SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1936, 2 April 1891, Page 17

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

THE WEATHER AND THE HABVEST.

Tbe weather during the month of March was not of tbe most favourable description for harvest operations. The firtt week was characterised by ttrong gales of w|nd, which made reaping difficult to accomplish. Fortunately these gales did not shake out much oats, because the temperature was low and tbe air moist. There are not many who lost more than one or two bushels per aore, although in a few instances three or four times that quantity was lost. Besping became general during the last week of February, and was practically finished about the middle of the f llowing month, although there are some' orops in the course of being cut down at the present time in the late districts. Harvest work is therefore a fortnight earlier than usual, notwithstanding the delay occasioned by the weather. Stacking would have been over a week ago if the fine weather whioh had been experienced after the first week of March bad not Riven place on the 21st of the month to heavy rain. It was not till four days later that stacking could be returned, at the weather was showery for some time after the date mentioned. As fine weather has prevailed for aome days, considerable progress has been made with the stacking, and at thej present time there is not a great deal ia the stook. All that remains will probably be stacked in most districts at the end of this week if the present fine weather continues. Threihing commenced a fortnight ago, but much progress has not been made owing to the state of the weather.

Appearances during harvest pointed to a very good yield of oats, and they are being confirmed by tbe results at threshing. There is a great deal less land under oats than there has been of late years, consequently there will be Isbs oats for sale. It seems likely, too, tbat less oats will be offered for sale after threshing, owing to the fact that the price is low, and this will help to keep it up. The price offered lately for new oats was Is 3d, or about Id per bushel less than was received for old oats about two months ago. At usual, only a small area of land has been under wheat, but there might have been a larger area could farmers have foreseen that the weather during spring and summer would have been to favourable for wheat.

The turnip crop is a grand one this season, and many farmers will do well with this root, as stock are in good condition owing to the pasture having been abundant during harvest. Both these factors bave no doubt a great deal to do with the high prices whioh have been ruling for sheep of late.

BEMABKS ON BINDING TWINE.

It used to be remarked by a few farmers that the twine used for binding would injure stook when consumed in the straw or chaff, because it had been observed that fatal results sometimes followed tbe chewing of muoh raw flax by 'cattle or horses. Time has shown, however, that generalising in this way did not lead to the truth in this instance. Unless Btook'arenottooloDgon a bare paddock which oontains'fiax, it is not a fact that eating a little of it does them any hnrm. I have seen for yeart stock feeding on twine-bound straw without suffering any ill effects. Indeed, I do not think. they eat the twine at all. lam informed by thoie who out chaff for market that the twine is seldom kept out, and when this is so it is more with the view of keeping it from getting round the kuives or rollers than to keep it out of the chaff. As a matter of fact, it usually fiudt itt way into the riddles, and goet out with the " cavings." It is a fact, however, tbat many farmers instruct tbe band cutter to ke«p tbe twine out of tbe mrchinq. Farmers are not often able to state what it thecost of binding with twine. I believe the cott of binding a good crop varies from Is 6d to 2s per acre, according at it it bound— tight or slack. This season tbe cost to one farmer here has been the latter figure on a crop which will average probably about c 6 bushels per acre. The crop was bound slaok in order that there might be no difficulty about the drying, and the kind of twine used was flax- Thit sort of twine it now superseding Manila, as it it cheaper and quitestrong.enough. Flax twine was sold here tbis season at 6|d per lb.

THE OAXIFOBNIAN THISTLE AND OTHER WEEDS.

This thistle, which, if all accounts be true, -threatens to become the serious weed of the farm, has made its appearance in Southland during the last two years.' Some farmers are quite indifferent regarding it, believing that there is no more need to trouble about its eradication than there was about that of tbe common thistle, which appeared in tbe country more than 20 years ago. If an attempt is made to convince them that the new kind of thistle is, unlike the others, a teriout pest, they will smile and tell stories about the early attempts to extirpate the thistle whioh first appeared. . Looking baok, it is no doubt laughable to think of the zeal that was manifested in the extirpation of the common thistle, but farmers should not hastily conclude that the Calfornian thistle is of the same comparatively 'harmless character; and at it does not spread so readily as theother, it would be well to take, steps to dear small patches of it.' Some of our farmers say they havereceivedtheieedsof thit thistle intheseeus of cereals or grass whioh they hid obtained from another district- And this leads' me to say a few word a on the importance of studying the seeds of weeds as well as those of grasses. No doubt many farmers are good Judges of the seeds they are in the habit of growing for pasture, but I am inclined to think they have not made themselves so well acquainted with the characteristics of the seeds of weeds. Some years ago I was in a teed store and noticed a farmer inspecting a sample of timothy, which he admitted was a good one if it did not contain a small percentage of see .s whose nature he wai ignorant of. The seedsman told him that they were the seeds of a native grass whioh grows in swampy land, and that they would not grow on tbe land on which the farmer intended to sow the timothy. The farmer was not assure*!, however, and he went elsewhere and bought a sample whioh was inferior. I thought theu, aud have often thought 'since, that farmers do not pay sufficient attention to the native grasies, a number of which are very valuable. I would only add that every young farmer should every harvest collect the seeds of all native plants and of all weeds and keep them in tin boxes, which are obtainable at the chemists for about 2d each- Thete seeds should be kept for reference and identification. By collecting the seeds, a farmer who had little interest in botany would soon acquire the habit of studying plants. By way of illustration, I may mention that I know many farmers who can point out couch graßs growing in a paddock, but I have never come across one who could say what tbe seed was like.