MINOR SOURCES OF INCOME ON SMALL HOLDINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 6

MINOR SOURCES OF INCOME ON SMALL HOLDINGS.

A letter with the above heading appeared in the Australasian of a recent date, recommending the culture of tomatoes 'for the Melbourne market, where, tho writer said, eightpen^B or ninepence per lb could be obtained for them, at which price the crop would give a good return to the grower, for the tomato in well-manured ground, with proper management, is a heavy yielding plant. The same writer mentioned one or two other plants whioh he thought would be worthy the attention of small farmers in Australia." J We question 'whether the {culture of tomatoes would pay our small farmers here'j for the demand for such' things is well supplied' by market gardens and the gardens of private .individuals. There are, , however, many other, means by which the, small fanner may add to. his income without requiring; any great" expenditure except in labour and' manure, A number of these we will enumerate,, giving afew general hint upon each, f

The keeping, of poultry can be made yery profitable with care and attention. .The food required for all kinds of poultry can be grown on the place— iri fact, all the small and broken corn and unmarketable produce can be utilised as fowl feed, and the greater the variety the better. Sunflower seeds are an excellent 'food for all kinds of poultry and young chickens. If a good supply of water is not available In or near the poultry -yard, geese and clucks will not thrive very well, and it is not advisable to keep them in any great numbers. Beekeeping is both profitable and amusing, no outlay being required beyond a. small shelter-shed and a patch of clover in the neighbourhood of the hives. This subject being exhaustively dealt with" in another column, we need only remind those who havenot tried it, that honey and wax are always in good demand at a fair price, and that, the labour and expense of obtaining it is very trifling. • - Apple culture is a source of income not to be despised by large or small farmers, and if properly attended to would- form a profitable addition to the ordinary products of the farm. It seems very strange that apples should be imported from Tasmania and other places and sold at from fourpence to sixpence per pound. We surely should grow enough for our own wants when the climate is as favourable for the purpose as the south of England, where immense quantities are annually made into cider, besides a large consumption _in other ways— the damaged and inferior portion of the crop being given to the pigs. ■The growing and saving of turnip seed for sale could be made a remunerative # branch of husbandry., .Large quantities of this seed are required every year, and the price never falls very lo\r, owing to many large fanners neglecting to save their own peed. Late in the autumn, when the plants have attained their full size, the finest and best shaped roots should be pulled and stored in pits during the winter, to bo planted out in well-preparod ground in spring ; or they may bo planted at once, if they are protected from the frost by a thick covering of straw or litter. The bettor and safer way is to store them in pits in the same manner as potatoes until September. They should then be set out in rows at least three feet apart, for if tho ground is rich or well-manured the heads will cover a large space, and too close planting will check the full development of the seed stalks. The heads are very liable to be broken down by the wind, and the spot selected for the sets should if possible be well-sheltered by a hedge or plantation. The Baying of field-carrot seed would also pay well for the labour expended, the method of storing the roots and setting them out being exactly the same as for the turnip. The carrot seed is rather more difficult to thresh and clean than turnip seed, which, if spread on a sheet, will be threshed by the heat of the sun. The principal sources of income on a small farm should include dairy products and pigfanning, combined with a little grain and a small flock of sheep, But we have endeavoured

to point out that there are various ways of adding to the profits of tho more important products, and by giving attention to small things the farmer will find both amusement and profit. Where there is a family of boys it is an excellent plan to let each one have the care of some minor department of the farm. For example, one boy may look after the pigeons, another the bees, and so on. Boys take more pride and interest in the farm if they are allowod to take a small share of the proceeds as pocket-money : for keeping boys without any pocket-money is, we think, a very bad plan, for if they never have the means of buying little things that they fancy, they are likely to be very lavish of their money when they have the control of any.