THE CONTRIBUTOR.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 852, 8 January 1879, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE CONTRIBUTOR.

ADVANTAGES GAINED BY THE USE OF STEAM CULTIVATION. [by w. m. noakes.] This is really the great question to b« asked, and which is often asked by farmers— What advantages do we gain by using steam as a cultivating power instead of horses? It is found that there are many advantages, gained by the use of steam. Most farmers know the difference at the present day between thrashing their grain by steam power and the old-fashioned mill driven by horses. Any sensible farmer will now prefer having an engine and thrashing machine in his stack-yard, thrashing and cleaning his grain fit for the market, to having his horses working in the old mill system. Well, the difference is just as much, between the horse plough and the steam, plough as between the* horse thrashing machine and the steam thrashing machine, in so far as cost and trouble are concerned.. We will just enumerate a fow of the advantages gained by the use of steam in the cultivation of the soil, and then make a few remarks on each. We will show—lst, That with steam you are more independent of th.9 weather than with horses. 2nd, That s.tea.m cultivation is a great advantage in the cujti, vation of clay soil. 3rd, The land can, be kept cleaner by steam than by any other power. 4th, That it oauses drains to work to more advantage. sth, That better orops can be obtained by the use of steam power. 6th, That it is the cheapest and easiest mode of cultivating deeply. The first on our list is, therefore, that with steam power you &V 0 [ more independent of the weather than with ; horses. Of course you all know that often for weeks—yes, sometimes months on some. ■ soils—we cannot put our horses on. the , land to work it: on some soils, indeed,, heavyrains make not much impression, but on clay ■ lands one rainy day will often prevent tlvsm . being worked with horaea for somo weeks , afterwards, especially $f undrained. But : why cannot we work heavy soils with hovsea 1 after heavy rains? Because the weight of | the horses damages soil by pressing it when it is wet, and a plough presses eacli furrow ' with a smooth side, and the furrows lie in. this way until dry weather comes, when they become like long pieces of hard-baked bricks. Is it not so ? Now, with steam power there are no heavy weights to |3ress down the soil; the engines are at work at either end of the field, while the implements are pulled to and. fro, and the action of such an implement an a cultivator in no way does damage fo the soil, even if somewhat soft. The action of a. plough would do damage, but the deep, stirring action of a cultivator is more likely to be productive of good than evil, even when slightly wot, 2nd, Steam power is a great advantage in the cultivate of clayey soil. No clay land farm at the. present day is thoroughly worked without the use of steam in its euitixaiion., This is a great deal to say, hut it is found t& be the case. When a clay aoil is worked. by horses at a depth of from four to six inches there remains underneath a baked and foot-trodden pan through which very little, can pass,, either water, or roots, or plants. We know very many of our readers will say, " We don't want this. bo.t-> t torn turned up, it is nasty stuff." Probably I it is. We should not advocate its being ' turned up, but should advocate its being ' stirred, orjened out and made free, so as to, I make a way for water to pass through in* 1 stead of lying on the surface choking, *Qfc-> I ting, and keeping plants from growing ' freely. Do not turn it to the surface, but > open it out so that the rain will wash through • it, taking with it air, &c, and then the ' roots of grain and other crops will follow. They will have more room for their roots, ! and will be thankful for this privilege, and give their thanks to the farmer by a heavier crop. This deep stirring can only be done properly by a steam engine and a 7 or 9 tined cultivator. 3rd, That land can bo kept cleaner by steam power than with any other. Where land is worked to a depth not exceeding six inches, this thin surface of soil is always full of the seeds of weeds. It becomes dirty and foul from the very fact of its thinness, the presence of water in it, from the want of deeper cultivation, gives rise to growth of water-loving plants, which choke grain plants and prevent them growing so well as they otherwise would do. And again by having the advantage of being able to cultivate the greater part of the year, you get the weeds kept under just at those times when they spread over the surface. sth,, That better crops can be obtained by use of steam power in the cultivation of the land is a fact very much in its favor. Those who have used steam in this way acknowledge such to be the case. The chief cause of this again resolves itself into the question of deep cultivation, and being ablo to keep the soil much cleaner. 6th, That it is the easiest and best mode of cultivating deeply. But perhaps you will ask, "What is 'the advantage to be gained by deep eultiva- / I tion, since we have laid so much stress upoo' 7

Hi?" Wa shall try ami explain thorn advantages. Before we decide upon the depth to which: the soil should be stirred, we should just ascertain the depth to> which the Toots of our farm crop* will penetrate it. and whether those ptaats wilt grow equally well if their roots ar» prevented from getting to the depth thofctheywooldl do under deep stirring. Wow it n» Uto pwwed that wheat, oats,, barky, and ether grain «op# wilt grow a greater length of root according as the plants thrive aboye the soil; thus,, if we find thew cereals growing ton height of four feet we may safely calculate that they may have produced about the samo length of roots. It is thu same with turnips, mangolds, and other green, crops. Now, if at » depth of eight or nine inches' from the surface thorn is a hard, unstirred subsoil, the roots of the plants named will not penetrate it, but wilt either remain stunted in their growth, or will strike out in a horizontal direction. In either of these cases, the plants are placed at a disadvantage. In the first instance, when the roots reach the hard subsoil and get stunted in their growth, that portion of the plant above the surface wilt in a degree grow less, the straw will be small in proportion, and the grain will be wanting in finality and quantity. And again, even although the root* may run horizontally, yet in that position they have not sufficient room for development, and each plant, as it were, only stretches it* roots out in search of food to find alt available space occupied by the roots of its neighbors. The general system of stirring the soil in this country is to ptough it by horse-power, to a depth of from Jjnvto* six inches, and in some instances we find that it is stirred up to a depth of eight inches, but generally speaking it is not stirred beyond six inches. It is in this thin stratum of soil that our crops are grown, and to> that depth alone are manures applied where used. Below that, what is there ? A hard mags of soil, beaten down firm by the frequent treading of horses on it, into, which neither manures nor rain can penetrate. The subsoil is, in fact, generally a hidden place to plants. Since this is the case,, and when we see so many intelligent farmers at worfe all over the country, we are ted naturally to think that those who cntfclvatiT the soil to. the shallow depth o? four or six inches are of opinion thftt alt the capabilities of the land tie tft the nppur surface only, and that in the subsoils there exists- a hidden something which is injurious to crops, this may or may not be the case with regard to. the generality of the farmers' opinions in reference to> shallow ploughing. Our experience in the growth of wheat, barley, oats,, turnips, and other green crops, in both Khgtand and Scotland, has ted us to. state that the subsoil reimfres to lie opened out and brought to tight by deep cultivation, if we mean to reap frail benefit.

We alt know the good results which a thorough drainage gives to the soil: but as we have already stated, drainage is never allowed in any instance to give its fwlt advantages without n> thorough, deep opening cut of the soil and subsoil. If we take the case of » field with * stiff,, retentive subsoil and which has been drained according to. the most approved} system of doing so at the present day,, and we shall suppose that that field is stilt ploughed, after being drained, as it was wont to. bo,, namely, to » depth of four or six inches, then in that case- the drainago is only allowed] to give one-half the buu«n« it would do if the subsoil were thoroughly broken up by some means. For the perfect cultivation of our farm crops, the soil should be stirred up to a depth of from IS. to. 19 inches at least. It should bu opened out to this depth once every four yutws, and afterwards to a depth of not less than one foot. But the question comes to be asked —How t* this to be done ? This question we have already answered. This deep stirring of the soil can be most oftW.tually, and at the same time cheapty. duuts by steam power.

THE AWAMOA. FOREST-TREE

FLANTATIO-NS',

Only a few years ago the (towns now catted Awamoa were ft wild expanse of tussocks* ami it is not so very tong ago since the first plantation of? gums was laid down. Of these in various localities no' less than twentyfour distinct varieties have beenplanted, w hie h are now at the age of twelve years robust., clean boted young giants, forming a capital shelter for dofencu against the north-west winds of summer and the south-westers of winter. Protested by these treesMr. Holmes has,, as th& reward of his enterprioe, succeeded in rearing an immense variety of tree*,, gathered from alt parts of tlw wortdL The cedar of Lebanon, the pine of Araitcania, the white birch of Canada, the- Wellington:* Ofgantea of California, the oak of otd England, and the hardy Celtic mountains pine, are alt to be seim in these pt&ntations. In one dump fchuro are collected no tess than eifht varieties of the pieea. as- follows:—The grandis eophaloniea, frazeri, pinsapo. batsamea. nordinauniana nobtis, and pectinate a beautiful tree, with cones. It would be difficult to Knit in the whote of New Zealand such another collection as I have described, combining as they do the most graceful subtleties of leaf and habit. I had the good fortune to see in tho aursary the seedlings imparted from Pennsylvania. U.S.. over two years ago, selected by Mr. Meaney. the leading gardener in that State, at the personal seder of Mr. Kotmes. who was travellingat the time.anit. in consideration of the interest the introduction of asptendid .collection ol North American trees wiH •create throughout the Cotony, 1 append the ialiowing- description:—There are the ailantns siandulosa, a tree of aitiote growthv wtioae Eoliag* affords food for silkworms (Query. *■' Why .should we not rear the-silkworm in this district ? In Chiti, in the same latitude, silk of a very superior eotor and fineness b obtained.") The eatalpa bignenoides, a ,<juick growing- wood, very useful for posts. Bails, poles, dray shafts, stakes, &c. This w»od will stand any time in the ground, and is a most useful timber for New Zealand agriculturists to cultivate. The American mulberry, a very fine and hardy tree: ft bears a sweet, edible fruit, and would do welt .anywhere in the interior, as it will stand hard frosts and snow. It is fwind in all parts of th*» Dominion, as welt as in the United States. The American acacia locnst. bearing a beantiful pink and white tlower. This is a highly ornamental tree. The ;Vmon«an ebony, attaining a height of 80ft. The Amwriean bass, a fine timber, used a great deal in the manufacture of wooden chair seats, being light, tough, and darabte : it grows well in sfwrtty soils, and is generally found along the banlcs *f rivers : it wowtd thrivo on Inch t'tutha, and on the banks of the Molyneux. The American red ash, a tine wood, and much used in the manufactare ■of chairs ; it is called red on account of ttho color of ita leaf in antumn. Of ediWe -nut trees there are as follow r—The white iutikory, from which ia derived the main

supply of the commercial hickory not, the wood being used for axe handles, yoke bows, and all manner of other fixings. The furrowed hickory, a tree which attains the height of 90ft., and yields a large supply of manufacturing timber. The tmncatosa, bearing nuts as large as apples. The batter nnt, both black and yellow, a most valuable cafcuwtmakewf wood, and yielding a capital pickling nut, ranch esteemed in Cauda. The pecan, a Californian species, yielding a most delicious table nut. The burr oak, the ash-colored oak. and the marsh oak, all useful and ornamental timber. Many of .these needs were two years in the ground before they came up, but those that have made their appearance look as hearty as they do in their native soils, and I can only add that it is a wonder that notice has not been taken before of this most successful attempt in the acclimatisation of foreign timbers from seed. The example set by Mr. Holmes is of the utmost value to the Colony at large, because from it intending tree planters may learn something of the soil requirements which certain trees and seeds need, the time seeds take to germinate, and a variety of other useful hints in tree cultivation. Indeed, I | know of no better plantation in the Colony where one may have an opportunity to study I the habits, and glean information as to the j qualities of a moat carefully selected stock, j of rare, beautiful, and useful forest trees, as jat the Awamoa estate. I may add that ifrom SO to 100 acres of thi3 property 'is planted in selected trees, representing ; almost alt the countries in the world. The , nursery also contain* some 20,000 young j trees and seedtinga for future plantations. I Fine grapes are being produced under glass, but J should like to see them tried in the open air. Why should they not do as well here as at Qaccnstown. lake County, or as at Roxburgh, on the Molyncux. All they 6 want is sun, shelter, and water.

LAND SETTLEMENT. ] For many years past there has been much reason for dissatisfaction at the method adopted in Otago for land settlement. Thousand* of pounds sterling have gone to Canterbury. Nelson, and the North Island. Australia, the South Sen Islands. California and Mexico. South America, the United States and Canada, just because of the policy adopted by our legislators in the administration of out Provincial land laws. Land in the interior was not to be had for love or money as freehold property, the agricultural tease system, subject in a great measure lo the approval of the reigning squatter, ha.* been the only means by which the industrious miner or prosperous storekeeper could obtain a patch of ground for cultivation. It thus occurs that the traveller, in hi 3 progress through the interior. only observes intermittent cultivation, and wonders, from the luxuriant nature of the crops, and magnificence of the fruits produced in the open air, that the law-givers could have been so Mind to the general welfare as to lock up these lands for woolgrowing purposes only. The splendid purple and green grapes, the apricots, nectarines, peaches, and melons, produced in the interior, mark the native richness of the soil, white the superior wheat, oat*. barley, potatoes, turnips, carrots, and onions, prove it capable of the highest production and capable of being made a source of trade, profit and population second to none £o any country of the same area under the sun. The action of the Hon. R. Stout in treating with these lands is the- fairest to all parties the Province has yet experienced, and his reasons are baaed upon principles which cannot fail to prove advantageous to both State and people. Indeed, it i 3 not necessary to vouch for the wisdom of the policy set forth by him. as it is- one with the desire so long and so anxiously expressed by thousands of individual* who have resided in Otago for the tost sixteen years. In answer to the political manifesto' sent to him by Mr. I>river, M.H.R. for Duncdin, on the part of the sheep-farmers-, when 15.009 acres were ordered for survey on the Mooters run and a certain area on the run of Messrs. Cargill and Anderson. Mr Stout says : First.. I believe it is absolutely necessary that land should be opened for settlement in the interior of Otago. Second. 1 betieve the land* should not bo all opened, as the construction of railways wilt enhance its value, and the public should reap some share of the enhanced value. , . ~ Third. I also believe that nothing should be done to wantonly or improperly destroy the- tenure of the pastoral tenants. f {aided by these principles, I. as Minister of Lands, at the urgent solicitation o* people anxious to settle, determined to open tands at Teviot and near Clyde, and also in some other localities in the goldoelds. 1 found there was a great danger to be avoided, and it was this : If the level lands skirting the hills were sold, the high back lands became the property of those who had purchased the low lands. In the interests of th« public estate. I was convinced that the high and the low should l»c sold together, and this could only he done by seltinff part as pastoral lands on deferred payments or in large The latter alternative cotdd not be considered by mc for one moment, and hence, to save the estate of the country. I determined to so arran.ee the lands for sale that part should be- sold on deferred payments, part on agricultural teases, part as of special value. part on immediate payment, and part as pastoral land on deferred payments. Why this should cause anxiety I am at a toss to imagine. Certainly I have no desireto- see ati pastoral leases cancelled, nor do I believe any one desires to sec the pastoral tenants- injured. No one charged with the administration of waste lands can, however, refuse- to proclaim land open for settlement where there ts none open and people are anxious to settle. I believe the leases which the Government have proposed to cancel should have: been cancelled long ago. for the demand.-', tor land have in these- localities been urgent for years: and I cannot see how the pastoral estate of the country can be injured by yielding to the reasonable request of intending: settlers. J have dealt fully with pastor..! tenure to prove that in the past the Legislature and Government have, instead of doing anything that would injure pastoral tenants, rather gone in an opposite direction. lam in hopes that this communication will allay any feelings of anxiety that may be aroused ; and I may. In conclusion, add that, as no communication has been held by the Government by any of the signatories of the telegram. I mnst assume that in sending it to the members of the Legislature it was intended as a political manifesto. I believe that my explanations will dispel the anxiety that has been created, and will tend to show that the Government can, whilst they are making due provision for settlement, not do anything that would I* •cruel and disastrous' to any class of the community.'*