A PRIZE FARM.

Otago Witness, Issue 1834, 14 January 1887, Page 7

A PRIZE FARM.

Thk Ballahat Farm which has Taken Sib W. J. Clarke's First Prize for the Besf Managed Tenant Farm on Two OccaSIOVS.

The agricultural reporter of the Melbourne Leader gives the following interesting description of the farm of Mr Richard Grills,'who has this year for the second time carried off the first prize for the best managed tenant' farm in Ballarat offered by Sir W. J. Clarke. " This is a direction in which both our metropolitan , and country agricultural and pastoral associations might, with very great profit to this district and the country at large, make a departure iv their programme. Exhibitions of stock in the country districts are very well in their way, but they present a sameness and uniformity which proves very wearisome to those whose avocations compels them to attend more than one; while the several metropolitan exhibitions are more or less repetitions of each other also. Each in its way certainly serves its purpose, but the various societies' operations might very well be 'extended, and this is a legitimate direction in which the display of enterprise might be guided.

THE PKIZK FARM.

Me Grills' farm is known as Mount Coghill, and consists of 482 acres of rich agricultural land. . . , The so:l principally consists of volcanic ash, the richness of which is proverbial, and the system of farming pursued is one cal-, culated to keep up the fertility. The farm is subdivided into 13 paddocks, the subdivisions being mostly live fences. Boxthorn, hawthorn,' and furze have been planted, and in all six miles of hedges have been established. The three kinds of hedge tried do splendidly, and contrary to the usual experience, Mr Grills hay very little trouble in keeping the furze within bounds. He also finds that the crops grow right up to it, whereas in the case of boxthorn the roots extract all plant food within a distance of two or three yards. The visitor is first struck with the neatness, order, and regularity manifested in the management of the farm. "A' place for everything and everything in its place " appears to be the motto. The dwelling house consists of a handsome seven-roomed brick villa, surrounded by a verandah, with a detached kitchen and dairy, and having in front a garden which combines the useful with tho ornamental, containing fruit trees, -vegetables, and flowers. The outbuildings are complete and numerons, consisting of an excellent stable with 11 stalls, the floor beiug pitched with stone ; a chaffhouse, containing a chaffcutter and corncrusher in which all grain is crushed before being given to horses; a barn 40 tt by 16ft, and roofed with iron ; cart, machine, and cow sheds ; and at the rear of the stable is a piggery, which usually contains from 20 $o 40. pigs. All the buildings are well arranged, whilej a coat of paint every two years ' improves r th'eirj appearance and preserves the wood. ': i

About 300 acres are cultivated every • yeaiy consisting of wheat for hay, oats, barley, peas, potntoes, mangels, and carrots. The system oft rotation followed consists of wheat for hay, then, oats for grain, after which either peas or ppii-' toes are put in or the laud is allowed, to- rest' under bare fallow. Manure is also 'liberally] supplied, and under the present' system, of j working, the exhaustion, of the soil may be cqu-' eidered ' indefinitely postponed. One 'of tnbj principal features in the system of cultivation' is the drilliug in of the soed. "Wheat,, oats, and barley are all drilled in, one of Hornsby's patent drills' being' used for the' 'purpose, the* cost of which was £100. The drills are made Bin apart, and for wheat one bushel of ' seed per acre is" used. About 12 acres a day' is connjdered fair work for one team of three hprses. When the crop is well over the ground, so that the drills can be distinctly seeu, it is horse hofid, the hoe working seven drills at a time, and this is continued afterwards as long as tho state' of the ground will permit, or whenever it is necessary to keep down the weeds. Mr Grills attributes his success in having such clean crops, and securing such heavy returns to the use of the driller and horse hoe. The rich volcanic seil is prolific in the production of weeds, and unless these arc checked they seriously interfere with the growth of the legitimate plant. One .great drawback to the use of the drill is the serious item of post. A machine more simple in construction is now made by Messrs Kelly and Preston, of Bailarat, at a cost of £55, but even though this is but little more than half the cost of the machine used by Mr Grill?, it is sufficiently high to deter many from trying it. After wheat, oats follow, and then a green crop, or rest. Peas are sometimes ploughed down and sometimes allowed to ripen. When potatoes are planted, the land is manured heavily either with bone dust or farmyard manure. After the third crop has been taken off, or if it is considered desirable to rest tbe soil it is ploughed about January, and continuously worked with the drag harrows in order to keep down the weeds, and no crop is sown until about the month of May the next year ; that is, the land is allowedto. rest for a period of 17 months. This is a long' time, for such valuable land to be in an unproductive state. In other parts of the colony, in dealing with a similar class of soil, a green fallow is relied upon to restore fertility to the soil. One of the best crops now growing on Mr Grills' farm has followed a green fallow. Thirty acrps of rape were sown last January and fed off with lambs; it was then ploughed up and wheat sown about th» "end of May. This is now a very fine crop, and will yield close on three tons of hay per acre The oat crop follows wheat, the seed also being drilled in. One bu&hd per acre of seed, is used, and yields up to 80 bushels per acre have been obtained. A portion of the oat crop this year is not quite so clean as usual. The oats were sown on the slope of the hill, and a 1 heavy .storm washed some of the soil from the" higher portion down ok it, and with the soil, came a considerable admixture of wild _oats, ' which have sprung up amongst the other grain,, Though the horse hoe can be relied upon to keep ' the spaces between the drills clean it cannot encroach on the crop, therefore the. wild oats were allowed to flourish, and .now look unsightly. This, however, is tbe only paddock of the portion under cultivation in which a weed is to be seen. A point is made of securing clean seed, and the horse hoe is relied upon to, keep under all growth of an unprofitable character.

Cape barley is sometimes tried ; the crop following wheat, aud making the second in rotation^ instead of oats. A very fine crop is now growing in one of the paddocks, being remarkably clean, well headed, and looking good , enough. , to yield over 50 bu?hels per acre. This crop is also drilled in, and Mr Grills is a firm believer in the system, and 'would t not now attempt to farm 'without it. This is *a subject which should c*-' cite' the attention of northern' farmers,, flf drilling ir of value here,, it must be of 'more importance in a dry climate or where irrigation )8 carried out. Were all the crops drilled in, it would be found that the. amount of water re* quired for their susteoanoe would be consider?

ably less than at present. The ' stirring of the soil would prevent its .cracking and consequent loss of moisture,.. aijd .would also materially assist in keeping down r the weeds, which Iteso, certain to follow on irrigation. By following the , bare fallow .system, . by growing , green crops such as potatoes, peas, or rape, and by drilling his seed, Mr Grills has opportunities of cleaning his land which; other cultivators who try only, one crop .have' .not "at their disposal. Every particle, of manure that he saves is made use* of, and a well rotted ,heap, 20 yards in length by 16 yards in width, is ready for spreading riestf year. ( Blr GriUs' ( finds that farmyard manure' is' far and awaythemost satisfectory.to use, and the best results, always attend its introduction to the soil., Other kinds of artificial manure have been tried, but, except in the case of bone-dust, the results ,havo been doubtful. When 'applied to. potatoes, bone dust has, a beneficial effect.' . It is also sown and harrowed in with the seed of the second white crop, but no kind of manure equals the farmyard. This shows tho importance of combining stock keeping ,with. cultivation. When used with potatoes the bone dust is laid in the same drill. A double' furrow and a, single furrow plough are used in planting, thre'e".sod3 being left between each row.' .The potatoes^ are never .hilled up, Mr Grills giving it experience that a better crop results 'when the tubers are cultivated on the flat. The varieties most in favour are pink eyes> for an early crop, the planting time for which is about the first week in August, and tht Brown river variety, which i 6 put in about a month later. ■ ', ■ The stock at present consists of 150 sheepf 40 head of cafctle, 9 horses and, 20 pigs. The sheep are crossbred, the usual "plan followed being to buy stores, fatten them and sell at a profit. When the. crop id taken off an additional lot is always purchased and turned ou the stubble. A dairy herd of 20 head of milch cows is kept, and found not to bo the least profitable branch carried on at the farm. At the present time 1001b of butter per week tire being made. In the winter the cows are fed on ,hay, straw] mangels, and carrots, and are kept in during the I night. A large quantity of manure is collected I in this .manner. They are of no particular breed, I being kept for their milking qualities.. The I horses are a very goodi useful lot, well suited for the working of- a farm, while in the pigs Mr Grills takes, special pride. They are purebred Berkshires, being originally from the well-known imported stock of J. H. Angas, of South Australia They are a really good lot, and Mr Grills has secured' several prizes for pure Berkshires. The stock of - machinery and implements comprises almost everything necessary for the profitable'and economical working of the farm, and the greater portion of the work is now dove by Mr Grills' sons, who bid fair to follow in the footsteps of their worthy sire, and in course of time become leading farmers.