FARM NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5636, 9 December 1879, Page 3

FARM NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

The weather during ti-e pad*, mouth lias been highly favourable t<> giu* nig crops. Showers have been of frcqaeuc occurrence, and the grass has grown rapidly. Not for years has there been a better season for feed. Wheat generally appears to be doing well, and with so much moisture potatoes can hardly fail to grow. Paddocks of rye grass, shut up for s?ed early in the season, are some of them showing the effects of rain and wind, large portions of ths grass being laid down, which will make the work of cutting it rather heavy and tedious. By this time all crops will be iu, save turnips, which, on light SJifc, can be sown for the next eight or ten weeks. Potatoes will be mostly all weeded, moulded up, and now in full bloom. Maize for green atutf will be advancing each day iu growth. Sorghum should be showing well above the ground. The principal work of the month is bay-making and cuttiug grass seed ; and to these important matters the energies of farmers will be directed. II AY - MA It 12* G. The particular time when grass should be cut for bay, and the stage of its growth when it is moat suited for that purpose, will depend somewhat on the kind of grass and on the state of the weather. Though farmers differ a little on the point, it is the general opinion that most of the grasses yie'd the greatest proportion of nutritive food if cut during the time of inllorescence. With the exception of Timothy, which should never be cut before the seed has formed, grasses make the best and sweetest hay if they are cut when in bloom. Such hay produces more milk and fat, aud is preferred by stock. Ic is also better for tho plant 3 3nd the soil in which they grow. If plants are allowed to ripen their seed, there is a greater draft upon the laud, and more danger of their dying out. Besides grass should be cut when it contains the largest amount of saccharine and other matters. During its growth the sugar and other soluble substances gradually increase, till they reach their maximum per ccntage in tho blossom. After the seed is formed and begins to ripen the nutritious principles begin to diminish. And so, if grass is not cut when in flower, a large propoition of nutriment is wasted. The secret of making hay is to have it just dry enough to retain the juice 3, and to keep without danger of be:oming over-heated. Many farmers dry their hay too much. In fact by having it lying about day after day, its value cannot but be greatly injured. On this point an American writer aayti : "(jrass over-cured in the process of hay-making, contains more useless woody fibre and leas nutritive qualities than grass cured more hastily, aud housed before being dried till it is crisp. There can be m doubt which would be most pr.latable to the animal. Some loss of nutritive elements must therefore take place in the process of curing, however perfect it may be ; aud the true art of hay-making consists in curing the grass just up to the point at which it will do to put iuto the barn, aud no more, in order to arrest the loss at the earliest possible moment. And this fact of the loss of sugar and starch, or of their transformation into woody fibre, by too long exposure to the sun and wind, 1 tbink equally well established a 9 that any transformation at all takes place, and as equally suggestive." As to the time that should elapse from the gras3 being mown until it i 9 dry enough to stack or put into the shed, will of course depend upon the kind of weather, and whether the crop is heavy or light. These details must be left to a farmer's own judgment. With mowing machines and horse-rakes the labour of getting in a crop of hay is not so great as when everything has to be done by hand. But of course in the out-districta the scythe and haud-rake have still to be employed ; and where there is a scarcity of hands, and a lot of hay to be mown and got in, it is a wise plan to cat only so much each day as can be properly attended to iu spreading, raking, and putting into windrows. With an ordinary crop, and favourable weather, as a rule hay should be in large cocks on the fourth day ; and if there are signs of heavy rain it would be better to knock otf mowing altogether. Slight showers, of course, will not do much injury. But it should be borne in mind, that it is a very important matter in making hay to get it secured without bciug saturated with rain. Some seasons this is not diliicu.lt to do, the weather being favourable; but at other seasous there is a continuance of moist weather, owing to which a deal of trouble is involved in drying hay and getting it into stacks. While 1 write such weather prevails, and 1 believe some farmers have had their grass mown for a length of time, but cannot get it cured. Others are waiting for a few dry days so as to make a commencement with their mowing machines. It may here be suggested that, by the use of hay-caps, a farmer can be comparatively independent of the weather, for if he get a day or two sullicieutly liue to dry the hay after it is cut, and get into small cocks, he is all right. I have not seeu these hay-caps used in this country. In America they have been introduced, and they arc highly spoken of by those who have tried them. It is found that the time tiken in coveriug partially cured hay is not loug, as where caps are used th'.re is no necessity for trimmiug the cocks, as is usually done, to make them shed the rain. Aa 1 consider these hay-caps might be beuelicially used in this colony, I shall give the experience of one or two American farmers who have employed them. Oue practical farmer writes : "I have used hay-c »p* with good results. I have one hundred made of cotton sheeting, two yards square, with pins attached to the jfour corners with strong twine; the hundred just cost me forty dollars. I think they have saved me twenty dollars this year. 1 had at one time this season one huudred and thirty cocks standing out in a six days' storm. Oue hundred were covered, and, not having caps enough, thirty were left uncovered. The uncovered was worth but little, while the covered was passable hay. I stocked some oata, which I capped. They stood two days' raiu without injury." Another farmer writes : *' Our caps are made of heavy fivefourths cotton cloth, cut square, with four little loops, through which we run slim wooden pins into the cocks. Pins hold it better than weights. The caps cost twentyone ceuts a piece ; I have saved the cost in one storm this scasou." In regard to the great utility of these caps, another farmer says : "It gives me pleasure to state that after using them constantly, for the last seven years, I consider them of the first importance in the most critical branch of farming. I can safely affirm that my hay has been intrinsically worth, on the average, one or two dollars a tou more than my neighbour's, which has been proved by the remark- | able health of my animals. My horses have ; not been sick one hour, and the heaves are unknown in my stable, which may fairly be attributed to the fact that no musty hay ever enters my barn ; and it is probable that the milk of cows may be as unhealthy, if they eat badly.cured hay, as of feed or what is called swilling the cities. Having these covers always at hand, it has been my practice to mow my grass when it was ready, without consulting the almanac, or waiting for a change of the moon ; and the result has been that 1 have had more thau my sfcaro of good luck in this important branch of business. After long experience I have found the most improved method of making the hay-covers, which may be used for wheat and other grain crops with great advantage, is to take stout unblcached cotton sheeting, of a suitable width, say from thirty-seven to forty-

! five inches wide—the latter being the best cut it into squares, and attach to each corner by a string or otherwise, a pin made of wood, twelve or fifteen inches long, cut off smooth, at one end and rounded over at the other, which completes the affair. The size of the pin should be about an inch in diameter. Hemming the salvages is a matter of fancy, as they would do very well without it. I doubt whether a larger size than forty live inches square, or forty-live by fifty, would be desirable. Mine have not beeu over thirty--B,'.sLiQohe3 square." These testimonials of different farmers will be sufficient to prove the economy and advantage of using liaycoverings. A still further requisite for saving hay is to have a permanent open shed under which the crop can be put when it is ready for carting in. Oncc under the roof it is safe, the labour of thatching stacks being dispensed with. These structures, erected on long, Btout poles, are not uncommon iu this couutry. Ul course tliey can vary iu size according to the quantity o£ hay or straw that may annually be produce Built substantially tliey will lint a number of years, and being open at the sides tliey are considered superior to barns for the purpose of keeping hay. These sheds may be strongly recommended to the small dairy farmer, who grows a certain quantity or fodder every season for liis milking cows, it is of special importance that all s ueh fodder be kept sweet and good, wliich of oour e is impossible if stacks are impropeily thatched, which is sometimes the case. Once under a good roof hay is secure for the winter ; aud it can be cut or pulled out when required without receiving any damage. Those who have erected and used these open hay-sheds know th«ir value. It is quite a desideratum to have a place to stow away the kiy as it is being carted in. The expense of such a shed would soon be repaid. UltAdS SEED. Rye-grass and cocksfoot are the two sorts of seeds usually grown in this province. And while the latter can be cut for seed year after year if on good soil, it is not so with the former. The best aud cleanest rye crass seed is grown on newly-burnt bush land ; but it ii questionable whether it is not really in the end a loss to a settler to sjw just one sort of grass on that kind of land ; for if allowed to seed it is more thau probable that a large proportion of the plauts would be quite destroyed, and weeds would thus take possession of the soil. On ploughed land it is altogether different. It can be put in like oats for a crop ; and after it has beeu got off, the land can be ploughed and used again. Kye-gra-is is generally ready to reap during the tnird or fourth week of this mouth. Whether cut with a hook or scythe, it should be tied up into small sheaves, iu prufeieuce to leaving it spread on the ground, it dries quicker, and is better iu every way to handle. In case of raiu, sheaves oau be built iuto a "liut,"or small cock, which, properly construct.d, will turn rain for a considerable period. During line, sunshiny weather rye-grass is soon dry euough to thrash; but whether it is best to thrash it off the field or put it iuto a stack, must depend on circumstances. Where a thrash-iug-machiue is to be employed, it is ju*t as well jo thrash it oil at once, scouring more seed. Hay thus thrashed is not of much nutritive value ; still in the place of letting it go to waste, it might be advantageously used for bedding animals, and so help to enlarge the manure heap. THE GAItDEN. With so long a spell of rainy weather, weeds make headway, aud the hoe will have to be kept at work to keep them down. It has been spleudid weather for planting out cabbages and cauliflowers. Salads may still be sown. Tomatoes should be transplanted without delay. They want soil and plenty of room, and they fruit all the better if supported by stakes or a trellis. Carrots aud parsnips 3bould be weeded and thinned out. FEEDING CALVES. This is the time of year when calves abound iu the greatest numbers. If it is worth while to keep them aud bring them up, it is of essential importance that they have plenty of food. It does not pay to starve young animals. A writer iu the Live Stuck Journal has the followiug excellent remarks on this matter of feeding : — "The most important point we wish to impress upon the cattle raiser is, that he cannot afford, under any circumstances, to neglect his calves. One dollar's worth of food given to a carf under six mouths old, which has never bean neglected, will produce mare growth than two dollars' worth after the age on calves that have beeu fed pojrly when young. It takes less food to produce the growth of a pound on a calf the first month than the second, and less the second than the third, and less the third than the forth month, aud so on. How important it is, then, to give all the food the calf can properly digest and assimilate when it will produce the best result ? _ The greatest profit always comes from early teediug. Any neglect in feeding calves when young entails a double loss—the loss of the growth, which is an accumulated profit, and the unthrifty condition, which largely prevents future growth. When farmers fully comprehend the necessity for full feeding while the animals are young, it will revolutionise meat production." Ou the same subject the Prairie Farmer lias what follows :— " The man who wears out a calf's teeth iu the effort to make it shirk for itself never raised a prime steer nor a good cow. Every dollar supposed to be thus saved in the young animal must be replaced later by the expenditure of two. The man who feeds best while the animal is young makes the must money. This is geuerally recognised as true by our best farmers, aud hence the improvement in stock, aud consequent cheapening in the raising of animals within the last ten years. The same rule will apply to all farm stock. If stinted while young, they never pay the breeder and feeler a liviug profit. Hence the reason why those who do not keep pace with the tiuies arc aiway3 complaining that there is no money in stock. The big prices paid by the best stock feeders are for animals that had their digestive organs kept intact by early and properly nutritious food. The value of a food animal lies in its aptitude to lay on llesh, and those kept steadly growing from birth will continue this growth and increase in profitable weight. To do this in the most economical manner, the digestive organs must be originally strong and unimpaired by abuse." Agkicola.