Agricultural and Pastural.

Otago Witness, Issue 905, 3 April 1869, Page 16

Agricultural and Past ural.

OTAGO FARMERS' CALENDAR FOR APRIL.

The grain harvest will now be completed, and attention will be turned to the ploughing of stubble, housing of root crops, laying down pasture, carting manure, paring hedges, putting in wheat, &c. Many farmers will now be tempted to neglect the important operation of ploughing for threshing, thatching, marketing, and other work which may be necessary at this season. But this should not be, as the success of the next year's crops depends a good deal upon the autumnal treatment of the land. A deep, rich, and stiff soil can never be moved too much nor too deep: deep ploughing brings up rich earth, admits the air and water readily and gives room for the roots to shoot, whilst the rich compact soil affords moisture and nourishment. Whenever the soil below a certain depth is of an inferior quality, there can be no use in j bringing it up, and where the soil is light and porous, the bottom had much better not be broken. Where the soil is good, with a porous subsoil, the greatest care should be taken not to go too deep ; but where the subsoil is compact and impervious to water, but not wet for want of outlet or draining, it is useful to stir the soil to a great depth, but without bringing it to the surface, which may be done by a plough without a mould-board following the common plough in the same furrow. Tins is an excellent method of , draining, and at the same time keeping a j reservoir of moisture, which in dry ■weather ascends in vapours through the soil and refreshes the roots. The mode in which the soil is prepared moat perfectly for the reception of seed is as follows : — After the harvest, the plough is set to ■work, a-id the stubble ploughed in. The frost mellows it, while the stub He and weeds roc Leiow. In spring, as soon as the weather permits, it is ploughed again, the first ridges being turned over as they "were before. It is then stirred with harrows or other instruments, which tear up the roots which remained, and some pf these, not being easily destroyed, are carefully gathered and burnt, or put in a heap to ferment and rot, a portion of quick lime being added. Another ploughing and stirring follows, at some interval, till the whole ground is mellow, pulverised, and free from weeds ; manure is put on, if required, and immediately spread and ploughed in : tins land is then prepared for the seed. Ia laying down a field to grass for a j very few years, the mode of proceeding j is somewhat different from that which is j recommended for producing a permanent pasture. Clover in this case is always a principal plant, both the red and the white ; these, with annual or perennial rye grass, are sown with a crop of corn in spring. If the grass is good, the farmer is certain of gr-od crops after it with, little trouble or manure. We have on former occasions called attention to the importance of the cultivation in this province, of the English grasses, and we now do so again, this being the season for sowing. Great care should be taken ' in the selection oi seeds, which should not only be good in quality, but suited to the soil nncl climate. Respectable and intelligent seedsmen are usually competent judges as to the kinds and proportion of grass seeds to be sown in certain localities, and advice is usually given with the seeds. The perennial rye-grass is g, favourite, and with it may be taken timothy, fox-tail, eock'B-foot,poa, clover, cow-grass, and meadow foxtail. Lucerne should now be sown. It likes a good, friable, sandy soil. The drill system is preferred. The drills drawn fourteen inches apart, and the plants kept free from weeds, and hoed out so as to leave a distance of twelve inches between them. If kept clean while young, they thrive fast, and soon cover the groxmd. A temporary crop of peas may be grown between the rows, to shelter the young plants. Lucerne may be cut five times during the season, for years.

Tares are a most important green crop in ihe improved system of agriculture, and those of our farmers who have heavy soil should give them a trial. When sown in autumn, with a small sprinkling ef wheat, they cover the ground in spring, and supply abundance of fodder in summer. They also improye the land, preparing it for a crop of wheat. Those who intend to sow wheat ahould now be careful in selecting good seed. The harvest work of a farm cannot be .•said to be completed until the potatoe -crop has been taken out of the ground. Potatoes indicate their fitness to be lifted hy the decay of the haulms ; for so long 3,s thoy are green, you may conclude ihe tubers have not arrived at maturity.

At the beginning of the agricultural year, the farmer should talcs an inventory and valuation of his live stock } implements^

crops, cost of labour, and debts due to and by him, and he will see whether his capial has increased or diminished in the course of + he year. It -will increase by a, larger produce and a higher price, and diminish by a scanty produce and a fall in price. Let him keep a cash-boole, which will inform him whether he has received or paid away more cash in the course of the year ; and let him have an account with the farm by which he will learn whether the value o£ the produce he has been able to dispose of is greater or less than the cost of conducting the farm. Wool continues, at this season, to be prepared for market. As complaints are constantly received from home of the manner in which the colonial wool ts packed, a few remarks unon the Bubject may be useful. Each division of wool should be covered in the wool-room with cloths and the shutters of the windows closed. The cloths keep off dust, and prevent too quick evaporation of the yolk ; and the exclusion of the light retains the bright lustre of the wool. It ia an unsafe article for the grower to keep long — losing its vitality when the yolk evaporates, and becoming harsh and curled ; and when kept in too damp a place, becoming clammy and mouldy. The fleeces should be placed lengthways across the bottom of the pack-sheets, and not crammed in as they happen to come to the hands of the packer. The staple of the wool is sure to be broken by such craniming. Wool growers should receive lessons from wool-staplers on the essential properties which constitute the different subdivisions of the fleece. The finest wool is upon the shoulder and along the top of the back to the rump ; the next beat is below the shoulders along the ribs to the rump ; the coarsest is on the haunches ; aud below the belly it is short and detached, and cannot be classed with the rest. Each of these parts have their respective qualities, and they are classified in order to satisfy the ■wants of the manufacturers.