AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18703, 8 May 1924, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

sV s *■"' '.V' V The latest official estimate of the United States >wheiit crop is . 793,000 bushels.' > This is the best time of the year to re-; paint the ; farm : buildings. The materials : and labour cost less than repairs necessitated by decay or disintegration. ..The root crops for winter feed through•out the King Country are at present looking remarkably well. Many of the turnip' and cattle-marrow crops : are especially fine. / -f, ?•..V,; f . The final " official. estimate pf ' the- last United States wheat crop gives a yield of 785,740,000 bushels," compared with 856,211,000 bushels in 1922. - .'-•It has : been estimated that: a. good crop of annual sweet clover will yield as much nitrogen to ' the soil as eight lons "of ! manure, and , also furnish a; large quantity of organic ' matter in addition. ";V ■ A lump of rock salt.: should be -placed within reach of horses, cattle and sheep, as it aids digestion and tends to prevent the development; of. worms in the intestines: of these particular animals.. i : V* A' complete chemical fertiliser for horticultural purposes usually contains:a;small, part- of iron in its composition, and .the presence of ... iron inthe . soils intensities the > colour,, of both the foliage and'flowers ; bf ; the • various shrubs and plants; The 'latest Government ; estimate of .the New. Zealand 'wheat yield gives a' total* of 4,250,000 : bushels, ; as - I, compared " with the I, actual •: out-turn v last season vof ' 8,395,023 j bushels; ; The average* wa523.27 bushels ; per acre. Normal requirements lor food and seed purposes are ; about 7,000,000 bushels. ..." . ; , '* " —7-—— • •■ ; j, « }'• ■ . ' . , There has . been some • very fine weather during , the past week, states our Feilding correspondent. -'The -rain cleared, 'arid sun- • shine once' more prevails. Grass sis grow- : I ing at.a great rate,'; and farmers will be t faced' with plenty of • feed for the winter. * There is t , no doubt 'that the feed position • is; much better at this time of the,: year I than is usually the case, ■" V\' ii ■ i • C For mammitis, which ; was'; : re- I cently ; experienced throughout-! the ; district as a;; result of the autumn, rains ; and the flush of feed successful treatment is being given by a farmer 'at; Whangateparu, who states 'that, he drenches the i C9WS with. lib. of salts, and later give's: a drench composed of ; a tablespoonful of ■ bicarbonate of soda and a teaspoonful of ■; nitre. .- • ". 'J ■ A : fi-Matamata farmer reports ,v what ; appears to -be a record in ? oat growing. . A field .of . Algerian oats that' were sown y in the farm the previous Friday were well above the ground- on Tuesday. The reason assigned for this remarkable growth is the ; warm, heavy rain , that has - fallen; , recently and the consequent great humid-; " Ay of the soil. : f '•> Respecting the diet of ' working j;farm lorses, no.hard and fast rules can be laid | lown, because , changes "of food are good or the horses, i- and at busy times when ' - ,he animals-are working longer hours; and j, jlarder than at normal : periods, the quan- - ' ; ,ity; of concentrated foods should be in- J ireased, as the horses get more nourish- ? nent from these than from purely bulky • | natter. -. • . ■ .'j' 1 ::., i: : When wool i fell- to a minimum price in - v >r.r Dominion, Our ; flocks were reduced by f >ne million, and/ dairy herds relatively 1 increased. The economic loss to New Zea- > and was one million sterling ; but the cor- •» 5/ esponding gain is five millions, while the | abour employed is three to one, as ; gainst: what ; formerly ;; obtained, when t vool was at high prices. ,:v - 1 Out of 66,292,232 "acres'of land in this ; Dominion/ ■ the occupied portion amounts « o 43,653,163 acres, and the • unoccupied : jortion to 22,639,069 acres, the latter in- »"■ Judin'g mountain tops, , shingle beds i and • f ither. unproductive ; spaces from the farm- s: ng viewpoint, but it also includes a large j, irea of forest and much land * that Jean- | te" brought into" profitable occupation. ' : Land which is not; thoroughly drained '< s unsuitable;for maize growing. In : com- |- non with : many other - crops, the lodging ; : if water; on 'the surface for-any length rot.;' f ime' is fatal to growing maize. .Deep vorking-.of the soil prior to seeding is i: lecessary. to the proper growing of the, 'rop, and frequent ; inter-cultivation' beween the drill-rows is ; essential 'to oonterve the moisture in • the ' soil during , the ;• lummer months. 1 C mm&Z ■ .'- ■- - 4.