ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15548, 4 March 1914, Page 13

ON THE LAND.

ife i ■ *. ■ GERMAN PLANT-BREEDING. ■^: ''' 'mm-" ■;!'&,-■£ ! - ■ \ - r?r. breeding of agricultural' plants in Crrinany h-'m reached its present high stato ! „f development without State, or official, jttsistamT. Its success is entirely due to ; | the initiative of individual far-sighted agriculturist- who have recognised the impor- :; ■ tance of improving cultivated plants by !'■ moans of solution, and the satisfactory •; results nf their labours prove how much § can be effei ted in this direction by means ;: of self help. It is only recently that the : : : Government, in some Stales where small

' holding arc the rule, has made arrange- | pnenta I'.v »ln. Ii the small farmer may | enjo.'. th«> advantages of the work done in ;. plant bleeding. Plant breeding in Ger- | many began in the first 10 years of the I tiinotoi'iuli century with the improvement 1 of the mangold. In the middle of the ! forties the threatened ruin of the potato I Industry .ai..vcd by the potato blight led | to the improvement of the potato, while

; that of the sugar beet, though it had begun j early in the icnlury, was not practised to any extent until the middle of the nine- :; teenth nntuiy. Cereal selection started latert of all, and. with the exception of a | few isolated attempts, dates only from the nuddlt- .I the sixties. Steiger (at Louter witzi and v. Domes (at Eckendorf) may , be reganled at- the founders of mangold breeding in Uermafiy, while the honour of being the first potato breeders fall*, to | F.lsiK" v. Hi. now and Paulsen (at Niißseii- .!; grundi. t\lciu Wanzlcben is the birthplace of l.ennan sugar-beet breeding, and I \Vilhelm Himpati, of Schlanstedt,' may be I regard..) a.- the father of cereal breeding I in Germany.

SOl Tit AFRICAN FARMING. The ollirial reimrt of the Under-Secre-tan- for Agriculture for tlio Union of South Africa supplies evidence of the steady progress of South African farmers. Wool production has increased from 121.668.0541 in 1910 to 161,974 in 1912. In 1907, the average weight cut by woolled sheep in the Union was 51b p« head, but the average has now been raised to just upon 61b. In the last 18 months, the number of woolled sheep has increased from 21,842,j215 to 27,531,167, while the non-woolled sheep have decreased from 8,814,444 to 8.557.754. which is a satisfactory indication thai the old unprofitable type of sheep is gradually being replaced by, woolbearing animals. Angora goats have increased from 4,275,335 to 4,395,101, while , the common goats have decreased. The production of butter has increased from 3.606.1531b in 1910 to 4,925,1881b in 1912. Horses, pigs and poultry have steadily increased in numbers. The production, of maize h;va doubled since 1908. Wheat production has increased 60 per cent., and oats 25 per cent. The Customs figures regarding agricultural machinery ana implements are a sure indication .of improved methods. These show that South African farmers imported to the value of £741,655 in 1912, as compared with £623,561 in 1910. The importation of artificial manures has increased from £91,841 in 1910 to £124,511 in 1912.

EFFECTS OF BONE MEAL. It is a well-known fact that the fertilising effect of bone meal is very slight on cal«areou.* soil& or on ' soils manured with

lime, whereas on «oils rich in humus' its action has been found in experiments to have an effect equal to superphosphate, provided that* salts of ammonia arc present at the same >;nie. The supposition is -that the acid properties of the humus act on the phosphate in the bone meal and render it available for plant food, although it' is acknowledged that this explanation is not altogether satisfactory, as there ire several ,teas»i)s for supposing that it may also be due to more complicated processes going 00 in the soil. This matter has formed

the subject of investigation, and as a result there would seem to be grounds for the belief that soil bacteria play an active part in the conversion of the bone phosphate into a ntotr soluble condition. It has been . ascertained that in soils rich in humus bacteria and other low organisms form I acids sufficient to render soluble in,,vfater a considerable portion of the slowly soluble or insoluble phosphate. 1 That soil acids can render phosphate soluble is well known, but it throws a fresh practical light on the matter, if this is partly the result of bacteriological activity. Thus if, as Suderbaum showed, the phosphoric acid in bone meal is most effective in humus rich soils; this may be caused not only by the acid property of the soil, but also from the formation by bacteria of acids from the organic subttances present in the soil, and these acids A act on the phosphate of lime. j The investigations are being continued, and in the meantime the practical point for the farmer to observe is, that bone meal is not a suitable manure for calcareous soils, but may be used with*advantage on soils with a fiigh proportion of humus, containing organic substances, yielding ammonia. Mixing bone meal with kainit,increases its value. The salt in the kainit causes the bone to act more quickly. APPLYING FERTILISERS. ' With regard to nitrate of soda there is no uncertainty; it should be applied as a top-dressing when the young plants appear above the ground. Or. heavy soils the full quantity it is intended to give can be applied at one time, but on sods. of a sandy character it is better to apply the nitrate in two separate dressings, the second one from a fortnight to a month after the first, according to the weather. If lumpy, the nitrate should be broken up and ;:'i.\ed with about an equal .quantity of d:y earth to enable it to be more evenly distributed. i ' • Sulphate of ammonia should be applied at the time of sowing the seed, and belore application it can be mixed with the SBpcrphospato and sulphate of .potash required by the crop. Sulphate of ammonia is also sometimes applied as a topdressing, and if the season is a moist one the result will be all right; but sulphate of ammonia as a top-dressing is a little risky, because should the season prove a dry on?, some portion of the ammonia will : : remain ineffective.

Nitrate of lime should be applied in the same way arid time as nitrate of soda. Njtrolim : The suggestions for sulphate I of unftnonia apply to it. Peruvian Guano-: ■ Raw Peruvian I gitalin and prepared raw guanos, such as j equalised guano, should be applied at I time of sowing; soluble Peruvian guano can be used either at the time of sowing, ■ of as an early top-dressing, .or it can be ; applied half and half. otipherphosphate, us a rule, should be applied at time of sowing, although we have known it applied in some cases when ."" "is crop has evidently required phosphoric and with excellent 'results as a top-dressing. Basic Slag : It is the genera} opinion that basic slag produces the best effect when applied in the late autumn or winter; but dining the last two or three seatons good results have been obtained when it has been applied to root crops at : the time of planting. The best makes i contain » large percentage of citric — J soluble phosphoric acid, and the plants | seem able to assimilate it quickly when I placed within easy reach of their roots, li*' Potash Salts: Kainit is the form most 1 general: : applied, and a very useful 1 article it is, but it should be put in the soil quite early. Very often a farmer I waits" until the spring, and then applies § the kainit at the same time as the super. || Kainit should be applied late in the I autumn or in the winter. If this is not || convenient we recommend the use of either sulphate of potash or muriate of : pot ash. For mangolds the choice should !§§be rnn-iate, for potatoes and turnips sulphate is to be preferred. Both sulphate § and muriate can be mixed with supherj: phosphate «r basic slag, and applied at ' the time of sowing. , All fertilisers should be in a fine con- * dition, before application. If at all lumpy IW caked the bags should be emptied and V the manure thoroughly broken up and Pounded. It is very wasteful to apply lumpy manures, and some plants' then get too much and 'others get no benefit. the* above remarks apply, of course, to I arable land. The pastures and. meadow | j tyrtaseic-snperplwsphate, 1 and bone manures , should be broadcasted

& n *■''$!&&'' slag in the autumn or winter j sulphate of ammonia, at the game tiime as the superphosphate,;and nitrate of soda when '.the grass has just made a start in Bprmg.

GRASS AND FRUIT TREES. | The harmful influence of grass on fruit trees vanes considerably with the nature ol the soil and the method of treatment, Young trees planted in land already grassed or put down to grass immediately alter planting suffer most, while if grass is merely allowed to establish itself slowly in an older plantation the effect seems to fw reduced to a minimum. But the action >s a perfectly general one, and with one single exception has been observed in all parts of England and in all classes of soil, the visible effect is not confined to stunted development, but i s manliest too in the altered colour of bark, leaves, and fruit. Numerous . possible causes of these changes have been investigated, foremost among which are lack of water and plant tood owing to the competition of the grass. trees under grass were watered by means of tubes so that the soil in contact with their roots was moister than the adjacent titled soil, and observations taken one season showed that the moisture content in soil under grass was never reduced below the optimum point, vet in both cases the trees were obviously less healthy than similar trees in tilled soil. In other experiments carried out.in pots the grass roots wero prevented from coming in contact with the tree roots by a sheet of fine cause paced about 4in below the surface and plant food was supplied from below, yet even under these conditions the trees suffered from the grassing. Added to this, the general conclusions that trees in tilled soil do better in dry years than trees in grassed soil in wet ones, also that soil under grass is usually richer tlian tilled soil, dispose of the water, food supply as possible causes. Grazing the grass with sheep does not improve matters, and the effect of keeping poultry in grass orchards is now being investigated. Mechanical analyses of the soils failed to reveal any contributing cause, nor was the effect simulated when the soil was made alkaline. Lack of aeration would not appear to be of importance from a consideration of the' iron drum experiments described in a previous article, and of the fact that trees were grown in a soil artificially enriched with carbon dioxide without disturbance, and it is equally impossible to make differences in temperature between graced arid tilled soils account for the phenomenon. Filially, bearing in mind all the available ovidence, the writer was led to the conclusion that the action must be dub to some toxic effect, using the term in its wider sense to mean the presence of some poisonous substance in the soil, without defining its direct source.

DRYING .FRUIT. The greatest point in fruit-drying is to avoid drying it too much. It is perfect when no water- will press out when squeezed, and it should be- quite soft. Fruit that is dried beyond that degree is more or less spoiled." Fruit cannot fer : tner.i unless there is enough moisture in it to squeeze out when it is pressed. ■ Plums must be perfectly ripe before being dried. As they do not all ripen together on the tree those that are fully ripe from time to time should be picked. Plums are usually dipped in a boiling 'lye for four seconds to cause minute cracks in the skin and thus hasten the drving by several days'. The lye is made of lfjoz Greenbank's concentrated lye in 12 gallons of water. The plums 'are placed m a wire basket, dipped four seconds, then dipped into a tank of clean water to rinsi oft the lye; ; next spread upon wire-net. trays and dried in the evaporator or upon ordinary wooden travs and dried in the sun After they are "dry it is ad-; visable to dip them three seconds in pure boiling water, on the 'surface of which a little glycerine or olive oil is placed. This treatment kills any insects or their eggs, aiM gives, the plums a gloss. They should then be spread' on trays and placed in a moth-proof room to dry. Apples ar? best peeled, cored, sliced in rings (there is a small cheap hand machine that does all this at one operation), dropped into cold water in 'which loz of salt per gallon has been dissolved. (This keeps them white until they can be sulphured, when the white colour is permanent). Nest, the rings or* slices/ are placed on trays macle ofi'liesgE'ra or scrim, put into the sulphur box'or' room, left tor 10 minutes, and then evaporated on wire-net" trays in the machine or dried in the sun. Evaporating by machine is by far the best, because the fruit is dried in a few hours, it is free from, .dust, the drying can be regulated "all the time, and the fruit can be removed at once to an inseet-proof room to cool; to" be sweated, and to be packed, free from the attacks of moths, beetles, etc., which get at the sun-dried fruit. It is very important to have the fruit all of one size and of equal ripeness on each of the trays, because otherwise some will be dried too much and the rest not sufficiently dried. Sweating is* done to make the whole lot' evenly moist and soft; some would otherwise be a little too dry. and some nrft dry enough; so the dried fruit is put into a heap and covered with bags. The process may occupy only a few hours, Or it may take a few days. Examination will show when the fruit is fit to bos up. Peaches and pears are usually peeled, and the pits are removed from the peaches, which are also halved, while thepears are quartered. Both are generally sulphured to bleach the fruit, but the flavour is certainly not improved in any fruit by sulphuring. Apricots should be very nearly but» not quite ripe for drying purposes. They are split, stoned*, anil bleached by oulphur, which is not necessary, but makes the psodact bright. «nd attractive at the expense of* flavour. .Nectarines are treated in the same way as peaches, arid quinces are treated like apples. Figs should be dead ' ripe, then placed on trays exposed to sun heat, turned, and packed tight in boxes when no moisture can be squeezed out. Grapes are dried on wooden trays, exposed to sun, and turned over every day. When no moisture can be pressed out the raisins are fit to box up.

BREVITIES. It is estimated that Brazil has 30,000,000 head of cattle, -of which nearly one-half are in the two States of Rio Grande do Sul in the extreme south, and in Minns Gerais on the coast north of Rio. Brazil in about 10 years' time should be shipping prime beef. Stud cattle are bei 13 introduced, the herds are being improved, and already meat works are being erected.

Leaf rust in the raspberry is caused by a fungu3. The most common form of rust is that which appears as minute orangeyellow spots on the young foliage. From these spots yellow spores are given off, and later on in the season larger daiK spot* appear 011 the lower surface of Ji>; leaf. There is, however, another form of rust on the raspberry, and that has only come a. little later than sheep fescue.

Always employ only good, rennet for cheese-making, as cheese is sometimes" spoiled by the use of inferior or stale rennet. The ferment contained in rennet assists in the. ripening of cheese, in addition to producing a curd. Rennet loses about a quarter of its strength if kept about a year. Rennet from the last sea-, son should be tested for strength, and used accordingly.

A new potato, "Arran Chief," raised from a seedling by Mr. Mackelvie, of the Isle of Arran, is well spoken of in Scotland. It is a distinct variety, a heavy cropper, resists disease to a considerable extent, and is of first-class table quality. It ripens rather later than Up-to-date, is a solid tuber, keeps well, has very white flesh, and stands comparison with the best cooking varieties, beating them. easily in hardiness and cropping powers.

To preserve eggs for winter so they will keep for four months in a cool place. Get a, gallon of sodium silicate, commonly called waterglass. Boil 11 gallons of water, keeping it at the boiling point 20 or 30 minutes. After the water has cooled add the waterglass and pour the mixture into very clean stone jars or a wooden cask or barrel. The best way to clean a Wooden vessel is to scald it with boiling lye" made by dissolving caustic soda or concentrated lye in water. Fill the container one-third full of the mixture, and add the eggs as they are gathered from day to day.