PLANNING FOR CROPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18963, 10 March 1925, Page 14

PLANNING FOR CROPS.

TIME TO MAKE FLANS. TAKING STOCK ON THE FARM. 1 The :eason i., drawing near when must progressive farmers lay out their scheme of cropping for the coming year, aiso the culling of Mock and ;i general review of the whole of the live and dead stock of the fai ni. There are several reasons why this time of the -year i.s chosen lor the imrjio.se. Firstly, tlie harvest is, in most parts, practically over. Secondly, the fanner usually square.-. up accounts at the end of what. he. terms his Hnsmcial year. The end of Marcli is. generally speaking, the most convenient time lor this purpose, mid thirdly, a fiesli start of the season ■ s Work must lie made, therefore it is nccesiirv to have a scheme drawn out previous to commencing operations, but. as t hoio are nianv items to he attended to, theie is no need to wait until the end of the year before putting them into practice. The culling of stuck can he done as time permits. Stubble land, intended to be sown to catch crops, or sown to grass, should be turned over as soon as possible, also grass land can be skimmed in pre paralion for the various cereal crops. Where mixed farming is practiced, it calls for a deal of study and forethought on the part of the farmer, otherwise there will be serious leakage on the farm (luring the year. kvery detail as far as is pos bible should be carefully thought out and arranged so ihat every operation in eon nection with the season's work may run as smoothly as possible, so that there will be no undue loss of time and labour. Valuing Stock on the Farm. The wise farmer will carefully take stock of everything oil the farm and value same at what he considers a fair market value. Bv doing so he knows exactly and as near as possible bis financial position. This to many may seem a deal of work and unnecessary labour without any apparent benefit being derrved from it. This, however, is not. so. for. if the proposed method is. adopted, the work of stocktaking is not only easily accomplished, but will be found highly instruolive, as well as interesting, as it brings one into immediate touch with every detail on the farm.

A simple way to do this is to procure a suitable book. On the first page dot down on one side all the stock, implements. grain, and other articles of use. Put down opposite each article the estimated value placed upon it. leaving room at the bottom of the page for the total. On large, estates where there is a correspondingly large number of stock, implements and produce, etc., a separate pa go must be reserved for each class. For instance, the sheep should have a separate page, or, in some instances, one breed mav need it page reserved for that particiilar class. On another page the cattle, pigs, or any oher live stock, such as horses, that may be 011 the place, should be put down in their respective places. Next coins produce, implements, machinery, working tools, etc., everything on the place worth valuing being put down and valued accordingly. A copy of the result of the stocktaking may he " kept in order that a comparison can be made the following year for the sake ol simplicity, anything of a permanent nature, such, for instance, as implements, machinery, etc., a set figure may be placed on them. Allowing a little each year for depreciation in value, this will save putting a fresh value on each season.

New Yearly Balance-sheet. At the end of March or any time appointed for the purpose, the whole of the live and dead stock should be totalled. This not only gives the present value of the stock "of the farm, but it also gives the farmer a general idea of his progress from year to year. 1 his method i.s also useful in pointing out any leakages that may occur in any particular branch of the "farming, that might otherwise go unnoticed from season to season, and the farmer be the loser by it. This, as already mentioned, may seem like labour iu vain, but once adopted is seldom if ever abandoned. The rotation adopted upon a farm must be regulated so as to secure an equal distribution of the work throughout the year. This item should receive verycareful consideration, because so much of tlie success of farming depends upon the system of rotation adopted. It has long been found that if some of our crops are grown upon the same ground year after year difficulties arise, and these have to be overcome as the crops will not grow healthily or luxuriantly. The best way to avoid, or overcome this, however, is to keep these crops as far away as possible from each other in the rotation.

Plants of the same habit of growth and character should not follow each other. Some plants strike deeply into the soil, and.obtain much of their good from the lower portion of the soil, whereas other plants send their roots more among the surface soil and are shallow rooted. For this reason wheat almost invariably thrives well after clover, and many of our other leguminous crops, because the clover roots strike deeply into the soil and really enrich the upper soil by adding to it matter drawn from beneath it. besides drawing a certain amount of atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, which is left deposited there after the legumi is removed. This is used by the crops that follow. Wheat thrives well after clover, peas, beans, vegetables, etc. The wheat roots find freedom for their growth amid the supplies on which it has to rclv for nourishment.

The Succession of Crops. It is not sufikirrit for a farmer to know why certain crop.>- grow well, but he '•onhl ii!s.:> know why certain crops flourish in a particular order in the rotation. When he has mastered this problem, then he is in a bette- position to regulate his course of cropping. For instance, different. crops require different kinds of food. They therefore draw from the land different kinds of inorganic matter which are necessary for keeping the land fertile. One of the great objects to be accomplished in successful farming is to make the .soil produce maximum crops arid, at the same time, to make the land more productive every year, or at least to hold its own, instead of allowing it to become exhausted.