NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2111, 9 August 1894, Page 6

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Arbour Day has come and gone, and left be-

hind it a fairly good record Arbour Day. of tree-planting. Most of the

planting, however, has been confined to ornamental and shelter plots. No adequate attempt has been made to replace our rapidly-disappearing forests by useful timber trees. However, Arbour Day may be considered as fairly established now, and our hope is that the good work of treeplanting will be continued in aprogressive way from year to year. The American plan of planting roadsides and railways with useful timber trees has yet to take root. I believe in some districts of the North Island roadside tree-planting has been practised for a few years. Useful timber trees require to be planted now, or else the next generation will find New Zealand a treeless country. The work of forest conservation and regeneration is one of the most important of national works. I hope to see Arbour Day eventually taken up by the people of each community with truly national spirit, and a commencement made to replace those forests that have been destroyed. Where there are no public lands to plant out, neighbours should agree to give up a strip along boundaries for tree planting, and in that way longstretches of useful trees oould be planted. I am pleased to note that in 'some placesnear where there is native bush— .the native trees have received a share of attention. Some of our very best timbers plant out quite readily when young. The noble totara grows as readily as any of the imported trees, and will transplant even when several feet high if removed with care ; then all of the beeches or birches and the kawai— all good timber trees — plant out f tirly well. I should like to see public conservatories devoting more attention to the raising of native trees from seed. The broadleaf is one of our most durable timbers, one of the prettiest of foliage plants, and one of the very easiest to raise from seed. The rata, the glory of the New Zealand forest, grows quite well from seed, and transplants readily. Most native trees are slow growers, but on that account they ought not to be left out altogether on Arthur Day.

It is the intention o£ the Government to offer

a large bonus for the succesgExterininatiu? ful destruction of the rabbits the in New Zealand. The order KnubitK. is a big one— too big, I fear,

ever to be accomplished. The configuration of the country is such that the total extinction of the rabbits could hardly be brought about by human means. The hopes of the scientist cling

around contagious disease, which they wish to .disseminate far and wide, if only the right disease can be discovered. This method of dealing with the rabbit pest is fraught with grave risk, and even if a rabbit disease could be fairly set agoing it is not likely that it would kill them all off. There would always be a residuum to defy the disease, as Nature places a barrier between races of animals and total extinction, except in the case of races that have passed the zenith of their life history. From the residnma left a new race of rabbits proof ag»iubl the introduced disease would arise. To my mind the only rational way to deal with the rabbits is for the Government, through the Stock department, to take the matter in band themselves. Rabbit preserving and freezing establishments would require to be established at convenient centres, and a fixed price paid for all rabbits, old, young, good, bad, and indifferent. The price need not be greater than what would cover the actual cost of carrying on these establishments ; but if the price paid carried a bonus, that would be cheaper than maintaining a host of rabbit inspectors throughout the colony. By purchasing all rabbits, summer and winter, and stopping the senseless and expensive system of poisoning altogether, the rabbits could be kept within reasonable bounds. There are few who want to see them completely exterminated ; but if they were systematically and continuously trapped they could easily enough be kept within reasonable bounds.

At a recent meeting cf delegates from a large number of stock boards of Anthrax New South Wales, the subin ject of anthrax in sheep was Sheep. discussed. One of the delegates, a Mr Scott, said the spread of the disease in New South Wales was becoming so alarming that legislation was absolutely necessary. The board to which Mr Scott belonged had investigated the matter, and found that anthrax was spreading in their district (Oondobolin). The losses from anthrax were very large indeed, and were ruinous to anyone who had the misfortune to have his holding affected. The losses varied according to the form of the disease, this being qualified by the nature of the season. The loses were found to fluctuate between 10 or 15 to 80 per cent. On one holding they hadaveraged from 20 to 25 per cent, for years. Horses and cattle were also very susceptible to the disease, and in the opinion of the Oondobolin board it was undoubtedly spreading slowly but surely. Towards the close of the conference the following resolution was carried :

— " That in the opinion of this meeting the spread of anthrax is becoming so serious and so fraught with danger to the whole of the colony, that the Government should be urged to pass a Consolidated Stock and Pastures Bill at the earliest possible moment ; and if time does not allow of its introduction, that a short amending bill be passed dealing with the subject of anthrax alone giving power to the local boards to deal effectively withit." Theopinionsgivenexpression to at this conference should be a warning to us in this colony, the more especially as Mr Gilruth reported on cases of a mysterious anthracoid disease that killed a number of sheep last year. Anthrax would spread much more rapidly in our more humid climate than it does in New South Wales.

It is about three or four years 'since I devoted several columns of Seasonable Rural Notes to a description Hints of the different methods of on Draining, carrying out underground

draining. I also fully enumerated the advantages derived from a proper system of underdraining, and I see that Professor Black has recently gone over the ground again, and set forth plainly and decidedly the superiority of well-drained land to undrained land of the same description and of the same quality. I think of all the benefits resulting from good drainage, that which comes home to the farmer more than all others at this time of year is the fact that well-drained soil is fit to be tilled during winter and early in the spring, when other land is so wet, pasty, and sodden that it is not possible,- and certainly not expedient, to put a team upon it. It follows that if the land is drier It must also be warmer — in'fact, the invariable result of draining heavy soils is that a higher and more equable temperature prevails in it during the cold season, and therefore germination and growth can

proceed, while vegetation cannot exist in"cold» water-logged soil of precisely the 'same quality. Farmers of undrained, heavy land know full well that a flood of rain in August will often-times prevent the teams trom •going to work at ploaghing, sowing, or harrowing for weeks, and thus the work is delayed and the crop is late in being sown ; and should more rain and cold weather follow the sowing, germination is very tardy, and thus more delay is caused to the crop. The great expense of underdraining land is, of course, the stumbling block, on account of farmers suffering from a deficiency of capital. But though burnt tiles or pipes are the most costly, they are much more durable than any cheaper material. To make the I drainage thoroughly effective, it is necessary to place the drains about 20ft or 30ft apart, and about 3ft in depth on the average. Then, if the intervening ground is subsoiled, the water will obtain ready access to the drains, and the surfaco soil be quickly relieved of surplus moisture after heavy rains. If, however, efficiency (is sacrificed to economy, and shallow drains put in at wide r intervals — say 50ft or 60ft apart — and no subsoiling done between, then the drainage will be very slow, and the surplus water be such a long time in reaching the drains that the farmer will begin to think that he has thrown his money away. And so he will, to a large extent, for the job is only half done, and by spending as much more in doubling the number of drains he will reap much greater benefit in proportion to the extra cost. Where timber is plentiful, three round rails or saplings are laid in the bottom of the drain; and a layer of brush placed upon them before the clay is filled in. Another plan is to put bundles of brushwood 1 or scrub in the place of tiles, and this answers well enough, but is not very lasting. If stones are plentiful they form a, good and durable substitute for tiles. It must not be thought that I am ignoring the-drain plough altogether, but while giving that system all possible credit for what is due it, so far as it goes, I must say that it cannot be said to supersede the tile drains without a loss of efficiency in proportion to the gain in economy or reduced initial outlay. For instance, the deeper the drain the more quickly and the more effectual the results, and 3ft as an average has been found to be the least depth that is advisable without loss of efficiency. It is scarcely practicable, I believe, to make mole drains in heavy subsoil at that depth. Then again, mole drains must follow the contour of the surface of the land to be drained, so that if the drain passes under a depression or basin and then .over a slight rise or ridge, the water must stand in the* drain along the low" ground until pressure or its syphon action forces it over the highest part. A dug-out tile drain has the advantage of being taken according to levels, and the depth must vary,, so that the water has a clear and uniform run along the drain. In conclusion, I must plainly state that I am not decrying mole drains, but only pointing out that the dug drain is more thorough though more costly. ■ It is just a question of money. If a man can afford the mole drains and not the other, have the mole by all means, on the principle that half a loaf is better than nothing.

Sabsoiling is an immense advantage to land' with a "hard pan " of relenBeneflts tive clay just below the top of soil. In conjunction with

Subsoilingr. any system of Qnderdrainage ' it has excellent effeots, bat ■without any draining whatever it relieves the surface more qaickly of surplus rainwater and permits t.oat surplus moisture to ' aoak downward as a store for summer use in place of having to be tardily evaporated. • which process necessarily keeps the soil very cold and backward for growth. I observe a query in one of the British farming papers in which a young farmer writes to ask the best way of breaking the hard 1 "plough-pan" which underlies his surface' soil. I need scarcely explain that the' plough-pan referred to is the stiff and solfd cake or layer of clay in stiff soils caused by' the treading of the horses, year after year in ploughing the top soil, and partly also by the sliding along of the English plough sole plates when there is no wheel behind to carry the weight of the body of the plough In some soils this hard pan is as impervious to the penetration of moisture as a layer of cement, and in wet weather the top soil lying upon this pan Is just like a batterpudding. Then when dry it cakes and forms into adamant, so that heavy

clay without draining or subsoiling requires ' weather made to order — not too wet aor too dry — in order to allow of its being tilled witb any pleasure or profit. With reference to the British farmer's query as to the best wsy of breaking the plough pan, it is an absurd question, because it admits of only one answer — namely, subsoiiiog, and a man who requires to be told that she old not write himself down a farmer. Of course a very deep ploughing wonli break up the pan, bnt then the soar clay thus turned up would grow little or nothing until it had a twelvemonth's fallow. When the digging ploughs first came in, a few years ago, I know that many farmers made a great mistake In turning up a deep furrow, thus bringing a lot of sour, cold clay to the top and burying the top soil about lft deep, where it was of no use. Such a proceeding may answer at the beginning of a very frosty winter, which would crumbls down and sweeten the clay, but in any ca?e it is inadvisable to turn up more than an inch or two of new soil at once. Some years ago deep ploughing was all the rage at Home, and it was Deep Ploughing thought that it was going to a prove the one thing wanting Mistake. to prop up the tottering condition of British agriculture. The deep-ploughing theoiy is now, I think, pretty Well exploded, and, like similar fallaoious ideas and practice?, has worked its own condemnation. It was contended by the advocates of deep ploughing (and is now, I dare say, by th se who still believe in it) that the moie loose soil the plants had to spread their roots among the better it was for the crop. This view was held, I suppose, of allscrta and cjnditions of soils no matter whether the quality v.as gocd or otherwise. It cannot be denied tbsit good tilth is very important and essential, but the mere fact of a plant having a deep, loose soil does not .mean that the plant will find all that it requires in it. I r , is cot co much the bulk of soil that grows the crop, but, rather, the store of proper plant food which it contains. It is mistaken kindness to turn up several inches of fresh hungry soil as a seed bed for young plants which require suitable and nourishing food from the very first stage. To such land as drained bwamps and neb alluvial deposits of deep, dark soil found on river bottoms and fiats the objectionable features of deep ploughing do not apply, because the ingredients usually required are probably present, and stirring is all that such soil requires. But if we have to fertilise a Boil by artificial means, then the smaller the quantity we have to deal with the better. We do not want to bury a hundredweight of guano or superphespate per acre in a bulk of soil a foot deep. Such a dose would be lost, and the roots of the plants would never get at it in time to do them any good. Our Otago and Southland soilsare, as a rule, pretty stiff and strong, and about sin or 6in well tilled f and supplied with good plant food will answer our purpose better than a deeper furrow of Inferior quality. Break up the subsoil by all means, but leave it where it is. Any good that; it contains will be found out by the deep-rooting plants without bringiDg it to tbe surface to smother shallow-rooting crops. I remember seeing, a few months ago, in one of the Home papers, a letter from a large farmer strongly condemning the practice of deep ploughing just for the sake of deep . ploughing, and for no other reason. He appeared to have given the plan a trial, and had determined to retnrn to bis previous system of turning up just as 1 much soil as he thought necessary for each crop, arid supplying whatever fertilisers he considered advisable. It is hard, sometimes, to avoid running from one extreme to another, and to hit upon the happy medium. In his horror of deep ploughing a farmer may overshoot the mark in the other direct'en, but discretion ar.d experience must decide. AgnicoLA.

I