ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15025, 21 June 1912, Page 10

ON THE LAND.

$ \ PUMICE LAND TURNIPS'I • • ■ • *v« rmmioo wife of Auckland hvso onco • 3SL Kn their capacity for producing ■ 4- SSdid roots. At tho. Waikato Winter > '>•, Sow. among the magnificent exhibits of ; ! 'field crops, Messrs. Steele Bros, and Mr. t"r Se Vailo carried off tho prizes against i - all-comers for tho heaviest and best turnips. *•'. '"ft® exhibits of the former wero grown on V* i)umico country in the valley of tho WaiV fato a little distance above Horahora, '• whilst the exhibits of the latter, which ob- ? talned tho fitt.t price for tho best six yellowlf fleshed turnips and second prize for the six ' ' heaviest turnips, wero grown at Broadiantis, t - *), 0 edge of tho Kam(?a.roa lams. ' Southern visitor to Woikato *»" woro loud in their praises, of the root exhibits and declared that no other port of, • Now Zealand could produce such fino spoci--21, so tho fact of tho pumice country *fr securing «uoh prominent prices » » &*» V M ; tribe*® to its forming possibilities. ' ' PRODUCTION IN ARGENTINE. < ' ' ''Tho Argentine Government Statistician " 1 has issued his report upon tho foreign com- : morco and the economic f«a«vcs g.Wly <■- of the country for the year 1911. Exports „„„ «!«! .t W»W t Jlto £«£ I : cold dollar being equal to os), and imports - t 26 a 810 626 dollar tho total volume of trailo thus being m,TK,m dolto. Th« ! X » to *»**« to «re«« ou'-»I i ! all proportion to exports, ihe almost en-, " ti» losa of the .make and linked crop o • the 1910-11 harvest must, however, be held .'largely accountable for the falling " f iv exports last year. Tho flock* •** J**. £ **> Argentina at the end of 1911 hive been as follows:—Cattle, 35,4134,1 », %" sheep, 77,303,51?; ; horses, i.011,088. pigs, -182*550 Tho estimated population of the ' Slio is 7.030.000, tho increase since ;1902 being approximately 2,000,000. Durmg vCi: the year 202,000 immigrant* arrived, _ as ■;; against 289,640 in 1910, the, diminution being ' " ' more or less duo to tho stoppage of emigra 9 ' tion from Italy. Despite the partial hul i ' i Of the crops, 1,460,000 tons of wheat, maize, j,.-, linseed, and oats were exported. TFodi* PRODUCTION. s 1 In tho production of wool ff -• " <V the other countries of the- world, \ v ; Breeders' G<.Me, U.S. A.), " M » t^ D ™" d V : i;' States is -fwirfb, the jeco " £ L and^ rd T 3f sl ' tries being Argentina and J m V respectively. Australia produced nbout. wo Pound* in 327 11-'I 1 -' liimMiU llussia Mid United Btaten ssr * f%«5t!li- Spoi lt., the United Statea not quite U k } - wr cent of tho world's total. Tho world \l' aggregate collection of wool, cortipdod .from SSrS-»*P°r^ and ***% "r^uu ' :i to .the National Association of Wool ifci ; ; facturers, was 21)60 million pounds in 1910. 'L STfig««B for the year just ended, 1911, : a &w'aehrinfc^ S of about f " ' oentina shows il decrease. of . 37 KllSgwy si. Auistialnaia 13, and the TJnvgJ !'?-,*■ -Wti" 'i_ni: o na» # pounds, British South Africa, W »dhoM. \ British India, 10 millions; and Chili, * mil iyi : 'IWWMI* : '.' ■ ' - : : ' .• p®rr > —- l THE USE op 33ME. v"'-* •'"'/-.The determination to use lime is greatly % strengthened by the result* secured on e*f , periment fields, where tho too ljM (be i ,Sed on land • such as V ' On the Vienna, Experiment Yield, Dim® i ' W : : jthe total ' amount of wh«*t produced m i three crops shows 8.4 bushels where no L: treatment -was given; where a legumowaa crown and turned under, 18.5 . bushels , i' ; tl# 1 waß iimfed W addition the legume, 28.9 bushels ; and where phoskr^Jbo applied as well a 8 tlia legume, 48.4 bushels. On the ' ffidrfield Experiment Farm, Illinois, where : no lime or phosphorus was used, but bum&haoUton of weedy clover was cut. Just S ; Asides this, s where , lime and phosphorus were iMfld, 5.5 ton» of clean clover were *.*! .?-<'...}.•; : i" i t- ' • "the limo now -used is for the £$* correction of ' soil acidity, and to many Pip i farmera vthii, reason for- application seems t&e • most profitable.:: Most . plants, and Iv'l especially : ' legume*, will not thrive ' a It'' soil showing an acid reactica. Thenar f(& ; oinditd<a<" stunts and retards the growth of wiilfio nitrogen-ga-.hering bacteria. The procissa of nitrification also suffexs great loss ' h-am the abnormal condition, and through f-*' this diminished nitrification there is. a f : ■ lessening of the amount of available plant y :l food. -There are 10 or more kinds of lime , that can be used for agricultural purposes; .4: e out cf these there are really but three or Ir", fan* that can ba called original materials, "* tfto ethers being simply forms of lime under ; a different method of treatment. ' rlTor. general or common use, caustic or ' • burnt lime and ground limestone are employed almost exclusively for the correc- >-• -MIQU of coil abnormalities. Burnt, or caus- ■ V tic lime is r.iade by burning limestone, v ? oyster shells, and such other materials as {,\, are high in i limo ■ elements. - On account h '''' of its high percentage of lime, 05 per cent., •/' V this material is tho njent. economical where .! '.distance of transportation ia of ' oonse- . , j .quence. Ono of the greatest objections ■I ; " to this form of limo is the fact that it i;S "' has a tendency to act as a soil stimidant, S'Vr speedily making, available _quantities cf Hi . plant food. • In hilly countries this is car;f ' «ed away in draihago waters, and the soil y j« thereby is depleted. The second and most II |'. important of the two forms is ground lime- '> 7 »tone. The business of quarrying and 11 "grinding this material is rapidly assuming iV 1 large proportions. This is etrlkingly shown |i fey the increase In <Jie output _ from. a single - Crusher, located at Southern Illinois Penitentiary ; in -1906 - this crusher put out '*■ IJ2 tone; in 1903 this had increased to '" 4 ' , ,2428 tons, and in 1910 had increased to the astounding proportion of 14,135 tons. f Most clay soils are not porous enough to V , allow water to pass through them with ■ sufficient ease. They therefore wash easily and badly, or become water-soaked, plant--1 food is either curried a'-vay, or the plant roota are retarded in growth because of tho water-soaked soil. This is where tho _■ flocculating effect of _ lime helps out. It forms a flaky condition of the soil, and < helps it to easily become in better conV 1 dition of tilth. Intractable, gummy, heavy iy" clay soils may bo rendered flaky", granuV ' lar, and easy of cultivation through the v generous application of ground limestone ,' , tor the above purpose. The effects proi| dtsced by tim application of lime may be grauped under throe distinct heads. One, Flfit;." the correction of soil acidity ; two. the m% ' flocculation of the soil itself; and three, Iv'Vi'a ' decomposition of the soil. ' On© use ol ft '' "Oiuo kinds o! lime is to effect decompo • j / sition of the soil. The addition of lim< Lyj, . for this purpose is rarely if ever used b; ,VI? careful or thoughtful farmers. It consist |ii( in a stimulating action to the soil, am ||j| either burnt lime or calcium sulphate i chiefly used -for this purpose. This prac " safe only on those soils contain |» .abundance. of organic matter. Ii tiWa' rtfrntJlafing yction the organic matte th® soil is destroyed, or burnt up, thi ißfeJiWWfiW' being accompanied by the libera il-it' riion "of ! phosphor and nitrogen in sue) to to be more than the plant wok v Hies© aire therefore carried, oo 't&» JB6il by eottio meihqd of . depletion ~ ..This use of lime ia seldom, ii ever, ad vis ** A conaaon, simple, inexpensive tes :•for acid soil Is by the use of litmus 'paper w *ffp pi«co of /noiat soil is taken, broken - ir twjp, a piece of \ blue litmns ; j panel '' pr«a»«J jbet'iv'teu ;the two halves and . left ; : ;|fcf i M..iitSiii{iis or half an hoar. At th< | -;;«jpd..of i , this tim» the > pieces are again pulled • dpairt, f the ; p^pi^r. removed and aI,:V lowed tu dry. ; If the i# l rod or >' nearer rod than it was before 1 ' placing in . the noil, it is an indication of the. pre#ena« ' of acid. This ia also a sign that finely- ! ground limestone k will benefit such a soil. For threepence sufficient blue paper ;'Ccan • bo"' secured from?.your' druggist 0 to j*Z make a thorough test for acid on a 'gttaW s&ction^ s • Siife: '/ ■ i

STERILITY IN COWS. Our Wairarapa correspondent, writing on the above subject', says :—" Constitutional barrenness generally exists in heifers twinned with a bull calf. They are called 41 fill martins," and rarely go in heat, and when they do they fail to conceive. Usually they havo a steer-like appearance, though smaller 'in growth. When their sex organs are examined they are found to be small and ill developed. Incomplete growth of tho ovaries and malformations of tho genital organs are other constitutional causes" of sterility found occasionally in tho lower animals. It is need loss to say that any attempt to remedy, these defects ale vain. Accidental barrenness is quite frequent. In the large majority of cases it can be traced directly to improper food or exercise. This does not mean in* sufficient food. On the contrary, probably , the most common of all causes of barrenness ia cowa is overfeeding, to which the most valuable animals are for obvious rea- >, sons, most exposed. It ia well ascertained that a fat heifer ia slow to heat and un- ; certain in conception, Such animals should bo turned out on a poor pasture with a * young bull. This will often succeed in : cases given up as hopeless. Lack of exercise is another common cause. Many in- . stances might be quoted where a barren cow, after being driven a considerable distance, and than turned "in with a bull, bred in a. short time. Part of the effect of this may bo the change of climate, for it has often* been noticed that cows barren on tho low country m have bred when changed to a hilly, bracing upland pasture; or from the interior to the seashore. Fatty ,'i and sweet food, such as oil cake and sweet * prepared foods, have a< tendency to prevent { the proper 1 change of the ovaries; indeed, ? they are asserted to bring about a fatty i degeneration in their substance, and thus . letS to permanent sterility. Causes of an opposite kind are too great delicacy of constitution, and _ a lack of vigour, either from a wasting disease, over- -. milking, or absence of nutritious food. The general treatment of barrenness will bo suggested to the farmer by the above ' "remarks. When it appeal's to be owing to excessive fat, " a full dose of sulphate of magnesia, repeated two or three times at intervals of a week, will aid in bringing the animal to proper condition. Good breeders should bo only in good llesh, without being forced. " Not only do they take the bull more . regularly, but . they have healthier calves, and aro less liable to drop them prematurely. Of course the barrenness may be, due to the bull. . If ho- is excessively fat or lean or old or diseased, it may interfere with his procreativo powers; so that a cow which seems well fitted for conception, and yet remains barren, should be served by different bulls. - AFTER BUDDING. Trimming growing buds carrying branch growths upon tho stem is a. necessary and important operation. If the superfluous shoots ar<> not removed from the stem _ the basal ones, being the stronger, will utilise the greater quantity of _ the nourishment . and sap flow. By so doing, the terminal portion is. weakened. The result is .that a moat unsuitable tree is produced. Shortly after tho young growing buds havo been topped in the nursery row, and when the lateral .growths are long enough to operate upon, all shoots that are not required to form the head growths should be care- . fully removed. If jising a sharp knife, cut them close to the stem so that they will not. break again from tho basal part. CULTIVATION AND TREES. At Woburn, where experiments have beer made and reports published, some extraordinary results havo been obtained in f favour of cultivating round nowly-planted trees. In most eases the .> turf was cut uf and buried under the roots when the trees were planted, and the ground for a dis ■ t&nce of 2ft 6iri from the stem all round i . has been hoed over twice each season since , to keep down* the weeds. A number o: . trees, /however, were treated differently in the respect thiit the turf was laid bacl 1 over the roots, and the grass has sine* >, bean allowed to grow. Tho effect is mos - niuxked, and in. the latter cases" the stent j of the trees are not anything like so thiol nor the heads nearly so big as those when , the grass has not been allowed' to grov 9 over the roots;' - • FRUIT STORAGE. , Experts in - cold' storage have long recog nised that to remove fruit or other pro . duco suddenly from a temperature of, say > 32 degrees to the normal temperature of ai r out-of-doors summer day is to jeopardise . its quality, and undo much ot the good ac , complished by tho low temperature. -Ii 1 the matter of fruit, the process of ripen •i ing rapidly sets in under such circum • stances, and when deterioration occurs th< i owners are apt to wrongly blame the storage system. It is well to remembe: that removals of fruit should* take plac< ! in the cool hours, for, at that, time o: i the day, the change ia not so sudden, anc t risks of damage are much less than whei . the produce) comes- from a cold place, one ' is placed immediitely ' in- a wagon thai ' is heated by the sun. : BREVITIES. j Wonders of increased production may b< gained ,by the use of better cowp, bul ' amazing results are ahio possible from fol- ' lowing a better system of cropping. Where separated milk is used for calf rearing-, containing about 0.1 per cent, oi fat, aa compared with the average oi ' whole milk 3.5 per cent., it is advisabh s to add a. substitute, such as cod livei t oil, to take the place of" tho extracted cream. Two ounces of cod liver oil to tin ' gallon of separated milk is a simple aa< serviceable addition. J Soot is not so much in favour as « t, manure now as it used to be, It consist of carbon in a finely-divided state, anc [■ has about 3 per cent, of nitrogen in th< 'form of sulphate of ammonia, It ia no I an agreeable manure to handle, serving i l double purpose, in addition to manuring the land, ' being used to ward off th< j attacks of slugs. ' J An agricultural survey of fojjr district) 1 in New York State indicates that, as i * rule, large farms pay better than smal " one?i. The opinion of .the investigators ii ' that for greatest efficiency a farm shonlc be large enough to fully employ at leas ' iwo men the entire year. In that locality (Now York State) the minimum area i" J fixed for profitable working at 150 acres, ' When in the ripening-room, especially •' during tho first few weeks, tho cheese \ should bo turned daily. This will facilitate 'tate tho uniform circulation of moisturi within the cheese, and also prevent i 1 J sticking to tho shelves. If cheese start! I running through containing too mucl * moisture, or the room being too warm Y a good plan then is to place some fltrav on the shelves. This will enable the moist 6 ure to drain away instead of the cheem 6 standing on wet shelves. 6 We do not hear much .of prickly com ■' frey nowadays. This plant had a vogu 0 many years ago, on account of its ex 5 : ceptional production for feeding purposes » but what is obtained in bulk is lost i J - quality, for it has only a mediocre feed 10 ing value. Stock will not eat it readily >y and a practice which ia quite commo ts where it is extensively grown is t "d sprinkle a little meal upon it, to indu'Q is cattle to oat it. ,c- _____ J 1 " Tho best temperature at which to ripe a most kinds of cheese is from 65deg. t ® r 65deg. F. A low temperature only pr< 1,8 longs tho ripening period without provin ®" deleterious to tho quality of the cheesi A high temperature hastens the ripenin t3 of the cheese, and generally spoils ii When the curing-room is about 70dog. I a * the cheeso get warmed throughout, becon 8 " dry, and the fat generally goes ranci 5t thus ruining the flavour of tho choose. II * ' A small quantity 'of seed of tho fro >r and drought-reafsfcant Siberian lucen ft .(MadicagO' falcata), collected by Profess* 0 Hansen la Siberia, - has been recoived h n 'the r New .Zealand Department of Agricu [•: tur® from ; the United States Departmer v of Agriculture. This lucerne, which grms a naturally in localities ,of very limited raiii 0 fall and where the winter temperatni " falls as low fts SOdeg, below zero, m • probably prove of value in the cold an P« arid region fof ; Central : ! i Otego. i It is pro >• posed •.to" r grow ■ this ■ plant In "tho expert 1 \ merit' farms uiitil' a A sufficient {amount; 0 available for demonstration, 3nrori(;« y ! ;- : ' i"? 'I'v . ■ • v \ . } - wlv: 1 ■ .' te-sf.Uj&iii ri^ixsssS2y.«4'i3r»a: