NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1905, 25 May 1888, Page 7

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

The selection of seed corn is an important matter, and one that is of tenSelection of times neglected in this Seed Corn, country. It is a popular theory that a change of locality for the same variety of plant has a beneficial effect upon the crop. Many farmers lay a great stress upon the cecessity of a change of seed occasionally, b,ut I think this is a secondary consideratio^-'compared with the quality" of the seed, in whatever place or locality it may have been grown. For example, I have known farmers to sow seed grown upon the same farm for years in succession without any appreciable falling off in the quality of the grain—in fact, a marked improvement has iv some case?, to my knowledge, been seen after a few years upon the sample originally sown. If a farmer has a good crop of grain, from which he can select really good, even, and sound seed, why should he go to another district for seed that may not be so good as his own, though this latter may have been grown for years in .succession on the same farm? From my own experience and observation I am inclined to think that the quality of the soil nnd the seed, the time and manner of sowing, and the proper ripening and securing of the crop are of far greater importance than a change of seed. If a crop is sown late and the grain is shrivelled by being attacked by rust and, therefore, not fit for seed, it is of course necessary to obtain seed elsewhere, and when doing so it is just as well to go outside one's o\vn district for it and so ger. the benefit, if a ny, of a change. The same may be said of potatoes. An unfavourable season or badly prepared, ill-drained land has much more to do with spoiling the sample and yield than planting tubers from the same stock several years in succession. All the same, I think that potatoes do deteriorate sometimes under the most favourable conditions of soil and treatment, and a change of seed is more frequently required than in the case of grain. Where a change is necessary it should always be made from a wet, stiff soil to a dry loam and rice versa . Anybody can obtain a pedigree wheat for himself by careful selection, Pedigree just as Hallett did p , in Wheat establishing his famous "Pedigree" wheat. By care™l selection of seed and by dibbling Mr Hallett established the pedigree wheat that bears his name. The best ears of a crop of wheat were selected and the seed dibbled in holes 12in apart each way, and one seed in a hole. The finest and best ears were selected year for several yeare, and planted in v«e same way until he obtained a wheat

noted for its size, quality, and yield. Now, according to the theory of changing seed, this could not be done, as the wheat ought to deteriorate year by year instead of improving ; but I think no one will gainsay the fact that, by judicious treatment and careful selection of seed, wheat may be grown'on the same description of land for any length of time without being any the worse. Opening the screen and sowing early will pay better, than going into the next county for seed. Experience has long shown this precaution to be necessary in order to Pickling Seed prevent smut in wheat, and Corn. also in oats and barley. Two ounces of bluestone per bushel are generally allowed for good sound winter wheat, but a less quantity is sufficient for spring wheat, as the germ of this is more easily destroyed. Many crops are thin owing to the solution being stronger than the grain can bear, especially seed that has been damaged by wet, in which case the germ is very easily killed. Some farmers consider it is not necessary to apply bluestone to oats ; but that is a mistake, for a large quantity of black heads are sure to be the result of the omission, and the difference in the yield would, more than pay for the trouble and cost of pickling. This work should be completed by the end of thi? month at the latest — it Lifting is all the better for the crop Potatoes, if it is lifted and pitted or bagged during April, for now the nights are rather frosty and the daily thaws keep the surface greasy and unpleasant for the work. Digging the crop is both tedious and expensive where any quantity is grown. They can be lifted equally as well and far more cheaply and expeditiously by means of the plough or, better still, the potato-lifter with revolving spokes that throw tubers and soil against a hanging comb that allows the soil to pass through but checks the potatoes and makes them fall on the ground in regular rows. Two smart horses drawing this machine can keep a good many pickers busy in a good crop, and a large area can be lifted in a few days. This is a great advantage, I think, for the farmer can choose a dry and windy spell of weather for the job, and have all his potatoes taken up and secured in a dry condition, whereas by hand digging the same work would extend over a much longer period of time, and if wet weather were to come on the potatoes would not be likely to keep very well, as it is then impossible to lift and store them in a dry condition. There are various ways of storing potatoes through the winter — in eelWintering lars, in sheds, and in pits. Potatoes. The last-mentioned plan is usually followed here, and answers very well if performed properly. I have seen it done in such a way, however, that a large number of the potatoes cannot but be spoiled. Instead of piling up; the potatoes on the surface of the ground and digging a trench around the pit to drain water from it, some thoughtless people dig out a spit of soil over the size of the pit, and thus the tubers are put into a hole so that all the water in the surrounding soil drains into the pit. This must be the case, to a certain extent, even if a trench is dug deeper than the bottom of the pit. A writer in a North Island journal advocates building a potato shed that will last many years instead of pitting in the field. A shed may do very well in the North Island, but it would require a pretty good shed to keep out the Otagan frosts.- The chief advantage of storing in a shed or cellar is that the potatoes can be shifted occasionally and rotten ones thrown out. The potatoes intended for seed next year should be sorted out when the crop is lifted out and carefully stored during the winter. Provided they are kept dry and free from frost it does not matter how cold the situation is in which they are stored. It is a great error to keep them in a warm place, as they then sometimes begin to sprout during the winter if the weather be milrl, and they require to be repeatedly shifted. If they are stored in a shed a good covering of straw should be placed over them or frosty air will probably penetrate to them. Ageicola.