ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15175, 14 December 1912, Page 11

ON THE LAND.

■, i r ! I LIGHT AND SEEDS,.

fsvESTJOAtxoxs recently earned out at the ' - Munich Institute have provided some in- " structive facta concerning the influence ; exerted by light and temperature on the ' germination of certain seeds. Seeds of Nieella did not gorminate in a seed-bed when exposed to the light, but when darkened 'all the seeds germinated in ten days. Seeds -" of some Liliacece behaved similarly; but, on the other hand, about 200 species did net germinate in the dark when brought suddenly into tho light, however, after being kept three years in tho dark, they . , germinated in a very short time. Lights of different colours produced different results. A blue light was found to have the j same inlluonc© as darkness and had the > additional effect of preventing the harmful growth of fungi and bacteria. Seeds of digitalis purpurea took eight months for ' the wholo to germinate in tho light in the ordinary way, but whero they had been kept in the dark for thre© years the whole germinated in ten days after the ' , admission of feeble light. Some seeds J, gentians, for instancerequire frost before germination can take place. It is practically certain that all species of gentian can be caused to germinate by a fond period of frost if sulticient moieture is present, but if kept in a dry condition the full effect is not produced. It is stated ' that a frost lasting over a whole winter A -would doubtless result in the germination " "of many species of seeds which had laid dor- - jnant for some considerable time. A curi--1 ous fact, emphasised by these experiments, •was the different behaviour of different ■ species of tho same genus. Generally it was shown that most aeeds are able to adapt themselves to varying conditions.

LUCERNE EXPERIMENTS.

It is veiy gratifying that the lucerne demonstrations at Moumahaki Experimental Farm, Waerenga Experimental Farm, and Ruakura Farm of Instruction provide x eTu rv promise of the successful establishmciii of this very valuable forage plant under varying conditions. At Moumahaki (says tho Journal) the lucerne is growing luxuriantly on the highest and most oxposed situation of the farm, at Waerenga ft is growing well in the poor clayey gum land characteristic of the district, and at Rusikura it is thriving amazingly on land . which a few years ago was described as » miserable kahikatoa swamp, which would never pay for reclamation. Lucerne was Kiwn at iluakura on November 3, 1911 ;4t ■ was mown four times during tho summer • and autumn of the past season, and the nine-acre crop has now a dense growth of * fully 20in hign. These instances amply demonstrate that lucerne can be grown successfully in the most varied types of soil, providing it receives reasonable cultivation and intelligent treatment. The demonstra- ■ 4 tions, it is very satisfactory to know, have . induced many farmers to take up lucorne- . / ■ gpJwing on a practical scale. - , At Ruakura many varieties of lucerne ■ are being tested. These comprise, among • - others, Arabian, Peruvian, Provence, Hun- - garian, Turkestan, Hunter River, and L ' ■ Marlborough (Now Zealand). Of these the last-named is decidedly prominent. UII FARintfG IN URUGUAY. I >;;In 1900 the land in Uruguay devoted to . [ pastoral purposes covered about 37,000,000 . acres, -arhilo the cultivated area was about '' - 1,383,800 acres. In 1908 there were within ; the Republic 9,000,000 head of cattle, ~ 1,000,000 horses, 26,000,000 sheep, 60,000 jj3 jnu'ss, 40,000 goats, and 120,000 pigs. In \i ~}'r 1807 breeding stock was introduced from j . Europe, and Argentina to the extent of 540 ..vjt' cattle, ' 2282 sheep, and 181 horses. Th© iij'v cattle industry is followed in all th© departments, but most extensively in Sal to. j'- ~ Paysandu, and Itio Negro. From Fray if ' Bentoa in, 1907 there were shipped about Mr- 15,000 tons of animal products, valued at 2,156,000 dollars, about 312,500 head of cattlo taring been slaughtered in th© year. THE GULLING. jjfll Tbi« subject has been referred to on j 4|«|wnOTOUS occasions, but, as it is the foun- 1 (nidation of successful poultry-keeping, the point cannot be driven in too hard or too fillgoften- To succeed it ia necessary that A #! every constitutionally unfit bird must be fSfttiped out. 'The chick that feeds poorly moons round with half-closed eyes y'.3 -and droopy wings should bo killed out of M'-iaad. None but the most robust birds ; && ! ; BlKHild be used as breeders, and once a 'ih bird becomes sick it-should bo rejected; the breeding pen. Sentiment is illpteite out of place in the poultry yard. | JUst watch the natural instinct at work,! 1 : and recollect that there are centuries of j 11 • Lard, bitter experience behind it. When j f i fowl becomes sick the other birds shun ' it, and frequently make active attempts £ vto hunt it out of the yard. Why ? Just I i the fact that instinct—tho distilled proV' V duot of thousands of years— them "r if 'that 6 sick bird is a menace to the health *&«f the community. Instinct, tells them iffethlfc the sick bird's body harbours danger"j "'"/ bus germs, which may b© passed on to ' ' ' . the well fowls.

~ ,7; THE IMPORTANCE OF LIME. 'j' t.Lima is an essential element in the soil lor the growth of crops. _ It is not only a ,'' plant food, but, equally important, it lias *' ■ a physical, leavening effect on the soil. No L. 1, Batter what carc may be taken in tilling I ■ i. the land, no matter what other fertilising ' v,'v'cftnstitnent3 may bo applied, if lime is j * lacking no crops can bo successfully grown. i';'; The effect of lime is threefold—nourishI ing, chemical, and physical. : 'i: 1. Its Effect as Plant Food: 'Lime is an * absolute necessity for the growth of plants, '■"> - although the requirements of the different r -< v> crops vary in proportion. Leguminous plants of all kinds are especially exigent ■-/'iff 1 " lor a liberal supply. Soils unable to sup}i|iV;port aerop of clover may be brought into / , a condition to grow a plentiful one by a dressing of lime. Roots, ccreals, garden \ produce all require a soil well stocked with lime; indeed, nearly all plant exhibit a i-;/ strong, healthy growth in time where lime is sufficiently present,, assuming, of course, ■J 'the other plant foods are also in abundI'Sb/'Mice. Under its influence, the plants dci -■>? *. Telop more powerful root growth, more solid structure, and greater capacity to ' withstand disease. Fodder crops produced 4vj . in lime-rich soils contain better nourishing I 'jJ qualities than crops grown in lime-poor '.•t:' soils. ;|f 2. The Chemical Effect of Lime: The !;A>. (ail is sweetened by application of lime. •sti*rh® mineral food constituents in the ."oil, risff toch 83 potash and phosphoric acid, are ?jjjs Tendered more quickly available by its v 1 /', action, and it causes a moro rapid decom,M position of the organic substances by'cnwnraging tho activity of bacteria. Soils ITfi 1 - that, in consequence of sourness, are un"sizable to grow satisfactory crops are soon changed by the action cf limo into a l&H'isalthy condition. ,>§k],'' 3. The Physical Effect of _ Lime: The i-ift physical £,nd mcclianical condition of soils j'ifv; lß improved by applications of lime; it 'r;ss>: Brakes the soil looser, warmer, and more vtt friable, more easily tilled, and not so liable 's'.jbMo crest on the surface. Cold stiff clays fjiVftro, 'wonderfully improved by its action. ;5'M As supplementary to these remarks on |l|j,the 1 advantages of applications of lime, it 'sffi Jnnst bo added that, when applying lime it faff? necessary to be careful that the soil is $y|s®jfc deficient in the other essential plant. °^ £ , nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potLimo is a constituent which acts Stl pstrtly as nourishment, but still more in Im the other plant foods _ more available, and it« advantage is lost .W a groat extent, unless the other con(titoents arc also present in a sufficient •s&Wy|||SfeHow can a farmer know whether his land ifUfyjPirea to be limed? He can make a rough ffiMHSlMtt the following way:—Put a sample rfg the soil of a field on a plate, make it |§jj§|Wv a powder, and then pour ft little l#W«fOohlorio acid (obtainable at any chemI'lpJ®) opon it. If the soil effervesces freely, ipßW' is an indication that the soil is not Kin lime: if, on. the other hand, there or no effervescence, it is a sign |Hpß&thero is a deficiency in lime, it a farmer will look carefully at the lliNgNta growing in his fields ho will find HaHn|sQf)y afford a reliable indication. The fc<;of sheep sorrel, bilberry, wortlocranberry, and foxglove are. indicalime poverty, while the growth of Miife weed, bornet, and kidney vetch show |ii|ffp www is plenty of lime present.

PRUNING THE PEAR TREE. In general the rules laid down for pruning apple trees apply to the pear. As a matter of fact, the pear generally receives less attention from growers than any other variety of fruit tree; but regular treatment will prove that greater profits are secured by annual crops than by heavy ones in alternate years, for the reason that the season of heavy yield is usually the very one when fruit is plontiful and cheap.

' In the matter of shaping the tree the department's fruit expert decidedly prefers tho vase shape as against the pyramidal. At the time of planting most varieties should bo pruned back to a height of 18in; a few of very spreading habit may bo given a height ot 24in with advantage. After that the method should be the samo as that previously recommended.

An effort should be made to cause the leaders to spread out; but" if there is no fido growth to cut back to do not cut to an outside bud, as is generally done, because the last bud of a vigorous shoot grows so strongly that it is sure to continue the vertical direction. The second will make a weaker growth, and project at a wider angle: therefore, let the second bud point in the direction in which you want the growth to take place, and cut to the inside bud above it. The upper bud will produce a strong, vertical shoot, whioh can be removed at next pruning, and tho second shoot (with its wider spread) can be made into the leader.

Tho centre of the tree will require some thinning, and after the third year any shoots found along the branches may be pinched back to about three or four inches long to form fruiting wood, which should bo loft in such positions as not in any. way to interfere with the growth of the" upright branches. After a vigorous treo has reached its fifth year, the leaders may bo allowed to go unshortened for a season, the effect being to set tho sap back into tho laterals, and thus encourage the formation of spurs throughout tho whole tree.

THE RING GRAFT. Mr. Hampson Calders, Jerusalem, Wanganui River, sends us the following :— " I read with interest an articlo on strapgrafting in a recent issue of your paper. Myself, I prefer the ring graft to strap as a means of working a more profitable variety of apple on an old free. It is more economical than the strap graft, much quicker, and can be made just as .secure against wind-break. For the benefit of those who may care to givo the ring graft a triad, I will explain the method. The old treo is pruned in the winter as usual, not sawn off as for the strap graft. Graft at tho same place as you would for a strap or crown graft by inserting the knife to the exact depth of the bark, and describe a semicircle, or, if working the trunk, describe a complete circle, then'cut downwards at _ right angles for an inch or so. The cut is similar to a cut for budding. Prepare the scion as for a bark graft, and | push it down between the bark and th 6 wood and bind securely with wax cloth. When grafting a trunk several scions may bo inserted in the same circle. The number of scions grafted on each branch depends on the circumference of the branch— two for a large branch end one for a small. Support each scion to the old branch or trunk. The benefit of the ring graft is apparent, for the old, unsuitable variety is certainly worth something, and it can be allowed to bear on for a year or two until the scion is well grown and branching. Then remove the old branch, cutting it with a slight upward tendency towards the graft, and dress with grafting wax." DAIRYING YIELDS. . A Southern paper gives the following particulars regarding two dairy-farmers — Dairyman No. 1 milked 30 cows and secured for his season a return from the factory of £326 some odd shillings. • He received 14d for hia butter-fat, bo that his herd averaged 1801b. of butter-fat each, which was worth £10 10s 5d per. cow. Assuming that it cost £8 per head to feed a cow for the year, and where turnips and fodder crops are supplied that amount must be very nearly the actual outlay, the balance remaining in this case or profit amounts to £2 10s per head. In other ' words, this dairyman slaved with 30 cows for the whole year for a net return of money less than that obtained by a labourer, and kept at least another man employed. Another herd in the same locality and of the same size returned its owner £477 6s 4d, which works out at j 2931b of butter-fat per cow. He happened to receive only 13d instead of 14d for j his butter-fat, but his return mounts up to £15 lis per cow, a profit of £7 lie per cow against. £2 10s in the former case. The cost of production in the former case works out at per lb of butter-fat, and in the latter 4Jd per lb. No. 2 herd had been bred up from a milking strain, and No. 1 was got together as the cattle could be picked up anywhere. Such figures are worth studyingone dairyman milking 30 cows and getting 14d for his fat netted £75 12s 6d; another with the same number of cows and only receiving 13d netted £226 for his year's work. If that does not emphasise tho value of records nothing can.

BREVITIES. The time occupied ih weighing and testing milk will soon be saved by stopping the milking of even one cow which is found to be a passenger.

Considerable consignments of Shropshires are being made from England to Chili. This should be an opening for our own breeders in years to come.

Complaints are maae that English butchers do not defrost frozen meat before selling to customers, which largely detracts from its appearance and taste.

Disc ploughs are useful in ploughing heavy lands when hard and dry, in burying manure, grass or weeds, and in exposing heavy soil to the action of sun anu frost. *

If farm manure is spread over the land when fresh it economises time and labour, relieves the farmyard of a nuisance, and brings to the soil the greatest amount of nutriment.

No farmer who takes an intelligent interest in his stock can bo lonely. To the man who understands tho language of his cattle, horses, and hens farm life is full of good things.

Whatever tho haphazard manager may say, tho man who makes most money in tho end i 3 tho on© who plans to carry sufficient reserves to keep his stock going when supplies aro short.

Cheese-making and selling whole milk steadily reduce the productiveness of land. Butter-making only takes away about 2s 6d worth of fertility per ton of butter, which can easily be replaced.

It has been found in a recent experiment that the large seed of oats produced about ei.rht bushels per acre more than the medium-sized, andfclsi- bushels per acre more than the, small-sized seed.

The Roman Campagna, which has been a waste, owing to malaria attacking men and animals there, is being gradually reclaimed by drainage, destruction of mosquitoes, and a liberal use of quinine.

The sale of live stock in Austria is largely controlled by a co-operative organisation, which sells only when markets are favourable, or returns the proceeds to the stock-owner, less only actual expenses.

Many of the derangements of horses arise from bad teeth. A veterinary surgeon will fix up the mouth without injury to tongue or cheek, and it is astonishing to see how the animal picks up afterwards.

There is a boom in the shares of nitrate of soda companies in Europe, with a corresponding rise in the price to users of this fertiliser. The quantities of atmospheric nitrogen available are too small to affect the market.

Tho quantity of bacon imported into the United Kingdom: for the week ending September 14 was 97,148cwt; ham, 16,233cwt; pork, 6272cwt; butter, 64,983cwt; cheese, 99,333cwt; beef, 207,645cwt; mutton, 144,818cwt.