THE FARM.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 771, 10 December 1886, Page 15

THE FARM.

OPERATIONS POR DECEMBER.

NORTHERN DISTRICTS, New Zealand Farmer. Hat Making.—Towards the end of the month the graes hay harvest will bo in full swing. Before the work of hay-making is actually in progress ma&e the necessary preparations so that there may be no delay .ODce the soasra begins. Get mowing machines and tools ready and in thorough order. Do not wait until fcb© local blacksmith has more than, he can do in the way of repairs to get through with. We presume, of course, that, in accordance with formerinstrnetions, all paddocks intended for hay have been cleared of sticks and stones two months ago. Aliy tall seeding weeds now showing may be removed with advantage. Rick stands should be prepared some time beforehand. For a you will want about 33 feet by 18 feet lor every ten acres of grass. Choose a dry site with a view to easy carting in the winter. Cut while the grass is in flower if you wish to have a sweet nourishing s imple of hay. When rye grass is to be cut for seed the hay should be bound up in small sheaves if possible, after lying a day or two in the swath according to the weather; then place in shocks of 10 or 12 sheaves each, taking care in binding the sheaves to turn the drier portions of the hay that have been most exposed inwards. Oaten Hay.—Look well after the oat crop for caterpillars, and if you find them in it cut it down at once. Root Crops.—All root crops and crops grown in rows require well hoeing or scarifying this month, and all large seeding weeds need strict attention to keep them from spreading. Potatoes require moulding up, and there is a great dpal of thinning to be done. No plant will thrive too closely planted. Mangolds grown in beds may be -transplanted into rows in wet weather di/ring this mouth. Turnips may still be sown, choosingshowery weather. Attend to thinning -turnips and mangolds that require it. A partial thinning of turnips is sometimes effected by passing the harrows over them briskly. If in drills they may be thinned by ,-running a scuffles: with tires set for the purpose across the,lines of drills, and afterwards singling with the hand hoe. Mangolds should not be singled until the roots have attained dbe size of radishen I Lash Foeise Crops.—Maize is perhaps one of the best forage crops we have, and may he sown right on into -January and beginning of February. The later sowings of it should not be altogether as thick as the earlier, as the cool weather of autumn is not so favorable for maturing and developing starch and sugar as the warm weather of midsummer ; the late grown plants should have more light and air. Make drills at least three feet apart, and sow seed so that there shall be a stalk every four to six inches in the row. Cultivate well and eat when ears begin to form. Corn does not develop its full nutritive vulue before that period. From a desire to minify llie stalk, the ■ mistake is made sometimes of sowing too thickly, and the result is imperfect development and forage not relishfd by stock because it is not really nutritious. Some farmers plant the maize earlier in rows four feet apart, and now bow rows between, and when these are youog and tender turn in sheep.

The sheep eat the young plants and weeds and leave the harder stalks. They benefit the land, obtain shelter and’food, and will not harm the oorn crop unless left too long. •Sorghum does not develop?its sweetness until the seeds are formed, and the game is true oT maize. Thera is much waste-in eutting.green forage crops before thej 'have reached the stage of development when they are most; nutritious. Cabbages may be planted out info rich and ■; well manured land. It is no.'U*eto try and j grow cabbages on poor soil. 'lf planted out: now, or early next month,, they will fur-1 nish splended forage for winter and -early: spring use. Cultivate with the horse 'hoe i between the rows so long as there is-sufficient j interval between the rows to do so with: safety. ; Fallows. —Fern lands should soon be broken up and burning done, and summer fallows commenced. Land intended to be fallowed.i unless thoroughly exhausted, can, offer being turned over, be sown down with tuinips. Experiments conducted at Rotbamsted have proved that it is a mistake to clean and till land with the object of leaving it bare. It is far better for the land, especially if it is of a light nature, to keep the soil covered with such crops as rape, trifolium, vetches or eftbbagep. The catch .orops will pay well if properly helped with fertilizers, and the land will be far more easily cleaned for next summer’s crop than if it had been left to grow weeds all the • and winter.

Fences. —Clear away weeds from the hedges before they ripen their seeds. 'Hedges tSiat require clipping wiil now need the first I rimming, and another towards the end of the stammer. ' Live Stock.—Farm horses have ibeen having hard work during the spring operation?, and they have plenty more before them during the comingiharvest time. They must therefore be.well kepfcrup with a full allowance of oatS;and suitable green forage. ..In supplying horses with green food be careful not to over rik> it and thereby produce colic, to which stabled 'horses working hard are very liable about this time. Inflammation of the bowels is also t© be guarded against at this season, and also (inflammation and congestion of the lungs from .over-exertion isa very hot weather and subsequent chills. Sheep mnst be looked after to provide against attacks of the fly, Sheep have been destroyed by not more than 12 hours of the undisturbed ravages of a ‘blow ’of maggots. About three days after (the ewes are shorn the lambs should be dipped for tiefcs, which will nearly all have transferred themselves to the lambs’ fleeces by that time. All stock, except where the soiling system is followed, will now be on good grass., and there is little to be specially mentioned with regard to cattle this month. It is * good plan to ehange their pasture at intervals, relieving the paddocks alternately. The cattle will much appreciate a fresh bite on a paddock .which has had only a week’s cleaning and rest. Have a good paddock ready for the lambs as they are weaned. Sweet Potatoes. —The slips for the main crop of sweet potatoes (kumerae) may bo put out towards the middle of this month. Plantings may be iniide earlier and later, hut the bulk of the crop had better be planted from the time indie>ted until the last week of the month. Vines from earlier plantings are said to do just as well as the slips produced from the tubers planted for the purpose. Some think the vineß are even better. Out into short pieces and bury well, leaving one bud only exposed ; they grow readi y if the soil is at all damp. Jn putting out a sweet potato slip the soil should bo pressed firmly to the roots, a little water poured in, and the hole then filled with dry dirt; in this way slips will grow readily in very dry weather, therefore never wait for rain to put them out.

Green Crops.—Maize for a forage crop, Sorghum, German and other millet may all be sown now.

General—Get all your harvesting machinery in order, and prepare bottoms for stacks if not already done. There is a great deal of cleaning, thinning, and weeding to be done this month. Get it done as early as possible before the harvest work is upon you.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS. Our monthly calendar of farming operations is of course intended to act as a reminder to experienced farmers as much as to instruct those who are only beginning their agricultural career. The former may therefore with advantage consult the instructions for this month for the Northern Districts with respect to many matters there referred to. Their experience will enable them to make any a'lowance needful to suit differences of climate. . Turnips.—Assuming that the ground has been prepared for this crop as previously recommended, the main sowing of turnips should now be proceeded with. The objeefof this sowing is to provide a winter supoly of roots for feeding purposes. The different varieties should be sown in the order of their hardiness, Ist. Swedes ; 2nd, Hybrids ; 3rd, Hard yellow turnips ; 4 h, Soft white turnips. Swedes do not produce so much weight per acre as common turnips, but it is reckoned that 20 tons of Swedes contain as much nutritive matter as 25 tons of average yellow turnips or Aherdeens, or as 30 tons average white turnips. As compared with common turnips, Swedes are less laxative and are better for fattening purposes than for milk production. Other characteristics are that they grow more slowly, require richer and better prepared land, and are hardier in resisting the effects of frost than other turnips. The Green Top Yellow Aberdeen yields heavy crops and is a good keeper. The White Stone Globe, the common White Globe, the White Tankard, the Green Top Yellow

Tankard, and the Mammoth Purple Top turnips are a'l heavy croppers. The soft turnips are the best to sow on stubble land, as from their rapid growth they make a fair size before cold weather sets in, e.ven when sown as late as January. Land prepared last month must be again gone over with cultivator, harrowß and roller to produce a sufficiently fine tilth for the turnip seed. Early sown turnips .as they come into broad leaf must be horse-hoed and singled. Winter sown tares should all be off the ground by the end of the month, and the land they grew upon may be sown with turnips. Grass.—ln many districts the sowing of grass seeds may be continued this month ; in fact, this is by many people considered the best time fur sowing in »he higher districts. A Southern writer says that these lands being for the most part at a considerable altitude above the sea and near the hills, are subject to occasional warm north-west rains during the summer, when the land on the sea board is suffering from want 1 of rain. These rains promote the quick germination of small seeds, and a rapid growth before the winter sets in. ... , * Haymaking begins this month. (See operations for Northern Districts.) Grass Lands. —In warm congenial seasons, rich pastures will often grow with such luxuriance this month that the ordinary stock -cannot keep them down, and a great part of the nutritive value of the grass is lost. In such cases keep such paddo.ks heavily stocked, easing them afterwards as the season advances. It is often recommended as a good plan to let one field take its course, and if the season should subsequently turn out very dry, esusing grass to fail a b:t, this field will be useful to fall back upon and thereby ease the other paddocks. The} rough grass will preserve it a good deal from the effects of drought, and the grass being well-grown will afford good feed for the stock. Keep your paddocks as clear as possible of thistles, docks, and other weeds. Clover Hay.—ln making clovei hay it must not be forgotten that clovers differ from the grasses in this important respect—that their leaves when dry are very fragile and brittle ; consequently, if clover hay is allowed to become too dry in the making, a great portion of the leaves will be crushed into dust, fall off, and be otherwise lost in the operations of carting, stacking, etc. This will very much injure the nutritive value of the hay. It should not therefore be tossed about much in the hayfieldi' When the whether is unfavorable for making the hay properly it is often put up in alternate layers of hay from last year’s stacks, or with oaten straw-, which effectually prevents injury by the heating of the new hay. Tedding machines, though most useful for the grass hay, are, for the reason about stated, not suitable implements for the making of clover hay. The difficulty is that the thick succulent stalks of red clover require a good deal of drying, while the leaves, when once withered, ore easily broken by tossing and shaking. The intelligent farmer will therefore act so os to prevent these conflicting conditions from seriously injuring his clover hay crop.

WHAT CROPS ARE MOST SUITABLE FOR SILAGE. By Sir J. B. Lawes, Bart., LL.D., F.R.S. It is now proposed to cut all kinds of crops in a green state for silage purposes, and such being the case the most suitable period for cutting becomes a question of great importance. Mr James Howard in his paper on haymaking which was read before the Farmers’ Club recently, makes the following remarks : «The saccharine juices are as a rule in the greatest abundance when the grasses are in full flower just before the seed is formed.’ Mr Howard, however, qualifies this conclusion by adding that * certain grasses, such as cocksfoot, cafcetail and some others, contain a higher proportional value when the seed* is nppiroaching ripeness than at the time of flowering.’ I quite agree with Mr Howard that the best time for cutting grass, either for hay or for ensilage purposes, is when the majority of the grasses are in flower, and that by waiting longer nothing is added to the nutritive ingredients in the crop. The reason for this is that in the case of most of the grasses the seed formed is exceedingly light, and the food which it contains is excessivelj small. It would appear therefore that the amount of solid matter fixed in a crop after blooming has commenced, bears some relation to the weight of seed produced, and the larger the weight of seed —as compared with the other parts of the crop—tbe greater will be the increase after blooming. It will, however, I think be advisable to establish tbe fact of a considerable increase in the solid matter of the crop, before saying anything about the composition of such increase. Tn 1847 we selected an acre of wheat of an even character. The crop was mowed and the dry matter determined at intervals between b'ooming and ripeness. The dry matter per acre on June 21 was ... 3928 l* 3B On Jaly 9th it was ... ... 5837 „ ( An increase of ... 1509 ~ On July 30th it was ... ... 6802 „ (An increase of nearly) 1000 The dry matter of the ripe crop was 6375 lbs. This crop yielded about 33 bushels of wheat per aero, and nearly two tons of straw. A ciop of on's which we cut last year one portion in a green state to go into a silo, and the other portion as ripe to be fed in a dry state—gave the following results : Dry matter per acre of oats cut when the grain was in a state of milky juice, 6452 lbs. Dry matter of ripe crop, 6923 lbs, a gain of 441 lbs. Thiscrop yielded 93f boshels per acre, weighing 351bs per bushel, and about 3% tons of straw. Some careful experiments on the ost crop carried out in Germany by Arends give the, following results : dry matter per acre nttime of heading our, 1363 lbs ; at time of blossom 1767 lbs ; at time of ripening 2203 lbs ; and when ripe 2331 lbs. There appears therefore evidence to show that plants which produce seeds bearing sotnd* considerable proportional weight to the whole crop, increase considerably in weight after the time of blooming. In barley the weight of the grain is often equal to the weight of the straw. In wheat and oats the proportion of grain to straw may be about 40 of grain to 60 of .straw. The composition of the increase which takes place at the latter period of the growth of the plant is

of more importance than the increase itself, but unfortunately the amount of evidence on this point is not very great. . In the experiments on oats of Arendt previously quoted, the amount of fibre, and other non nitrogenous substances are given as

ter J In these experiments it will be observed that at the time of blossoming the fibre ceases to increase, while the non nitrogenous matter which would chiefly consist of starch — increases from 916 to 1349 lbs. IE these results at all approximate to the truth, the cutting of grain crops for silage is attended with a considerable loss of food Bubdanoes, and experiments which we are now carrying out at Rothamsted—where silage oats are being fed against the ripe crop, straw and corn cut up together—-tend to confirm this view, as they appear to show that a considerable amount of food was formed in tho crop after the green oats were cut, although these oats when cut were, if anything, too old rather than too young. It would seem therefore that in selecting crops for silage purposes, a preference should be given to those which bear seeds of a small weight, as compared with the rest of the crop. Under these conditions the cereal grain crops would be excluded. Tares would be preferred to beans or peas and red clover to tares. I may mentiou that there is hardly any seed in a luxu ianfc crop of red clover at the first cutting, and even at the second cutting the relation of seed to the total crop is but small. Pasture grass, as Mr Howard points out, contains most of its nutriment at the time of blooming, and is therefore suitable for silage purposes. Maize, on the other hand, mu ; t stand upon its own merits as a cereal crop for si age purposes. It cannot ripen its seed in this country, and therefore by cutting it green the loss of matter in the future stages of growth does uot come into calculation. Notwithstanding all that has been said on the subject, it does not appear probable that maize can ever become a farm crop in this country any mote than tobacco. Some of the l-guminous crops, such, for example, as red clover, tares and tnfoitum, appear to be more adapted fer silage purposes than other crops, from the fact of their suffering much in wet weather when made into hay, while in dry weather they lose much of their leaf. The large amount of nitrogen they contain however makes tho loss of this substance —which appeurs at the present time to be inseparable from the fermentation m the silo of le*s importance. A.s regards the question of whether it is desirable to erect a silo for ensilaging the crops, I do not pretend to give an opinioD, my present object being simply to point out that for the purpose of silage, certain crops are more suitable than others.— Agricultural Gazette.

NEW SOUTH WALES HARVEST NOTES. Our Mudgee correspondent write* :—Farmers are.everywhere bu»y making-hay. As a rule the crop is extremely heavy. I am sorry to have to say that the report of rust haring appeared has been confirmed. On the Canadian, which is ona of our best wheat-produc-ing centres, it appears to be worse than anywheie else. We hear of- several farmers having cut down a large portion of their crops for hay. Closer to the town the pest does not appear to be so bad, although ws may hear of slight indications along the rich flats near the river. The weather has been hot and close through the week with occasional threat eninga of storms. A very heavy one came up last evening from the south-east, but passed sway along tho mountains around the town. It must have rained very heavy between here and Wallerawang. With the exception of a ftw places infested with the rust, tho wheat crop looks amazingly well, and a heavy crop is looked for. Oar Goulburn River correspondent reports on the 23rd ult. :—A few weeks ago, when the farmers in this district were looked forward to a plentiful harvest, the crop 3 looked we’l, and everything promised to make up for previous losses ; but, alas, many are once more doomed to be disappointed. The rust ta3 damaged many crops, while others are lying flat on the ground, crushed down by the late heavy storms. Stripping will be commenced this week in many places, weather permitting, but the yield will, I think, be small, and the quality I think not very good. Stock of al kind looks well, but considerable damage has been done in some places by hail storms, The Rosemount vineyard has suffered severely. This vineyard, which is by far the largest and best worked in the district, had neatly the whole of its crop destroyed last year by hail, and now again, so close upon the other, it must bo very discouraging to the owners. Three samples of wheat, one being rust proof, have been grown by Mr Thomas Sitters, of Wanchopr, Port Macquarie. Tbe wheat haß just filled out in tho ear, and unfortunately rust has made its appearance in some samples. The maize crops look well, and give promise of an abundant yield. At Parke* haymaking is general, and the wheat crops are ripening rapidly. The yield will be very large, and the farmers are already speculating as to where the market is to come r °Our Wagga Wagga correspondent write* : ‘The farmers are now in good spiri's,-the recent weather having enabled them to work amon* their crops, and there is every prospect of a good harvest. At first the frequent rains gave cause for tho fear of rust, but now that has abated. Indeed, at a meeting of farmers and selectors at Junee oa Monduy one speaker went so’ far as to predict a glut of wheat in this district, unless tho Government imposed a pro'eetive duty upon that cereal.’ At Albury the hay harvest is in. full swing. The cutting of the grain crop will begin in about ten days. . Stalks of wheat and oats 8 feet high are on view at Cootamundra. This is the average height of the crops near the township. The farmers will rejoice to hear that the flourmill closed for some time is now let to a Sydney m AtT Woolldrobi, although rust is slightly prevalent in the wheat crop, large returns are expected, the season being a good one. Labor i* scarce, and the farmers find a diffi-

culty in obtaining ; good reapers. There is a demand here for a limited number of farm, labourers. 1 Very heavy rain fell during sa9t week in the ... Inveroll district. Much of the hay cr p wa« destroyed, and it is feared that the wheat crop will bo affected by rust. — Sydney Mail. A VALUABLE BUG. The Placer Herald says: Robert WiPianason of Sacramento, who owns a large fruit ranch near Penryn, in this county, has been introducing the two-spoMed lady-bug,. or scale destroyer, in the orchards of his neigh* bo-hood. They are said to be a very thorough and efficient remedy for the San Jos6 sca'e. The scale lives on the tree and the lady-bug lives on scale. It is said that whole orchards in the San Jos4 Valley have been entirely clean d of the pest that threatened their destruction by thi* little bug. In one case a twenty arre orchard had bcem abandoned to the scale, the owner having' despaired.of a remedy, The lady bug came' along and attacked tne scale in that orchard; in one year it had much improved, aud in two years every scale was annihilated, and tho orchard is now a 3 healthy aad thrifty as it ever was. THE BLACK WALNUT IN GEORGIA. Black walnut timber is worth, in Georgia, ICO dollars per 1000 feet, inch plank, apd trees ten years from the root are now known t,en inches in diameter. This shows, the annual thickness of wood to be half an inch.' This will astonish the old world folks, who look on the raising of a forest as the work of a long life-time, and will toad to appease the apprehensions of those wh > wonder what is to become of us when all our forests aro gone. When it pays to plant timber, we could get a good supply on tweuty years’ notice.—Gardeners’ Monthly. CORN-DESTROYING INSECTSThe Royal Agricultural Society of England is drawing the attention of agriculturists to tho appearance of an attack on the straw of wheat and barley which has recently been brought under the n<'t:c9 of their consulting entomologist, Mias Ormerod, and which, if allowed to establish itself, will prove very serious. The presence of the attack is shown, by tho corn stem falling down with a sharp bond through it, just abovethe second jointfrom the ground. This is caused by the presence ofa maggot just above this joint, and when examined, it will be found, in the present: stage of tho attack, turned to a smooth, brown, Bbining chryealL, lying partly fixed in the stem inside the leaves. This chrysalis ia distinguished in shape by its resemblance to a flax-seed; and its attack corresponds in every way with that of the corn stem ppst commonly known as the Hessian fly, whose chrysalids are known in the United State* and Canada as * flax seeds ’ from the above mentioned reason. The attack has hardly ever occurred in England, but has caused very serious mis-. chief in other countries. As to the measures of prevention, it is desirable, where the doubled-down corn with the * flax seeds ’ above the joints is seen, to arrange the cutters of tbe reapers so as to sever the corn above the joint, so that no infected straw will be carted off the field from wiiich the fly may spread ; the chrysalids which were not developed would remain in the stubbie, which should, as soon a* possible, be collected and burnt. Corn crops should not be sown on land which has been infected in tho year of the attack, and then strong and we 1-growing kinds aro specially to bo chiaen, as it has been found that they are les* rffected. If the * flax-seeds ' are not destroyed, they ars likely to set the attack on foot again, therefore no seed from infested fields ought to bo sown. The Royal Agricu.tural Society are desirous that all farmers requiring information as to the means of preventing attack should apply to Miss Ormerod, who will be willing to afford tho necessary advice. RAISING HAND-FED CALVES. Iu a state of nature the calf takes its milk from the dam at frequent intervals and in small quantities at each time. The stomach is never overloaded ; as a result the calf remains healthy and thrives. When we take the matter in hand, remarks The Farmers’ Review, we usually reverse the lule, feeding but twice a day in such quantity as to overload the stomach, are careless about the milk being of the right temperature, and then wonder that the bowels get out of order, and that the calf is unthrifty. Where it becomes necessary to resort to artificial methods it is always safest to follow nature a 3 far os practicable. This would lead us to feed often and in small quantity at a time, and always with the milk at the temperature of the animal system, or about ninety degrees. Three feedings a day are bettor than two, and four would be better than three.

The experiments of Professor Shelton, of the Kansas Agricultural Collsgo with pasturing pigs, show that they could not bo induced to like orchard grass. The field contained both alfalfa and orchard grass, end while the former was closely ctopped the latter was always luxuriant and abundant. An agricultural journal, in answer to an application for a remedy for erackel hoofs, which so often afflict cattle, says : There appears to be a natural predisposition to brittleness of the hoof, which may or may not be aggravated ‘ by unknown general or local causes. Try keeping the whole hoof well covered with an ointment of equal parts o£ tar and lard or vaseline. Around aud just' above the top of the hoof, apply a blister .of v equal parts of oil of turpentine, ftmmonia, and linseed oil. Repeat once a week„ or often enough to keep the hair standing erect, but not sufficiently to raise a scab.. t If you would have orderly stock, go around tbe pasture and put the fence in order before turning out the cattle. If they.find one weak place and get through a few times it will be almost impossible to make that spot strong enough to hold them. Good tillago is tbe strongest weapon wita which the farmer c*n fight hard times and gain success. Imperfect culture on tbe other baud, will scarcely enable him to gain a living from the richest soil, aud tbe toil will deteriorate rapidly in quality from such treatment beside.

follows : r Heading out. Blossoming. Ripening. Kip©, lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. Fibre .. 459 . . 564 .. 545 .. 559 Other non' nitrogen- ' L. 624 . . 91G .. 1242 .. 1340 ous matX