ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14924, 23 February 1912, Page 10

ON THE LAND.

• ■»■ ■—«•» ' AUSTRALIA'S FIRST SHEEP. Thj? claims »f the lite Rev. Samuel Marsdon to rank as the founder of the Australian i wool industry are seriously put forward by 1 the residents of Parsley, England, tJio place > of Lis birth, despite the fact that official records place Macarthur's claims beyond .ill ; doubt. Marsdon wrote to a friend in Londor. in 1811. mentioning having shipped in ' November of that year 40001!) to 50001b of •wool, which ho declared "would he the I beginning of the commerce of this new i world." ll* goes on to expatiate on the j possibilities of fine wool production. Jr ! scorns strange that Marsden did not know j that Macarthur had shipped one hale of •wool to England in 1807, two bales in 1808. and further quantities each year. The I letter in question, on which the whole claim j of Marsden is based, only proves that in ! 1811 lip was beginning to realise what Macarthur had preached at Home and abroad 110 years previously. Macarthur first sent i samples of wool to England, in 1800, of \ which a complete- record has been kept. He later went to England, and sought to start a I company- to exploit the fine wool industry. 1 and for a few years preached the possibilities of rino wool production in England, wearing in tin* end a grant of 5000 acres to extend J his schemes (afterwards increased to 10.000 .Hies). There are records in Marsden's own letter to show that in 1805 ho did not realise I the value of lino wool production, and an I independent expert, reporting on the- flocks i of. that day, points to Macarthur as being on tho right track. Maearthur's wool pioneered the London market as his sheep pioneered the principal flocks of Australasia, and no one can study the records of the past, carefully without yielding to him the honour of being the founder of our -wool industry. ELECTROCUTING SOIL TESTS. It has been found that currents of electricity serve to stimulate the vapid germination of seeds in tho soil, and it has now been discovered that the current also has the effect of destroying insects in the soilExperiments are being made to ascertain how far this agency can be used to abate insect pests in Southern Europe. With the object of destroying a beetle that greatly damages tender plants in the neighbourhood of Odessa, an electrician has mounted a dynamo in a curt and arranged .the circuit so that tho current reaches the earth through the metal wheels on one side and on the other 'through copper-tipped brushes placed in the rear a few inches above tho soil. All insects near the brushes art* instantly killed, as if by lightning. The fly infesting the olive tree, has received tho attention of Dr. Rapare, and lie has devised an arrangement generating sparks between a metal panel and the leaves of tho tree. WATER IN THE SOIL. Many experiments have been made upon different kinds of crops, and the amount of water required to produce a pound of dry matter varies greatly. These tests indicate that 2001b of water will be necessary to produce a pound of dry matter, while in other cases as high as £00lb or 9001b will be necessary. Such a variation is due to tho climatic conditions, locality, kind of crop, and kind of soil. In tho humid regions less water is required than in the aria country, And this fact partly explains why a greater amount of water must be held in tho soil in irrigated districts ttuui non-irrigated. Wheat in all probability will require less -water, per pound of dry matter, than oats, 1 and alfalfa requires more than oats. If wo I assume that an average crop requires 4001b of water to produce lib of dry matter, and in the case of alfalfa, which produced four tons per acre for tho season, will require for the above average about 51,200 cubic feet of water, or a depth of a little over I 14in over the entire acre. This amount of : water must be held in the soil particles as | free water available for the plant growth. ! A good soil must be of such a nature as I to act as a reservoir and at the same time i supply the necessary chemical constituents j to the plant. AMERICAN STOCK STATISTICS. Statistics relative to live stock (domestic ; animals, poultry, and bees) reported on ] farms and ranges for the continental United I States at the Thirteenth Decennial Census, j April 15, 1910, are. contained in an official ; statement based on tabular summaries preI pared by tho Bureau of the Census. The present statement relates only to livo stock on farms and ranges. It tioes not include the live stock in the cities and towns. The aggregate value of all live stock, including uomestio animals, poultry, and bees, as reported in 1910, was, in round numbers, 4,£95.000,000 dollars, ' as compared with 2,075,000,000 dollars in 1900. This is an inj crease of nearly 1,820,000,000, or 59 per ; cent. Slightly more than half of this enor- | mous increase took place in tho States of | the East and West North Central divisions, i although greater percentages of increase are j reported from the South Atlantic, East. | South Central, and Pacific divisions Tho ! smallest relative increases were in the New England and Middle. Atlantic divisions. Tho aggregate values of principal classes S of domestic animals on farms in 1910 were as follows:— and colts. 2,076,000,000 dollars; cattle, 1,485.000.000 dollars; mules and mulo colts, 522,000,000 dollars; swine, 1598,000,000 dollars; sheep and lambs, 231,000,000 dollars; poultry, 153,000,000 dolI lars. In 1900 cattle constituted 48 per cent, I of the value of all live stock on farms, and i far exceeded any other class in value. But | in 1910 horses had taken first place, out- • ranking cattle by a wido margin. Cattle 1 increased in value less than 10,000,000 do!j lan, or 0.7 per cent., during the decade,' I while the increase in the value of horses I was 1,180,000,000, or 131.6 per cent. Oattlo i now represent only 30.3 per cent, of tho ■ total, as compared with 48 per cent, in 1900, I and horses now represent 42.4 per cent, of ' th-» total, while in 1900 they were only ; 23.2 per cent. Moreover, mules increased (326,000,000 dollars, or 166.2 per cent, in I total value, and whereas that class of live i stock was 6.4 per cent, of the total in value j in 1900. it has now advanced to 10-7 per I cent. The two classes of horses and mules i together, therefore, now constitute over half the total value of live stock on farms and J ranges. I Swine have advanced materially in total j value, and now represent, 8.1 per (cut. of i tho total for all live stock, the increase during the decade being 166,000,000 dollars, I or 71.6 per cent., and the present total value • being nearly 400,000,000 dollars. For the I country as a whole there has been an in- : crease of 60.000.000 dollars in the value of j sheep, but this is not as great as the rela- | tive increases for other classes, and therefore, while they represented 5.5 per cent, I of the total value of live stock in 1900, they ! are now 4.7 per cent, of all in value. I _ Poultry shows a greater relative increase I in value during the decade, amounting to I nearly 70,000,000 dollars. Poultry now is I valued at more than 150.000,000 'dollars for tho United States, while the investment in { Ijees is 10,000,000 dollars. There has been | practically no change in the total value of j bees during the decade. TOP-DRESSING FOR NITROGEN. Late notes from the famous Woburn Farm on the fop-dressing of land .so as to give the maximum of nitrogenous effect state that: — " One cwl- sulphate of ammonia per aero and of nitrolim, nitrate of lime, and nitrate of soda, in such quantities as to supply as much nitrogen as that contained in lewt sulphate of ammonia were given in 1910 to oats and mangels. In addition, 3ewt mineral superphosphates per aero was given to the land under oats, an*l a dressing of 12 tons farmyard manure, 3ewt superphosphate, lewt, sulphate of potash, and 2cwt salt per acre to tho land under mangels. "The results in the case of oats confirmed those of the previous year, viz., that, when tho tame amount of nitrogen is applied to j grain crops it does not matter much in I which form of these nitrogenous top-dress-ings it is given. With the mangel crop sulphate of ammonia was less beneficial than the other three nitrogenous manures. " In order to ascertain the residual I manurial value of these nitrogenous manures, wheat was grown in 1910 on plots which in 1909 were under mangels, and'had j received tho same manures as those stated above to have boon given to mangels in 1910. Nitrate of soda, and sulphate of am- I monia were found to leave no residue, but I gave rather a lowering of the produce com- '' pared with the- field on which no nitro- ■ genous top-dressing had been given in 1909 i Calcium cyanamido (nitrolim) and calcium nitrate (nitrate of lime) gave a small in- 1 crease, possibly due to the lime supplied by ' them, but Dr. Voelcker remarks that there I is nothing at present to load one to think that, in regard to tho new nitrogenous I manures, their lasting effect' requires to be I tiikeu ■fioa.«ulsutiaa»" j

BIG TREES. Somo interesting particulars concerning th giant trees of Victoria have been prepare* by Mr. A. D. Hardy, F.L.S., of tho Fores Department. In a review of the- records hi states that a collection of photographs o giant trees was prepared for the Ontennia International Exhibition, held in Melhourn* in 1888. A reward of £20 was offered t< anyone who would point out, lor the pur i poses of scientific measurement, a tree o ; 400 ft. and an additional £3 for every sfi :in excess of that height. Mr. James Munrc i personally offered an additional reward o I £10J for'i he discovery of a 400 ft tree, but I tin greatest, height accurately ascertainec jby the experts sent out to establish the '■ record on that historic occasion was 326fl 1 lin. This tree was of the Eucalyptus amyg dalina regnans, and was upon a spur ol : Mount Haw Baw. 91 miles from Melbourne. At. 6ft from the ground it had a girth of 25ft Tin. A tie,- of the same species in Sassafras Unity, Dandelion;* Ranges, which ! was 219 ft 9in high, at 6ft from the ground . had a girth of 48ft 6in A note by Baron | von Mueller in the Hardeners' Chronicle for 1862 says:—"Several trees have recently j been measured on tho Upper Yarra and on !tl:e Dandenong. The highest known is I ascertained to be 480 ft, anil therefore as I high as the Great Pyramid." However, I none- of these great heights was verified I when the album of photographs was pre : pared in 1388. The redwood, which is tht ; tallest American tree probably, occasionally J attains a height, of 400 ft or more, but tin I greatest recorded measurement is j4oft. i ' — j FARMERS' EXPERIMENTS. I •' Ksperientia ilocet "is an old and verj I trim proverb. Any difficulty or problem i that a man solves by his own work ant } experience is more deeply impressed upon ! him than if ho had only been told how it i should be done. Thus we venture to say j that if a farmer wishes thoroughly to realise tin. needs of the soil on tho farm and tho effect of different fertilisers, ho must make. personal investigations, and now is the-time I to consider what experiments can bo made I with advantage. It may 'bo thought that it ! does not fall within tho scope of individual ' farmers to make experiments, and that such j work had better bo left to the experts of I the experimental stations. It is true that 1 there are some intricate and costly investij galions which must bo left to the station, I but there aro also simple experiments which ! furnish the farmer with a practical and ' useful knowledge of the character of the ; sod he has to manage, a knowledge which ' tin experimental farm can impart to him. ! After all. it is not a very difficult matter ; to conduct an experiment on tho effect of different fertilisers it the piau is first carej fully thought out, and arranged. Tho j trouble involved -will be more than compenj sated by tho information acquired: but when 1 starting the experiment the farmer must make tin his mind to carry it out with euro and accuracy to tho finish. Tho plots must Ihj accurately measured, the fertilisers care- ' fully weighed and mixed, and, finally, the | crop must be gathered and weighed with scrupulous accuracy. A farmer wants to find out what plarr; food, if any, his soil is deficient in, and to elicit information on this point he arranges plots. 1 Dressed with complete fertiliser, conI taining ammonia, phosphate of lime, and j potash. I ?. Ditto, ammonia omitted. 5. Ditto, phosphate of lime omitted. 4. Ditto, potash omitted, and if ho has time and inclination ho can extend the experiment by trying one form of phosphate against another, such as basic slag against superphosphate, kainit against sulphate or muriate of potash, sulphate of ammonia against nitrate of soda, and so onA book should bo kept and all details should be carefully recorded. And there is one more point: Infinite conclusion cannot be drawn from the results of one season, and therefore the trials should bo continued over a series of years in order to arrive at reliable average results, which is tho only information to which a farmer can look for reliable guidance. SHEEP AND POPULATION. In their annual review of the wool trade. Messrs. DaJgety give some useful detailed figurps. showing the sheep stocks of the world, compared with 18S5, and also the population figures for the same periods. We give a condensation below: — SHEEP FIGURES. Latest Date?. 1635. Europe 177.757,834 193.194,214 Australasia ... ... 116.034,17;, 110,561.331 South America ... 92,345,267 102.847.13* Asia 85,496,782 21,957,773 North America ... 63,466,952 57.158.6C0 Africa .. ... 49,631,781 51,690,052 Total 582,722,789 522.6C9.C&3 rOPt'LATION FIGURES Latest Dotes. 1305. Europe ... •■• 458,682,099 396,387,000 \ \nMial.i,!.. 5.458,241 3.810.000 South America ... 47,714,839 33,867,000 i Asia 1.140.CC0 617.000 North America ... 107.976.966 88.895,000 Africa 14,485,433 1,710,225 Total 635.457,578 520.335,225 If. will 'be seen from the al»ve that, compared with 1893. there has been an increase in the sheep stocks of the world of 60,113.706, or 11.5 per cent.., whereas the increase in population was no less than 115,121,353, or 22.1' per cent. This shows conclusively that. population is increasing at a faster ratio I than the number of sheep, and yet for all that markets everywhere seem to be fairly well supplied with the raw material, although there are no surpluses. We are certain that if the teeming millions of India and the Far East had to fake to the using of wool fabrics, it would make a big difference to tho price of the raw material, and year by year, no doubt, with the adoption of Western ideas, both China and Japan will consume more wool-made goods. All the same, it. looks as if wool prices for the time being had touched high-water mark, and the trade is to-day ardently longing for a period of cheaper supplies. BREVITIES. ft is stated that Dr. Siecel. of Berlin, lias discovered the bacillus of foot-and-mouth disease. A small plot of lucerne well manured, will produce a succession of cutting for several years. A straw roof on the stable means cooler quarters but where permanent stables aro erected there is nothing so lasting as galvanised iron. A largo white sow is reported from Wrexham (England) to have (riven birth to a Jitter of 27 pigs, all born alive. This was the sow's third litter. A straw stack should be built in all treeless harvest, paddocks as a breakwind for stock in winter. In wet weather stock will eat the straw freely. 'lares, cabbage, kohl rabi, and mangels are all of great use as adjuncts to the profitable and healthy rearing of young pigs. , Do not. forget a daily shovelful of coal slack. The acid goes on developing in a Cheddar cheese for several days after it leaves the press. Tho percentage of acid in the cheese is at its highest when this product is about eight days old. It depends mainly upon the individual j temperament of horses whether they aro temperate or hot-headed and excitable or j la/./ jumpers. In somo cases a young horse becomes a hofe-hnadel and intemperate ' juniper through being spoiled in his train- ; iii; or being badly schooled.