Agricultural and Pastoral.

Otago Witness, Volume 25, Issue 1004, 25 February 1871, Page 10

Agricultural and Pastoral.

TREATMENT OF STUBBLE&

As soon as hay or grain crops are removed off the land turn in cattle, or, better still, sheep, to crop up any weeds or growth, of grass that may be growing along the fences, and without loss of time cet the scarifier to work in foul land and the plough in clean land. The growth of weeds of all sortß in a moist season is often something prodigious. Care mußt therefore be taken to germinate as much of the seed shed on the surface as possible before ploughing, otherwise the truth of the old saw, " one year's seeding causes seven years' weedbag," will be found to hold good. After weedy land has been well scarified, seeds of vetches, rye, turnips, rape, and mustard, any one or all may be sown before the ground is well harrowed and rolled. These would come up with the weeds, and may either be fed off with cattie or Bheep or ploughed under as green manure. A slight dressing of Peruvian guano or bonedust would promote the growth of these plants and add materially to the fertility of the soil when it is deficient in vegetable matter. Advantage should be taken of the earliest opportunity of ploughing all land intended for cropping next season. After the soddeniDg it has undergone through the past winter, turning it up to sweeten will be attended with vaßt benefit. If not done at once, the ground may become so hard as to drive the ploughing off into the wet season again, and that is most undesirable. Early sowing in this climate will rarely disappoint the farmer, and early ploughing is just as important as early sowing. In preparing stnbbles on which. it 1b intended to bow mangels next August, after seeds of weeds have been germinated and destroyed, plough deeply, and if possible subsoil. Deep cultivation is of the utmost importance to all crops, and to none more so than to mangels. Autumn is the best time to prepare the ground for this crop, so that the land may become thoroughly mellowed, and fitted for the reception of seed. When the land has been deeply cultivated in the first instance, and turned up rough to the action of the atmosphere, any after-preparation may be done with the two-horse grubber. Where it is intended to sow down stubbles to grass, the ground should be well cleaned by a free use of the scarifier, light harrows and roller, before the grass seeds are sown. Should the land be in poor condition, a top dressing of Peruvian guano will be the best thing to cause the grass to form a good sole. Early autumn is an excellent time to bow lucerne on clean land ; but if the land is at all foul, it will be better to clean it in the meantime, and sow in August. — Leader.