NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1899, 13 April 1888, Page 6

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Notwithstanding the very unfavourable

weather of the last few weeks Autumn having retarded harvest operaWork, tions, the crops in Otago may generally be said to be secured by this time. There are a good many, patches of late sown grain still in stook, but these form a very small portion of the whole area under crop. In Canterbury and North Otago the harvest has been over some time, and many of the crops are already threshed. No time should now. be lost in setting the ploughs to work cross-ploughing the fallows that ,are to be sown with autumn wheat. The superority of the early-sown wheat cannot be disputed ; every year we hear it said on all hands that the early wheat pays the best, being a stronger and better crop, and yielding a far better sample than the late sowings. It takes no longer and costs no more to get the wheat sown early in the autumn than in, mid- winter; in fact, very much more work can be done during the fine autumn days when the land works freely and is moderately, dry than is the case when it is sodden with rain and frost, two or three months hence. My policy is to let all other works stand over as long as possible and strain every nerve to get as much wheat as possible sown before the middle of May at the latest. Of course lam aware , that great allowances must be made for latitude and altitude for there is no doubt that May - sown wheat will ripen as soon in North Otago as April sowings wiU.f in the Southern districts ; and the scad coast farmers have the same advantage over those who farm at a high altitude in the interior districts. Early sowing is the onlymeans of counteracting the retarding climatic influences that operate against successful wheat growing at high altitudes. In ordinary seasons wheat Bown. in April at an altitude of 1000 ft or 1200 ft above the sea level will be ripe by the middle of February, and I have noticed that a week or two later in the sowing wjll often make the crop fully a month or more later in ripening. Then, again, there is the red rust to take into consideration—a scourge that often in the space of a few days ruins the prospects of a promising crop that without it would give a heavy yield. Nothing but early sowing can ensure freedom from rust in the crop. I have heard an old English farmer say that autumn cultivation should be. termed "golden work," for eeery hour of fine autumn weather is worth a golden guinea tothe farmer, and he is not worthy of the name of farmer if he fails to take every advantage of the time and make every effort to cultivate as much wheat land as possible before' winter.

No matter how bad the crops may have been, nor how low the prices Nil and unsatisfactory the reDesperandum. . turnsj the farmer must not. despair^ps give up, nor yet look back, except to gain experience from the . errors of the past year and avoid making the = same mistakes in the, jßoming one. This' v month for* all practical purposes is tne'beginning of another year to^the farmer. The old Crops are garnered, and he mustnowtumhis attention to the new ones. The, past .season, ,: may have, and probably, has, ''been a very unsatisfactory one to' Many.'! What with losses from^wind and from rain and low prices for the residue, graingrowers generally will not nave much for themselves after all - , expenses, are . paid, but for- all: that ' we cannot and must not give up working and hoping. The yearly round of; toil has to be again begun, and it is only , by. taking time by the forelock and preventing the work from" getting into arrears that the farmer can hope to overcome -"financial difficulties and gain anything for his year's labour. The seasons wait for no man, and though there is great temptation to, take it easy for a time after the toil and worry of harvest, it will not do to get behindhand with the work, or it will be.in arrears all the year through. The" - more pillage/ #drk-, ' done before winter the less' the (srash of work 1 . to be got tbjoflghiii'the Ppri]i§niQntbe f wh«4 ;