SECOND OR STOLEN CROPS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1581, 4 March 1882, Page 6

SECOND OR STOLEN CROPS.

In the intermediate cropping system, which simply means the" cheap product? on of stock food, it is obvious tares could have no place were there no other alternative than tlio'parchase ©f se9d at high rates. The crop, however, is just as easily harvested as field peas^ and therefore, under existing circumstances,' a portion, should be grown specially for .the purpose of providing at least « sufficient supply for; home requirements. The sheep f armor will experience no difficulty in the raattor.; many substitutes which will equally well suit his purposes can be made available, but where cattle have to be provided for tares are indiupensible.

For spring food, and an abundant supply until the pastures have acquired sufficient strength in the ensuing season, sowings of winter tares should be made now, and may be continued during March and' April. Oa strong lands ploughiogwill be nece&eary, for tares require fine tilth' ; but where the soil is friable the seed may be broadcasted on the stubble, a good, working with a cultivator given, and then rolled.* '.With the tares should be sown a mixture of wheat, oats, or English or Cape barley. These serve as f a climb' ef forthe' tare, and further add, materially to the woight of the crop. As the winter tare has smaller foliage than the summer vacioLy, the.- seeding should be heavler^and therefore, according to quality of tho soil, should vary from one' and a-half io two .bushels to the aero, with from a bushel to a bushel and a-half of 'grain. Where the grain crop has beeu much shaken, provided a supply of home-grown seed were available, and a sowing of tares wade and grubbed in, the previous loas would be more than repaid by the heavy and valuable yield of early spring food for stock.' The crop from autumn sowings should .be ready for use late in 'August, and ample rapplitts should bo available throughout September and October.' A^the tareß are fed off, the preparation of the land for turnips, or other, following green crop, should be proceeded with, and by ordinary' judicious management the necessary operations may be completed in

duo time. '

(Valuable as are winter tares under certain' circumstances, the spring or summer varieties are, and Bhould be, regarded by every farmer &aj indiapensible, for it; is questionable if any; other, forage' plant will givalas heavy returns of ; food so nutritious and so much relished by every kind of live stock. Although the necessary culti"vation is 'simple and familiar to most farmers, it should bo carefully and "'thoroughly done, for the additional weight of crop will fully repayany extra attention. ' First sowings should be m>vde as early as possible in Bpringf and cob-tinu'f-d throughout the tummer, 'or, in any case, v tili tbo ;end of February, for we cannot too strongly advise th») farmer to provide, an abundant supply of theso for cutting until aa' late as pbaHibte-in autumn.* In the' early districts where harvesting is usual at the end of January, or tho beginning of February, it would 'he most adviaableto peed down a portion of the stubble land* with spring tares. By 'so doing, at the expiratian of four months, heavy cuttings' would be available for, the.i Stock- and the root crops would. boecoiaoEQiaed for later winter .use.. All tho earlier summer crops, of tares, can be successfully followed' at*a nominal cos't'in cultivation by late or stubble turnip, so it must be obvious that 'an immense weight' of' ; cattle or Bhoep feed may in this way be raised frem even tv tew acres of land. AY the foliage of the spring tare is more prolffio 1 than that of tie Winter variety, about one and a-balf bnshels mixed with a like quantity of grain will be a suffioient seeding per acre., Tares are at the v<ary best for f e,eding. purposes, just when the seed pud begins to harden, aud in order to have » supply always roady in this stage of growth, successive sowings must be made. We fee" quently hear superior pastures lauded for Btook raising or feeding ; we placo our faith more on a variety of superior food, Eich pastures, no doubt, mature stock quickly, but we hold that an alternating feed ot lucerne fed to depas-i .turtd cattle would be beneficial, and that still better-results would be obtained, if < a further' change of a feed of tares daily were practicable. r j]his would be high feeding, carried jnto practise, and we merely give this as an illußtra. tion of our idea; and whfo|i .is capable of still further extension in practise wero the stolen crop system adopted. With the 'present ruling priceß for seed tares, it, is not, perhaps, advis. a|ble to go extensively into their cultivation this aoasou ; at all events, a beginning should be made, and on every utock farm a portion should be specially set apart for growing a full supply for the future.

There are many districts in which this seaBon's taraip crop is a comparative failure, and, in consequence, stock farmers must experience very serious difficulties in wintering their cattle and sheep. The, only, solution of the .difficulty will be found in the growth of quick ' growing fodder crops or roots, so that the farmer may be enabled to husband his atock of turnips for use during the severe winter time. In addition to Bowings of rape, as already advised, we would strongly recommend immediate seedings of Cape barley, and the smaller varieties of stub- ; bio turnip. Once the stooks have been carted, Gape barley should be broadcasted, scarified, and rolled. The growth is ap vigorous that in a few months a heavy cutting of grean stuff will be had, which, with straw, will keep cattle in excellent condition, or it can be fed off with cheep. Capa barley has long been successfully grown in Australia for soiling and sheep feeding purposes, and obtains a decided preference over other varieties of grain } where, however, it is not possible or difficult to obtain this seed, English barley, oata, or wheat must be raised. , All of these are frequently and profitably grown for soilini? or feeding piuponea nnd&t the stolan ciop pr:.ictia?, riuc! ho a* v, in uuvise inlrrfero witi the main crops. Tim Gape barley, howevor, grows to n^Jdly, a»«\ if thick suw», produce such a ivoigUy crop,, that it delves

especial attention and preference. Put in for spring feed, it soon affords a reliable Bupply to supplement the scanty and backward pastures ; sown with summer tares, it keeps them up off the ground, and increases the weight of the crop considerably. In such exigencies as arise from failures in the main cropß of oats, it may be relied on as a very excellent Bubstitute, or as affording the means of tiding over the difficulty., To, prevent any after evils, however, care should be takeu to have the, seed perfectly free from weeds, and it would be, perhaps, advisable in most cases to have it screened.

It is not generally known that; the smaller varieties of stubble turnip continue their growth until well into winter ; but such is -the fact, and were extensive sowings made now, a failure of the larger, varieties would not be; so ? seriously felt. On very free i soils :■ the seed may be broadcasted on the stubble, and lightly harrowed and rolled in ; but on heavier lands grubbing or. scarifying - must precede ,the seeding, ' v

Finally; we have 'to repeat our advice that the seeds of tares, rape, and stubble turnip, at least, should be grown on the farm, and a stock' in ' reserve always kept A on hand. , There ne,ed not then be any unoccupied lands on the hold'- 1 ing, and failures of leading crops will be unf#,; because promptly provided for. ' ■