FARMING OPERATIONS AT MASSEY COLLEGE

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6810, 17 March 1932, Page 8

FARMING OPERATIONS AT MASSEY COLLEGE

Review of Month’s Work Massey College Council met at the college yesterday, when thcro were present Sir Gcorgo Fowlds (chairman), Professor T. A. Hunter, Messrs. P. Levi, A. Morton, W. Perry, H. B. Stuckey, J. D. Hall, Norton Francis and T. U. Wells, and Professors Pcren and Riddct.

Donations were accepted with thanks from Mr. J. Moody (Napier), 17 back numbers of the Journal of Heredity; Mr. H. B. Stuckey (Dannovirkc), six stud Southdown ewes; Mr. R. Matthews (Waiorongomai), ten stud Romney owes; and Mr. 11. Horton (Auckland), £SO for tho purpose of providing single pens in the poultry section.

Roll Call The principal reported that for the first term students had been enrolled as follows: Farming course, 41 (24 for first term last year); degreo course, 23 (24). The total for tho first term of 1930 was 34. There were 40 students in residence. Work on Crested Dogstail Of the plants selected in 1930 four promising linos had been isolated for seed production prior to being sent to tho Department of Agriculture to be tested for certification (no standard yet exists). Further selections had been made from commercial New Zealand lines, and those would bo tested against the best 1930 selections. Counts had been made for persistency of New Zealand commercial lines under a non-seed-ing treatment. They did not reach the standard set by old pasture Kentish seed, and many were not so good in persistency as samples collected from roadsides and permanent pastures in the district. Of tho 1930 selections, 75 per cent, had been obtained from roadsides or permanent pastures.

Publications The following articles had been published or accepted for publication during tho period under review: “The Crisis in New Zealand,” by D. O. Williams, in conjunction with H. Bclshaw; "College Window and Sheep Pen,” by F. W. Dry; “Wool Research at Massey Agricultural College,” by F. W. Dry; “Mycotic Dermatitis,” by R. Waters; “Distribution of Medullatcd Fibre over tho New Zealand Romney Fleece,” by B. L. Elphick; “The Development ol Flock Testing in New Zealand,” by B. L. Elphick; “Capo Barley—Experiments at Massey College,” by W. A. Jacques; “The Function of Cystine in Wool Production,” by O. H. Keys.

Flax Research Dr. Yeatcs reported as follows: “The past season has been an excellent one for phormium, and growth has been good. Cultivation has been well maintained, partly by tho rototiller and partly by unemployed labour. A commencement has been made with the culling out of unsatisfactory varieties in tho first area planted. Over 1000 hybrid seedlings have been set out and are growing exceptionally well. Artificial cross-pollination during tho summer has resulted in about 20,000 liyb seeds of the same percentage of these seedlings. A test of the yield of fibre from several of our strains has shown conclusively the superiority of our more favoured strains in this TCspeet. The variety of which 1000 roots were purchased gave the best yield of fibre. This variety is susceptible to yellow leaf disease, and tho above-mentioned hybrids are between it and a diseaseresistant strain. Strength tests of fibre have shown especially good strength in two of our varieties. One of these gave a result which outclasses any other phormium tested. Records of growth havo shown that leaves elongate by as much as two inches in ono day during tho most favourable weather. We sent an exhibit to the Royal Horticultural National Flower Show at Christchurch, for which wo were awarded a bronze medal.”

Work on the Farm The dry weather continued until Saturday, February 20, when rain commenced to fall. Somo 2iin. was registered on the Saturday and Sunday, but since then none had fallen except a few misty showers. Unfortunately, during the latter half of February there had been a good deal of wind, which tended to dry up the surface of the soil. As a result there had not been such a wonderful response in the way ot growth as had occurred in many other districts, and further heavy falls would be welcome. The arable crops had suffered severely’ prior to the rain, but had sinco picked up and in all cases should give at least fair yields. The ridged sw T odes had been scarified and hand-hoed twice, and as a result hat not suffered so severely as the swedes sown on the flat. The young lucerne had stood tho drought relatively wc and might now be considered well established. The soft turnips had proved to bo of the greatest value in view of the drying up of the pastures. They had • been carrying the stud ewo lambs for a good many weeks, and those sheep were now looking as well as any on the property. The oats and tares for hayhad been harvested and stored. Although this crop had promised well in the spring-time, tho oats had later been attacked by a bacterial disease, which had very considerably reduceo their yield. There had been a similai experience with this disease in 1928, when ono crop of oats had been prac tically wiped out. Paddock terrace No. 28 had been ploughed and w-ould be sown down in Italian rye and clover by way of insurance against a shortage ot grass in winter-time. Paddock Pahintua No. 10 had been sown in oats and barley for winter feed and for silage next spring. A number of paddocks had been top-dressed with superphosphate, and it was proposed to top-dress others with basic slag. Those paddocks top-dressed prior to tho rainfall on February 20 had come away much more rapidly than those not treated. The number of sheep it was proposed to winter included 208 stud ewes, 892 flock ewes, 196 stud hoggets and 390 flock hoggets, a total of 1686, which would work out at two wet sheep and one dry sheep per acre. With the Stock Professor W. Riddet, Dean of Dairying, reported;. "Dry weather, accompa-

nied by frequent winds, continued until February 20. Whilo most districts in tho North Island enjoyed good rains ten days earlier, tho Manawatu did not share tho benefit. This unusually long period of drought had a serious effect on pasture growth. There was no aftermath on paddocks from which hay and ensilage were taken. Pastures on the lighter types of soil were badiv scorched, while those on tho heavier soil retained their verdure but produced no growth. In spite of these adverse conditions tho herd milked remarkably well in January, actually exceeding "the returns for January, 1931 by 9.2 per cent. When, however, the effect of the drought became acutely intenso early in February, production markedly decreased. Paddocks which by reason of scorching could not be grazed in tho dry period were topdressed, and after the refreshing rains pasture is now rapidly recovering growth, with a corresponding response in milk production. Other pastures have similarly improved. The turnip crop is doing reasonably well. The dry spell provided a unique opportunity for effectively draining all damp areas on tho river flats by filling with shingle holes driven by a post borer to the underlying shingle. Observations made during the recent wet weather indicate that this is an effective method of draining this land cheaply, and it is confidently anticipated that the land will materially benefit in tho winter and spring months, when it is normally subject to a certain amount of pugging. At tho present time work is being pushed ahead with the remainder of the top-dressing and harrowing of pasture to provide as much .autumn growth as is possible. Arrangements also have been made for seeding an area with Italian ryegrass, and the old pig area, as well as a portion of tho recently cleared accretion, with permanent grass mixtures. It is hoped to havo another area of the river accretion sufficiently well cleared to seed out with a temporary mixture, preparatory to later cultivation and subsequent sowing out permanently. “There are 98 cows and heifers in milk. The drop in production that has taken place in the last three weeks is likely to prejudice earlier prospects ot securing a high average yield from the herd, and especially good records from many cows for tho season. There arc being reared 24 spring calves, all ot which, with the exception of two lateborn ones, have been weaned. The health of the stock is good. No sales have been made in tho period. Tho following returns of milk and cream sales havo been obtained: January, 3239.961 b. of butter-fat; February, 2275.311 b. ot : butter-fat. As compared with January, 1931, there is an increaso of 9.2 percent.; compared with February, 1931, there is a decrease of 10.4 per cent.

Pig Farm “Considerable time and work has been devoted to preparations for removing tho pig area to its new site. Tho new area has been cleared of all manuka, levelled and laid off for the erection of buildings, seeding and subdivision into paddocks. There aro three sows suckling 20 pigs, and 18 young pigs recently havo been weaned at an average weight of 431 b. at eight weeks.

Barley Experiment “The barley and pea crops grown for pigs havo now been harvested. The yield of barley averaged 34.4 bushels per acre. The peas were fed to the dairy cows. The barley crop was threshed to obtain grain yields from the one-third acre plots on which different crops had boon grown previous to the barley. The effects of these previous crops were most interesting. Tho actual cost of growing the three acres of barley was as follows: Ploughing, £1 19/9; seeding (including cost of seed), £6 12/1; cutting and stooking, £1 17/; threshing, £7 13/7; total, £IS 2/5; cost per bushel, 3/6d. The cost of threshing is high because of using a small mill and weighing straw and grain from each plot. Accepting contract rates, the cost of growing and threshing grain would be 2/6 per bushel. It it bo considered that this trial should determine whether the dairy farmer c-an economically grow grain, there has to bo added to tho cost of the crop the price of a seeding mixture for re-seed-ing tho land, which at tho present time may bo estimated at £2 5/ per acre. There could bo deducted labour costs in ploughing and seeding if it be assumed that there is available on tho dairy farm labour to perform this work, but there should be added a chargo for horse labour and depreciation. To decide whether it is profitable to grow barley there has to bo considered the return in pig products which would be obtained from tho above-mentioned yield, and this return has to bo compared with the return that would be obtained in butter-fat if the land were grazed.”