AUTUMN CHOPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15263, 29 March 1913, Page 4

AUTUMN CHOPS.

BT W. 8. Autumn grass sowing is being pushed on with all possible speed, so also is the sowing of various catch crops and other crops such as oats, rye and Capo barley, that are intended to be fed off in spring and afterwards allowed to go for a crop. Those intending to try a field of turnips and rape for feeding the ewes in the early spring should lose no time in getting them in. The value of such a crop as this oan scarcely be realised by those who have not given it a trial. I would suggest to those who have ewes commencing to lamb in early spring to try a field of this mixture, and should a favourable season follow and other things being equal such a crop as above mentioned could not fail to give satisfaction, it ■ is almost impossible to over-estimate the value of such feed at that season, yet there is comparatively little of it grown. It is a very safe food; the turnips act as a corrective to stomach troubles often caused by rape when it is sown pure. This feed puts ewes in splendid condition for lambing and furnishes them with a good flow of milk and sets the lambs thriving. Preparing for Turnips and Rape. The land for this crop is all the better if it has been ploughed some time ago and has been worked down to & fine tilth, this enables the soil to retain _ moisture and a quicker and better germination will be the result, whereas land freshly turned over, unless favoured with suitable rains, will be more or less harsh.- Land that has been worked up and allowed to lie fallow for a few weeks is altogether more mellow, thus rendering it more easy to, procure a firm, compact seed-bed, which is essential for a good germination. Another reason for this is that there is in the air a supply of ammonia which is very valuable to our crops, and if we prepare our land properly for letting the air pass through it we enrich our land by doing so. This j is a cheap and effective way of procuring [that class of manure and is within the 'range of every practical farmer, and by | doing so we also allow the soil to get thoroughly aerated ; this is more pronounce on heavy tod inclined to be wet or sour. If the air cannot get freely into the soil it always makes the land unable to grow good crops. ; This may not arise from any want of food necessary for crops but because the plants want air to breathe as well as food to make them grow; so also does nitrifying bacteria want air freely admitted into the soil before they can multiply in sufficient numbers and be able to do .their work effectively. Land that is left with a hard crust on its surface until just previous to putting in a crop is placed "at a decided disadvantage in the production of a crop compared with the same class of land that has been worked up some time previous to sowing. Drilling the Seed.

The seed is usually drilled in in the ordinary way with or without artificial manure according to the requirement* of the crop and the nature of the crops preceding it. The rape is sown through all the coulters save those reserved for- the turnips which is generally every third coulter. Some, however, prefer to put a larger percentage of rape; m this case the turnips are sown through every fourth or fifth coulter according to the nature of the feed desired. The larger the percentage of turnips sown the greater the amount of solid . feeding obtained, but on the other hand the rape is of the most use for this particular object, viz., to prepare pregnant ewes for successful lambing. The season is too far advanced to sow any of the hard varieties, some of the softer and quick growing will be found best for this purpose, amongst the best are Imperial green globe, Pomeranian. Devonshire greystone, Lincom red and purple top mammoth. It is a good practice however, to sow a mixture of several varieties, as this gives a variety of food which is beneficial; When feeding in large fields it is best to fence off into breaks in the same manner as if feeding off turnips instead of allowing the stock liberty to roam over the whole field, which is waste- j ful practice. If there is only a limited area compared with the. number of ewes to be fed on this class of feed it is a good plan to give the ewes a turn round, that is to say. the different flocks should be; put on alternately for a short period previous to lambing.. This will make them healthy and encourage the ewes to make more milk; by doing so the trouble so often experienced in early spring with ewes leaving their lambs on account of their scanty supply of milk will be got over, or | partially so. Twin Lambs. In many cases, especially after a severe winter, the twin lambs nave to be reduced to singles because their mothers are unable to nourish both, this is a source of loss to the ' farmer and should be avoided. This is the time to make provision to guard against this unprofitable practice, don't leave it until the time of scarcity arrives, it is too late then, those who look well ahead come out beat in the end; even if - there is a little feed in excess of that acquired for the ewes it will not be wasted, it can be profitably fed to other stock, all classes of stock thrive on it. This will save the pastures in early spring, which always proves profitable as it gives the grass a good chance to get away, and by doing so, not only will stock be kept more healthy, but the pastures will have a complete rest, and a greater amount of feed will be obtained during the whole of the growing season. If some suitable crop of this class is sown to come in at the critical time and thus put ewes in a healthy state before and just after, lambing it will be putting money into the farmer's pocket, there will be a larger percentage of strong healthy lambs, less fatality amongst the ewes, the lambs will get a good start in life, and if care is exercised and feed in the pastures plentiful as the season advances tney will continue to thrive until they are ready for the butcher. Seeping Lambs Well Jed. To get best results from food consumed the lambs should never receive a check for want of nourishing food, more especially in the early stages of growth, or much of the food will be wasted in buildingg up that which was lost through being stunted. If the plant is too thick or the surface inclined to crust, or if small weeds begin to appear the crop can be severely harrowed with fairly heavy harrows and will benefit by it, as the air will admitted into the soil and round the roots of the growing plants, the harrowing acts as an earthing and allows the sweetened surface soil to roll into the track made by the tynes of the harrows. This sets up" fresh growth, makes the plants more vigorous, and in turn helps to prevent the ravages of blight and other injurious pests, which, of course, is a great consideration, for it is when the rape is blighted that the greatest amount of mortality occurs amongst sheep feeding on it.