 9 November 1916, Page 4

PUMPKINS FOR SHEEP.

j • | I’OVKMTV ISA V KXPKHIAIKXT. | .SoiiU'thiiuc (if a new departure and lone ill it lias proved highly sat sfactory ; ill tin- (lid.io iii‘ d ,-tret is the jj,iT.win|i lof pumpkins for sheep food. Tlmadvanj tJill's of tlio crop in that l(K-alitv are i tin l small com of production and the j practical <-('rt ain tv ol a 1 airly _ood | yield. Tim crop jilso affords the opoor- ! tnnity for shutting up fin- a couple of months the hill country on which it e intended to whip r jioooets, oives tin (mass a spell and leaves clean piddoeks j'witli sweat feed tor the liooo, t.s to <o> : on to. file practice is to plonsth tin l land he- | fore tiie middle of August, if pins .tile, • and in September to work it down fair Iv line, with the ideti of oivino tiny weeds ti chance to terminate, then \a bo 111 once a lonnifthi- pnliino the tine ; harrow or iiiliivator over the paddock Ito destroy anv weeds. Sowm** is 'lone ! from the in (Idle to the end of October. I Sowmo on the fiat in rows 1 (>ft to 18ft | apart and in clump- of three seeds a ■ yard apart in the row can he recoin i mend'd. A man with a single-furrow I ploujih can 1 ne out rows Hilt to ]Hfi apail at the rale i f about 10 acres pci , (I iy, and four men or hoys cm sow (il ; they keep fioinfc) 10 acres per day. usin*r -llh to (>lh of seed per ace. In l : n upr ; out rows the plough-furrow should not ihe more than 2,n deep, Transplantin'? i for ;>s is not neeess ry ;it is Imtioi to (ill mi with fresh seed. In most easts I the crop is interenllivated twice with ; eiji.her (single. donlile or three-horse ! enh ivator, the only hard work heiinr in j the row hotwet'it and rotmd the plants. I If manure is ret|tiii'id, ouano has given j good resuts, j; lll li nvt a small liaiulln ' with eaeli chimp of three seed-, : 'lie- pnmpk ns itrnwii are known in i the Gisborne district as ordinary sheep !and cattle pumpkins and hy savin*.' lone’s own seed from the strongest strains —three showing the last keel) i ing and. feeding value properties—tin I improvement in Intuiv crops is vt ry : not 'eea file. When the sheep are first put on t< I the pumpkins they eat till the hall line : and soff-slcin.ned ones. After about a ; week's time il is necessary to eomnn ne (spitting the harder pumpkins. Split limt for 1 oOf) sheep (tikes afiont an hour | a dav. One exceptionally good pad ! dock' of 17 ae ’es fids year also ton i mined a HI fen stack of lucerne hay j to which the sheep had free tie: ess | Fifteen hundred ewe lionets were ten j in on dune 11 anil were run live day 'on pumpkins and one day on grasi until August HI, a (ofal of dd dav' i and 12 davs respectively. Hay is very i necessary for shoi p on pumpkins and if j is preferable to let them have access j it will to a stack. (