FARMING IN NORTH OTAGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23517, 4 June 1938, Page 3

FARMING IN NORTH OTAGO

A MARVELLOUS MONTH LAMBS FATTEN BETTER (Contributed) Judging by the way the birds are whistling, we are going to have an early spring. It is to be hoped that they are wrong in this, for in a long experience 1 have noticed that when we get what we call an easy winter, it is invariably followed by a poor summer. Mild winters are very nice while we are going through them, but it is the reverse of satisfactory to have a poor growing period. A hard winter is generally followed by a good summer; and the knowledge of this enables us to get through the hardest winter without much grumbling. We may be said now to be fairly in the grip of winter. And we have the satisfaction of knowing that stock, generally speaking, is in splendid condition, and that in spite of the drought of early spring and summer, a good deal of feed has been saved and grown for the winter. SPLENDID WEATHER May was a marvellous month. We had a succession of warm, sunny days, more like spring than winter. There was almost a total absence of cold easterly winds, and most of the westerlies were light and mild. There were a few frosts, but nothing to speak of The grass now has a spring-like appearance. May has been our best month so far this year. After the almost continuous rains ot April, the change was very welcome, not only for lamb fattening, but also for wheatgrowers. The ground dried very quickly after its abnormal soaking, and this enabled wheatgrowers to get on with the work of cultivation and sowing without undue loss of time. Teams and tractors have been kept very busy of late and the wheat has gone in under the best possible conditions. Farmers like to get the main part of their wheat area sown in May. The soil is moist without being too wet. and there is warmth enough in it to ensure a quick strike. I am sorry to say that there does not appear to be so large an acreage going into wheat as there was last year, or as there usually is. Some thought that with the drop in the price of wool an increased area would be sown in wheat, but apparently this is not so. The history of wheatgrowing in New Zealand shows that when wool is high in price

the acreage in wheat declines, and that when the price of wool drops the area in wheat shows a sudden jump. Apparently there is to be a departure from that rule this year. What is deterring most farmers today from growing wheat is the extremely high cost of everything connected with the industry. All agricultural machinery is very high in price, and in addition to this harvesters are extremely hard to get. Moreover, the farmer’s wife finds it almost impossible to get help in the house; and it is on the womenfolk that a large part of the additional work falls. The position has been partly solved by some mill-owners, who now take their hands to the mill each day in motor cars The men take their mid-dav meal with them and live at home. When the farmer’s wife has not to provide meals for the threshing-mill hands, she is considerably relieved, and if such a system were to become general it would be all to the good so far as the farmer’s wife is concerned. If some of our small townships had workers’ homes, each one with a small area of land so that he could keep a cow and provide enough vegetables for himself and perhaps have some to sell, the men occupying such homes would be able to help farmers in the busy times, and they would always have something to do on their own allotments. I think this is the logical solution of a very difficult problem ABUNDANT AUTUMN GROWTH Not for a great many years have we had such an abundant autumn growth as there is this year. Green feed has been wonderful, and has provided a lot of feed. Autumn topdressed grass has also done well, and in some of the warmer localities it has been possible to make a very late cut of lucerne. The autumn and early winter growth of grass encourages an early spring growth, and if it is at all possible not to feed down the grass too closely during the winter a very early growth in August will result—fully a month earlier than grass which has been heavily grazed in the autumn or winter. Anyone wishing to have green feed for early calvers or lambs should try this experiment. Lambs have been doing much better on feed lately, but that is not saying much, for they were doing no good before—not. at all events, during April.

HEAVY DEATH RATE The death rate on some farms among lambs has been appalling. And no matter what the owners do, or do not do, the death rate continues. Some farmers who have dosed their lambs every three weeks seem to have as heavy a death rate as those who have not dosed at all. Perhaps the authorities could give us some explanation of this. It would be interesting to know what it is. It appears that when lambs are heavily infected with parasites, dosing does not appear to do much good unless the lambs will eat dry feed. To get lambs to eat drv feed they have to be educated to it. and this as a rule takes several weeks In normal seasons, vhen we get a large draft of fat lambs off the mothers and the balance in a few weeks off rape, it is doubtful whether it pays to dose. But in abnormal seasons like the present the lambs should be encouraged to take dry feed as soon as they are weaned. Good dry feed consisting of a mixture of crushed oats, peas, bran and linseed is a splendid mixture to start with. Once lambs have learned to eat dry feed, they remember it all their lives, and this is one of the reasons why all ewe lambs which are to be retained for breeding should be taught to eat from troughs. All that is necessary, then, in case, say. of a drought, is to put out the feed, and the sheep take to n ■straight away. Good hay is also a splendid dry feed, and anywhere where lambs have been weaned on the aftermath of hay, with the stacks still standing in the paddocks, there is no danger of deaths. ADULT SHEEP

Adult sheep are doing well; and, judging by the way the pastures are lasting into the winter, we will not require to start turnipping for some time yet. Last year the ppsition was reversed, some farmers having to start on their turnips early /in June. As a result there was a lot of trouble at lambing time, du° to the ewes having too many turnips. All that ewes require is sufficient food to keep them gradually gaining in weight. They do not require to be excessively fat It they are they may get a setback in the case of feed failing to last sufficiently long to keep them up to this high standard; and that is just how ante-partum paralysis is brought about. The ewes went to the ram in just the right condition, and, given average conditions, should produce a big crop of lambs. It is when ewes are carrying twin lambs that trouble starts if there is any reduction in their feed.

PRICE OF LAMB The lamb price dropped id during the latter part of the month. This came as a great surprise in view of the fact that in some quarters a rise in price was expected. Truly the farmer never knows where he is. The value of wool and pelts plays a great part in the price of lambs, and so long as they are cheap there can be no great improvement in the price of lamb, Thanks to the drier conditions, more lambs went to the freezing works in May, but it cannot be said that lambs are fattening well. At the present time they are fattening much better on turnips and swedes than they did on second-growth rape. Fat ewes and fat wethers are selling well.

The price of fat cattle has varied very little for months—a most unusual state of affairs. Store cattle and dairy cows are commanding a lot of attention.

SUBTERRANEAN CLOVER I have been told—and I have no reason to doubt the statement —that there has not been one failure in the effort to establish subterranean clover on our light lands. It is certainly doing well on all farms where I have seen it growing. It is interesting to note that it was accidentally introduced into Australia 50 years ago. It is now grown extensively in both the North and the South Island of New Zealand. It is specially suitable for light soils and it has proved its worth in North Otago, where it is proving a very valuable pasture plant for light soils. A bulletin issued by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce says that if correct methods are adopted it is easily established. Growers are advised to do as follows: (1) Sow about 41b to the acre in the early autumn. (2) Drill the seed as shallow as possible and in contact with superphosphate (one cwt to the acre). Avoid broadcasting the seed or the superphosphate. (3) Use the genuine Ml Barker strain, and insist on the seed being free from soil particles. (4) To give the plants a chance to seed, young stands should be crazed lightly in their first year. (5) Top-dress with super phosphate annually in the early autumn. (6) To ensure quick establishment of the crop avoid sowing it with Italian. (7) On the lightest soils do not sow any grasses with the sub terranean clover. These may be introduced later, (8) On poor swards subterranean clover may be introduced by surface working with grassland harrows, etc., after which the sub and super should be drilled in. Subterranean clover is said to be a common plant in dry area of Southern Europe.