AUTUMN CROPPING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1585, 8 April 1882, Page 6

AUTUMN CROPPING.

It will have been observed that in the articles which have from time to time appeared in these columns advocating the adoption of a mixed "system' of husbandry by New Zealand !. farmers, particular stress was laid' on the great ' advantages the plimate affords ior the,cultivation of intermediate, ,and especially late summer and autumri-sowir crops.' ' 6ur persistent advocacy of a course so different from the "'usual 'practice' -.has been rio" -'doubt •■by- in'any' attributed to' indiscreet enthusiasm,' nevertheless/we- again 1 return to the ' subject, because - the meand 1 s"cheapl5 "cheaply 'providing an abundant 'supply] of*, winter feed is^aquestion of yitajl importance^, 'to the u st6ck'-keepeV. ( ' r J^hen farming affairs. are flourishing, and this with, us is while the land will continue to yield successive grain crops, which realise moderate prices or bare profits, farmers are not disposed to regard new ways with much favour; but when the inevitable impoverishment of tho soil ; becomes manifest, and the competition with other countries in the grain markets is felt ' more keenly^-when/ in' fact, the pressing 'diffij- ' culty will be to make- both ends meet,' then, , and probably, japfri. till then, will, they piston or t .weigh. suggestions, (pf more approved practices, !"id the' management of^.their .lands. ; ' , .'- v i{ \ Tho hints on the subject of intermediate crops, already? ;givpn,,'; were/, so, , timed; v }as to enable those disposed', to do so to ' have an opportunity of- giving the mat* ter' a ' trial immediately on't'the- comple- ,■ tion W reaping operations pf the late harvest?. ,' We confess not to have bo'eiv over sanguine >'s ! 'i to the immediate results bf'tKo advice'- given, nor did we expect that the suggestions would ' be vet'y widely 'adopted. , Reforms "in farming . , <(!)</'!, 'I,', ,"4-1,? Hf !>.<k i»ri<.,n, piastisos have, as a rule, to be ver^ persistently > urged before^ they meet with accept'ahde by farmors, and it is, thorefor6,' this subject is again brought undor their notice, and" for the additional reason that the 'present time— midf autumn— affords, a favourable opportunity for discussing the most formidable objections urged "afcainst the Btolen-crpp system. . -" ,' ,j • v •!t is iirged that the pressure of work entailed' by reaping, cartingjn, stacking, and threshing is so great that the'tiinely and sufficient cultivation for any variety of 'green crop during the currency of harvesting", operations is impossible. .B^utt'othis^we may fairly reply that, within ..the' pasVth're^ye'ars,- the time an&&tfdur deefc-* pied in reaping haye, been lessened bo,considerably as to affbrli Wpl4 op'p'ortunhfy'fot putting in several of the crpps^ recommended, or at Iqast a sufficient proportion of what maybe reqfiirjedji |Tliis;f ap^tad^ impediment, is y.ery • exaggerated, because the improvements in cul-' tiVators enabl}3iitliei fa.nnor'-:iioj« ra3ax:S)tp!compass, , his tillage operations^ with considerable ieconomy both in time and la,bour. Hl Let i\s take' >aff an exa'mpfe a' twelve-Scro field, 1 whiclHtTs to crop witl^' rape after removal of the. grain. . A man with three horses and a cultivator should at the most m three days give the land%'tWouglr" 'scarifying ; A the^ sowingy lignt "harrowing, and rolling would be a mere : baga-' 'tellfe; - LefuS' npw^cdnsider.tble value -of >. the crop thus grown to the stock farmer, and' as to .tliis we,quote fl the Mark ; Lane f Express— §,ref .cognised authority among English farmers, answer to a correspondent,' that' jouirnal states' .'We 1 reckon that--El'faifE I 'faife i ' f 6t > 'op"df l rap& rfhouid, Icesep 150 sheep per acre per week, and therV fore your twelye'iacra .field, supposing it to haye been a fair crop, should-have kept 1800 sheep ! for: a_i- week^ .or-iGOO^ for afortnighti • We -nißy one of your medium sized, .cattle possessing. the feeding, (japabi^ties of ,sk sheep ; and therefore your? crop ( of. rape s should, hiaye, kept 150 beasts for a fortnight. * We say a'fair ayerage, because it would not be just to take as a| standard such heavy c^ops as are obtained, for example, in, Lincolnshire, and which are capable of doing '4CfO sheep per 'acre per week.-' 'Now,, we mighty very .fairly; contend, that "our 'Wex J haus'te'd ian&Svoiuld g'ive 1 as l! hdavy' fields 'of rape as,'the, Lincolnshire .spils) but^'takihg', the iqwesitrestimate, it .must,, be, app,are,nt i .that the return is- extraordinary fora very moderate ' ! olitlay. a'hd''the Supply Will 'bo all the 'more valuable, because ij; will save the winter 'root crops, ( an,d enable.^e farmer to keep his cattle^ , or sheep in full* feed during the., most. trying and inclement season. i( ..'■ - > >■* 1 Tlie main objection, however, which' farmer's* ,liav;e ( to the co ( urse, r and which they regard more seriously, arises from'a total misconception' of the extent and'irapidityiQf > autumnal ivegetar tiori,"and' especially witli regard-to green crops,find this is' simply' bec'au'se they are inattentive ODser,v ( ers of th^ natural evidences every wher^ surrounding them' at this period of; thp.year.' Thisisliodxc^ptional season, -yet* during <<he jiast seven weeks vegetation has been something woiiderfultb'alßtr.aiigfer' to' the country, ,and f0r,60y f pn weeks , ensuing'; any, feather which would stop the vigorous -growth of< rape, stubble turnip, tares, oi-gfairi spwn ; for soiling orfeedin^'^own'would v ; a^'must be admitted 1 , be very unusual. ,our ( ely eyeryi farmer can realise for himself the progress such crops would make in' two' or three months, the most favourable of the year for their growth. We day advisedly, tho most favourable months for rapid growth, and can give in a few words ' tho reason wliyt' In th'o spring of tho year tho temperature of tho soil af tor tho cold of winter is necessarily low, and' vegetation just progresses as the incoming summer heats increase. Every farmer must have observed how easily spring growth' is chocked by change of weather,! and that' from this cause ; but, principally, because ®f the low temperature of the land, vegetation is frequently intermittent. Not so, however, with crops sown in the late summer or autumn ; the soil has been thoroughly per. mealed by the summer heat, and has attained a relatively high temperature ; consequently, j on a rainfall is a hotbed in comparison with its state in spring, and therefore tho vigorous and sustained growth so observable here, and which renders the New Zealand autumn, from a f armor's point oC viuw, altogether oxceptioually favourable, True, that in the Australian

Colonies wore rainfall certain, the like effects would follow ; but this is out of the question, and farmers in this . Colouy cannot too soon make the matter thoir study, so that they may not only appreciate, but turn the great natural advantages of climate thoy possess to the best possible account. Still another bugbear terrifies our farmers. We allude to the fear of frosts. .On this subject we may state that weJ havej on -'lands., adjoining' the sea coast in .the westof, lceland; plkntedpotatoes during October,- ' and marketed the produce during the May f ol-lowing,'arid-'that the ' practise became coininpn among farmers { throughout the, district. The fact * is,' and, experience j ...m. , tho Mother Country attests the .truthj.tliaf if potatoes.have not too much overground growth, the frosts do not hurt 'the' crop. • One -farmer sends to the Mark Larie Express particulars of an experijnbnt jna.de, ( to, detei-mine.the^questjpn ofjthe ; jautumn planting' of ' potatoes. One portion planted in November sprouted in March, and, when digged, gave 30 per cont. more yield than a similar portion of land planted in February. Much as many of our farmors may qaestion the matter, it may ,be regarded, ,as .definitely ascertained that ,frosts, only hurt field crops at certain sta'ges-of their growth, and that even the most delicate" can be sown with> success in autumn. In any of t the agricultual jQurnal&Wiirbjf found ,f or 'sowing, 1 Novembor^'ai^d.w.e^ .c^ this p as^aii ' -example of the great change^' ideaa'regardiug winter cropping. < ''-*■';- -^ '-•' • ',