OTAGO FARMERS', CALENDAR, FOR, OCTOBER. . .

Otago Witness, Issue 931, 2 October 1869, Page 16

OTAGO FARMERS', CALENDAR, FOR, OCTOBER. . .

Oats and barley may still be sown, but the' seed should be previously steeped and forced* In England the oats are generally got in before barley.' Mr. Shaw, of Bogfairn, Aberdeenshire, in his " Report of Experiments," says : — " In sowing the seed as early in the spring as possible, I have found it, for nineteen years Ct, profitable in eighteen, for one year, of 1 in consequence of a very hard frost injuring the seed. " He also speaks of the effects of changing seed, as producing , grain weighing 44, lbs. per bushel, whereas the produce of his own seed required much dressing to come up to 39 lbs. per bushel The purity of the seed is of importance in the oat crop, as it is a crop frequently cultivated under conditions unfavor-' able to vegetation generally ; and unless a particular variety, adapted to the climate of the district, bo sown, the produce may be seriously diminished. At the same time,' out of' so many varieties, there maybe several of habits sufficiently resembliug each other to render them suitable for cultivation in' the same district ; and, under such circumstances, a mixture of several such suitable varieties has been found to give a larger return than either of the varieties when sown singly would do. The importance of the oat crop in Scotland has secured to it a greater amount of attention and experiment than has, been bestowed on the other grain crops ; and conse^ quently we have, as the result, a great mass of evidence in regard to the different varieties cultivated, and their relative suitability to different districts. Much of this is of a special | character, and only valuable where similar conditions exist. From the experiments, however, we may glean some points which have a general bearing, and tend to illustrate the principles we should endeavour to lay down. The following three practical deductions, for instance, admit of more than a local application :— " 1. That land pastured for two years gives a quarter of oats per acre more than land that has been cut for hay when in first year's grass, and pastured the second. 2. That there is a decided loss of nearly four bushels per acre in taking seed oats, however good the sample, from a later to an earlier soil. 3. That there is an advantage iv taking seed oats from a warmer and better cultivated district.' In selecting seed barley, it is important that the grain be of the best- quality, fully matured, perfectly from injury, and true to its variety. A regular change of seed is strongly advised. The author of a prize essay " On the Management of Barley" thus forcibly advocates it :— •• I am a very strong advocate for a constant mid judicious change of seed ; and, although it may be sometimes expensive to obtain it from a distance, I believe it will generally repny the cost by an increase of produce and an improvement of quality. Barley is a very rapid growing plant, when placed under suitable conditions ; and it is constantly being sown late in the spring, long after the other cereals can be attempted with any chance of success. As a rule, however, we may recollect that, all circumstances being the same, the j longer the plant is in the ground, the more food | it is able to obtain from it. and the greater return it is capable of producing. # Barley is naturally a hardy plant, and in this chrante it may be sown at the earliest period of the Bpring at which the land can be got ready Mangold wurzel should be sown during the present month. Like most of our farm plants, the extreme classes of soils— light snnds and strong clays— are those least suitable to it ; but of tlie two extremes the latter would be the least unfavorable. The globe varieties are those best suited for the strong clay loams or for shallow soils ; the long varieties for soils of medium strength, or of greater depth. Possessing this suitaUility, cither in its lung or its globe varieties, for cultivation in such a wi<fo range- of soils, and at the fnme time exhibiting a vigor of growth and ft power of producing, under suitnble conditions", greatly exceeding that of tlio turnip, wo can readily understand why the mangold cultivation steadily increases each year in the districts where 'it has been once introduced. It is always better to wait a few days until moisture can be secured in the soil, than to plant the need in a perfectly dry bed. In general, the practice of sowing on the ridge is preferable to sowing on the flat, as it enables the hoeing to be commenced much earlier, ntul the crop to cot ti better atari and l>e kept cleaner thnn on the flat. In Home soils, however, sowing 011 the flat i« most advisable. The iiHual practice now at home, is to sow it with the ordinary drill' used for turnips, and the only alteration renulred to be made in in tho me of the cupi, which is readily effected by changing the Cnrrots are a farm crop worthy of more attention tlinu they receive from our fanners in general. Those who liavc stock would llml them invaluable, us there are very few roots containing more nutriment, wrap of the honekeener* go to assert that a bushel of carrot* »nd* bushel of onts areas good, if the horse be only at moderate work, as two bushels of oat*, not bocMiw tlu> curroti contain so much nutriment as U.e bushel of ©alt, they aid tho digeitivo organs, and assist In the more perfect appropriation of the nourishing priu. 1-iplci. of both. Horsei frtyenUy wfll pMj out* undigested, and this wlieu f*«7* n * ™ operations upon lands intended to be; we or ■uch Is ft great source of annoyance to farmers, but when carrots are given them aa pure of their food they have improved appetites, tnny digest their food moro, and whole grains rarely or novcr pasi intact or indigested. Tho same with other lulled cattle, gire them * »* cirroti daily, and their health if not only im

proved, but cowst will eat course , hay, and inferior chaff with increasedrelish. . ; Potatoes should be planted towards the end of the month, in' land which is dry and not to' stiff. " ■• ' Grass may be sown on late grain crops.