CULTIVATING TURNIP LAND

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15645, 26 June 1914, Page 11

CULTIVATING TURNIP LAND

f., CROPS AFTER ROOTS. BY W.S. ** ■I Is* last, of the winter crops are now being SOT. There is as a rule little crop f BOW n from now ootil tho caiddle_ of July- • In most- localities crops not got m -within -he neit few days are usually left otot until the dawn of spring. This tamo of the Year is looked upon by many as an off-season i * the farm. While this is justly true, ti^re nevertheless, plenty of -work tor tie . farmer. usually plenty tor not to §.' idle, as there in usually plenty tor them to §- ; V- do, especially where mixed farming IS ZTjiciisecL- The teams can bo profitetbly «m----li Saved m ploughing for spring crops or in J " winter cultivation. brass fields that are tended {or cereal crops to bo sown in spring or turnips, providing the. adds ran •an spared, may be ploughed; also the colLivaUEg of the turnip land as it' 13 fed off. -- Thf* break of turnips should bo cultivated V as close on the heels of the sheeja as cossible. This has a double use. Firstly, |rr grabbing the turnips that are out ox ll'ieach of the sheep and bringing them to .the surface more feed is got oat of them; secondly. by breaking to the. rorfw trodden 'by sheep allows th». mn and I Vi- droppings to enter and be retained m the § ff-KHfeEeSpil. Where it is held in reserve for

v. 7 fcfciir© crops. .» . . i:. ilanv consider it -waste fame cultivating tnmip'land beyond that which is retjuirocl "2 to brine out the turnip shells, which is i:i osnalSy not more than one- stroke -f.rof tile grubber. This, however, _is Ki huge mistake,, as results. from two© : Siua<i»cal experiments, conducted from tim» Wvito tame, have proved beyond doubt*. Bnfc - i-mJte apart from experiments conducted by - esperimenters the effect of winter culti--1 vation of turnip land and other land, _e*> P' racially that -of the . former, can_ be fcS seen by any caa-ial observer. Take IfJfemktaace.r a turnip Mied off in breaks, one part of , which has ted one or more strokes of the cultivator the - Mother being ploughed without any snrfaco fif cultivation previous to ana the >- most unpractised eye tan easily detect toe ~-i improvement in the, former compared with ;'¥ the latter in the. crop following. . Further A* than this it »>»-■« often come .under my notice inland that has only received one stroke before the ploughing while the • break alongside received a second stroke which tiljft' a marked difference in'the crop, and rendered the extra work pat in profitable' -libetbnd doubt. On v the" heavier classesof . land, where the crops are usually heavy in .. FeS proportion, 1 there is a greater necessity for • vgSsstn. cultivation than. on. land of a light nature growing a coin^aiaUvely.lignt crop. • The reason for this is first, p®yy SjJland is more close in texture. Secondly, :,i there is a greater amount of stock, per aero carried; which tends, to pock the surface • , more closely. Thirdly, 1 the amomrt of toots |5 left in the ground renders a second stroke Miar even a. third stroke essential in order f: to get most feeding out of the ct °p i f: Fourthly, the droppings and time fwia the % stock is considerably greater,. and -now . tj benefit is derived frofe the manure fro®, ? ( the stock fed therooa.

|; Effects of Cultivation. MC While with most light land it is somewhat | different; the soil being of * non- • .§ porous nature, the sun and jnr if? enter more freely, so also doe# the § mammal ingredients left by the stock $' more readily enter _ the soil. Agauij if', the crop is usually lighter, therefor? the •' grabber brings a large percentage of the % roots out of the ground at the first Stroke, I f On the other hana, however, if we take into I : consideration other benefits desiyep from | extra cultivation there is a good jjjarginot t profit left for the extra cost J labour. lne % principal of these are the killing of weeds g; r and the aerating of the soil. Besides; as &'■' has already been mentioned, by breaking "v the surface and keepir it well worked I ;,: vp to the weather,,• admitting the manure into the soil, this is fixed instead of being % allowed to dry up and blow away or -X, evaporate into the air and be lost._ By fre- .(?( quent ploughing the surface soil it. w If opened np to the action of the air, frost. ji* rain, etc., by which the texture, the physical constituents, the chemical combin- ■£*. ations and the general conditions of fertility I are improved. Hie soil is as it were helped Sj' to put its fertility into an accessible fe form If . The frost has a beneficial effect upon the j soil when turned up in winter which ?i- cannot be equalled by any implement yet ' •| . invented. This is ono of nature's greatest rV. fertilising agents, and when possible |? should be allowed every chance of doing its !'■ work. Tli is not only breaks down the clods •v. and makes the work of cultivation so much V easier but at the same time improves the |s- texture of the soil. Everybody knows that *, unless a good texture is obtained crops .1 will not grow satisfactorily. The reason for b ■ this is that the soil is not properly aerated 'i, and does not retain the maximum amount of moisture. When land is foul with weeds ( such as twitch, thistle, or other troublesome weeds it is sometimes necessary to skim plough before the cultivator. This rovers the connection between the surface and the ; deeper roots, thereby weakens the plants - and give? them a severe check if it does i not actually kill them outright. Many j&? farmers now use the three-furrow plough in preferences to the grubber for bringing up g„ the turnips. fs. _ ike plough is set very lightly about two '■0 inches deep; just deep enough to get under th? turnips, which is turned completely 81 upside down, after which it is harrowed. {§»; This leaves practically every turnip oil the §4 surface and within easy reach of the sheep. ' Skim ploughing, where it can be practised, V; has an advantage over the ordinary cutting as it breaks np the surface more completely .and gives a better tilth. Cultivations all 'gf its various forma is simply the making of j a tilth in the soil to suit the seeds and the growth of the artificial plants which form H&tv. farm crop. The more complete the I A-' cultivation the better it will be for the .H' crop. The tendency of both science and "t;' the practice of farming in recent years is to jffjj jlnsist. op increased tilth in the soil and to I . reduce the amount of manure used. .Thereof, fore the more thorough the system of cultivation practised the smaller the manure pC) bill; that is tgo; obtain ; the best results. M" Thorough culivalion is the best and cheap- - fit.form of manuring; good 1 cultivation in conjunction' -with artificial manuring' invariably gives profitable returns,