THE RURAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22712, 26 October 1935, Page 3

THE RURAL WORLD

— —— By RU3TICUS.

Items of interest to those engaged ii with a view to their publication in They should be addressed to Rusti

1935-36 SHOW SEASON

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Shows have been arranged for the following dates during the 1935-36 season:— 1935 October 23 and 24. —Royal, at Tomoana, Hastings. November 1 and 2.—Timaru. November 6. —Kelso. November 7. —Ashburton. November 8. —Rangiora. November 14 and 15. —Canterbury Metropolitan, at Christchurch. November 19. —Waimate. November 21 and 22.—North Otago, at Oamaru. November 23. —Taieri, at Outram. November 20 and 27.—Otago Metropolitan, at Tahuna Park. November 28 and 29. —Clutha and Matau, at Balclutha. November 30. —Winton. December 3 and 4.—Gore. December 6. —Wyndham. December 7. —Tokomairiro Farmers' Club, at Milton. December 10, 11. —Southland, at Invercargill. December 14. —Otago Peninsula, at Portobello. 1936 January 11.—Blueskin, at Waitati. January 18.—Waikouaiti. January 24.—Palmerston and Waihemo March 14. —Upper Clutha, at Pembroke. March 21. —Temuka and Geraldine, at Winchester. April 13.—Mackenzie County, at Fairlie.

WOOL-SELLING SEASON

ROSTER OF SALES _ Tlie New Zealand Woolbuyers’ Association has issued the following list of sales for the 1935-30 season. The first' sale will he held in Auckland on November 26, and the last sale at Wellington on April 5. 1935 Nov. 26—Auckland. Dec. 12—Christchurch. Dec. 2—Napier. Dec. 16—Tlmaru. Dec. 7—Wellington. Dec. 20—Dunedin. 1936 Jan. 6—Wellington. Mar. 3—Christchurch. Jan. 11—Napier. Mar. 6—lnvercargill. Jan. 16—Wanganui. Mar. 11—Dunedin. Jan. 21—Auckland. Mar. 16—Wellington. Jan. 27—Christchurch. Mar. 20—Napier. Jan. 31—Invercargill. Mar. 24—Auckland. Feb. s—Dunedin. Mar. 27—Wanganui. Feb. 10*—Tlmaru. Mar. 31 —Christchurch. Feb. 15—Wellington. Apr. 4—Dunedin. Feb. 20 —Napier. Apr. s—Wellington, Feb. 24—Wanganui.

FESCUE AND BROWN TOP

WHAT BRITAIN REQUIRES PURITY AND GOOD GERMINATION HIGH PRICES ASSURED Mr C. R. Stringer, late of Fertilisers, Ltd. (Dunedin), recently visited the St. Ives Green ‘Keeping Research Station at Bingley, and he received a definite message from the authorities there to farmers in New Zealand who produce fescue and brown top seed for export. The finance for the working of this station is derived largely from the subsidies from the numerous golf clubs throughout Great Britain, These clubs are the chief buyers of the seeds under • discussion. Mr Stringer, had a conversation with the director (Mr R. B. Dawson, M.Sc.), who (writes our London correspondent) pointed out several facts of great importance to New Zealand growers. In the first place, growers should realise that fescue and brown top are used in this country almost entirely for lawns and sports turfs, and seldom for agri cultural purposes, Hence, the immense importance of producing pure, fullymatured seeds. Pure New Zealand fescue and brown top seed, carrying a lasting germination test, command a ready market in Great Britain, and if proper attention is given to the production of such seed, the market will expand and prices increase. These grasses arc among the ideal grasses for the formation or turf suitable for fine lawns and for golf and bowling greens. SEARCH FOR SUBSTITUTES. “Owing to the unreliability as regards lasting germination and freedom from impurities of shipments at present being received,” said Mr Stringer, “ intensive search is being made for a substitute for these two New Zealand grasses. Probably rivals for the market are German red fescue and a locally-grown Velvet Bent. German growers of red fescue ensure purity by planting the gras« in 15-inch rows and, during its growing period, weeding and rogueing the area. “ To New Zealand growers this method may appear impracticable owing to the increased cost of production is would entail. but increased prices > would be ensured. The Research Station authorities, to whom hundreds of users look for guidance, would unhesitatingly recommend these species if pure, while one importer assured me he would pay up to £2O per ton more for 100 per cent, clean seed of lasting germination. “New Zealand growers rely on machine dressing to attend to the matter of purity. In practice, this has not proved all sufficient. For lawn purposes, among the chief impurities giving trouble are ryegrass and Yorkshire Fog, and even the smallest traces are deleterious to the sample. If the usual 3oz of seed per square yard is sown and there is a ryegrass impurity of only 0.1 per cent., 42 rye grass seeds per square yard have been sown, while the same 0.1 per cent, of Yorkshire Fog impurity gives 170 Fog seeds per square yard. This amount in a lawn is disastrous. “The effective machine for removing rye grass from fescue seed operates with a jigging action, and consequently removes a considerable amount of the best fescue seeds also. GERMINATION PERCENTAGE. “As regards the germination of New Zealand fescue seed, merchants in England are becoming very chary about importing New Zealand fescue owing to its tendency to fall away rapidly in germination percentage after landing in this country. The fault appears not to he any factor at this end, for the same shipment may contain good and had seed, and one season’s shipment will he worse than another. Growers should immediately endeavour to locate and, if possible, remedy this fault. A suggested reason for this tendency is that the seed is harvested before it is quite mature, in order to save possible loss by shaking, hut a small loss by shaking would he more than compensated for by a better and more reliable germinating sample. “Always stacking for a period instead of stock threshing should bo tried as a general practice, and not as at present allowing the weather at harvest time partly co control the method used. “As regards this, it would he interesting to learn from growers if the method of harvesting in 1932 was in any measure different from that used in 1933, for the 1932 importations to England showed disastrous germinating qualities, while 1933 importations were excellent. “ Importers cannot he blamed for losing interest in an unreliable article, and experts employed to discover the most suitable article for a given purpose must I do their duty.” I The gist of the final message given to Mr Stringer by the director of tiic Research Station was:— New Zealand fescue ami brown top at present form the chief constituents of the grass mixture used for good sports turfs. These species are wanted and in everincreasing quantities, provided they are reliable in purity and germination. Until this reliability is assured wo cannot justly continue to recommend their inclusion, and must continue to seek a substitute.

FARM AND STATION NEWS

a agricultural and pastoral pursuits, i these columns, will be welcomed, icus, Otago Daily Times, Dunedin.

THE WOOL MARKET

CONSOLIDATING THE POSITION CONDITIONS IN AUSTRALIA The consolidation of the wool position has been proceeding quietly but steadily during the past week, and values are now definitely better than they we_re a month ago, when the series of Sydney sales, now concluding, was commenced. (“Warp ’ in the Sydney Mail.) The wool market has shown a better tendency for the last three weeks, but it was not until the conclusion of the London series that there was an advance in values, as compared with the opening rates, that could be quoted. This, on the better descriptions, is about 5 per cent., bringing values to about the same level as that at which the first Sydney series closed. The advance is most pronounced on the better descriptions of fleece wools and skirtings, While the position of inferior and faulty lines remains very much as before. However, these lines did not sufi'er to the same extent in the earlier drop, therefore are in comparatively the same position as they were at the opening of the series. Boiled down, the impression generally is that the market has overcome the setback which followed the rapid advance of values at the. opening of the season and, although as yet values are hardly at those levels, the tone displayed is much better than at any time since then, and quite certainly more solid than at any other time this season. It must be remembered that there was a more pronounced advance at the opening sales than was anticipated by any except the most sanguine, and the opinion then expressed by many of the old hands was that the advance was too sudden to hold. Their opinion has been borne out by facts, but there is still nothing to indicate that the market was really unsoundly based so far as the bulk of the advance wag concerned, and those buyers who secured supplies at the early sales will probably find that, if they are able to hold their wool for a time, or to hold the semi or fully manufactured goods which they have made from their purchases, they will not have any trouble in disposing of them at remunerative prices. After all, the decline, on the average, has been comparatively slight, and it will not be long before prices are back to the opening levels of the season, provided the present tendency in growers’ favour is maintained, and at the present time there is_ every _ indication that this tendency will continue throughout the next few months. What will happen later on in the. season—say, in the new year—remaimj to be seen, but the consensus ot opinion at the moment seems to favour even better prices in the closing months of the season. The controlling bodies have not yet decided whether the estimates are to be altered in any way, and will not do so until early next month. The question last year was decided quite simply by adhering to the original estimates, ancl, incidentally, these were found to be correct to within n few bales. Naturally, therefore, these bodies are chary about altering the estimates now without the most definite indications that an amendment is really necessary; but all the reports to hand so far indicate that there should be a revision downward. The position of the controlling bodies is much more difficult than appears on the surface. For instance, there is the possibility of buyers declaring, in the event of the estimates being exceeded, that a deliberate attempt was made to mislead them into believing that supplies were shorter than was the case, and of forcing those who bought before the whole of the clip was in store to pay more, than the real market value for their requirements. On the other hand, growers would naturally he inclined to consider that the fullest opportunities of securing the best prices were not made if it is finally discovered that the estimated total will not he reached. To within a few bales it is quite impossible to make any really valuable estimates; in fact, to arrive at figures that come within a few thousand bales is really an achievement. With a good deal of the clip not yet fully grown, and the greater part not yet shorn, it is quite possible, and fairly natural, for those who are not in the trade to consider that an accurate estimate is merely a lucky guess, but this is far from being the cake, much thought ancl calculation going into the preparation of these figures. If the controlling bodies, when they do meet, see fit to alter the estimate it will be neither a reflection on their earlier judgment nor an admission that they were in error at the time. The seasonal outlook has altered considerably since the first estimates were prepared. As a matter of fact, however, the improvement has been least good in the early shearing districts, so that the estimates covering that portion of the clip will be very little altered. With regard to the later shearing districts, the position has changed Somewhat in that the “ tail-end ” of the growing season will be better than the first few months, and a question of doubt naturally arises as to whether the first estimate will be exceeded. The very late shearing districts have, as yet given no indication ns to how things will go. Taken on an average, it would appear that, if there is any alteration in the official estimate, it will be in a downward direction, but that it will not be ns large as many are inclined to think. It must be remembered, also, that the estimate is for the whole of Australia. The fact that the western districts of New South Wales have cut a much lighter clip than usual is, therefore, no indication that the whole

of the Australian clip will be on a very reduced scale. Again, the fact that flocks in the western division have been greatly reduced by the droughty conditions prevailing early in the season, and for that matter still prevailing in a number of sections of that district, must be considered in conjunction with the fact that the flocks of the Commonwealth which are contained within that area are a fairly small percentage of the whole. It can be seen, therefore, that it is dangerous to attempt to base ideas of what the clip will be on results over even a large district. Generally speaking, the whole of New South Wales and Queensland is likely to cut a lower weight per sheep than last season, but the position as regards Victoria, Tasmania, South and Western Australia may be different, and only those in the closest touch with pastoral conditions there are in a position, to say just what the results of the shearing there will be. In the interests of growers, if there is to be a shortage the controlling bodies must carefully consider the position and must issue an authoritative statement. but wild rumours as to great shortages will only reflect back on growers it they are later disproved.

SUBTERGRIM LUCERNE

DUNEDIN EXPERIMENTS HEAVY YIELDS RECORDED On an area of land at St. Kilda, Dunedin, sown to Subtergrim lucerne on December 28, 1934, from which two crops were secured before last winter, one ot which, the first was authoritatively weighed in 11 weeks and three days from date the seed was sown, gave a yield of 1.62-tons pure lucerne hay per acre, the value of the crop being £ll Is 8d per ac r e# As Subtergrim lucerne is not dormant, but grows all winter, the first crop from the same area for the present year was cut and weighed on October 17 under the supervision of Mr J. M. Smith, fields superintendent, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin, who certifies as follows:“The stand which was sown in December is looking particularly well and has made a splendid growth since last cutting. The type varies a little throughout the crop, but this variation is not great, and may be due in some measure to soil variation and in any case is not serious. The crop weighed out 8.598 tons of green material per acre, and a pleasing feature of the crop is its leanness. There is an entire absence ot heavy stalk and the plants are leafy from tip to the crown. While the stand under review may possibly be growing under slightly more favourable conditions than were it in the open, nevertheless it shows that were there a bigger area in lucerne in Otago and Southland the present extreme feed shortage could not exist. LOCALLY EVOLVED STRAIN. “ Subtergrim ” lucerne is a strain evolved from one plant selected and bred up for 15 years by A. Macpherson, agriculturist, formerly specialist in lucerne culture in the Department of Agriculture, from seed secured by him from Colorado, United States, in 1916, and is now growing successfully in all quarters ot the world. It is quite distinct in habit and growth from the common tap-rooted and restricted crown strains of lucerne like the Marlborough and Hunter River, whicn grow their crowns above ground level, whereas “ Subtergrim ” grows its crown several inches underground, therefore, not liable to injury. On account of the spreading habit of the crown of the plant, and to" allow it to develop naturally, each plant requires to be spaced apart, the spacing required depending on the suitability of the land for lucerne growing, nine square feet in suitable sous, five square feet on second class, and two square feet on third class soils for_ each plant, and in three years time the intervening space is taken up as a rule by the spreading crown which produces a dense mass of forage. HIGH PRODUCTION. In yield per acre of lucerne hay in a season" “ Subtergrim ” has completely outclassed the hitherto highest authoritative recorded world's yield held by California, of 10 short tons per acre, which tonnage converted to our long ton of 22401 b, nuikes the yield as 8928 long tons per acre, which yield was secured from ideal lucerne growing soil and under irrigation, whereas all authenticated records or yields of Subtergrim so far taken and published have been grown on soils not considered as suitable for lucerne growing and of a poor type, the yields per acre of lucerne hay being as follows:—Season 1925-1926, 17.4 tons; season 1931-1932, 12.4 tons; season 1932-1933, 8.36 tons. The respective value per acre of these yields based on the market price of oats at the time the crops were secured was as follows: —£143 14s 2d, £ll9 9s, and £BO 10s Bd. How these values are arrived at is explained further on. The official average yield of lucerne hay per acre in New Zealand in 1934 is given as 2.98 tons being produced from Marlborough and Hunter River strains. _ The forage that lucerne produces is the richest and most palatable a farmer can grow. The lucerne plant, cut at the right time and rightly cured, is very rich in protein. Protein makes the red flesh and blood of the animal, and is what makes nerve, brain, and vital process. Lucerne is rich in bone. It is the beet feed tor the baby on the farm, for the baby colt, the baby calf, the baby lamb, pig, and chick. It is good for the baby because the baby must have protein to build up Ids little body. And as it is the best for the baby, so it is the best for the baby’s mother. It makes her full ot milk and restores her tissues. It builds the unborn young within her. and after its birth it fills her with milk to make the baby grow. The proteins are the most valuable constituent in foods for man or beast and the most costly to buy. Protein through the lucerne plant and forage can be grown and produced abundantly on the farm lands of New Zealand from the sands on the sea shores to high up in the mountains by growing a high-class strain of lucerne. In cereals, oats has the highest protein content, and authorities generally accept oats as a basis on which to estimate food values, and is here taken for that purpose. One ton of oats (56 bushels) contains 2381 b digestible protein. and one ton of pure lucerne hay 2351 b digestible protein. Therefore, when oats are selling at 2s Od per bushel, the value of one ton would be £7, when 3s per bushel £8 Bs, and when 3s 6d per bushel £9 16s per ton. The relative value of lucerne hay when oats are selling at 2s Gd per bushel would therefore be £6 17s 8d per ton, when 3s per bushel £8 5s 2d, and when 3s 6d per bushel £9 12s 6d per ton. The price of oats at the present time being 3s 6d per bushel, the relative value per ton of lucerne hay would therefore be £9 Pis 8d per ton, and the 2.5 tons hay produced on October 17 wouln un re.ore figure £24 Is 8d per acre. To enable the farmer lo imdeMai.u the nutritive value of lucerne when used in several branches of farming the following particulars based on the experience of authorities in lucerne growing countries in the world are given, using as an illustration the 8.508 tons green

lucerne or the 2.5 tons lucerne hay above mentioned for this purpose. Dairy farming: 251 b green lucerne is ample feed to produce one gallon ofmilk, therefore the 8.508 tons green lucerne would produce 762 gallons of milk, and at 6d per gallon would figure £l9 Is per acre, or put in another way, would carry one cow with a milking capacity of 762 gallons for a whole season. Sheep: 21b lucerne hay is sufficient for one sheep per day, or the 2.5 tons lucerne hay would be ample food for 7.67 sheep for a whole year with water, no other food, except the necessary minerals that should always be available for sheep, and would keep the sheep in health and good forward condition. There is an outcry at present among sheep men to remedy wool defects. Money is being asked for research to discover what is wrong. V> bile proper breeding may assist matters in some cases, the real cause is the deficiency of protein in the foods grown in the Dominion for sheep. It is protein that makes wool and hair. The remedy is simple—let them grow lucerne to feed their flocks instead of ryegrass pastures and root crops, both of which are low in this valuable constituent, and they will soon remedy the defects. The pig is by nature a grazing animal, and when free and in its natural habitat subsists and grows on healthy lines on grass and other vegetation, roots, nuts, etc. In the United States of America, whore they have 60,000,000 pigs to less than 4,000,000 in Great Britain, and whore 60 per cent, of the flesh food they use is pork in one form or other, they should know by now the best foods for swine and how to rear and fatten them at the lowest cost. They are unanimous in declaring and demonstrating that lucerne pasture for young growing hogs has no equal, and if there is a better pasture for brood sows it has never been discovered. Lucerne with them is the ideal food for swine, made available to the young before they are weaned, when they are weaned and right on until they are slaughtered, and given pure water to drink and sufficient shelter, no better food is necessary, but it is more economical to feed for about 60 days before slaughter a pound or two of barley along with the lucerne to produce the finest quality pork and at the smallest cost. Barley is the best single grain to feed and lucerne and barley produce the cheapest and best pork. At Kansas experimental farm 8001 b of pork was made from one ton of lucerne hay. The 2.5 tons lucerne hay already produced this season at St. Kilda would, therefore, produce 20001 b Of pork, and, at 4d per lb, would return £33 6s 8d per acre. Poultry.—lf poultrymen throughout New Zealand from Auckland to Southland understood the value of lucerne as a food for egg production and grew it for that purpose, they would have no need to clamour annually regarding shortage of wheat or the high price they have to pay for it. Eggs can be produced economically without wheat, as has been proved in many experiments, by feeding lucerne to the laying fowls and the addition of any other cereal food. At the Missouri Experimental Station it was demonstrated that 5001 b green lucerne or 1501 b lucerne bay fed to laying hens would produce 296 whites and 215 yolks. Such being the case, 8.508 tons green lucerne before mentioned would produce 11,248 white and 8170 yolks, or, say, approximately 750 dozen eggs, and if sold at 8d per dozen would give a return of £25 per acre. The poultry farmer, therefore, who docs not have an area of lucerne to utilise in hie business cannot conduct it on the most profitable lines.