INTENSIVE FARMING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19142, 7 October 1925, Page 18

INTENSIVE FARMING.

BY W.S.

INCREASING PRODUCTION; MAKING USE OF EVERY ACRE. the; cultivation of rape.

In these modern times when a more intensive method of farming must, ,oi necessity; be practised, every acre of land must give an account of itself. It should be every farmer's duty, as well as his ambition, to increase the carrying capacity of his land as much as possible. In almost every part of the Dominion the cultivation of rape has become so general of late that most farmers have had more or less experience in raising this crop. On this account, perhaps, it is treated somewhat- indifferently by many, without any attempt being made to improve on the methods already adopted. Rape is one of the most prolific crops grown on » farm. It is one of the most useful of our summer crops. It is easily and cheaply cultivated, and, when sown as a catch crop, it occupies the land for a shorter period than most of our farm fodder crops. Under favourable conditions, it is ready to feed off in 10 12 weeks from date of sowing. If sown loter in the season, either when &own along with grass, or when sown pure, it can, if necessary, be left over until the following spring, and after producing a heavy weight of forage during summer and autumn, providing it is not fed too hard, will give a fair amount of succulent ieed early in the following spring, before the grass in the pastures begins to come, and when there is little else of a succulent nature available. Eape and Fat Lambs. Rape, when grown under suitable conditions, yields a large bulk of feed that is i almost unsurpassed for fattening purposes, and for this reason it constitutes an important factor in the fat lamb arid mutton trade, particularly the former. Rape is particularly suited to toeing off lambs after being taken off their ' mothers. No other crop has yet been cultivated that will whplly "replace it in the rotation of cropping. Soft turnips sown early in the season have been made to partially take the place of rape, arid, in many instances, have filled the requirements very well. Lambs, however, do j better on turnips when they have first been fed on rape. Therefore, a patch of rape is usually grown, and if not sufficient to top off the lambs they are put on to the turnips to finish,,them off. This method i§ very suitable when fattening late-dropped lambs or backward lambs, that often find their way into the market later on in the season. Rape thrives best, as most other crops do, on deep, loamy soils, rich in organic i matter. It- thrives on calcareous clays, I and on limestone land, generally"; that is, ! where the rainfall is sufficient. Bo t ! can be grown with more or less success on almost all classes of soils, subject to a suitable climate. Enormous crops of this forage are produced on peaty soils reclaimed by drainage, and sweetened by thorough cultivation and applications of lime in suitable quantities, each of wnich tends to make the land more productive j by increasing the bacterial population in j the soil, without which no forage crop can, grow to advantage. Method of Cultivation. ! As rape grows very rapidly, it is essential that the cultivation should be deep and thorough. Notwithstanding the fact that the t. Ith should be deep, it is a mistake to have the soil loose for the seed bed. It should be well consolidated with the harrows and roller previous to drilling in the seed. This crop, iike wheat, prefers a firm seed bed. Moreover, the harrows and roller make the surface fine, which allows of a more even covering of • the seed. When rape is grown. after turnips, a method often practised in New Zealand, a seed bed is easily procurable. The land is cultivated close behind the sheep, and afterwards ploughed, with an occasional j stroke of the harrows to keep weeds in check, and to conserve moisture until the time arrives for sowing. Practically t-he same rule is followed when rape follows a cereal crop, such as wheat, oats, or barley. In this case the land is ploughed i deeply in the autumn, left fallow through winter and harrowed, and otherwise scarified and treated as above mentioned, when following the turnip crop. Preparation for Sowing Eape. 4 When the time is drawing near for sowing, the land should be thoroughly , cultivated with the spring-tined cultivator or grubber, giving the land as many strokes as are necessary to thoroughly break up the furrows, then harrow and roll until fine enough and sufficiently consoliI dated to receive the seed. When rape is intended to be taken after lea the land ( should be ploughed during winter, and I providing the soil is dry enough and the ] teams available, should be disced and harrowed in late winter and early spring. Though this crop has certain favourite positions in the rotation, it can, however, | be taken anywhere, provided there is a plentiful supply of plant food in an available form. When grown as a main crop it- is well to bear in mind that it grows best on soils with a sufficiency of organic matter. This is the reason why it usually does well when placed not too far away from , che lea furrow, so that the soil may not j be depleted of the fertility acquired during the period of rest under grasu. It, is found | that rape thrives best when the period j between each rape crop is at. long intervals ' and that when grown at short intervals o'i the same land the bulk of the crop i gradually diminishes each time when it is j grown in frequent succession. Position of the Crops. i A favourite position with many Now | Zealand farmers for the rape crop is to precede the wheat crop, as it improves j the land for this cereal. The rape is taken j directly after lea and manured liberally j by artificials. The residue from such man-' | unrig is readily taken up by the crop that J follows. Moreover, its vigorous root system opens up the subsoil, and the surface soil is enriched by the forage fed down on it. i The season at which this crop is usually j sown renders it the more suitable to come in as a go-between crop, j When sown in October or November i rape is ready for the first feeding by the ' end of December or January, and can be fed off a second time bv the end of March, when the land can he ploughed up in »easiness for wheat to be sown in Ma v. This enables the farmer to keep his land ''uliy occupied, and at the same time to ma,lce it produce forage and cereal crops more abundantly than would he possible , if this method were not practised, t" 'The best method of sowing rape is to • divide the area to be sown into suitable , sized blocks, commencing say the middle 1 of October, or■ at whatever time is found to be most suitable in any particular dis- ■ trict,' and continue until the end of Nov- ■ j ember, or later if necessary, so as to give , n eiwviwwn "of in summer 1 1'.utumu for finishing off lambs or sheep.