ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13456, 5 June 1907, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

■ ■ n» FARM WORKING, HORSES., The ' Adelaide Chronicle says :-lThe-city workers who erijoy tho'regui»t£onVc<tti<(ti> luting eight hours & day's .work-have" very : tittJo idea of the number of Louy 'irorfced jby the farmer -ami : his bauds, on .farm is practically endless. From '.-day-- •.■.•'.''"'• light till : dark the farmer has to bo at it, and frequently"several hour* are stolen from the night performing ; the OuiiSesj trJi jobs . ■: tb»t,toay be dona by; candlelight oa a farm ~ '-. •—attending- to ' horses and eatths in'-.their'.'■.-,"-;• ■;\ alls, repairing , v:h*r»W9V : '. r work <in the carpenter's and blacksmith's -shops—all these extra tasks fall to the Jot of the farmer. :>•. When this is generally known,'., who will I grudge ' him" the luxuries of a splendid k - ! I season and a good price for 'his produce?'-.''' - (Reverting to the subject of long hours, a •;■ [good story »• told" by ''a- .Victorian, "farm ■■ '':)? '-{hand.j, who ■rewntty.VjMt.hKl in ibis State, ' [Ho was working for a "-t«vfcj' , *' : in : 'GJppv jlaad. and one morning fee turned out late ;■■ Ito. work-—that is "to s=ay,';lae>." : tun ; was just ■'„■■ ' putting in an appearance civ or. the horizon. When ho reached the paddock hk employer, ' I who was aireads' at work, looked at him bidignant.'y for a moment, ; and then asked -•,.;' : -angrily, "' Where have you been all tb» - [forenoon:" \j d •::'■, ;|g" ~ -:— . ■1- " ■ £ . ' ■--■■ '■■•■ MAKING CLAY ROADS. .■:' }--."■' Some experiments : »ro at' present being l, conducted in road-making in England ' : j which should interest all concerned with . ■-■'V jibe laying-out of now roads through c!»y : . I country :in .'New; .Zealand. - The roadway - ■"■ [selected for treatment is ploughed as deeply : ;'-{as, possible.; Furrows are then dug, across * l-thb road from \ditch to ditch, 4ft opart. ■;■■.. 1 Cordwood is then placed in ho ridges thus formed, and ploughed clay is laid hereon in layers, care being taken to provide fluo*. ~ in order that the wood, which is to bo set afire, will readily burn and bake the clay. - When tiro firing is completed the treated ," ■,' ■ - clay is rolled and compacted to eight inches in > thickness. Tho,*<riay has been : ; changed by the ~ burning | into clinker*, which, compact into a .solid road-bed, which will not form mud. The cost is low, and ; while the wearing qualities" of the road •■ have not been ascertained, it is believed that it will wear as well as other made i roads; Where wood is dear it is thought *" ,- petroleum might bo substituted. ' SIBERIAN BUTTER. • . On the evidence of the returns of butter' > imported info the United Kingdom during' 1906, it is evident that Russia will in the. ;■;: future 1*» the most serious competitor which I; we will have to meet in the British trade. .. Tim comparative proximity of Russia' gives - 5 it an advantage over the antipodes, j while . the cheapness of laud in the vast Siberian " plains suggests that tho Russian butter can bo produced with a profit on figures impossible to the Gorman, French, Danish, and Scandinavian farmer. A- letter from London received in Australia recently , says:—"The general impression throughout Russia and Siberia 'that, thero r is going '-.:.; to bo a material increaao in their supplies T '■■>_. this season, some estimates giving m high -a : i ia.s 25 per, cent. 1 increase. It is. a filet that to-day fresh-mado Siberiau can bo bought ak ' prices ranging from;B3s t0.905, delivered iii : London, so that this '."description is getting ig attractive." Tho lessons to tho antipodean: I' producers ■cent increase. It is a -that w« '. to-day fresh-mado Siberian can bo bought at prices ranging from 83s to 90s, delivered in, London, so that this description is getting attractive." Tho lossona to tho antipodeani producers in this connection are that wo must keep down our- transportation charge* both, by, rail and ship, and that we must rigidly apply ourselves to;: the improvement of the quality' of our output. , MAKING LlilE-SULPHUR WASH. Mr. J. L. Phillips, State-entomologist and plant pathologist of. tho Virginia State. Crop Pest Commission, U.S.A., has issued a bul-. : , letin giving results that have followed various methods of • preparation of tho lime-s-ul-phur wash. His conclusions aro as fol- . lows:—!. Vigorous cooking s foe 40 minutes is sufficient to dissolve practically,; all tho i sulphur, 'leaving''only a • ]x>rtion' .of :iho. limb and some insoluble material as 'residue. '"v -K '— 2. Tho yellowish coloui of the wash is duo to tho /mechanical mixture of .tho liquid T and sediment. '3. Prolonged cooking causes I a: slightly : larger per cent._-of calcium ■ unite with tho sulphur, than is the caso under. .'■«. .* Ordinary ■•'conditions, ' and cooking in . concentrated solutions slightly increases this , J ratio also, but thia, is of ! very little import- •' , , anco in practical work, 4. There is a slight loss by volatilsation of. sulphur if the wash V is • cooked '. in... concentrated 'form. ■ 5. ; ItiTis '■ ■'■ ,-■■ i most convenient to cook the wash at Onethird tho full volume, but, it is not desirabl* -; to concentrate it beyond this «point. ;|6. Tho presence of magnesia find other impiiri- ' ties in lime, especially if, it is partly air- » slaked, causes ; considerable, loss of sul--5 phur. 7. Select, if ■] possible, a lime that does not carry . moro than 5 per cent, of ] magnesia "or other,;' impurities, and uso.it - before it begins to air-slake. ,-5 1 - ' •"-'- : : "-" :, " : '"' : ' '-•' "-" : '- ':; 1 HOW' AND WHEN TO SPRAY.; • m ■ A very large per cent; of tho spraying don© m is of 1 little or no value, for tho reason that ; - 3 the mixture is not combined properly ,or "I is not applied at tho right time in ,the ' I form of a fine mist or spray,'so as to float g in tho air, thereby thoroughly oovoringfall ■ % the tree and branches (says an American ; __ exchange). ,■■ ■,'■■•' - -■. f . >: For apple scab, codlin moth, canker ''■:'■. worm, etc., dissolve four pounds of copper sulphate in 25 gallons of ..water. 'Slack :'!,.. v thoroughly, four pounds of best quicklime, and add to 25 gallons of water in another vessel, carefully straining. After ; -this.; is done combino the two mix- ' ■ tures in a "spray tank ; that will hold 50 ..■,.:>' or more gallons, straining the combined! ' ,„ mixture with a.'fine- brads screen a little *■' j, coarser than is - used for milk strainers., $' Then add ; four ounces of pure Paris green (Louisiana test), which must bo made into'' in a thin pasto_ by adding a little water at' » ."" r»- time and stirring. Bo sure.and that * all tho Paris green is in the form of-' a' thin paste before adding to the Bordeaux : mixture. This is important, and is the place where many fail. When this is done :'•--.-p ie thoroughly agitato and apply with a hand; or power pump with considerable force&n, tho form of a fine mist. $; For apple scab, codlin moth, canker . worm, etc., apply the first application when re buds show the pink" of bloom before 1 tho bloom bud? burst out.* Tho' second appli-. ■■■""-! . cation is the most important of all. Apply" "'• u ' when the petals of the bloom,begin;-to' ■ , d fall readily.. When one-third or imore have • fallen, apply the, third -fapplication 4sc< ; ie days later. ' - . ■■, S ■ ■ ' — ■■■; •■•.;.■-,.;•;.■■:.;;• . - a APPLE SCAB. ' 5 This fungus disease has been increasing |S greatly in England in recent years, spoiling L the sale of a seriously large proportion of the ■'■ apples. Many growers now soray just ; be- J foro the leaf-buds open, with Alb of sulphate U of copper to 100 gallons of water, when the i- leaves are opening with Bordeaux mixture, »3 and again two or three weeks later. Much ' J benefat has -been derived from this practice,' .j and our English correspondent has not ' D beard of any -damage to the foliage in that ; co country, such as "is,"" comnlatned: of in :; New = Zealand » and the United 'States. 'M. = A trial of Bordeaux mixture on portions of - .i several trees has been made, leaving the other parts unsprayed; without detecting any • -, difference.-in-the' health of- the foliage. But when Paris greeh'bas been added, scorching and defoliation have resulted in some cases. CALIFORNIA'S FRUIT OUTPUT. The, California Fruitgrower, as is its usual ' . practice at, tho end of the year, -reviewed - * " tho fruit crops of California for the year 53 1905. Some idea of the extent to which !■; fruit and vegetable growing has been :de--8 veloped in the State may be formed • from ■; the' fact I that the yield •of , almonds for tho : . - ;,;■ year -was 2100 tons; brandy production, it 4",OOQ.OOt) gallons; the'canned fruit and vege- ; table pack, 4,475,751 case*;; citrus fruit shipments, 27,610 cars; 'cured fruit and raisen. • ;,; g output, 120,700 tons 5 the walnut crops,: 6*oo tons; and the ■ production ■■ of wine, '■■" 26,500,0001 gallons. Another rural industry of some magnitude in California is that .of beet sugar. ■: The output of sugar from this source for the yeai ,64,210. tons. Great attention is given to beekeeping, and the " honey yield for the' period' under review ' ~was 10,000,00011:, . . .• - - . - -