THE RURAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22808, 18 February 1936, Page 3

THE RURAL WORLD

FARM AND STATION NEWS

By RUSTICUS.

WOOL-SELLING SEASON ROSTER OF SALES The following wool sales have yet to be held in the Dominion this season:— 1936 Feb. 15—Wellington. Mar. 20—Napier. Feb. 20—Napier. Mar. 24—Auckland. Feb. 24— Wanganui. Mar. 27—Wanganul. Mar. 3—Chrlstchurch. Mar. 31—Christchurch. Mar. 6—lnvercarglll. Apr. 4—Dunodin. Mar. 11—Dunedln. Apr. s—Wellington. Mar. 16—Wellington. Otago Provincial Sheep Dog Association Sheep dog trials for the 1936 6eason have been arranged as follows: — • Waitahuna.— February 18, 19. Miller's Flat—March 2, 3. Heriot.—March 4, 5. Ratanui.—-February 26. Wakatipu.—March 12, 13, 14. Clutha.—March 16, 17, and 18. Warepa.—March 19,- 20, 21. Kuriwao.—March 24, 25. :. Patearoa—March 26, 27, and 28. Strath-Taieri.—March 30, 31, April 1. . Kyeburn—April 2,3, 4. Waitaki—April 13, 14, 15, 16. Omarama April 17, 18. Tokarahi.-April 20,, 21, 22. •Tahatika.—April 22, 23, 24, 25. Waihemo.—May 13, 14, 15. Ngapara—May 18, 19, 20. Tarras.—May 21, 22, 23. Wanaka.—May 25, 26, 27. Xowburn— May 28, 29, 30. •Otago Provincial Championship. 1935-36 SHOW SEASON FORTHCOMING EVENTS Shows have been arranged for the following dates during the 1935-36 season:— 1936 March 7.—Upper Clutha, at Pembroke. March 11.—Lake County, at Lake Hayes, Arrowtown. March 21.—Temuka and Geraldme, at Winchester. . April 13.—Mackenzie County, at FairApril ' 13.—Strath-Taieri, at Middle- ■'■., march. Last Year's Farming Income A general stock-taking of farming income which has been completed by the Government Statistician shows that during the production year 1934-35, the income from all farming produce amounted to £47,900,000. This total, compared with the last "good" year ,(1928-29), shows a drop of no less than '£18,000,000, despite the largely increased putput, particularly in dairy produce. The distribution of this deficiency can be best shown by a comparison of the various classes of farm incomes of last year and those of the producing year, 1928-29:

Agricultural Pro- 1934-35. Reduction. duce .. .. £6,000,000 f 1,200,000 ~ Pastoral produce £23,200,000 £1,200,000 Dairying, poultry and bees •• £18,700,000 £7,000,000

Another way of demonstrating how far behind, is the producer in catching up with the 1929 position is to take the gross farming income.of that year 'as,.loo, ...and reduce the Litest i-etUrjisj t 0... the -same basis. It shows that the; income from '.all farm produce last year was equal to 72. Our, producers-made a valiant effort-to catch up with price reduction by increasing outputs; and placing these at 100 in 1928-29,' last year's production would be represented by the figure 121, with a return of £18,000,000 less for their efforts.

Dairy Produce Price* Though we have had plenty of ups and downs in. dairy prices this season,_ the general result appears to be a higher average than in the previous season. There was a set-back in production through the cold, wet spring, but the export is now catching up, though it is doubtful if last season's total will be passed. Conditions could have hardly been more favourable than those which developed in the third week of January, after the fine warm rains. The influence of Australian production has been important in its effect on prices in England. Earlier in the season Australia wag badly off, and then a wet spell was followed by further dry conditions. Although at present the Australian producers are doing well, it is considered that they cannot pass their previous season's production. At a retail price of one shilling per pound our butter continues to go solidly into consumption in England, where the view is held that this.figure will not discourage those who can afford to buy a good quality article, though anything higher than lid throws a poorer class of consumer back to margarine for daily requirements. Firm. Tone in Wool Sales Having gone through a long and disappointing experience, wool producers are now well satisfied with the results of the sales in the Dominion so far, though they do not compare well with realisations in the boom times. But ideas have changed. Once it was seriously contended that nothing less than Is 2d per pound was needed to maintain a good financial position for the average woolgrower, but judging by the way in which sellers are accepting the offers of the. buyers, they appear to be satisfied with things as they are, feeling that at any rate prices are sufficient on which to carry on. Clearances have been so good that there is hardly any likelihood of a carry-over at the end of the season, for there is a good prospect of clearing up not only the current clip, but all the wool held over from the previous season, a fairly substantial weight. The sales opened on a more optimistic note than hitherto. America coming so well into the picture, supported by the Continent, pushed up prices and forced Bradford to improve its offers. German buyers have also been operating, showing that they are to some extent getting over the difficulty, at first anicipated, that their credits would for national reasons be severely restricted. TOP DRESSING VALUE OF PHOSPHATES METHODS AND RESULTS Although some time will elapse before thfi busy top-dressing season commences, tin's is a subject that may bo profitably discussed at any time of the year. The main phosphatic manures in use in New Zealand are basic slag and superphosphate. The latter is naturally the favourite, and' is used in much greater quantities than slag, mainly because we have an abundant supply of rich, raw phosphate within reasonable distance while the basic slag has lo be imported from Britain or the Continent of Europe. Superphosphate is also credited with the quicker action.

Basic slag is highly valued in Britain as a pasture top-dressing, and, being obtainable on the spot, it can be procured at a comparatively low price per ton. Although the use of basic slag in .New Zealand ir limited, it gives excellent results on certain soils, and is preferable to superphosphate for arable land that _is subject to the clubroot disease in turnips and other plants of that genus. MINERAL PHOSPHATES. It has been proved beyond doubt that the feeding value of pasture herbage is dependent on its mineral content, the most important of which are phosphates and lime. From all over the agricultural world reports conic to hand of the injury that i« done to the health 01 farm live stock when those minerals are absent or iu too scant supply in the food. It may secni as if there were danger of tlneud-

Items of interest to those engaged in agricultural and pastoral pursuits, With a view to their publication in these columns, will be welcomed. They should be addressed to Rusticus, Otago Daily Times, Dunedta

bareness in the constant discussion of this subject, but its importance cannot be over-estimated. It would be interesting and instructive to get the experience ot farmers who have been using phosphates and lime on their pastures for some years, also a report on the condition of thenlive stock at the present time as compared with their condition previous to the commencement of top"-dressing. We "et reports on the greatly increased carrying capacity of the pastures after topdressing, but very seldom do we get a report on the health of the grazing stock. To have good results superphosphate must be used in conjunction with lime; they cannot be expected from a continual use of superphosphate only. As a rule New Zealand soils are very deficient in phosphoric acid, and stock grazing the pastures do not get sufficient for their needs. One reason, among others,

why superphosphate is used in large quantities is that it dissolves more rapidly than basic slag, and'is more successful in increasing the phosphorus in the herbage. When superphosphate is applied to land containing a sufficiency of lime, the watersoluble phosphoric acid is precipitated in the surface soil as dicalcium phosphate, and, ultimately, the tricalcium salt is formed. Of these two compounds the first is readily soluble in soil water, the second less so. The rapid effect of superphosphate is due to the solution of these two substances 'in the soil water, a process aided by their very perfect distribution and fineness of division. It should always be borne in mind that the correction of soil acidity by a free use of lime assists in realising the full value of watersoluble phosphates, and recent experiments in Britain prove that even basic slag gives best results on the average soil when lime is added. . . Some of the lime in slag is combined with the phosphoric acid: the remainder is" present as calcium silicate, and to a small extent as free lime. Basic slag also contains some manganese, which is said to be of value on certain soils. larmers who possess reclaimed swamps or heavy, damp, clay soils may use basic slag with the greatest confidence, and superphosphate and slag make an excellent mixture, but should be applied as soon as mixed. POTASH.

Potash is coming more and more into nee. In Britain the annual quantity now used for manuring purposes approaches 30,000 tons pure potash (K2O). Except for special crops, such as the mangel, the principal demand is now for the higher grade salts, sulphate of potash and muriate o r potash, also the 30 per cent, potash salts Potash is now more freely used on the pastures; indeed, it is becoming a necessitv. It is amazing to read accounts of experiments that have been earned out on various soils with phosphates only, and when thev fail they are condemned as being unsuitable for the locality. In

99 cases out of 100 such supposed failures would be turned into successes if lime or nptasi, or both, were added to the phosphates. Research has proved that potash imparts to crops greater disease resistance, and it is now recognised as a preventive of leaf scorch in fruit trees. HORSE-HOEING FALLOW CROPS. If the horse hoe is kept going between the rows of the faliow crops it is only a very long spell of dry weather that will be disastrous. Keep the hoe at work—constantly if possible—but at short intervals in any case. By such surface cultivation of the soil the evaporation of the soil moisture is retarded by the resulting soil mulch. This dry, shallow layer of loose soil has only a limited power of drawing on the reserve of moisture in the subsoil, and it is also protects the underlying moisture from the drying action of sun and wind. The supply of oxygen is increased, and few plants thrive when such a supply is limited.

If a spell of wet weather should come in the meantime, the rain will be admitted at once to the plants' roots and will carry a further supply of air with it, and if the rains are excessive the surplus water will drain away readily if the preparatory ploughing and cultivation have been thorough. Some years ago a noted British farmer laid down rules for the arable farmer that may be applied with good results in the average case. They are:— 1. Autumn ploughing, leaving the surface loose and rough. 2. Early stirring of the surface soil in spring. This is necessary, as the surface has been made firm by the winter rains. 3. Care in not having catch crops on the land too late, also destruction of weeds. 4. In harrowing, make sure that all surface soil is stirred to a depth of at least three inches. Experiments have

shown 167 J tons more water after three inches than after one inch. 5. After showers stir the surface of the soil as soon as possible, because showers increase capillary attraction and, therefore, cause greater loss of moisture subsequently if the surface is left untouched. 0. Rolling at first increases moisture in the upper soil layers, but ultimately causes greater loss. 7. Careful use of fertilisers. 8. Early application of lime. MAKING NEW PASTURES.

Once more the time lias come round for pasture seed sowing. Some farmers in the North Island sow in January if the conditions are suitable. Others consider that February is too early, but it all depends on circumstances. The time to sow is when the weather is favourable and the soil in good tilth containing sufficient moisture to germinate the seeds. There is considerable heat now in the soil, and if there is sufficient moisture the plants make rapid progress, and a cover, of herbage is soon formed which smothers many weeds that would otherwise flourish. Late sowing succeeds sometimes, but it is always risky, and when the young pasture plants do not grow vigorously they are apt to be replaced by weeds tlint grow in spite of unfavourable conditions. UNSUITABLE AND SUPERFLUOUS SEEDS. There is no doubt that in the past much money has been wasted in sowing seeds that are not suitable for the locality and in sowing more varieties in a mixture than is necessary. In this connection there is great scope for persistent and careful experimental work. In the early days of settlement thousands of acres wore sown with seeds that were not only" unsuitable, but also poor in quality and mixed with countless weeds. This mistake is not so likely to occur nowadays; we ha;e learned our lessen, and it "has been a very costly one. Good, sound, clean samples are now the rule, and may be had from any genuine seed merchant. Bad seed is dear, even when given away, and the fanner who sows it extensively is sowing the seeds of his own failure.

There is one kind of soil on which the same pasture seed mixture may be sown in almost any part of the North and South Islands, and that is good, average fertile loam. We may vary the quantities of the separate kinds of seeds, but all may be included in making a good, permanent pasture on such soil. The mixture consists of ryegrass (permanent and Italian), cocksfoot, white and red clovers, and crested dogstail—the Italian rye grass only in small quantities. In the

North Island spring sowing of pasture seeds should be avoided if at all possible. BACON CURING TOO MANY FACTORIES SERIOUS POSITION (From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, January 11. Lord Cramvorth recently suggested in a letter to The Times a well-designed, long-term agricultural policy in this country. Mr Christopher Tumor, land owner and writer on agricultural subjects, now point out what is wrong with, the bacon industry in this country. The Bacon Development Board, he says, is handicapped by not being allowed to reduce the number of curing centres until 1938.

There are over 600 bacon-curing centres in this country; in Denmark, with far more pi«s, there are only 80 factories, turning out bacon of a uniform standard that has a ready sale in this market. We have very few up-to-date and pro-perly-equipped factories. But the presence of these innumerable curing centies is threatening the success of the whole scheme, and for the following reasons:— 1. The presence of these ill-equipped and unsatisfactory curing centres, all taking some pigs, renders it impossible tortile properly-equipped factories to get their full quota; in consequence most ot them are only working at 50 or 60 per cent, of their capacity, which is uneconomic. . , 2. The prssence of these curing centres, which at present cannot be delicensed,

makes it impossible for the Bacon Development Board to grant licences to new factories which would turn out bacon of the right standard. 3. Many of these so-called _ curing centres only cure bacon as a side-line, and much of it is not up to standard, and therefore not only is it hard to sell, but it brings home-produced bacon into disrepute. AN URGENT MATTER. The matter is so urgent that something must be done at once. If it is not possible under the Act to delicen.se any curing centres for two years, then a standard (say, equal to the Danish standard for bacon) should be fixed, and no bacon below that standard should be allowed into the market. Were this done, curing centres' which could not produce the standard required would have to give up making bacon.