ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13450, 29 May 1907, Page 4

ON THE LAND.

SCIENTIFIC_ MANURING. Most New Zealand farmers are aware of the important part leguminous crops play in the sequence of .agriculture; but no one can say* that legumes are made'as much "use of in this ] country as they should .be. ; A paddock: or two laid down in clover or lucerne is , a good asset, either in dairying or - sheep-raising. They will supply green fodder, in summer-time, hay or ensilage for .winter,'.].' and grazing, between " whiles, , besides proving an .excellent preparation for other crops. ~ ,-..; ;;.., • >='. -

;. A well-kno«vn English agricultural authority says:—"A ciover plant '' can be Obtained anti a heavy,:crop; narvested by the aid of. artihciais, and, : : althougn the soil may 'j bo aimosc destitute ot nitrogen, the element' in which ciover is essentially rich, it is not necessary "to provide nitrogen through the medium of manure; for, as science has shown us, througn the medium practice during the past twenty years, clover is a bib to obtain, its : own nitrogen through the inexhaustible supplies in the atmosphere, so long as' it is provided with a sumciency of the' other foods of which it almost invariably stands in need, and without which it is impossible for it to grow. "We are often told by the cncmist that all agricultural soils contain sufficient quantities of the. various constituents ot plants, with the exception ;of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash,-and lime. In most soils, and especially in soils adapted to tho clover plant, potash is present in fairly liberal quantities, although the same ; cannot be said either of j the phosphoric ' acid or lime. Many such soils aro poor in lime, while it has become' a truism ■ that the one plan constituent of which, the average agricultural soil is in need is phosphoric acid, and therefore it is where this' is applied to the clover plant through artificial means that the plant,is enabled to draw upon Nature for its supply, of nitrogen, and not only to feed itself generously, but to provide for the equally generous production of the crop which •is to follow it. ;; Agriculturists are aware that phosphates are now obtained in two cheap and popular forms, one in acid form—superphosphate—adapted to soils fairly rich •in lime, the other in which the base is / lime,; therefore adapted to soils which stand in need of lime, and known as basio slag. , "Where phosphatic manures are distributed over meadows, the clovers present in the herbago aro encouraged to grow with greater freedom, with the result that in their turn the grasses are encouraged, and thus two birds, as it were, are killed with a single stone. * Phosphates feed the clovers directly and the grasses indirectly. A dressing of superphosphate at the rate of 2cwt to 3cwt per acre on the one hand, or of slag at the rate of from 3cwt to scwt per acre on, the .. other,, given in tho late autumn, followed by lowt of nitrate of soda in tho early spring, is practically certain to increase tho crop of the succeeding summer to such an extent that, unless the weather .. be extremely unfavourable, a handsome profit remains after the manures have been paid for. ■::,' ■• ■ ';•;:•, ■■■> ■_■ ■'•■'.;--■'■' . :

The day has gone by when the farmer, when urged to use artificials, replies to the effect that they rob the land. -Obviously, when nitrate of soda is employed on land poor in phosphates, it '■'*. scourges Jt, for it enables the crop to extract what.phosphates remain, leaving nothing behind for' a succeeding crop. Nitrate of soda, however, is not a whip to the soil, in the sens© which so many nave remarked. The nitrogen it contains is identioal with that which is provided by the best farmyard manure; if, indeed, it is conveyed to the soil in a different form. There is nothing more instructive than a simple farm -experiment with each of these manures. : Whether the crop be corn or grass, a few carefully-prepared tests will tell-their tale. ; Supposing the soil be in ; need of manure, a dressing of nitrate will probably £be found to" deepen the colour, and increase the height of the straw or cf the grass, as the case may be; but under such ■; conditions, both would be weedy in appearance, while «the cereal crop would not obtain any assistance, or, if any, but-little: in the increased .quantity of grain. Similar plants manured with phosphates would tell a different tale, for were there no increase in the weight of the straw, there would usually be an increase in the weight of the grain, while the grass crop would be improved by the additional weight of legumi- " nous herbage, the clovers and trefoils springing, as" it were, into life in response to the special food provided for their delectation. If, ' however, we ; add a dressing of nitrate to a dressing of phosphate', we find all the j difference, assuming that.the; soil is in.need of both nitrogen and phosphoric acid. Tho ; increase in the breadth- of the blade and :; the height of the > straw of the grain s crop would bet accompanied by an increase in the number of bushels' of corn harvested, : while the depth of colour of the grass crop, ■; and its increased; .height and breadth of foliage, would' be accompanied by a thicker bottom and : abundance of clover and cog- < I nate herbage. ; The combination would thus heavily increase the weight grown per acre ; and the feeding properties per cent."' DAIRYING ITEMS. ■ " Get away from the old custom of being satisfied with any kind of dairy cow. ; The calf should never be allowed to re- ; main with its mother longer than one day. ■It is an old saying that a cow cannot put ; both boef on her back and milk in the pail. - " ■.:■ \': : -' ; "'.'''}[ ' ;;. ■'" ■,;. > ■ A cow with small teats requires a long time to milk. For that reason small teats are a fault- - - .■•..-.■■.- Only the best cow's calf should be con|sidered a fit subject for a position in the I future dairy herd. , , ' ■ ,' : The cow that runs half-wild on a chart dry pasture will rarely, give more milk than just sufficient to rear, her calf. '. • A capacious udder in a milch cow is ja\ great recommendation, but its condition should always be ■ examined. . A thick, fleshy udder is objectionable. It is very nice to have cows in good condition, but a 'milking condition can be .exceeded merely for appearance sake, whicn some can afford, but not the majority/ . . . It is being realised that the milking capacity- of any bre-*l. of cattle can be developed by careful breeding, - feeding, and : treatment.. C ■ The manipulation of the udder is quite essential in milking with tho machine; more so than with hand-milking, for with handmilking the udder is manipulated to a certain degree. '' - - Cows with • a malo or bull type of head are. rarely good -milkers. Tho head should be refined, neck thin, forcquarters slim, hindquarters -wide, square, and robust, with deep, broad thighs. *- ; v • A NEW CATTLE DISEASE. ; Our English agricultural correspondent writes:—Sir John McFadyeah, in his annual report as principal of the Royal Vet-" erinary College, calls attention to a newly-observed-cattle disease, which he calls Johne's disease, after its discoverer, a German veterinarian. During the past year it was identified on six, farms in this country. Its most striking symptom is loss of condition, with diarrhoea. An attacked animal steadily wastes until natural, death or slaughter puts an end to - its ; sufferings, the' disease being invariably fatal, no remedy for it having been discovered. It is caused by bacilli in the intestines. Some persons have confused it with tuberculosis, and it has been styled pseudo-tuberculosis; but this. is a misnomer, as it is quite distinct from that malady. Probably the disease is much more, common than it is yet known to be, wasting and diarrhoea among .cattle, and particularly young animals, being very common, especially in Ireland. ' c . : ; BREVITIES.: :■■■.',■; -'--V ■ : - : --' '-. The best and highest ..thing a man can do in a day is to sow. good stod, whether it be a word,, an act, or an acorn. Thorough; cultivation will evenly distribute the moisture of tho soil, which will have the effect of lessening the evils of the ; cold and damp of the heavier soils, and of checking the too-rapid drying-up of the moisture in the , lighter soils. . Thorough arid skilful cultivation will, in a cold season, help to preserve the warmth in the soil, and in a hot season it will help to check the too-rapid evaporation of the small amount of moisture that there may bo in the soil j during such periods.-•...

It is said that in the United States army ':horses are given 141b of- oats and 151b of hay for each 10001b of live weight. ••; For the same weight of mules 91b of oats are given. That is what mule-breeders claim in saying that their animals are more economical (feeders. .<- : - ■ • •'

No /farmer can control the amount of sunlight and rain that falls on his land; lint, by his farming methods, 1 ho can do a -great i deal to atone, for; the deficiencies of the scorching, dry seasons, 'or he may lessen the evils resulting from a, wet and sun less season.!.